Pinecraft-Sarasota: March 2013

The Airing of Pinecraft

Hi everybody,

Belated thanks for your hospitality this past weekend. We had a great time meeting everybody and got some good stuff to work with. I will probably touch base in the coming weeks to fact-check but wanted to let you know that we’re aiming to air the story on Tuesday, April 16^th in the fourth hour of our show.

I will let you know if anything changes as we get closer. Many thanks,

Durrell

A Day With TODAY Show Producers

This past Friday the TODAY producers were in Pinecraft doing some footage to be aired at a later date. We were to meet at my place at 8am sharp. The first people to arrive were Sheryl and Lena friends from Ohio, Sherry, Janet, Marietta and Larry.

Durrell Dawson, Producer-Editor of Today show, with Lena Schlabach from Ohio. Lena is a special friend of mine that I had posted about in November 2012.

Larry Is mounting a video camera on Sara's bike. I was taking Sara Haines around Pinecraft for an hour or so, showing her the neighborhood and whatever goes on in the life of Pinecraft.

The two camera people were in the back of Larry's solar buggy with the curtain rolled up.

Sara going into the park.

I had to take a shot of the Lost & Found Box. I had never seen this box with seven jackets lost.

I helped play a game of Shuffleboard with Sara and a few others. We had an audience which included two little brothers.I love the perspective of this photo.

After finishing our game I took a look at what these little boys were standing on to watch us play our game. Sara and I next settle down at a picnic table to visit.

The next thing I knew little Luke had followed and edged up to us and took a seat at the end of the table. I have a very high respect for this camera crew as they immediately clicked their camera off, for they did not have permission for Luke to be included in the shooting. We waited for Luke to leave but he didn't. He was very comfortable visiting with us. He was just adorable, a beautiful innocent little boy and never gave it a thought that he shouldn't be with us. He told us his name is Luke and he is four years old. He didn't know his daddy or mamma's name. Nor did he know if he is the oldest or youngest in the family. We waited for him to leave but he wouldn't go, so I suggested that he go find his Daddy. His answer was he knows where his Daddy is, indicating he doesn't need to go find him. So then two of the gals walked up to the Shuffleboard court and found his daddy. He came along down and apologized and picked up his youngest son. We all had a good relaxed laugh.

After we were finished at the Park I biked home and the crew went to Alma Sue's Quilt shop to do some filming and also Sherry Gore did a cooking session with them.

And then it was time for the three Pioneer Buses to load and leave. Paul consented to answer questions for the crew. Thank you, Paul.

Amanda, Sara and Durrell. It was a good day.

Plain Things

Maybe a month or more ago I received a note from Aaron Stoll requesting my mailing address. Ever since he kept me wondering why he wants my address and today I found the reason. This is the reason.

Here is some more information about the magazine. I look forward to receiving more future issues.

The reason I find this magazine very interesting is because Caneyville and Brownsville KY are patterned after the original Cookeville TN community where Elmo Stoll was the leader and I was on that first van load of people to move to the Cookeville Community in October 1990.

We had a little magazine called The Update. The Update editors were Elmo Stoll and Bryce Geiser. The editors of Plain Things are Bryce Geiser and Aaron Stoll. Aaron is Elmo's fourth son. He and I became good friends before he was two years old and have always been friends, even after parting 13 years ago. Some of the writers in these first two issues were babies and cute little boys when Cookeville was in it's prime.

Anyway, here is the contact information of whoever wants it.

Melard Coach from Lancaster County

Today was the first time I have been around when the Melard Coach came in or left Pinecraft. Over the weekend I met up with one of the drivers and found out what their schedules are and so I was there this morning when the bus loaded passengers to head back north.

People waiting at the Tourist church's parking lot for the bus to arrive.

The bus pulls in.

Bus drivers and managers.

Getting the luggage from the vehicle to the bus. The older people had their own kind of suitcases, what was on the market back in their younger days.

Joanna Stoltzfus visiting one last time with one of her friends. The women on the left are three generations from the same family.

Visiting one last time.

I love how the younger women are paying attending to what the older is saying.

I am assuming these are sisters.

More visiting.

Good-bye.

Less Two Hundred People

I don't know if both of these men Levi Schlabach Jr and Ivan both went home today. I do know Ivan on the right, left with his wife Sarah Ann.

Watching 200 people board the four buses.

This little chap is looking for someone he knows. It looked like he walked off and suddenly realized he is not with his family. So he retraced his steps and everything was okay.

Two on the right are Fred Hershberger and Al Miller.

Watching and visiting from the sideline. All of these people will leave on some other day.

A Sunday Afternoon

Lancaster girls on a stroll.

Joe Weaver and a Milverton Ontario man.

Lancaster and either Indiana or Ohio couple.

Holmes County Ohio

The Amish is a Milverton Ontario couple. She is a sister to John Streicher Lizzie, one of my former Aylmer Ontario friends.

I Go a Fishing...

A Day or two ago ( think it was the same man) was fishing with a net and it caught on the bottom of the creek and when he pulled on the rope the rope tore and he us and left. What else was there to do?

This afternoon he was catching fish again. He fished until his five gallon bucket was full.

I was fascinated watching him cast his net and pull in struggling fish. The fish flopped on the ground until he got a hold of the wiggly wet fish and put them in the bucket. Naturally my thought went to the New Testament when the disciples went fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Sometimes they had such big catches their nets broke. And so there was always the mending of nets and someone cleaning fish.

And someone cleaned fish today and brought the waste down to the creek where the birds were waiting for their supper.

He dumped the waste right at the water's edge.

Getting water to rinse out the bucket.

Screaming, and hollering and fighting, whatever a bird has to do to get it's share of fish guts, of fish heads, fish brains and fish eyes.

Larry's Solar Green Buggy

Larry has two solar green buggies and this one is actually green in color.

Larry from Sullivan Illinois who winters in Pinecraft. He is one of these who had been coming down here as a little boy with his parents and grandparents.