Pinecraft-Sarasota: February 2015

CrossRoads Bus Leaves Pinecraft

Usually the CrossRoad bus from Indiana leaves at 11am on Thursday mornings. They come in on Tuesdays and twice in the months of February and March they take a one-day Bus Tour on Wednesday and leave for the north Thursdays.

In February the Bus Tours went to Manatees, Solomon's Castle and Epcot Center. On March 11th their schedule is to Tarpon Springs and to the Everglades on March 25th. These schedules are posted on the bulletin boards.

Today I watched the bus leave as Ida Mae Gascho left for her home in Michigan after spending a week or so with her grandfather David Wagler. When I moved to Aylmer Ontario I was next door neighbor to the Joe Gascho family. I think Ida Mae was about eight years old at that time. In 1990 we parted when I left Canada and we had no connections until this winter when she came to see her Grandfather here in Pinecraft.

Ida Mae's uncle Joseph Wagler is pulling a piece of her luggage to the bus.

Grandfather David Wagler watching the crowd.

Just the normal visiting that goes on when a bus leaves. The CrossRoad is scheduled to come in very early on a Tuesday morning when we are still in bed, so they very seldom have a big crowd waiting for them.

Saying their "Good-byes".

Ida Mae and her Aunt Rhoda

And the bus leaves.

And we all leave the parking lot until the Pioneer buses come in a couple of hours later.

Livestock Auction in Pinecraft

Perry Troyer from Plain City Ohio is a victim of some prankster messing in his parking lot.

Livestock Auction

The twins choosing their livestock. For once there was no limit of how many they may choose to take.

Same for this little guy, all he can carry in a box.

Finally Kenny the auctioneer came. Left to right: Paul Miller, Ola, Paul Smucker, Kenny, Toby Yoder and Perry Troyer.

These children got their loot too.

Perry sneaked some animals in my bike basket. I didn't even take them home as I met Mel Mast and he gladly took them for his grandchildren.

In the Quiet of the Evening

I decided to attend a business meeting at the Pinecraft park tonight. I arrived at the park about 5:30 or so and to my surprise the hustle and bustle was gone. Maybe a dozen were still playing shuffleboard. These four sort of walked into each other and stopped to visit.

Two young couples, plus a fifth person decided to try their hand on playing Bocce Ball. Usually there are twice as many players but with just a few they got to roll the balls more often.

Down at the very last picnic table Edna and Moe were entertaining their guests.

Rosanna Coblentz with a grand daughter are in the pavilion where the meeting is to be.

Where Kaufman and Bahia Vista Cross

All of these photos were taken where Bahia Vista and Kaufman cross, except the sunset photo. It is a busy, busy corner.

I was Mary Troyer Wagler's teacher for two years many years ago when I taught at Stone Hill in Wayne County Ohio. She was an eager student to learn and I enjoyed being her teacher. Her Dad and my Dad were first cousins, so that makes us second cousins. she was known as Long John's Mary and I was known at Pity's Ketty.

Waiting to cross Bahia Vista. I don't remember their names but they own Winesburg Lawn & Garden Center in Winesburg Ohio. I love the name Winesburg for I imagine they made a lot of wine and used it to keep their stomach and heart healthy. I also attended Winesburg School in fifth grade.

Shielding their eyes as they wait to cross the street.

Tonight was the Inventors' Parade. This specific float I hadn't seen before, Levi Esh fishing on dry land.

Rebecca his wife follows in a golf cart. Things like this makes Pinecraft unique.

Everybody has a back side, because we also have a front side.

You can't have one without the other.

Arie and Mose Weaver from the Pleasant Hill area. We were next door neighbors for five years during that time they were married.

And the sun set. It has been a long time since I saw a the sun set in Pinecraft. It was too cold to be outside or we didn't have a sunset.

Generations Come and They Go...

As one generation goes, a younger one is right at its heels to step in, take the old generations' place and life continues. Today there was a transaction of the older selling out to the younger, when Jonas Kauffman's Florida home sold and Darrel Deiner a younger man bought the home for $170000.

Jonas Kauffman's home was on the corner of Kaufman and Fry.

Bit by bit the crowd grew and the street narrowed to a walking path. For a short time a person could find enough openings to walk the street on their way to somewhere other than attending the auction.

I stayed on the backside, well in the middle of the backside so for a short time I could see through openings between bikers.

Fry Street closed up completely.

The dog didn't care a hoot of who bids on the home. It was more important to be with his master.

The backside

She smiled in a sweet way, so I knew she wants her picture taken.

Illinois guy, I can never remember if he is a Hershberger or a Helmuth wanted photos of the whole crowd. He is a tall six-footer so he had no problem getting up on the roof.

Last but not least I met up with Madison Hostetler from Bedford PA. In just a few short years she has gone from a toddler to a beautiful girl.

Sunday Afternoon Drive

Yesterday Nancy Ebersol Good and I took a ride out in the country. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and just wanted to explore country.

We went for the Celery Fields and drove around without actually going into that section of the park. These photos are taken from the south of Palmer Road.

It is a haven for the wildlife that loves water and swamps. Some were bird watching, or taking walks and bike rides and fishing. This guy hooked a big fish that got away, after he almost lost his balance.