Melard Coach's Last Run

 Yesterday was Melard Coach's last run for this Snow Bird Season. 

There are always people around whenever buses load and leave. Here a Weaver from Pennsylvania meets a Weaver from Ohio. Their roots trace back to Peter Weaver and Mattie Byler four or five generations ago.

 Group visiting, the talk is big fish or alligator stories. 

 Drivers: Keith Maust and Galen Kauffman

 Ready to roll

The last "Good-Byes". Most of the people in this picture are from Indiana. The last of the Lancaster people left on the Melard and so the last of the Indiana people wish them well on their journey home.  

Ivan Swartzentruber

Tonight I was biking on Tice Avenue when I heard someone call my name. I looked around until I saw Ivan stand at the door of his work shop. And so I stopped in for a visit. He is now 95 years old. I guess every year he gets a year older.

 I looked around his shop to see what is new. This is a mother giraffe and her baby, which still need spots.

 This deer had his antlers broken, so the simple solution is to glue them back on.

This is a clever contraption to store nuts and bolts and whatever. He said this wasn't his invention but a local person had trashed it and he picked it up before the garbage man came around to haul it away.

Loading up in the Rain

 The forecast was for rain this afternoon, to be exact 100% chance of rain at 3 o'clock. I knew all this rainy prediction but I wanted to watch the four Pioneer buses load and leave. The rain started before 3 o'clock, so I took shelter under the roof of the post office so I could watch the action without getting wet. The rest of the pictures are all taken from my dry shelter.

 

 More people took shelter under the roof, Grossjean Moses Vernon and Ammon's Atlee's Mark and his family.

 

 Felty Mast Edna

 

 Daviess County Couple

 

 Quite a few of these rain coats came walking around.

 

 Sarah Ann and Ivan had family get on the bus.

 Two under each umbrella.

 

 Wet, wet, wet.

 

 Family Running!

 

 Yoder's workers running back after delivering food to someone on a bus.

 

 Isacc's Joe

 

 What is the hurry after being soaked?

 

 The buses were loaded in record time and all four buses left before 3pm.

 

Kathy and Paul Marner

THE END



The Little Children

 Going Home

 

 The Mast Brothers waiting on their parents. I took notice of the two little girls peeping out the window.

 

 Feeding the gulls and Ibis cereal.

 

 Pedaling to the park.

 

 Keeping his balance

 

In the bike basket

Saturday's Parade

 Saturday afternoons about 4:30 I am either in the parade or watching the parade. Tonight I watched them cross Bahia Vista. David Swartzentruber is taking the lead. Kathy Marner is a passenger and is throwing out most of the candy.

 

 Fran & Wayne Miller

 

 These women's men have the front seat, enjoying the ride.

 

 Mast brothers from Fremont Michigan are picking up the candy.

 

Brian Stoltzfus with his family and Carolyn Hostetler bring up the rear.

Today's Happenings

 Ouch! Too much sun.

 The planting of a tree.

 I don't know if this is child's play or some sort of ritual.

 

 Four bus loads left today, one for Indiana and three going to Ohio. It is that time of the year.

 

The parking lot ran out of space so vehicles had to park in the streets to unload luggage and passengers.

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 Leaving the park piggy-back.

 Smucker sisters visiting

 Ohio women on the bleachers visiting.

 Going for a stroll.

 The bliss of childhood

This same guy was with Butch Chupp, so I asked him if this is a grandson? Butch's reply was no. He doesn't even know his name. The little boy just wants to be with him.

In Memory of Atlee Miller

This past Tuesday the Pinecraft Pickers who play/make music every Saturday evening during the winter months at Ed Detweiler's home on Gardenia Street, played in memory of Atlee Miller. Atlee was the founder of the original  Bluegrass Band. He was born with music in his heart and at the age of twelve his Mother hitched up the horse to the buggy and took Atlee to town to buy a guitar.

Atlee was born August 22, 1925 and every winter they were always a part of my Pinecraft Life until he passed away on October 25, 2014.

 This is probably the last photo I took of Atlee & Viola as they cruised around Pinecraft on April 4, 2014.

April 19, 2012 Dave took his father Atlee to Big Olaf for ice cream.

 December 15, 2012 Atlee & Viola arrive at Detweiler's for a Saturday evening of music. 

 His son Dave is getting his Father situated. Bill Detweiler on the right passed away about three weeks after this picture was taken.

Atlee is situated and waiting to play.

 The rest of these photos were taken on Tuesday evening at Atlee's Memorial Service.

 Some of the family

 David Swartzentruber was the planner and moderator. Dorene is a daughter-in-law to Atlee & Viola.

 John Graber played the harmonica for 20 years more or less. In recent years he isn't playing due to age and whatever goes with old age. But this night he played his favorites in honor of Atlee.

 

 Ada Petershiem had played with the group for 15 years. This night she played in memory of Atlee.

 Paul Miller talking about their Shuffleboard games. Atlee had  told me he loves playing the shuffleboard almost as much as singing.

 Ashley singing a song in memory of her Grandfather. 

 Left to right: Ralph Christner, Lee Swartzentruber, John Miller, Clarence Yutzy, Dave Weaver

 On the sideline

 Dave and Doreen in memory of his father.

 Swartzentruber Brothers: Lee & Dave with Daryl Crawford

 John & Anna Graber clapping to the music. You couldn't help it for your hands just did the clapping.

Ed Detweiler shares a few memories of the family's hospitality and kindness. 

A beautiful sunset at the end of a beautiful evening.