Dad, as a Hired Man

Today two of my sisters and I went up to Akron for a couple of hours. On the way home we went pass this place a bit east of Orrville Ohio just to take a look and a few photos because Dad worked for this farmer when he was still single. My parents were married in 1949 and Dad was in CPS during World War 2, so it must have been shortly before he was drafted or after his return from CPS.  

A One Day Fishing Trip

 Time to stretch after a day of fishing.

 Unloading

 Dividing the fish

 Putting the fishing poles from one vehicle to the next one.

Blow your nose and go home after a good day of fishing. 

My sister stopped for gas and this van drove up and this is what I saw. 

Lattice Life

Life through the lattice. 

Pioneer Trails Travels...

On Wednesday I boarded the Pioneer Trails bus for Ohio. This couple came around to say "Good-bye" to a friend from northern Indiana, whom they met down here. This is what Pinecraft is, making more friends.

 Mullet's wife got on the bus to go north.

 And so did Viola with plans to stay for four weeks.

 While we waited in Gainesville for a passenger, this guy was on break.

Entering Ohio Thursday morning.

We made good time all the way and a few minutes after 12,  I was dropped off at Wooster where one of my sisters picked me up. 

Tonight's Shuffleboard Game

After the calling hours and viewing of Chet Stoltzfus the family brought these two bouquets to the Pinecraft Park. 

These roses are where Chet's favorite place was to sit while during games or whatever.

Many of the men and women who usually play Wednesday evenings at the Shuffleboard Tournament were at the calling hours. They decided to shuffle tonight in memory of Chet.

I wish I could be here to take photos but I am heading out this afternoon to be with family for two weeks. 

Until We Meet Again

Tonight were the calling hours for Chet Stoltzfus. The Amish couple on the right is Wayne and Esta Mast. Wayne was Chet's Shuffleboard partner many a time. The other couple is Albert and Ida Miller.  These two couples had brought Paul, a homeless guy with them to the calling hours. 

Paul and Chet became very good friends. I don't think Chet realized the impact he had on the people who came into contact with him. He was an intervort, a bit of a loner in his own way, but he, well he was himself in caring deeply for the under-dogs. At least this is my perspective of Chet. I will miss not seeing him around but for the rest of us life goes on... 

Empty

No shuffleboard playing tonight.  

Chet Stoltzfus

I am digging in my photo file and chose these two in memory of Chet Stoltzfus. On Memorial Day Chet and Anna Mary hosted a cookout for the whoever lives or  hang around the Pinecraft Park. 

This photo was taken one week ago. Chet and Anna Mary were on a golf cart ride, and like normal, a crowd gathers to visit. 

Life changes quickly. Funeral arrangements for Chet Stoltzfus are as follows:

There will be a viewing held in Sarasota on Tuesday evening from 6-8 at Weigands Funeral Home . And there will be a viewing held in Lancaster PA at Keystone from 2-4 and 6-8 on Thursday. Funeral services will be at Keystone on Friday July 29th at 10 am, with viewing at 9 am. 

Gene and Mabel Bontrager

Tonight Gene Bontrager is 59.9 years old. 

Tomorrow will be his 60th birthday. 

We celebrated tonight.

Getting to know both of you has been a blessing. 

The Grill

Open air cooking at the park.

Thursday Evening

Tonight I decided I am not going to post any pictures of the shuffleboard game and so I didn't.

Both of these men have Lancaster County roots. Maybe they knew each other in their younger years. I simply don't know, but neither one lives in Pennsylvania. Crist Petersheim lives here in Pinecraft and the other man is from Indiana.

This group is in the park about once a week. They come in quiet and respectful, do their exercises at the far end of the parking lot then pack up and leave again. 

Future Shuffleboard Pros

Tonight was the Wednesday evening Shuffleboard Champion. Tonight the winning team was Wayne Mast and Bill Whatchamacallit. (I can't remember his last name. Maybe I never knew it.) I will post more pictures on Facebook but here I want to post about the future shuffleboard champions. 

The youngest boys belong to Norm and Barbara Borntrager and the two oldest are Steve and Jolene Schlabach's boys.

Dinner Time

The Peanut Man was late getting to the park and the squirrels went from person to person begging for peanuts. when this one discovered nobody had any peanuts, he pulled grass and chewed on that. 

Fathers and Sons

 Tonight there were at least three fathers with young sons at the park. I don't recall ever seeing any of these men. Likely they are local not too far from the Pinecraft Park. As a whole the Pinecraft Park is a clean safe place for us all. 

The first two pictures are the same little guy. He was all in, in helping his Daddy play basketball. He even had his turn in shooting the ball.

 Running after the ball.

This Daddy and the two boys were at the volleyball court where there is lots of sand. The other father with a son was down on the swings. 

Cloud Formations

 Coming from the west on Fry Street, looking east at the incoming storm clouds.

The same buildings a couple of hours later, coming from the opposite direction on Bimini Street.

We had about half a dozen rain drops. 

Today

 County Workers cleaning and cutting weeds along the canal behind my house. A job that gets done a couple times a year. 

 The new house on Estrada Street is making progress.

Admiring the sunset. No two sunsets are ever alike. Each one has its own beauty.

Anna Graber Goes North

 I couldn't understand why Crist Petersheim is getting on the Pioneer Bus this afternoon. I knew he wasn't going north, especially not without his wife. 

 But he got off the bus again. Crist was looking if Anna Graber is already on the bus. His wife Ada is a niece to Anna and he wants to wish her a safe trip to Indiana.

 Pauline Miller also came around and was waiting for this someone who was going to travel north, which happened to also be Anna Graber. Pauline had worked for Anna many years ago in the restaurant business.

Elizabeth Schlabach another niece was also waiting on Anna to wish her well before she travels north. 

Anna Graber is special to many people in the surrounding neighborhood. 

Pioneer Bus Arrives

 The Pioneer Trails came in today. The minute this Amish girl stepped off the bus, she was greeted with hot subtropic heat. 

 Happy family reunion. 

A group of five from Kalona Iowa got off the bus. They had traveled to Indiana to catch the bus. They are staying for two weeks. 

In the Wild

 We can never compete with the wheat shocks in Ohio. This is the best we can do.

 Egret

 This looks like the Little Blue Heron and a female Cormorant, which has been sitting at that spot for weeks.

 Here is another shot of the same bird. It is the bird that airs out its arm pits now and then.

 The Crow

These squirrels are waiting for the peanut man.

The Meeting Place

 The Park is the meeting place this time of the year.

Samuel and Vivian (Graber) Martin from Lancaster County PA. Vivian's parents were Amish in Daviess County Indiana. They are down here for about five weeks to do doctoring.

There is a first for everything, especially a trip to Florida. The Amish family came to visit his sister and her family for four days. Tonight some of them are playing shuffleboard for the first time, on their first trip to Florida.