Pinecraft-Sarasota

Lena's Amish Granola

Emma's Pizza Shop in Pinecraft and sells GoGo Granola Bars. Online they can be purchased at Lena Amish Granola

Lately I have been getting tired of my regular breakfast, so I bought one of each kind and decided to try one for breakfast. I ate one with a cup of good hot coffee and I am impressed with both the taste and how long one bar stuck to my ribs. I ate one bar and a bit of fruit for breakfast and didn't feel any hunger pains until 4 PM. This is a good breakfast with a good price. They also sell Granola in bags.

My Amish Childhood by Jerry Eicher

This morning I spend a little bit of time looking around in Yoder's Gift Shop. I browsed their books and suddenly my eyes came to rest on this book. I didn't know it was on the shelves but I immediately claimed a copy. This afternoon I finished the book I was reading and so tonight I will start on this one. I can't wait to start reading and know ahead of time I will like it. I will like it for this simple reason, I know Jerry's relatives. I know the Eicher clan on his Dad's side and the Stoll tribe on his mother's side. I lived among them for thirteen years. I worked with quite a number of them.

This was at my first home away from home. It was in the midst these people I crawled out of my shell, out of my box. They accepted me for who I was. They helped me realize I am a person... It was the beginnings of the long journey that brought me to where I am now... The Eichers, Stolls and the Waglers, all in the Aylmer Ontario Amish community were the first of the hundreds' of people who helped me on my journey...

Northbound Bus

The Pioneer Trails bus comes down one day with passengers and leaves the following day with northbound passengers. So today was the day to load up and go north again. Yesterday 12-15 people came off the bus whereas today the bus was almost loaded to the brim. Menno Borntrager is leaving for the north.

Getting sun protection under the umbrella.

Sue was helped onto the bus by her neighbors Ruth Overholt and Linda Keim. Other passengers will keep an eye on her and family will pick her up in Indiana.

The last party to get on the bus, but he probably worked the hardest while down here.

More Vacationers

The Pioneer Bus came in today. I didn't count the passengers but by appearance about a dozen people came off the bus.

Sometimes pets, especially dogs travel in the luggage compartment.

According to the windshield it is the season for the Love Bugs again. Too bad they loose their lives when splattering against the bus.

Relaxing by Still Waters

Nancy and I were looking for a certain spot somewhere close to Mote Marine and Save Our Sea Birds. I had been in that park a few times but I couldn't remember how to get there and so we turned off at the wrong drive and found this beautiful spot. We set up our chairs and enjoyed the evening after being greeted by Mr Male Bird. He was guarding his mate who is nesting in the next picture. She doesn't show up well but if you look closely she is touching their eggs.

And the Turtle Dove was doing what they normally do, enjoy pecking for food.

We sat facing the eastern sky and so we got the beautiful reflections from the setting sun, although the sun set behind a bank of clouds.

These trees obviously were the roosting perches of a number of Pelicans, plus some other wading birds.

Nancy is shooting with her iPhone.

There was one lone person out on the water.

The changing of the clouds.

A Brown Pelican.

The darkness deepens...

until the ghost of a bird comes looking for bedtime snacks. He had no fear of us.

Pinecraft in the News

'Amish Las Vegas': What happens in Pinecraft stays in Pinecraft is now on Today Show.
http://on.today.com/13E25C9

Also shortly afterward a newspaper article from dailymail.co.uk posted about Pinecraft. Click on the link below.

Just wanted to give you a heads up that the story has gone live. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2316138/Paradise-plain-people-The-Amish-live-Florida-community-bicycles-solar-powered-buggies-common-cars.html

And there is more coming as I was interviewed tonight by New York Daily News.

Crowley Museum and Nature Center

I think I had posted about my previous visit to Crowley Museum last Fall. Today was my second visit.

They were celebrating Earth Day with life music.

I am hand feeding the biggest pig I remember ever seeing.

But it was very gentle and I almost smooched

her.

The Pot Belly Pig. I think some people have these for house pets.

The huge pig was told to "Sit" and so she did.

There were classes in teaching children how to make "Mud Pies" and then they went back into the woods with their instructor to find berries to bake in the pie.

This little guy had his very own camera. He is probably a photographer in the making.

This brought back memories, although I haven't used one in years. It used to be a good place to relax in a busy household. One time I was greeted by a Blacksnake and then no more relaxing in that specific out house.

Here is a bit of a display of the pottery this lady makes. She flattens leaves from plants and trees into the wet clay. When she bakes the clay the foliage burns off but the impressions stay. It makes for beautiful pieces of art.

Horses and a donkey.

Strolling around

Taking in the music

Shy little fellow

And the old mountaineer.

Holmes County - Part 3

All of the following pictures were taken west of Maysville and down through Mt Hope and ending up at my sister's place where I was staying.

It was a beautiful day to work in the garden. This woman had a pointed object and so I am assuming she was poking holes into the black plastic to plant seedlings or drop seeds into the poked hole.

This woman's homestead and who knows how many generations live here.

For Sale) Robes and Blankets, when I was a little girl in Holmes County Robes and Blankets were connected with buggy rides in the winter time.

I didn't know people use plastic bags instead of sap buckets, but here is the evidence. Makes me wonder who was the first to come up with plastic bags to gather sap?