Pennsylvania
Amish country, PA.
This is genuinely some of the prettiest countryside I have ever seen. It’s a patchwork of farms with deep green grass, yellow straw fields from the last crops of corn, white or red barns, and pretty houses.
The roads have a separate late each side for horses and buggies, or the alternative Amish transports of bicycles or push scooters. There are some scooters that are converted bicycles, with a platform to stand on between the wheels. We saw several of these, with an adult or teenager transporting a child who was standing in front of them.
We don’t see many mules in Australia, but they are commonplace here because they are the work animal of choice on the farms. Horses are reserved for transport.
We have seen families, individuals and courting couples all out for a ride on this beautiful, sunny Spring Saturday. A courting couple is distinctive because they must ride in an open and uncovered buggy.
Everything is clean and well presented. The whole scene is absolutely charming. I don’t say that to be condescending. It’s genuinely pretty, and it seems they take pride in making it so. It also seems to me that they have maintained a sweetness or pride in the fundamental things of life that our society often overlooks – family, friendship, hard work and moral values. There is no abuse of the environment here, nor any waste or litter.
There are things we could definitely learn from their way of life, even though I am not willing to give up using electricity, electronics, or my car.
Roadtripping #11
The scenery is really pretty in Pennsylvania.
Once we bypassed Philadelphia, it turned into a land of neat farms and pretty barns. The grass is green and the trees are starting to grow their new leaves.
Most of my attempts to take photographs have been foiled by passing trucks or roadside trees, but that’s OK because I’m not sure quick snapshots would do the scenery justice anyway. It’s the overall image of farmland, rolling hills and pretty houses that is so impressive.
The roads are good here, too.
We have passed a couple of Amish villages. The buildings were painted pristine white, clustered neatly together with the pretty white church as the focal point of the settlement. Everything is clean and tidy. Their pride in their homes and work, and the importance of their faith, are evident just from looking at their villages.
I guess it’s true of anyone that you can see what is important to them by looking at the way they live.
I’m keen to meet a beloved friend tonight and spend some time with her over the next day or two. She is my main reason for coming to PA, but I am confident I will enjoy my visit. I love history, so there is a great deal of interest for me here. I’d like to visit an Amish village and I’d like to see Gettysburg. Seeing some of the Pennsylvania Dutch culture would be interesting, too.
We just crossed a river. Instead of taking a photo of the really nice arched bridge, I scored a shot of a graffitied hippy van that zoomed up past us on the left. Just my luck.
An Aussie Maple Leaf, adrift on the wind... 