Dreemit's World: "Amish Paradise"

Embark on new adventures with me in this brand new series about the real world in which I live.

Walk, hike, bike, take a motorcycle ride and a road trip, go wine trailing, hit a brewery, come kayaking, jet skiing, walk through woods and cemeteries. Visit the house of Harriet Tubman, see one of the oldest state run asylums, or marvel at the many waterfalls and gorges. Through my words and a lens, see the beauty of the Finger Lakes and other fascinating places in New York and beyond!

From The Window of my Secret Childhood Fort-Episode One of Dreemit's World

The region in which I live is home to one of the oldest Amish communities in the country.
In a world where having your electricity shut off is akin to having your legs broken for most, there are still people who live like they did in the days of Little House On The Prairie. Horse and Buggy for travel, lanterns for light-basically nothing that would require use of the poles, lines, and towers the rest of the world relies on.

The following two pictures are from my town, featuring buggies that I generally get stuck behind in no passing zones on an every other day basis. But today, a day when I needed to find buggies for this post, it's as if every last one of them took off for a wedding in Pennsylvania. There wasn't even any parked at their shops I visited! So I had to borrow these photos. The rest of the pics are mine.

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This is the most common type of buggy, though considering the amount of black buggies I see in ratio to silver, I wonder if this family is a bit more progressive...(rebels!).

The black flap you see hanging from the side of the door, and the rolled up silver tarp at the back is what they use to protect from the elements such as wind, rain...blizzards. Yes indeed, they travel all through the winter, generally with heavy wool blankets draped around them.

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This is what's known as a 'Courting Buggy'. It's open so that young couples can't get up to any shenanigans. It appears this young man is on his way to pick up a date- oh, la la. He's also dressed in his Sunday best, literally.

The funniest thing I've seen in a long time occurred in buggies like this one-My mother and I were sitting on her porch swing when we heard the sound of hooves thundering down the road toward us. Two open carriages driven by four boys were racing to the dead end, whooping and hollering--it's our guess that those boys found a bottle of liquor somewhere, and we speculate on what kind of trouble they were in later that day. (Drinking is a big no-no for them)

The buggies are a common sight to see in my town and have been for eons. The stores that are popping up are a new thing. They used to limit themselves to roadside stands, but have more recently upgraded to buildings.

In today's feature I'll be taking you to the first couple of these indoor markets in this area that appeared over the past five to ten years.

This first store, simply called Country Side Market, began as a stand that sold many plants and herbs and was known to the locals as Munson's (which is the name of the road it's located on)

NOTE:
Many of the Amish appear to be a bit camera shy. While they gave me the nod when I asked if it was okay to take pictures, they were not exactly keen on posing.

Along with a small store it also has several greenhouses which I LOVE browsing through.

The Amish are also well-known for their wood-working. It's common to see furniture for sale even at the places that still operate as road side stands.

This little fella is how a couple of teenage girls who man the register get to and from home to the store- he pulls them on a tiny, low to the ground, version of the courting buggy. (I happened to see them coming in and leaving on a few different occasions- the next time I get an opportunity, I'll snap a picture.)

The Waynard family owns this next little store. Years ago when we kept honey bees on a larger scale I used to buy food grade buckets from them to store the honey in.

Amidst the flowers on the left hand side is Andy Waynard, patriarch of the family, and to my knowledge the wealthiest Amishman in the entire area.

I do as much of my produce shopping here as possible, the prices are significantly lower than any supermarket out there.

Two of Andy's grandchildren.(Both of whom turned their heads when I went to take the pic) The girl is the oldest child of ten, and the only female among them. Lucky her!

All discounted items, and though you have to be wary of the expiration dates, you can come away from here with better deals than Aldi's.

My selection for today, and a grand total of $7.10.

Well that concludes my episode for today :)
The next on my agenda is about the Willard asylum for the Insane-it's burial ground is located less than half a mile from my parent's house, and the buildings that still stand are just up the road from that...don't miss it!

Generously created for me by @son-of-satire