Happy 4th of July! We spent the majority of this day touring Amish country! There are many things I love about the Amish lifestyle (i.e. farming, their faith, and plain living), but there are probably just as many things I don't like about them (i.e. their strict rules and lack of contact with the outside world). Nevertheless, it was fun learning more about them and having a close-up view of their lives. We started the day with a tour of an Amish homestead and farm. We were free to tour the grounds by ourselves, but the home tour was lead by a guide. Next up was a horse and buggy ride. There are many places that offer rides, but the one we had planned to go on was packed with people! So, we went back down the road to one we had passed and were able to get our own personal buggy ride! We drove by Amish homesteads, watching kids play while women worked in the gardens and men worked in the fields. Our guide, an older Amish man, took us to an Amish farm where a young girl offered us cookies, handmade items, and drinks (for sale). We bought a package of chocolate chip cookies to share. The horses' names were Gracie and Red and Hailey loved them. She asked the Amish man a couple times how he was getting them to do what he wanted. He replied, "I talk to them!" After the buggy ride, we headed over to a group of shops in Intercourse, PA called "Kitchen Kettle Village". On the way there, we stopped at a quilt shop in Bird-In-Hand, PA (interesting names, right?) to buy some fabric. Are you surprised? I was very excited that the fabric was at least $5 cheaper than the prices I pay around home! After doing a little shopping, we drove to Aaron and Heidi's for dinner. Clara didn't seem to be feeling well, her temperature reading 99.3, so she took a little nap on their couch. After dinner, we went over to Rita's for some water ice. I tried the Starburst Strawberry this time which was very good. We then headed over to their church to watch the fireworks, first having the kids play around on the playground. Everyone had a great time! Clara fell asleep during the fireworks, still not feeling well. When we got back to the hotel, her temperature was 103 degrees! :-( Thankfully I had brought some Advil for her and her temp was down to 99 degrees within an hour. It never got that high again after that, but she did maintain a low-grade fever for the next couple days. She didn't have any other symptoms (besides the fever, being tired, and cranky), so it's hard to say what she actually had.
4th of July attire!
The Amish Farm and House had lots of things for the kids to do. Milking a fake cow, playground with a wooden tractor and barn, etc.
There were lots of animals to see there, too!
We got to see what the inside of the one-room schoolhouse looked like. The Amish only go to school until they are 15 years old.
We also got to see what the inside of a buggy looked like.
The home tour included discussion about the different outfits the Amish wear. Sometimes I wish we all dressed the same...one less decision to make each day!
We really enjoyed the horse and buggy ride!
Clara enjoyed trying the homemade chocolate chip cookies, and Hailey loved engaging in conversation with our Amish guide.
The views in this area were just gorgeous. Despite the heat and humidity, the day was beautiful!
I loved seeing so many horse and buggies.
The Amish like to use scooters as well for means of transportation.
There were lots of red barns around, too!
Clara did not want anything to do with Uncle Aaron up until this picture was taken (she takes a while to warm up to people), so we had to document that she finally let him hold her!
Playground time before the fireworks!
Cousins! In order of age, Alex, Jack, Stephen, Emma, Hailey, and Clara.
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