Due to our luncheon date, we were able to sleep in a bit. This was a nice luxury that we haven’t had much of yet on this trip with so many early morning risings to get going for the day. A little before 10 o’clock, we checked out of our AirBnB, and headed off to find the home for our visit with the Amish family for lunch. It was a beautiful drive through the countryside, often along treelined roads. At one point our path was blocked by a herd of goats who eventually moved off the road. Our GPS did quite a good job of getting us quite close and then it was incorrect. We ended up on a dirt road up through the trees and into a meadow with fields all around. This did not seem right. Dick was willing to call and see if we could reach the family to get some help about where we were. They didn’t immediately answer but then Ray did pick up and was able to recognize where we were from Dick‘s description He gave us some good directions on how to get to their home. 10 minutes later we pulled into their driveway and we’re directed where to park our car, close by some horse carts.
We then spent the next two hours being very graciously welcomed by this extended Amish family. We met Ray’s wife, Linda, several of their daughters and daughters in-laws and sons and son-in-law, plus several of the grandchildren, including two adorable two-year-old, nearly identical cousins who were happy to share their toys and come and play with us.
Lunch was served on a large table with about a dozen of us sitting there and several more eating out on the front porch. Linda later explained she hadn’t done fancy cooking for the weekend, and what we ate was a simple Sunday lunch of a potato egg casserole, homemade applesauce, fresh roasted chicken, and ice cream with brownies and chocolate sauce for dessert. Simple, but delicious.
The family was very engaging and asked us a lot of questions about our lives, and was open to talking about their lives and answering our questions. We felt we were able to build on the experiences we had so far and were really fascinated to compare which things were similar with this family in the church they belong to with that of farmer David and which things were different.
After lunch, we got to go and see their horses, their buggies, the dogs that they raise and then breed for puppies, and a large workshop building which next Sunday would be prepared for their congregation since it would be their turn to host their church. Each of the 20 families of the congregation takes a turn once or twice a year to have church in their home, often in a large workshop or barn area because it needs to be able to seat up to 120 people.
Our visit ended with all of us sitting on a side porch under a beautiful tree watching the children play on a swing and playing a beanbag tossing game. We can could have indeed spent quite a bit more time talking and comparing notes about our lives, but it was time to get in the car and head south to go on the next part of our journey, to see Dick‘s brother's family in Dayton Ohio.
We left the Amish county area feeling so full of deep appreciation for the people who had shared so much with us. We had experienced a cultural exchange and affirmed our value of getting to know people who are different than we are, especially in finding our commonalities and our ways that we can share the world together. We hope to return to this area again in the future. But, as we left, we smiled about how we had really enjoyed our time in Amish country Ohio.
An hour and a half down the road ,we stopped in Delaware Ohio, as we made our pilgrimage to the cemetery where Dick‘s parents, grandparents on both sides and great-grandparents are buried. It is always a solemn time, but a good time to go attend to the grave stones, pick up the sticks and leaves, and spend a little time remembering these important people in Dick's family.
Then, back on the road again for another 90 minute drive headed down to the area east of Dayton, Ohio. We would now move from spending time with other peoples' families, to time with Dick’s family. This drive was very straightforward. We have spent the last couple of days driving township back roads, twisting around through wooded areas and twisty routes. Now we’re back on on the Interstate, where driving is uncomplicated. We really look forward to the time with brother John and his new wife Beverly, who we have not yet had a chance to meet in person due to Covid. We had watched their wedding on Zoom last year since we were unable to travel. Good family time ahead.
We were so glad to settle in and have some good catching up time with John and Beverly, and also to meet Beverly‘s daughter Amanda. There was good food and good conversation. It’s so good to be together.
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