I plugged in the road where we were heading to into Google and turned on the directions. Now I knew the area where this road was located and how to get to the nearest town, but Google took us down some new-to-us back roads.
It was absolutely frigid today. The temperature never reached the expected high of 19F, but it was mostly sunny and the little snow we got the other day was almost all melted off the roads. So the back way seemed like a good idea. We always enjoy the roads less traveled, and this one was well worth taking a chance.
Because what I didn't know was that it was taking us into Amish country, which I never realized was so close, just one county away.
It was a beautiful drive, but you can imagine our surprise when we saw this farmer out plowing with his team of horses--actually, he had 3 horses hitched up, something I'd not seen before. I've also never seen anyone plowing with anything when it's this cold! I only had my phone with me, and I know the Amish are not much for having their photos taken so I did not get a close-up shot, daggone it.
Finding the man with the table was one of those third-time's-the-charm kind of adventures. He said third house on the right past the church. We got there and no one was home. The man next door came out and said we had the wrong place. So we tried third house on the right in the other direction, and once again no one was home. I pleaded with Larry to go back to that neighbor's house and ask if he knew a guy called Shorty.
And as it turned out he did! The first house was actually the right place after all, the man just didn't understand me over the barking beagles and bloodhound. The guy was home by then, so we got our table in the end, along with a lot of hilarious stories from a father and son who ought to go into the storytelling business. Talking to them was worth the trip.
So all's well that ends well, right? We drove back through the beautiful countryside, very happy with our trip.
And then got home to find the gas had gone off. That had us scurrying around to get it going again and getting all the pilots re-lit. Fortunately it had only been off a short while so the house was fine. That's the one downside of free gas--it is just not trustworthy to be left alone in winter. Some people have no problems with it at all, but ours will usually pick the coldest day that we're away to go off. I guess that's not too big a price to pay for the savings though.
It's supposed to be a cold, cold, cold night. Keeping my fingers crossed that the gas stays on! And I'll have pics of the table as soon as we get it into the house tomorrow.
Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.
I can't imagine plowing in the snow, but 19? Wow!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading somewhere in the last year or so that Amish men plow to catch the first snow because it is supposed to be the most nutritious to the soil. Your fellow must be really intense on it to be out on such a day!
Loved the story! You find them everywhere you go, don't you, smile!
We are always leery of stopping at a yard full of dogs, but with the right incentive, just maybe!