Tuesday I am going down to Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties into Amish Country. It will be a long all-day trip. I have a hankering for some home-cooked chicken and noodles over biscuits and dumplings, so ...



If you don't know about the Amish, Google it. All I can say is that they speak English but their home tongue is Old German and in some cases Dutch. They eschew everything modern and that includes anything with a motor, anything that requires electricity, and just about anything else. The "Old Order" Amish are so strict (it's a religious thing) that they take offense when you shoot a photograph of them.



The Amish work together, teach their own children, cooperate when building structures - see the barn-raising photo above - and only purchase land with their money. No banks. No investments. They live on the land where they are born, and they seldom move. Most Amish are farmers - without tractors or machinery. They are very prosperous people and some of the friendliest I know.



I am taking my cameras, film and digital (with extra batteries) to snap as much of the autumn scenery as I can. Amish Country is hilly, rolling and very picturesque.

You can always tell a farm is Amish. There will be no wires or telephone poles leading to it.