After Max and I spent the day in the airport with my mom only to turn back around to Franklin, we spent the weekend going to a few places we hadn't gotten to during the previous week.
Playthings Etc. (a toy store shaped like a spaceship)
The Cheese House
Schoolhouse Shops
Amish Country
We stopped by a quilt shop hoping to take some pictures, knowing that taking pictures of the Amish is forbidden. I sheepishly carried my camera into the shop feeling like I was carrying bag of weed into a church. I asked the woman at the counter if she would mind if I took a few pictures of her farm. She said that would be fine and reminded me to avoid the children playing outside. With that, we launched into a discussion about misconceptions about cultures and religions. We asked about Rumspringa, when teens leave their communities to experience the world, and she quickly shot down the notion. She said some Amish somewhere might have done that or still do, but it's not common. We told her we were members of the LDS church and that we, too, encounter misconceptions all the time about our religion. So we laughed about how absurd some ideas were... but mostly, she made it clear that being Amish isn't quaint and pleasant like outsiders think. Sure, they stay together as families and make their own bread and work in their own fields, but using an outhouse is no picnic. But it's what they are used to. I asked her if there were many converts to which she promptly responded, "Nope. Hardly ever, unless it's for marriage... and that's never a good idea." She was open and frank and funny. I really liked her. And this is her farm...
We stopped by a quilt shop hoping to take some pictures, knowing that taking pictures of the Amish is forbidden. I sheepishly carried my camera into the shop feeling like I was carrying bag of weed into a church. I asked the woman at the counter if she would mind if I took a few pictures of her farm. She said that would be fine and reminded me to avoid the children playing outside. With that, we launched into a discussion about misconceptions about cultures and religions. We asked about Rumspringa, when teens leave their communities to experience the world, and she quickly shot down the notion. She said some Amish somewhere might have done that or still do, but it's not common. We told her we were members of the LDS church and that we, too, encounter misconceptions all the time about our religion. So we laughed about how absurd some ideas were... but mostly, she made it clear that being Amish isn't quaint and pleasant like outsiders think. Sure, they stay together as families and make their own bread and work in their own fields, but using an outhouse is no picnic. But it's what they are used to. I asked her if there were many converts to which she promptly responded, "Nope. Hardly ever, unless it's for marriage... and that's never a good idea." She was open and frank and funny. I really liked her. And this is her farm...
(Amish school house)
It was also nice to have a few more days with my parents so they could spend more time with Max. He loved playing with my dad and listening to him play music.
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