top of the line (ramblings on and off topic)

Living in Mennonite Country...

Doug Evans

>We bought a country property in the heart of Mennonite farms about ten years ago. They are an extremely industrious and resourceful group. I can remember selling guys table saws and being offered the motors back. At the same time, I have been in many Mennonite-owned shops with lasers, CNC machinery, etc. One memorable experience back in the eighties was about sixty people putting together clone computers... not far away from fields with stooked grain. I always drove home a different way (I worked in the city) because you would see all kinds of interesting stuff. I once saw a whole family harvesting with three horse-drawn wagons. There was a kid who couldnt have been more than eight driving a team of horses. I will always remember the day I saw an old guy ploughing and making a turn with six horses abreast. It was interesting to watch the way he held the reins and the control he had. Perhaps one of the most picturesque scenes I recall is just after Ashlar was born. I was still playing hockey late on Saturday nights. I got home about 11:30 in a driving snow. I threw a log into the Vermont Castings and it glowed bright as I cracked a beer... Wahhh...Wahhh... Ashlar was stirring upstairs... I plucked him from the antique drawer that contained him at that time (hard to imagine for the size of him now) and headed back downstairs. A warm fire... body aching a bit from the hockey, a cold beer in my fist, and a good part of my life sleeping in the crook of my arm... I walked to the window (we lived in a century stone house with the deep windows) and under the single light down at the corner, a procession of horse-drawn carriages travelled by... some double-seat carriages with kids all bundled up... it was quite a sight.

Without the light and the hydro pole it could have been a hundred years or more ago in that area.

Cheers,

Doug

Re: top of the line (ramblings on and off topic)

Dale Stansbery

>There's an Amish community about 15 miles south of where I live so there's always easy access to their baked goods. In fact there's a fresh loaf of cinnamon bread on the kitchen counter as I type.

What I really enjoy is attending their farm auctions when a family packs up and moves to another community. There's one coming up in a couple weeks. Everyone in the community arrives for the auctions by buggy. There's always a large operation with the women and children cooking and baking items for sale. The barns are full of the unhitched horses, as well as whatever animals are for sale.

I grew up on a farm when the transition from a real farm to mega industry farms was in progress. It's pretty nostalgic to be able to step back in time for a few hours and enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of a working Amish farm.

Re: top of the line (ramblings on and off topic)

Randy Robertson

>Lived in Dover, DE for 4 years about 7 years ago, there is a health Amish community around Dover and western,DE. As an avid bicycle ride (cyclist to be proper) I enjoyed riding through the Amish areas as ther were few if any cars and I could pass the Amish in there horse draw buggie with little effort... about the only thing I could do that to on my bike.

Re: top of the line (ramblings on and off topic)

Todd Hughes

>My friend knows an Amish fellow that owns a large general store up near Lancaster Pa. who had a computer in his office which ran off a generator. The Bishop found out about it and expressed concern so he arranged for it to be kept next door at an "English" friends house and he goes over there to use it. This fellow is also a big time hunter and goes out west with my friend who tells me he has all the latest and most expensive gear including night vison scopes[!]Says most of the Amish kids have battery powered Game Boy games including all of the rated M ones. Always gets me when people think that the Amish all live some "Little house on the Prairrie" Existance when in reality they are just like anybody else.I do find it a little amazing that your Amish friend would be interested in a hand plane as all that I know only want tools that you can hook a air hose to. Once was in an Amish blacksmith shop where he ran his forge off of compressed air.Kind of complicated and didn't work to well but when I told him he should use a hand crank blower like I do he said that would be to "Primitive" and his clients would look down on him!....Todd

Re: chess

Jeff Spirer

>When I was in collage, I worked a telephone desk for the school for the deaf.

One of the kids would in and play chess with me.

Now mind you, I thought I was pretty good, and he whipped me every time.

I asked him about it and he mentioned that he was the collage champion.

I discovered later, he was more then just our collage champion, but state and somewhat more.

Took me 3 years to finally beat him 1 time.

20 years later, I was playing with a local fellow who was also a real good chess player.

I beat him most times.

He was quite surprised and commented on how mean a game of chess I played.

I told him the story from collage and said I hadn't played since then.

Guess you don't forget all you learned.

Jeff

Re: top of the line (ramblings on and off topic)

Dean Lapinel

>My experience was wonderful with the Amish. Bought an Amish farm and many of my neighbors were Amish.

As a physician I loved having the horse drawn carriages arrive down our long driveway for a free medical consultation. Made me feel like an old fashioned DOC from the past.

I found though that the Amish neighbors I had, really enjoyed excellence; They preferred the best tools, best hunting equipment.

There were wood workers that I would call artists and there were wood workers who were more commercialized with quite a fancy warehouse full of machinery and highly efficient dust collecting, spraying process.

It's a mistake to thing of this group of people as humanly different than any other. They respect nature as many other good folk do. They also have their share of bad apples as commonly found in humanity.

Their religion has many rewards such as maintaining close family ties, cooperation, appreciation of nature and simplicity....but it is a hard life.

Ultimately, I think that their appreciation of fine tools is based on the fact that high quality tools tend to last longer and need less down time than less expensive tools. I don't think there is the "ahhh, beatiful" or "that's collectable" factor at all.

Re: Living in Mennonite Country...

Dan Clermont in Burnaby

>Coool story Doug.

Do you still play hockey???

Dan Clermont in Burnaby