We met Amos & Katie Zook in California about a month ago as we were driving through the Redwood National Forest. They were on a 4 week trip, being driven around the country with several other Amish couples. They had asked if we were coming through Pennsylvania, and if so where we were staying, and when we told them we did not have a place in mind to stay they invited us to stay with them!
We were set to arrive about a week earlier than we had originally told them, so we sent them a letter from Florida letting them know when we were coming. Snail mail comes in handy when you realize you can't call or email!
We drove up to Ronks, PA from Annapolis, MD...and on entering Lancaster county it almost feels like you've stepped back in time! The first thing out of the "ordinary" that you notice is laundry on long clothes lines strung from the house to the barn. It's easy to tell the Amish homes!
All throughout the towns and along the highways the shoulders are extra wide to easily accommodate all the horse-drawn buggies.
This is the farm we stayed at. Katie and her first husband had lived here on the dairy farm for a long time. When he passed away about 15 years ago, her son Stevie, 18 years old at the time, took over the farm. Now Stevie, his wife, and their 7 children live next door and run the farm.
The evening we arrived Katie was waiting for us at the end of the driveway and said they had just got our letter the day before, so they were expecting us. We sat on the couch with them for awhile looking at the pictures they had from their trip (the driver and his wife were not Amish, so they could take pictures and give them all copies). Amos gave us a tour around the Dairy farm, and then they asked if we wanted to come with them to visit Amos's granddaughter and her family for the evening. So we climbed in the back of their buggy as Amos hooked up the horse, and we drove about 4 miles down to Ben & Elizabeth's place! It took at least 30 minutes to get there in the buggy!
Ben & Liz were so nice! They have two young boys, Elias and Paul, who both don't speak English yet. Children grown up learning to speak Pennsylvania Dutch, and it's not until they start school that they learn English! Ben owns a potato chip factory that he gave us a tour of the next day...and sent us away with several bags of his hand flavored chips!
It is very interesting seeing the lifestyle the Amish live. The houses have no electricity, but there will be hooks up in each room to be able to hang a lantern from. Most people have Kerosine lanterns with propane tanks built into a rolling cabinet! The women spend a lot of time canning...right now it is peaches, pears, applesauce, and grape juice. The older girls help out in the kitchen while the boys with help out on the farm. The kids go to school through the 8th grade and then are done, while some continue with agricultural vocational school for a few years.
Before we left the next evening, we sat out on the porch with Amos & Katie. We had just finished having ice cream with all 7 kids, Stevie, and his wife Linda. Their oldest daughter, Ruthie, is sitting with us in this picture.
As we left, they loaded us with gifts! Amos picked us a gallon bag full of grapes, and Katie gave us potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, and eggplant from her garden. Linda brought us a dozen eggs from their hens and Stevie filled our milk jug with fresh milk (less than an hour out of the udder!). We felt incredibly blessed by their hospitality!
Overall and AMAZING opportunity!
And now we're in New York, still enjoying the FRESH cow's milk :)
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