Inspiration From Amish Country .. and A Little Bit About The Amish

For Thanksgiving This Year ..

We traveled just slightly north and west of the Jersey Shore to visit family. Their home is nestled smack dab in the middle of the rolling hills of Amish country, located in the heart of Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Every morning, when I awoke to the slight scratching and whining of Pepper and Molly (our Shih Tzu fur babies), I took them out into the cold fresh air so they could do their business. I was up and about before the sun was up and over the horizon. There was a beautiful orange like tint to the morning mist and the smell of wood fires burning. As I took in the beauty of the morn, I was also formulating what will most definitely be my next little watercolor painting. At this moment I captured the inspiration of what will be my next painting, with my trusty iPhone 6s. Hehehe.

(Photo by BDMiller)

A Bit Of History On The Amish ..

If your asking yourself, who the heck are the Amish? Well worry not.. I am going to briefly sum up a little bit of history for you. Please don’t kill me if I mess something up here, :-/ , just let me know so I can correct it.

Amish Family (Arthur Tseng - blog.udn.com)

The Amish Community ..

Dates way back into the 16th century and is very similar to Mennonites and Brethren. The Amish are a very conservative community. They are most known for their simple lifestyle that does not include such things as electronics, cars, electricity and pretty much any other modern convenience. They settled in Pennsylvania in the early 18th century to escape persecution in Europe for their beliefs. The Amish community in Lancaster County is the oldest and (I believe) largest Amish community in the US.
From what I have learned, there is no head to the Amish community as a whole. Not similar at all to the Catholic church. There is no “Pope” figure to lead and make decisions for the community as one. However, each church calls the shots in their area. The one thing they all have in common is that they base their rules on the literal interpretation of the Bible and the Ordnung (a set of unwritten rules). As one people, they openly stress the importance of humility, family, community and separation from our modern world.

Amish Farm Homestead - (photo credit - Jeff Wignall on flickr)

A Few Other Useless Facts ..

The Amish are easily, or I suppose not so easily (the purpose of their actions) spotted in dark, plain and simple colored clothing. They don’t want their photograph taken (obviously not the case above), They speak English but have a strange dialect that is sometimes difficult to understand. They will ride in cars/vans but don’t own them. Sunday is for God, the bible, praying, food and rest. What else, what else, what else am I forgetting.. Oh Yes! “Don’t forget about the buggies!!” A relentless Lancaster County TV advertisement I would see over and over again like 20 years ago.

Amish Buggy (Photo Credit - lancasterpa.com)

If You're Looking For More Information On The Amish .. Go to this website:

DiscoverLancaster.com This site has a pretty good summary of their history and lifestyle.

For Now ..

I am going to get to work on that watercolor painting I briefly spoke of at the beginning of this post. Heck, who am I kidding.. Did anyone read to the bottom of this post anyhow? I will post as soon as I complete it and format the progress photo’s.

See Ya Soon!

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Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!