Costa Rica abounds in beautiful birds and butterflies. Some of the nature centers and wildlife refuges have birdfeeders so you can get a closer look at the colorful display. At Monteverde, there is a hummingbird garden with many feeders and the hummingbirds are flitting all around – including sitting on your fingers. Enjoy some of…
Tag: travel
Costa Rica #1
Last February, we made our first trip to Costa Rica. We spent most of the time in the interior area on a hacienda bordering Lake Arenal. But we also had some time to explore the Pacific beaches and several wildlife reserves. The above photo was made at Coco Beach or Playas del Coco. It is the…
Matanuska River Valley – Alaska
Here are some photos from our trip this summer through Alaska in a RV. Travel north of Anchorage and head east on the Glenn Highway and you will travel through the Matanuska River Valley. It is a beautiful area with a broad river valley and mountains on both sides. The Glenn Highway connects Palmer near…
New Hampshire in the Fall
One of my favorite areas is the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We spent several days in the Lincoln area at the end of September. It is near the White Mountain National Forest and Franconia Notch State Park. There are lots of hiking trails, waterfalls and other beautiful scenery. Looking forward to returning again next…
Alaska – Denali Highway
Denali Highway goes east-west connecting Richardson Highway with the Parks Highway in Alaska. It can only be called a “highway” in the very loose sense of the term. It is 135 miles of washboard gravel but goes through a vast wilderness area. There are a couple of lodges along the road but otherwise you are…
Lehigh River Gorge State Park
In early October we spent a week on the Pine Creek and enjoyed the rail trails in northern Pennsylvania. We continued our enjoyment of the fall colors and rail trails in late October with a day trip to the D & L Rail Trail which goes through the Lehigh River Gorge State Park. The trail…
Wandering the Country Roads
I spent some time last weekend driving around the countryside and enjoying the farms and the scenery. After the drabness of winter, it is so wonderful to see all of the “green” and the farmers working the fields once again.
Rural Church Tradition
I grew up in rural southeastern Arkansas and lived way out in the woods. The small church I attended until it disbanded was also way out in the woods but only a couple of miles from our house. Although the church stopped being active many years ago as the families who once lived in the…
Auction Day
We stopped by the annual auction at the Fivepointville Firehouse last weekend. There was an abundance of farm and garden equipment for sale, along with household materials, bicycles and buggies. There is a large Old Order Mennonite community in the Fivepointville area plus Amish so many people arrived by buggy or bicycle. It was a…
Frosty Morn
With temperatures hovering around freezing, it was a frosty morning for the horse pulling the Old Order Mennonite buggy. (The Mennonite buggies are black while Amish buggies in this part of Pennsylvania are gray.)
The Drive Home
During the summer, my drive home from work looks like this. The green leaves meet over the road to provide a feeling of driving through a green tunnel. This time of the year, the green has changed to yellow, red, orange and all shades between. It is a delightful time to be out of doors…
School’s Out
The Amish and Old Order Mennonite children enjoy a break from school during the summer. However, rather than spending time at the pool or playing video games, they are helping on the farm, working in the garden and manning the produce stands that are in front of many of the homes. Lancaster County has over…
Getting Around Town
Some of the various type of Amish and Old Order Mennonite buggies in this area of Pennsylvania.
In the Adjoining Field…
In the field next to where the Amish farmer was baling hay in the previous post, his son was raking the hay in preparation for baling.
Hay Baling-Amish Style
Here are some photos of a local Amish farmer baling hay. The hay is scooped up with the yellow roller and goes back into the baler. Here the farmer is clearing the baler. Time to turn and go the other way… Now we will go the other direction. Now watch…. Open wide… Now it is time to…
Hay Raking
Local Amish youth using the draft horses to rake hay.
The Green Tunnel
One enjoyable aspect of the daily drive to work and back is the section of the road where the overhanging trees meet. This time of the year it is like driving through a green tunnel and it provides welcome relief when the hot summer weather arrives. In the fall, the “tunnel” turns into a yellow and…
Finding Treasures
This area of Pennsylvania is a mecca for antique and flea market lovers. Adamstown is home to Renninger’s, Black Angus, Shupps Grove and many other shops, both large and small. A personal favorite of mine is Fiesta Ware and other kitchen objects. At one time I collected Depression glass. I also collect Pennsylvania redware pottery…
Spring Planting with Mule Power
It is time for spring plowing and planting. This is an Old Order Mennonite farmer with a team of five mules working his field. There are two different “horse and buggy” groups who live in this area — Old Order Amish and Old Order Mennonite. They differ in their dress and customs but share many practices such…
Nature and Life Notes 