The Buckeye State

Ohio country roads. We didn’t make it to the larger cities in Ohio like Cleveland or Columbus. On this drive we were headed to the airport in Detroit to fly back to Washington State.

It was always a treat to see a horse and buggy although it was scary to see scenes like this next one.

A tanker passing the buggy on the road.

Millersburg

We stopped at this General Store near Sunnyslope before we drove through Nashville, Ohio.

Word of Truth Bible Church in Nashville, Ohio.

First Presbyterian Church in Loudonville was having a Ham and Bean Supper. Loudonville is in the heart of Mohican Country.

Just after Hayesville we connected to Highway 30 to head west and connected to 75 north onward to Michigan. We stopped in Toledo, Ohio for lunch. Toledo was the largest city we navigated on this trip.

Holy Toledo! Many of us have heard the expression, but where did it come from?

The origin of the exclamation “Holy Toledo!” is the subject of much speculation. One suggestion is the name came about because of the heavy concentration of churches located on Collingwood Boulevard, according to the Greater Toledo Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Also, the City of Toledo, Spain, after which the American city is named, is often called “the Holy City of Toledo.”

Other suggestions of origin are not religious, but may be more likely. Holy Week has always been the worst week at the box office for show business; old-time Vaudeville actors contended that any week in Toledo was Holy Week. Toledoans Joe E. Brown and Danny Thomas popularized the term as they became nationally known performers.

This Ghost Sign says Lucas County Board of Elections.

After driving around this area looking for a spot that was open to have lunch we settled on the Ye Olde Durty Bird. It was open and there was parking across the street. Sometimes those are the best reasons to choose a spot in a downtown area. Thankfully it was good.

Time will tell if I link up to any memes this weekend. Got some laziness going on. How’s your Saturday going?

I will link up to InSPIREd Sunday and to the Barn Collective and to Monday Mural and signs, signs.

Thank you to Beth, Sally, Tom, Oakland Daily Photo and Lesley.

Roads Less Traveled

All these roads, signs, and fences are from our trip to Amish Country at the end of September. These roads are in Holmes County, Ohio.

^{Matthew 7: 13-14 –}“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Linking up today for ABC Wednesday with Mrs. Nesbitt, Roger and the team. R is for Road Less Traveled.

Also linking up later in the week to signs, signs with Lesley and Good Fences with TexWisGirl.

InSPIREd Sunday

My last two churches from Ohio Amish Country happen to both be white. This first one is St. John’s United Church of Christ.

The name of this simple church is Holmesville Church of Christ.

I think the best feature on this country church is the belfry. We did not see any bats up there…

Bats in the Belfry: An antiquated term for insanity, madness. Belfry: the top of a bell tower on a church, where the bell is housed. Often infested with bats, who enjoy the darkness and seclusion of the place.

She’s got bats in the belfry, sqirrels in the attic, owls up in the loft.

Linking up to InSPIREd Sunday with Beth and Sally.

On the Way to Charm

One of the days we were in Ohio we drove to Charm, Ohio. These are some fences and farms we saw.

It was a wet day with a few dry spells, the very last day of September. And now it’s November already.

So far this is what November looks like here.

Facebook lit up last night and today about the Cubs winning the World Series in game 7. In general I’m not a baseball follower but doing something for the first time in 108 years is significant. I did manage to stay awake and see the outcome. I found these photos in my archives from my one and only time outside Wrigley Field in 2012.

Congratulations Chicago Cubs!

Thank you TexWisGirl for hosting Good Fences.

Of Quilts and Queens…

…and other Q things. It’s always an interesting quest to come up with Q words to share for ABC Wednesday.

These first two photos were taken in Bristol Indiana.

Quilts on Barns in Amish/Mennonite Country.

Barn Quilt in Eastern Washington from the road.

Quilts in the Der Dutchman Restaurant in Ohio Amish Country.

And now a quick trip across the pond to England to visit Queen Victoria.

Outside Buckingham Palace, 2013.

Outside Windsor Castle, 2014.

For my last offerings we’re back in the USA for Queues of buggies from Amish Country.

Linking up to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and carried on by Roger and the ABC Team.

Despite the rain last night (Halloween) we got about 44 trick or treaters at our door. The bonus of the night was being able to meet a new neighbor we hadn’t met before with their almost 1 year old little boy. So sweet.

I’ll leave you with a couple “Quiet” verses from the Bible to calm (quiet) you in our noisy world.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ²for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NASB)

Amish Farm Mosaics

I really thought these corn shocks were cool.

“One of the most well-known ways of taking in corn is through shocking it. The first step is for the farmer to drive his team of horses, pulling a machine called a binder which cuts the cornstalks off close to the ground. The binder then makes bundles of corn which must be gathered by hand and stacked up in a teepee-style pile. Although the cornstalks are now dry, the corn is probably not dry enough to be stored safely. The whole idea is to prevent the corn ears from falling on the ground and absorbing moisture. When the corn is dry, it will be gathered on a wagon and either shucked by hand or run through the corn picker.”

I’ll be linking up to The Barn Collective at Tom the Backroads Traveler and to Mosaic Monday with Maggie at Normandy Life.

ht: Dutchman News

Sugarcreek, Ohio

I’m sharing a series of signs seen while in and around Sugarcreek, Ohio, with the Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

We saw the signs that described Sugarcreek as The Little Switzerland of Ohio.

We headed to downtown Sugarcreek for our book signing at The Gospel Shop on Main street.

Sugarcreek is also known for having “the world’s largest cuckoo clock” which earned an Ohio Historical Marker.

All the shops downtown have facades that try to mirror a Swiss Village.

On our travels around this area we passed these smoke stacks several times and I managed to get a photo on one of our drive-bys.

Because of its abundant deposits of clay, Sugarcreek has also become one of the country’s leading makers of face brick. Its history goes back to 1910 when the Finzer Brothers Clay Company was started by the Finzer brothers, grandsons of Swiss immigrants who settled in Sugar Creek. Belden Brick, a company that originated in Canton, Ohio, bought the Sugarcreek company in 1946. Several of the buildings and many of the kilns that are used today were built and installed when the original company was founded in 1910.

I’m linking up to signs, signs hosted by Lesley.

We are a soggy mess here in the Pacific Northwest today. Looks like we’ll have to gather soggy leaves tomorrow. Hope all is well in your corner of the world.

The Plain People

Plain people are Christian groups characterized by separation from the world and by simple living, including plain dressing. This is a very simple definition of Plain People.

This is a photo full post with most of the pictures of Plain People I captured in the Amish/Mennonite Communities in parts of Indiana and Holmes County Ohio.

This photo is a drive-by snap of a Barn Sale.

Ending with this school yard photo of the children at recess.

I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for P is for Plain People with thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and Roger plus the ABC team.

Since these photos are mostly from farming communities I’m also linking up to The Barn Collective with Tom the Backroads Traveller.

Fall is living up to it’s name in our yard. Dear went out and rustled up all the leaves this morning and then the winds came and there are more leaves than before on the ground. That is the price we pay for the beauty of our changing seasons. It’s worth it.

As I type I’m watching more leaves fall and it’s a lovely sight.

Ohio

O is for Ohio. I have an abundance of photos taken while in Amish/Mennonite country in Ohio and Indiana. The sights we saw were otherworldly and original for us. You could hear me exclaim “oh my goodness, look at that!” Also, “oh my, look at all that pie”.

Other sights that made us look more than once.

Oink, Oink!

The schoolyards so very different from our experience.

Our room was outstanding too with lots of square footage and nice outside views.

The clip clop of the horse drawn buggies was the highlight in this part of Ohio and in Indiana.

Linking up to ABC Wednesday started by Mrs. Nesbitt and administered by Roger and the great ABC team!

We’re traveling today and unable to be online to see all your October posts. I’ll be back online soon.

Wednesday Washday in Amish Country

I don’t know if every Wednesday is washday but on this particular Wednesday as we drove the country roads we spotted many wash lines filled with clothing drying in the wind. This area has a large population of both Amish and Mennonite folk.

ON A WINDY WASH DAY MORN

Soaked and scrubbed in a round tin tub
with homemade soap
up and down the ribs of a wooden washboard
by hands rubbed red & raw
on a windy wash day morn.

Stiffened with starch, squeezed
and wrung to a twisted laundry rope
then hung on lines to flap
back and forth and snap dry
on a windy wash day morn.

Laid on the lawn like paper cutouts
clean shirts and sheets, towels and skirts
smelling of sun and clouds and wind
wait to be ironed and worn and dirtied
again for another wash day morn.

~ Brenda Seabrooke, American poet and novelist

They really have some great pulley systems and other clothes hanging inventions to make the job more efficient.

Do you have a set day to do laundry?

I’m linking this post to Good Fences with TexWisGirl.

The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b.

To honor and encourage

Tag Archives: Ohio Amish Country