( Pennsifaanisch Deitschn means "Pennsylvania Dutch" in Penn dutch speak)........... Im seeing more and more Amish who tow things behind their buggies like the first picture. This buggy was in Lancaster and moving pretty fast , and I barely had any time pulling my camera out to snap away at it. The last two pictures were taken in a popular farmers market that’s a favorite with tourists in the Bird-in-hand area, can you guess where it is?. Traffic was not too bad, but there are signs that the tourist season is about to begin as local motels and some restaurants start opening-up again for the season. I've received a few e-mails asking me about a particular motel where the folks couldn’t get a hold of anyone, so please keep in mind that some of your favorite places to stay do close for the winter. Id say Lancaster and most likely other Amish settlements who cater to tourist really have two sides to them, with the dead of winter for the locals, and the spring and summer months geared towards the tourist trade. So while us locals might shake our heads as we try to get home from work, only to be slowed down by tourist buses, local businesses welcome them with warm smiles and open arms. And in the end these lets say minor distractions help our local economy thrive and help keep all of our taxes in check. So that’s what I try to think about when I drive these roads during tourist season, it may not help get me home faster, but it sure beats paying higher taxes. Ill try to remember that thought the next time I'm behind a bus from New York city. Richard from Amish stories.
