Ice House

 Cutting ice from rivers, lakes and ponds was a big part of life back in the 1800s and early 1900s. By around 1950 everyone in America had electricity and a refrigerator/freezer, well, almost everyone.

Most of us modern Americans have never lived more than a day or two without electricity. We get really upset when our power is interrupted by a storm or construction. Our Amish neighbors chose to not connect to electric power-plants back in the day, and they still don't use it!

I visited my son in Cedar Falls, Iowa, a few weeks back and we toured this really "cool" museum. (a pun was intended) It was right around Fathers Day, so Dallas asked, "What would you like to do?" He told me that there are several museums in town. (He knows that I'm a history buff.) When I heard about the Ice House my mind was made up.

 When I visit museums that depict life in the 1800s, I can't help but think of my Amish neighbors.

Artifacts that are on display for us to marvel at, are still being used daily on Amish farms.

Many "modern day" Amish do have gas powered refrigerators, but some are still cutting ice and have ice-houses.

 When I took this pic of my son, I didn't notice the sign about Mother's Best Flour. It seemed somehow fitting, because this son is made up of the best ingredients. Dallas appears on the covers of  Under the Heavens and English River

 This is a photo of a horse-drawn ice cutter. It was really fascinating to learn about the process of how ice was cut into big chunks and stored in this huge building. Horses wore shoes with spikes to keep their footing on the river.

 Just the structure of this building was worth stopping in to see! If you are ever near Cedar Falls, take the time to learn about our past... and our Amish neighbor's present.

The museum tickets are replicas of order forms people hung in their windows. The ice delivery-man then knew how many pounds of ice to bring into the house.

Barn Sale

My wife has trouble getting me to stop at "Garage Sales" but she is clever enough to suggest stopping whenever she sees a "Barn Sale" along the highway. Old barns hold an allure that I can't resist.

This barn sale in Monticello, Indiana turned out to be well worth the stop. My wife enjoyed looking at a huge variety of antiques while I circled the barn and started taking pictures. A very friendly young woman turned out to be the proprietor of this Barn Sale and a nearby antique shop. She noticed me taking photos of her barn and seemed happy that I was so enthused. I asked if I could climb the ladder into the mow and she looked at me for a moment before giving the go-ahead. "I wouldn't let most people climb up there for "safety reasons" but I get the feeling you can handle it."

We ended up buying an antique children's swing that we hope to hang in our own barn. If you are anywhere near this area, stop in! The owners are super friendly, they are willing to dicker on prices and they have an amazing selection of beautiful artifacts and antiques. Here is the link for their Facebook page... check it out and "Like" it.      Cornerstone-Antiques on Facebook

Doesn't this barn seem to be alive? I could almost feel, years of good stories bound up in the wooden structure. Every old barn has its own personality, most of them seem as sweet and friendly as a grandpa. This old guy was built to last. I can only imagine how excited the family was when this barn raised around a hundred years ago.

It turned out that the barn wasn't for sale, or on sale, but I'm still glad my wife tricked me into stopping in!

Quiet Moment in the Garden

Is this a painting?

 Nope, I snapped it with my iPhone. I'm trying to imagine what they are talking about. More than likely speaking in Pennsylvania Dutch, and discussing the layout of their garden while their sister finishes up a row. What do you suppose girls their age are doing in the big city at this same moment? (I took the photo on a Saturday evening)

This picture could have been taken when my grandma was a teenage woman in the early 1900s, except they didn't have iPhones back then. This is why I write Amish novels: Amish farms are glorious settings for a story, that could've taken place last week, or last century... like this photo.

The Perfect Amish Horse

Have you ever heard of Justin Morgan? If not, you need to read the book Justin Morgan had a Horse. After having been given a small colt as payment from a debtor, Justin noticed his colt was something special. It never got very tall, but could outrun, out-pull, and out-trot any other horse.

A true story that took place in Vermont back in the early days of America. This little colt became the father of a breed of horses, we know them as Morgans.

During the 1800s a certain wealthy man took it upon himself to establish the Morgan breed. He built a beautiful barn (that you see pictured here) on his Vermont estate and set out to find and maintain all breeding records connected to Morgan horses. Later, he deeded the farm to the State of Vermont.

My wife and I recently toured the farm in Vermont. (If you ever get up in that part of the country add this to your list of things to do!) We thoroughly enjoyed our tour

 Above: One of the UVM college girls attends to the horses under her care. Below: Every year UVM raffles off a foal. I purchased a few tickets and if I win this little gem named "Yankee" I will bring him home to my mares Karma and Coke. We can start our own new bloodlines, and maybe a whole new breed of horses!

This little colt is "Yankee" 

You may wonder what this has to do with Amish horses. It so happens that many Amish use Morgan horses as buggy horses. Several Amish farmers in my home community have Morgan stallions that are often crossed with Percheron mares. The resulting "cross" is a very durable, all-purpose horse, which can be used to pull a buggy or plow a field. One of our neighbors has a whole line of black horses. Huge black Percherons, middle-sized crossbreds (that can be used in the fields with his Percherons or on a buggy,) and smaller Morgans that can be ridden or hitched to a cart.

Morgans are the perfect Amish Horse

I posted a few more pics for your enjoyment, as well as the link (at the very bottom of this post) for this Morgan Farm which is part of the University of Vermont, but located near Middlebury. You can click on the link and find out more accurate details about this farm and the Morgan Horse Breed.

One of the college girls let me take a closer look at a mare

My wife takes in the view of a few Morgan mares and foals

More of the farm's mares and foals in a nearby field

This is not the original mansion, but the hired men's quarters. Imagine what the mansion was like!

Our tour guide

 Here is the link   http://www.uvm.edu/morgan/