Remain True

Remain True: Amana-

The newest by author Thomas Nye.

Remain True was released on January 31, 2023

Leaving behind the crowds of Chicago and a failed relationship, author Timothy Hayes enters the Amana Colonies hoping to escape reality and find inspiration for a novel. Smalltown Iowa proves an epic failure with social distancing. Social awkwardness, however, is at an all-time high as a host of quirky neighbors crowd Tim's personal space. A beautiful photograph of an Amana woman becomes an inspiration for his writing. As he gazes into her eyes she seems to stir and come to life. Past and present collide when Elise steps out of the photograph and into Tim's life. What part of reality will Remain True? 

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(Copies ordered through Thomas Nye will be delayed until a book shipment comes in on or around February 16th) IF you can't wait to read Remain True: Amana - order through Amazon and it will arrive in a couple of days! 

Seven Villages

Once upon a time, a group of people with strong religious convictions left their homeland of Germany and transplanted themselves onto American soil.

They first began a community in New York state and later purchased a large tract of land in central Iowa. They surrendered themselves to a communal lifestyle and shared all their worldly goods. Families stayed intact, but they shared large communal homes and dining halls. 

Pictured on the left is the smokestack of the Amana Woolen Mill. The stream is manmade, designed to power the mill and as an avenue to float goods through the center of Amana's 26,000-acre farm. The Amana Society constructed six villages and later purchased the nearby hamlet of Homestead, Ia. Nowadays, seven beautiful villages are standing as relics of bygone days. There are numerous shops, restaurants, wineries, handcrafted furniture venues, butcher shops, museums, and more.

My middle daughter and I love the "family style" breakfast served in Amana restaurants. Grandson Parker slept right through the meal, but I'm pretty sure his day of feasting with Grandpa is coming soon.

My grandparents took my mother and father to the Amana Colonies for a family-style meal on their wedding day in June 1951, and my wife and I honeymooned here in January 1981.

There are many amazing sights, scents, and tastes in the colonies. 

Many large homes, dining halls, churches, and factories were constructed of sandstone, brick, and wood. They are beautiful in structure and create a lovely ambiance. (I enjoy riding my bicycle throughout the seven colonies. Pictured above.)

These seven villages have been an integral part of my life here in Iowa. My love of Early American History draws my heart to Amish farms and the Amana Colonies. Those sentiments are the inspiration for my Amish novels and soon-to-be-released Amana novel.

(Above) I'm standing in front of the Amana church in a village called "Main Amana." If you are ever passing through Iowa on Interstate 80, take a break, stretch your legs with a scenic walk, sit down to a scrumptious meal, and enjoy browsing through a few shops. You will want to make this the destination instead of a stopping point on your next vacation. 

I'll keep you posted as my Amana novel nears publication.

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Amana Colonies

        The Amana Colonies are not far from Kalona, Iowa.  If you have never been there you are really missing something.  Right off of Interstate 80, this is one of my favorite places on earth.  You will find scenic vistas on every side, awesome food, baked goods, quaint gift shops, furniture stores, woolen mills, and the Amana's are famous for their wines.

 







The Amana Colonies are not connected to the Amish in anyway, except that they are both religious groups with German roots. They share an industrious, agricultural lifestyle, and quality craftsmanship in whatever they build.

However, I have had people stop at my place, ten miles from Kalona, looking for the Amana Colonies. When I ask if they are looking for Amish farms or the Amana Colonies they repeatedly say, "what's the difference?"  I tell them to go check out Kalona, while they are so close and I try to explain the difference.

The Amana people still hold church services. They were once a communal group, sharing ownership of all possessions. That ended in the mid-nineteen hundreds.  Amish, though dependent on community are not communal, in the same sense of the word.

 

Amana people live a very modern lifestyle for the most part; yet, visiting their villages takes you back in time.
It's my opinion that a person who enjoys time travel (as I call it) would enjoy visiting both communities.


The Amana people built a long canal within their seven villages.  They used this canal for transporting farm produce and other goods.  This train depot pictured above is located near the canal. All of this obviously designed for convenient transfer of goods from the fields, sent floating down the canal to the railway.

I hope you didn't mind me diverting from my usual Amish and horses topics!  I will get back to that in my next blog.