Amish Vacation?

        Morning light faintly glimmered on window shades. A 5:30 a.m. knock on the door woke Pete from a deep sleep. "Time to rise and shine," a voice called from beyond the door.
       "Lisa, they are trying to wake us," Pete said.
       She pulled the sheet up over her head.
           Pete spoke louder, "Lisa, wake up."
           She moaned and sat up on the edge of the bed. "I hope they don't plan on waking us up this early every day."

        (What would it be like to vacation on an Amish farm for a week? Pete and Lisa Heller, and their family find out!)

       Pete and Lisa headed out into the kitchen and were greeted by the wonderful aroma of breakfast food sizzling on the stove.

       Carrie snuck close to her dad and whispered, "My phone is almost out of power."
       "Plug it in," Pete answered with what seemed a simple and obvious solution.
       "They don't seem to have electricity anywhere in this house."
       "Oh, that's a problem." Pete looked at his phone and realized it would be dead soon, also. He asked out loud, "Is there a place we can plug in our phones? They are about ready to die."   
       "We have a phone booth less than a mile away if it turns out you need to make a call," Cephas said.
        Pete tried to think of how he could explain that he used his phone for a lot more than calling people.
        Lisa smiled at her husband and commented, "That will be enough phone calls for our family this week."       
       Carrie pulled her dad aside, whispering angry words into his ear. "They shut off their lanterns at 9:00 last night. I couldn't get to sleep for three hours, but at least I had my phone."

       You have been reading a snippet from Amish Park.
Take this short novel along on your family vacation and read a chapter every day.
    
       Pete and Lisa's teenage daughter, Carrie, is a cell-phone zombie, like most American girls her age. An Amish lantern sheds a strange light on a whole new world, once her phone dies.
       This trip to an Amish theme park is ten-year-old Natalie's idea. She loves horses and thinks that a visit to an Amish farm might save her parents marriage and keep their family together.

Is God still in the miracle business?
Let the wisdom of an aging Amish man encourage you and your family.

(click on the highlighted words) Amish Park, and join the Heller family's Amish vacation.

Romantic Buggy Ride

 What could be more romantic than a moonlit ride behind a trotting horse? Even a quiet Sunday drive through a small town, or down along a gurgling stream, can seem quite romantic.

I'm a helpless romantic, both forms of romance:

 1)My books are dominated by idealism, a desire for adventure, and a touch of chivalry.

2) My writing may be characterized by a preoccupation with love or the idealizing of love.

What better backdrop could exist for this type of story, than an Amish countryside?

Horses don't interrupt a couple's conversation. Instead, they produce a rhythmic sound, much like a heartbeat. They pull a cart or wagon with a gentle rocking motion. No loud roars, no distracting radio, or any other electronic devices, unless you bring along your cell phone.
(not bad to have along... just be smart enough to silence the thing!)


They go slow enough that you can look into each other's eyes for a moment and not miss a turn or run a red light.

Bring along a light meal or a refreshing drink. Stop down by the creek and give the horse a much-deserved rest. After you wade in the stream for a while, your horse will be ready to make the return trip.

If it's warm out, leave off those heavy shoes. If it's chilly, snuggle.

 I might want to mention something of the downside to all of this...
      eeerrrchhhh!

You will be behind the horse all the while. Notice the view is always of the backside of a horse. Don't forget, they are living creatures that need to relieve themselves every now and again. Although, they don't use gas... they do produce quite a bit.

Horses don't seem to have a problem with privacy and are not shy about taking care of whatever business is at hand. They don't check with your human conversation to see if their contribution is timely, or not. I have even imagined that my horses use these functions on purpose if they don't like the conversation.

 None of those little issues seem to bother our Amish friends. In fact, they are so accustomed to those things that they may not even notice any of it. If you are really in love, and in tune with nature, you ought to be able to embrace the whole experience.

 Maybe I should have mentioned that, although I'm a romantic, I also enjoy a little humor and a reality check every now and then.