The Heavens

 My novel, Under the Heavens, is due out in December.

One focus of the book is skies.  About the experience of being on a farm for the first time and realizing how vast the heavens are. It changes your perspective.

 These pictures were taken on two separate occasions.  The first and third were in the morning when doing my chores.  The others were taken in the evening, when the sky didn't seem real.

You can see my horses have their morning hay dangling from their mouths.

Hues of purple mixed in with these blues add a water color feel to a photograph.  I am not a photographer, just a guy with a cell phone that loves a beautiful view.  My favorite photographs are those that look like a painting, rather than a photo.

Someday, when I retire from the Post Office, I will get a good camera.

If you like these pictures, check out Amish Horses Facebook, and "like" it!  There are several albums with this type of pictures on that site.
                                                            Click on this link:   https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses

Mail Order Barn

        I got up early this morning and drove about 30 miles to my friend Kenny's place, where I buy most of my hay.  My trusty little time-machine S-10 pickup has 26 bales on it.  I drive this far because Kenny always sells me top quality grass hay, cheaper than I can find it anywhere close to home, and he is a great guy too!

        This time I took some pictures of his barn and asked him some questions about it.  He told me that his wife's Grandpa built this barn from a kit, he thinks was ordered out of a Sears catalog.  I have never heard of that!  He didn't know when it was built but guessed in the 20s or 30s.  He told me that each board came with a stamped number on it, so that a person could follow pre-printed directions.  Kenny has been told that four other barns just like this one were built nearby and this is the only one of those four left.  It seems that the arched roof was a weakness, that is until Kenny's grandpa-in-law took matters into his own hands and reinforced the rafters as seen below.  He also added these dormers which also was part of a plan to strengthen the structure.  That old guy is a man to be proud of!  People like him are what this country was built on.

       This beautiful old building and many like it across America need to be protected, they are irreplaceable.  Much of the hay stored in this mow (or loft) will come home to my place for Karm and Coke's winter chow.

       For more old barn photos check out my Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses 

      Click on this link and look for my photo album "Barns" don't forget to "Like" my page while there!

  

Shipshewanna

            I swung by Shipshewanna Indiana on my way home from visiting my mom in Michigan.  These Belgian horses were part of the amazing vistas everywhere around me.  I really enjoy driving around the countryside looking at Amish farms and YES Amish horses.

           I stopped at this book store that sells books about Amish.  Hopefully my book, Under the Heavens, will be on a shelf here when it comes out later this fall.

          There are buggy rides available behind the Blue Gate restaurant and Bakery, in the heart of Shipshewanna.  The Blue Gate restaurant has amazing food, you have to try their Amish peanut butter, apple-butter and amazing pies.

          These buggy rides seems like fun too!  There are Amish buggies and local "plain-people" riding bikes throughout the streets of this little town.


           This is a great place for a day trip, I am thinking of planning a week long visit sometime.

           I was entertained by seeing buggies stopping in at the gas station and by the attendant who kept coming out to scoop up all the buggy exhaust.


           I'm not sure if the man giving horse drawn rides is actually Amish but I'm gonna guess that he is! (Pictured below)

            If you enjoy these pictures check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AmishHorses I have more pictures in albums there.  Be sure to "like" my Amish Horses page while your there.  Thanks for your support!

Lost Canyon (horse-drawn attraction in Wisconsin Dells)

This is an AWESOME experience!

Anyone who loves horses will really enjoy Lost Canyon in Wisconsin Dells area

 There are so many attractions in the Wisconsin Dells area but this one is a MUST DO family friendly experience. At just over $10 a person it has to be one of the cheapest too. The canyon that the horses pull your wagon through is beautiful and so are the horses. My visit to Lost Canyon last week was at least my 3rd time and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first time I was there. The guides are always funny and friendly, Kevin who you see pictured in these photos was a great young man and his love for his team of dapple-gray Percheron draft horses was obvious!

There are usually several teams of horses waiting to give rides through a cool wooded canyon. It doesn't seem to matter how hot it is everywhere else, this canyon stays nice and cool.  The horses trod through shallow pools alongside a creek on a nice sandy path, and almost seem to be having fun too!

It's fun to meet up with the other teams of horses and wagon loads of tourists. Everyone seems to have a smile on their faces and the guides usually stop for a moment to tease each other.  Be sure to ask lots of questions while on the ride.  I always do; and I learn a lot about the place, horses and even the guides.

There are many places along the trail where you wonder if the horses can even fit through the narrow canyon walls, they do!  This narrow confined area actually makes for a very safe horse drawn wagon ride. I have given wagon rides commercially in the past and I know that there is a risk when you take a large group of people for a ride with horses. Most horse drawn rides are either in town or out in wide open spaces where plenty can go wrong.  I am jealous of this spot because distractions are very limited as well as places for scared horses to go! I could see that whoever set things up here, took many precautions to keep everything safe.

   


 It is really fun to watch the other teams pulling through the canyon as you meet them along the way! I love watching horses in harness, so this place is easily one of my favorite tourist attraction of all time!

Down below is my favorite picture of Kevin with his horses!  He is a really nice young man and got excited when I told him he (and his horses) would be making an appearance on my blog.  He seemed happy to promote Lost Canyon even though he was working his last week, after being there for several years!  We wish you all the best where ever you end up Kevin!  By the way, I think you have draft horses in your blood. Once you have that bug, it doesn't seem to ever leave you.

Road Apples and other signs your nearing Kalona

Road apples, a little nickname we Kalona people give to what horses leave behind.

Also known as buggy exhaust!

This is a good sign you are nearing Kalona.

The Cheese House, known to the locals as "The Cheese Factory"

famous for squeaky cheese curds!

A large variety of horse drawn vehicles.

This is a horse drawn sprayer. 

(vehicles like these leave road apples behind)

Signs along the road, reminding us to watch for horse drawn vehicles.

Dozens of signs advertising home grown products, almost exclusively Amish signs.

(My little time-machine S-10 pickup can be seen in this picture)

Just past the "rumble strips" you roll up to the "Four-Corners" 4 way stop.

From here you can see our famous, Puller Inn motel,

JW's grocery,

and English River Pellets.

Buggy Etiquette

       You may be thinking this blog post is about how to behave while riding in a buggy.  When I was a nineteen-year-old, single man I took my very first buggy ride.  I had become friends with an Amish family and asked one of their daughters some questions about what Singings were like.  She invited me to come along with her to a Singing the next Sunday.  She suggested I come early enough for Church and stay until evening and go to the Singing.

       When we climbed into the buggy and started down a gravel road, their horse lifted its tail and began to drop, what we in the Kalona area call "buggy exhaust" on the road.  Let me just say I wasn't used to that view!  I let out a chuckle and those teenage girls looked at me to see what was so funny.  Immediately I knew that this was part of everyday life for them and I felt like a city slicker!
       Now, years later, when I give wagon rides to friends, I am surprised that they laugh when my horses lift their tails to take care of business.  I guess it is all what you are used to!

       I actually want to address the issue of how to act around buggies.

 1) When you are in an area with horse and buggy people, please remember that they are only going a fraction of the speed of a car.

2) Remember that horses have a mind of their own and no two horses' minds are exactly alike!  A horse can act up at anytime about something as simple as a plastic bag blowing out of a ditch.  Pass carefully!

3) Understand that Amish are not trying to attract attention.  They are just living their everyday life in the way they have grown up living it.  I'm like you, very curious about it, but at the very least give them some respect and don't treat them like a circus attraction.

4) Don't ask, "Can I take your picture?"  Amish have strict rules about having pictures of people.  Every Amish group has their own rules and some Amish people have different standards.  Some may not mind you taking their picture but that is rare.  That is why I only take pictures with no faces showing.

(Those pictures in my blog of our cover photo shoot have non-Amish actors in them.  That is why those pictures were taken with faces showing.)

Under the Heavens {Character foreshadow in Photos}

Thirsting of what's to come? Looking for a way to take a peek into Lenny's world? Although the book is entirely fictional it was built upon actual interaction with Amish over the years and a love for horses that has been over a lifetime.

We acquired Amish clothing, found a few willing "models", booked a session for an evening, and hitched up Tom's team! As a photographer and the daughter of the author I found myself praying an extra prayer on the way out for just the perfect skies as a backdrop for this session. The good Lord did not disappoint!

  

Does this get you all ready for a good read? It should! As one of the lucky "editor's" of the first draft copy of this book I was more than inspired to capture what my imagination was vividly able to piece together from this beautifully written story of a young man and his experience on an Amish farm one summer.

Keep coming back to this blog for short stories, personal experiences with the Amish, a glimpse into my Dad's team and much more. This blog is designed for you to get to know my dad as more than an author of a stunning book series, get to meet him as a good friend!

-Robyn

All images are ©Ruby Ellen Photography 2013 please do not copy, download or distribute without permission. Thank you.

The Road Less Traveled

Belgian horses on an Amish farm

       Everyday, when driving to work and back home, I have to choose which road I will take. There is a faster, more heavily traveled highway, or I can take a back road that is lined with Amish farms. As you might have guessed, I take the road less traveled.

       Amish buggies take that road too and I often have to wait for a horse to slowly make its way over the crest of a hill before I can pass. Yesterday, it was pouring rain and I followed an Amish teenager riding a horse. A few days back I saw a boy riding a pony, galloping along the shoulder of the road carrying a bouquet of lilacs. I wondered where he was heading at 7:30 in the morning with his flowers.
       I'm glad not everyone takes the road less traveled! (That could be a yogi-ism) It is so peaceful to be one of the few driving a gas powered vehicle. I may have to leave home a few minutes earlier, or get to work a few minutes late, usually the later of the two but I think it's worth it. When all is said and done, these little things make life so much more meaningful!

       A few days back I snapped this picture (above) with my cell-phone, so you could enjoy the moment with me! This line of Belgian draft horses was heading up toward their barn. The Amish family that owns this beautiful herd of horses obviously takes great care of them. I often see these horses in harness, doing a variety of field work. I will try to get you some pictures like that, if I can do it without offending my Amish friends.

Karm and Coke, An artistic view {by Ruby Ellen Photography}

 

 

 

 

 

All images courtesy of Ruby Ellen Photography, copyright 2013