- Opposites!
Two Amish sisters at the horse sale in Lancaster, PA. How different they seem. One seems spunky and mischievous, one placid and dreamy. I wonder how they behaved at home. Maybe they were both angels…most likely. It’s the red hair and freckles that make me think one is a female Tom Sawyer.
There was an Amish farm in the area that made money by selling tickets to tourists to be shown around the farm. I remember seeing the young mother in the garden trailed by a two year old child who helped her by pulling beans from plants and handing them to her. I was amazed that a two year old was already learning to do a serious task. Unlike mothers of today, this Amish women did not exclaim each time her baby handed her a bean. She did not tell him how wonderful he was, or how perfectly he handed her the bean. She simply took it and placed it in her basket. That in itself told her son that he had done a good job. He was a farmerboy and his work had value. Nothing more needed to be said.
The women as well as the men worked hard. Each season brought its own particular tasks. And each Sunday, different homes were selected to hold church services. That meant that the women of that home had to get ready for the whole community to come to their home. They served food of some sort, most likely a Sunday dinner. Although all the women contributed, this was a huge task.
I took this photo about 20 years ago. I’d heard about the horse sale in Lancaster somehow. Most likely from a magazine, as Al Gore hadn’t invented the internet yet. The huge old barn was a perfect backdrop to shoot the horses as well as the Amish who had come to sell, buy or just enjoy the spectacle.
The horses were mainly draft horses as the Amish farmers still used them to plow and harvest. What a beautiful sight to see a team of six pulling a harrow over the fields, with a young Amish boy driving.
I still love the horse pictures from that day. I’ll show you some later.