Amish Country in northern KY

A friend invited me to spend Saturday afternoon with her in northern Ky, where there are a number of Amish farms scattered around the Matoon area. So Jordan and I drove down after ballet to visit a couple farms to dig up mums for our porch, buy apple butter, pear honey and lots of pumpkins.

The country side was in full bloom on this sunny day, even though the colors were reportedly not as vivid due to the widespread drought. In fact, it has been so dry around here that 5 combines went up in flames in the field.

Have you ever heard of the Goosebumps pumpkin? I hadn’t. But the Amish boys were quick to point out all sorts of strange specimens aptly named. We were introduced to Warts & Stripes, Peanut, and  Turtle pumpkins…in colors that ranged from the expected orange to the not so familiar pale blue, white, red, and green.

An Amish mother converses with her daughter who is plowing the field with her horse.

An Amish boy moves the buggy out of the barn.  Buggies are a familiar sight on the winding roads, and the asphalt has visible grooves from the horses that haul them. From a photographic standpoint, the Amish are not comfortable with being photographed so it was difficult for me to raise my camera. But there are many sweet moments etched in my mind, especially interactions between the many young children and their young bearded fathers and grandmothers. The afternoon was certainly an escape into a simpler time, but definitely not an easier life.