Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Coming home from teaching in Canton, Ohio (which is about four hours north of where I live), I decided to stop and spend some time in beautiful Holmes County. Holmes County, with its beautiful rolling hills, has the largest settlement in the US of Amish. Large white farmhouses and barns dot the countryside.

Here are some photos of the area on a rainy day. Despite the gloomy weather, I think you can still enjoy the beauty of the area.
Miller's Dry Goods is the place to go for fabric.
Lehman's is a stop on almost everyone's visit to the area. It is hard to describe, so you're best reading about it here.Linda Z. (whose photo you saw yesterday) said we must try a fry pie. At the advice of a local Amish couple who were buying some, we opted for a strawberry-rhubarb one.This was the charming sign outside a home with beautiful baskets made by the family who lives here. I found a wonderful sewing basket at a very reasonable price.
Do you need some shoes? Perhaps you might want to try these on for size ...... or perhaps not--they are made of chocolate at the Coblentz Chocolate Company. The next two photos are outside views of the "factory"--absolutely charming!

As you can see, this is truly a wonderful part of the world...so serene! Perfect for a relaxing get-away. I'll post some more photos in a few days.

10 comments:

Margaret said...

Fun pictures! I love those chocolate shoes! lol! I've only been to Lancaster County Pennsylvania to see the Amish.

Faye said...

I felt like I was right there with you looking at these peaceful photos....Thanks for sharing that~~ Faye

Sweet Sue said...

Nice pics, so peaceful and charming, TFS Linda.

Natasha said...

Beautiful pictures. I miss the rolling green hills of Ohio. Even in the misty gloomy weather its still beautiful. Homesick Now LOL

Take Care

Nancy said...

Such gorgeous scenery! It does look so peaceful, and the shops look fun. I love those chocolate shoes!

Wanda said...

My husband and I had fried pies from Lehmans when we were in that area. They were so delicious!!!! wanda from TX

Elizabeth said...

Looks absolutely gorgeous! And I think the rain adds a bit of charm because I can just imagine them gathering before a fire and enjoying each other's company. I think the Amish could teach us all a thing or two about living, sometimes :) Thanks for sharing these pictures with us!

Bethany said...

Ellen,

There is no place like home......... Your photo's bring back my fond memories of visiting my parent's, dad driving and mom and I waiting on the arrival of the quilt store. Mom and I used to make quite a few quilts. If not the quilt stores, then it was Leman's, I love to find my husband unique gifts for the kitchen and this is the place for that. Also, my boys both love beef jerky and there is an Amish butcher, Winesburg Meats and they really have a wonderful selection. I am sure mom and I will be heading in this direction, if we find the time. Thank you for sharing.

Patricia Lessell said...

I LOVE those chocolate shoes! You made me so hungry with the talk of the pie - it just sounded delicious! I love the outside of the factory - looks amazing and I might even like the chocolate more than Hershey (doubt it but you never know). I didn't realise there were Amish in Ohio, for some reason I thought they were only in Pennsylvania - I went there when I was kid and loved it. I loved the way they lived and thought it was great then - don't know how great I would think it is now because I couldn't live without my magnifying lamp! So glad you had a good time.
Lots and Lots of Love
Patti xxx

Robbin said...

Ellen,

What wonderful photos. My dad's brother and sister and their families live in Ohio but I haven't visited in a while. (My dad grew up about 1/2 an hour south of Canton although he and one brother are now on the east coast.) My uncle (and aunt) build houses and work with many Amish people in the area, especially one person who does (or did) a lot of stone work for them. They were kind enough to invite us over to visit one afternoon when I was last there it really seemed like a different pace of life. Once they found out that I stitch we had something common to talk about. Your photos brought back great memories.