Spring Time in Ohio

May 8th, almost a week ago, a group of ladies with Amy and myself as their guides headed for Central Ohio. Thursday morning our driver Earl arrived bright and early in Columbus to transport us to quaint Holmes County to visit Amish Country.

Here she is! Our beautiful Pioneer Trails motor coach complete with our amazing, patient driver Earl Sommers! Earl is a Mennonite so he comes with a lot of knowledge on the lifestyles of the local Amish communities. He has raised several children ... many of them female so he is well equipped to handle a bus of women!

 A bus of happy, smiling faces all ready to see what the day has in store for them. My cousin Maryann is in the front right, she is local to Ohio and it's always wonderful to visit while I'm there.

 

Preparing for a tour involves packing ... along with many other duties Amy and I need to either ship or pack our guests amenities. This is one entire suitcase full of such items. On the up side I have this empty suitcase to fill with Amish and Longaberger goodies to bring home with me! And yes, I did just that!!

Each morning and evening the ladies were treated to a gift. This bag is filled with journals and pens. We encouraged them to write down things they wanted to remember, learned along the way and perhaps the email address of a new friend! It's also a perfect place to adhere pictures of their trip to bring their journaled memories to life!

 Thursday was spent for the most part shopping in the quaint shops of Berlin, Charm, Walnutcreek and Sugarcreek. Thursday the Amish were celebrating the feast of the Ascension so many Amish owned businesses were closed. It was fun to pass their homes and see so many children running and playing in their yards enjoying the day off from their chores and school. We checked into the beautiful Carlisle Inn in the village of Sugarcreek by 5:00 pm and were treated to a delicious dinner at the Der Dutchman Restaurant.


One of our many carts of luggage ... why do women pack so much?

One of the many sitting rooms at the Carlisle Inn available to guests. This one is titled the "library" it was so warm and cozy.

The view from our bedroom French doors. The home at the top of the hill is brick adorned with while pillars and a view of the entire valley. Just so beautiful. It was 8:00 pm when I snapped this picture, it is still so light outside! In California it would be almost dark.

With our bellies full and a three hour time difference we were all tucked into our beds relatively early! Tomorrow we will travel south to Dresden to visit the Longaberger Company!