Gone Fishin'

(Image to the right shows long time friend, Samuel, and his fishing trailer behind.)

More often than not the English assume that the Amish, being a hard working lot, do not spend much time doing things that they (English) do for recreation. This is anything but the truth. In fact, our buggies and horses are more than capable to handle the many tasks needed in order to have a good time. As seen pictures here many types of trailers can be attached for varios forms of entertainment. More times than not, Amish men like ourselves will hitch up the ol fishing boat for a few hours out on the pond. Being that we're guys most of the same things are discussed while out on the lake as well. True to the mens code, after all, what's said on the lake stays on the lake. When we return home tales of 'the big one that got away' are not often told though. As is the case the big ones are brought home due to superior fishing skills along with many lures some English fellow lost when his 'big one' got away. Because of this we don't need to purchase any, if anything, for fishing.

While it has been an educational and entertaining month discussing the many forms of trasnportation and the uses of our buggies I must leave you untill next month. After all, we have some fish and lures to go get out of the lake before winter sets in.

New Winter Business

(Image to the left is the first Yellow Buggy Taxi, a company started by myself and Jacob.)

What do two enterprising young Amish men do during the winter months when farming is next to impossible you ask? Why start a new business to keep the income flowing of course. Yellow Buggy Taxi came to mind from a trip Jacob and I took to the big city earlier in the year to purchase goods for the ladder mentioned earlier. We noticed that people, mostly English, have reached the point in their lives they would much rather have someone else drive them to their destinations while working on other matters. In this area, particularly in the winter months, most Amish get rides from the English due to the amount of work it takes to ready a buggy for travel. Keeping this in mind and the rising fuel costs to the English we thought now would be a good time to start a company based on the same concept for both the Amish and English. From the Amish point of view it allows them to free their minds of the worry of preparation and the English gain the freedon from fuel costs.

Thus far we are doing quite well taking in business from both the Amish and English. At the rate we are going a second and possibly third buggy may be needed by winter's end. It seems we've found a new nitch in the world for our winter income needs. We'll keep you updated as time permits considering the busy hours we are now working.

Top Ten Amish Bumper Stickers

(Image to the right is often found on the buggies of Amish youth)

While some English may think that the Amish are not the type to have bumper stickers on their buggies, often due to lack of a traditional bumper. This is not so. In fact, many Amish have some bumperstickers that are quite humerous at least to the Amish. As per our monthly theme of a top ten I took a survey and decided to place the top ten Amish bumper stickers in our area.

10. I may be slow, but I'm ahead of you AND I got traffic backed-up 5 miles
9. Born to raise barns
8. My other buggy is a Mercedes
7. Eat my dust, but don't step in my exhaust
6. Don't Blame Me - I Didn't Vote For Him or Anyone
5. I pray for higher gas prices
4. I brake for barn raisings
3. When the Amish are outlawed, only outlaws will be Amish
2. No.... I am not Harrison Ford

and the most popular Amish bumper sticker to date is...

1. If this buggy is swayin'... I'm in here a prayin'

Amish Race Cars.

The Amish are no strangers to the drag racing scene. Pictured here, is one such Amish drag racer and his buggy. Unfortunatly, not long after this photo the buggy was destroyed and the 'engine' was blown. Three young Amish men have been charged in a late-night buggy race in the Town of Killbuck in which a collision with a fourth buggy left a horse dead. The charges were announced Sunday after a weeklong investigation of the May 19 accident by the Holmes County Sheriff's Department. Deputies were called to the scene after a dead horse and smashed buggy were found in a ditch on County Road 541. Deputies said the three men from Leon were racing their buggies south on County Road 541 at 11 p.m. when they crested a knoll and encountered a northbound buggy driven by Eli D. Miller, 17, of Napoli. The unsuspecting Miller collided with the horse and buggy driven by Jacob E. Wengerd, 17, of State Route 39, deputies said. Wengerd's horse was killed, and Miller's horse suffered cuts to its legs and chest, deputies added. Wengerd was charged with cruelty to an animal, taking part in an unlawful speed contest, unsafe passing and failure to keep right. The other two buggies were driven by Wengerd's brother, Andy E., 18, and Joseph R. Miller, 20, of State Route 39, according to deputies. Both men were charged with taking part in an unlawful speed contest. No injuries were reported. The three defendants must appear in Holmes County Court on June 5.

By Joseph Miller News Staff Reporter

On The Road Again.

Inspired by a recent ride with my friend, Jacob, I've decided to spend the next month discussing Amish transportation. Pictured here we have an Amish used car dealership called "Honest Amos' Buggy Sales' located in Mount Vernon, Ohio. As you can see Amos is hard at work convincing some young lad about the benifits of a two seater convertible model and the ease of capturing the heart of a fine, young, Amish woman. Also, as you can see in the photo, larger more family oriented models are available as well. Like most young men, English and Amish alike, enjoy the feeling of the wind betweenst their beards and the feeling of open road freedom associated with the two seater convertible. It should also be noted that we are up with the times in that it comes in a very sporty black finish with leather seating and 36" custom wheels. In addition to the black versions there are very limited edition cherry red models as well. These are usually far more expensive and tend to raise more of an eyebrow given the amount of attention they tend to attract. There is nothing worse than being pulled over by the local police for speeding.