Lancaster

It's Sunday morning. Church services are on the television. I suspect the only people watching them are the believers who don't need to attend church. Ironically, the people who really need to attend church are out smashing car windows and stealing what isn't nailed down.

My partner Nuria is going to Pennsylvania tomorrow with a group of friends. They're going to the Lancaster area, where the Pennsylvania Dutch live. I've been there and I can attest that it's a beautiful area, with green pastures and white fences and, of course, horse-drawn buggies. The Pennsylvania Dutch eschew all modern inventions, except for the telephone (which must be located outside the house). They don't own automobiles or tractors, and they live the agrarian lifestyle of their forebears.

I visited Lancaster with a lady friend years ago, and I recall we had dinner in a large room with tables that seated about a dozen people per table. I think the restaurant was designed to accommodate tour groups, inasmuch as all the people seemed to be familiar with one another. We (my friend and I) went for a ride in a horse-drawn wagon that was full of other visitors to the Amish countryside, while a tour guide informed us about the Amish lifestyle.

It was a nice trip, and memorable. I'm sure Nuria will enjoy it, especially being with her friends. Anything you do is more pleasant when you have a friend with you. In fact, the person doesn't have to be a friend. I recall the first time I went to Manhattan, I made an aquaintance through a chance meeting on a Manhattan sidewalk, and he gave me a "tour" of the city. I put "tour" in quotes because we were on foot but we saw a lot of the Manhattan tourist spots, from the top of the Empire State Building to the steps of the Kennedy Center and many places in-between. On another trip to NYC I went to Radio City Music Hall and ate a meal at one of the Automats (which no longer exist).

I hope Nuria returns with some nice memories of her trip to Pennsylvania. And if not memories, then photos.