Last week, I touched an alligator and a flamingo, waded in the Gulf of Mexico, and saw real coconut trees for the first time. My sister and her family had invited me along for a vacation in Sarasota, Florida. We had lovely weather all week, and I was blessed with many opportunities to take photos. Venice Beach and Siesta Key Beach Partly because a Penny Letters reader recommended it, we spent a morning at Venice Beach, and I went looking for shark teeth. I didn't take any of my … [Read more...] about What We Did in Sarasota, Florida
Family
Pennsylvanians Drive Across Georgia, Counting Dollar Generals and Eating Boiled Peanuts
"There's jokes about lots of Dollar Generals in the South," I say to my sister when I see the discount chain's black and yellow sign. "Let's count how many we see before we get to Marilyn's house." My sister, two of her children, and I are taking a detour on the way to Florida and visiting our cousin's family. Our route leads us from Savannah to Camilla, more than two hundred miles on secondary roads through forest, farms, and small towns in rural Georgia. "There's a cotton field," my … [Read more...] about Pennsylvanians Drive Across Georgia, Counting Dollar Generals and Eating Boiled Peanuts
Seashine Pictures
While looking up the word seashore, I found a new word by accident: seashine. According to Merriam-Webster, seashine means "the shine of the sea, especially the light reflected off the sea." I'm going to Florida for the first time in a few days, where we hope to enjoy both sunshine and seashine at the seashore. Thinking about going there inspired me to share some of my sea pictures in a blog post with you all. (Plus, I really don't have time to write a long post this week!) Except for … [Read more...] about Seashine Pictures
Flying with the Snowbirds
"We're going to Florida, but we're NOT going to Sarasota or Pinecraft," my sister and I agreed when we began planning our February Florida trip. "Absolutely not. That's where all the other Mennonites go, and we're going to be different." "Not Sarasota, and not Pinecraft. All the plain people go to Pinecraft to visit other plain people and play shuffleboard." "What a silly reason to go somewhere on vacation." "We can see plain people at home in Lancaster County." "We can see plain … [Read more...] about Flying with the Snowbirds
Snow Stories— Two Broken Bones, a Close Call with a Horse, and a Tulip Snow
We just got our first snow this week, a few inches of pretty, fluffy snow. Living in eastern Pennsylvania, we can usually expect a few measurable snowfalls each winter, nothing too serious. But there's always the chance of something more exciting happening when there's snow, such as the winter both my brother and I had broken bones, or the time I nearly got trampled by a horse on a snowy back road on my way to church. My brother had the first broken bone. After school one day, he and the … [Read more...] about Snow Stories— Two Broken Bones, a Close Call with a Horse, and a Tulip Snow