About a dozen rocking chairs, and a porch swing, all made of polished wood, sitting outside the store.
Originally, we had made plans for this day... but I don't remember what they were. In any case, Ashley wasn't feeling well, so we changed our plans, and Terry and Lucia and Esmond and I headed south to the little town of Ethridge, to visit an Amish (w) community. As I've mentioned in other trip logs, Terry is fascinated by the Amish. In 2013, we visited Amish country in Ohio, and when we visited Nashville in 2021, we visited the Amish community in Ethridge with Ashley and Carlos.
When you get to Ethridge - which is nothing more than a wide spot in the road - you find a store selling a variety of Amish made products, like this furniture:
About a dozen rocking chairs, and a porch swing, all made of polished wood, sitting outside the store.
We bought tickets for a tour, which wasn't scheduled to start for more than an hour, so we went across the street and had lunch at a small restaurant whose name escapes me. Then we we went back and boarded the tour wagon:
Terry, Esmond and Lucia, and other tourists, on the wagon.
You can't see it in the picture, but the wagon is drawn by a pair of horses.
This was essentially the same tour that we went on in 2021, except that this time, the tour guide was better (the guy last year gave out a lot of misinformation - this guy was more accurate). So I'll quote briefly from last year's trip log:
After leaving the main highway behind, we were in the Amish territory, and it was like going back in time. This Amish community is one of the stricter orders, so there were no electric wires or telephone poles, and the only cars were driven by tourists like ourselves. The men (and boys) all wore dark blue shirts and pants, and the women (and girls) all wore long dresses in solid colors, with white bonnets.
The Amish support themselves by working the land, and selling their goods to the tourists, or as they call us, "the English." Our tour stopped at several farms, where we got out and shopped. Several of the farms we stopped at were selling a variety of fresh vegetables, as well as jars of honey and various kinds of jams and candies.
The Amish themselves were friendly, but somewhat reserved. I suspect that, while they appreciate the business, they might get a little tired of being looked at like museum specimens or zoo animals.
One young woman, a teenager, was more outgoing. For some reason, she seemed to be fascinated by Lucia and Esmond, and peppered me with questions about them. "What are their names?" "She's Lucia, and he's Esmond." "Are they brother and sister?" "No, they're boyfriend and girlfriend." "Do you think they'll get married?" "Good heavens, I have no idea!"
We drove back to Nashville, and had dinner at Paula Deen's Family Restaurant, right near the Opry House (WAY too much food), after which Terry took Lyft back to the hotel, and Lucia and Esmond and I went to see the Grand Ole Opry:
The Grand Ole Opry stage, with a band performing.