A simpler way of life

On Monday, I went a few miles north of where I am now living to visit the Shenandoah Market. After we had finished looking around there, my friends took me to see some of the surrounding area.  Phil said, "I want to show you a church that is quite unusual."  When he drove up to the church ( and for some reason, I didn't take a photo of the church,) I saw that there were no parking spaces for cars.  The entire area around the church was filled with places to hitch one's horse and buggy

.

 This particular church was of the old order of Mennonite.  There are no tire tracks, only the marks of the buggy wheels.  The parking lot, or hitching lot, is very organized.

 There are posts to hitch the horse and a concrete slab at each spot to put the feed for the animals.

Next to the church, as is seen in many areas, is the cemetary for the members who have gone on.  

 On the way back, we stopped by the lake where we saw these lovely swans.

In several yards I saw something that one hardly sees any more.  I remember we always hung our clothes out to dry.  I remember one time my mother got so upset because someone had come along and stolen some of the clothes from the line.  I don't imagine that would happen in a community like this.

In this area of Virginia where I have moved, there are a lot of Mennonites, and there are several different kinds, just like the Baptists and the Presbyterians, and other denominations.  When I got home, I googled "Old Order Mennonites" and found a very interesting article that was published a few years ago in a Virginia magazine.  I think you would find it interesting too.  You can read it here.