A night with the Amish

Matt and I went to Amish country last weekend as an early Christmas present to each other. We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast, we did some shopping for home furnishings (and, in the process, realized that we can't ever commit to the "country look"), and spent a day at yet another Civil War battlefield.

When we first got off the highway and started seeing farms, we saw house after house with black clothes hanging outside on the clothes lines. "What's with all the black clothes?" I asked Matt. "Hmm," he thought. "They must have a teenager. You know...angst." I'm embarrassed to admit how long it took us to realize that, duh, the Amish wear a lot of black and don't use dryers. It's tough to see in this picture, but one of the infamous clotheslines is in front of this Amish farmhouse:

Matt had never stayed at a B&B before, and I think this one was a good ice breaker. The home was gorgeous! From the living room and dining room...
to the "Master's Chamber" where we stayed...
we were right at home at the Fassitt Mansion:

The fact that the innkeepers have an adorable, energetic yellow lab also helped us feel at home. Tracker tore through the house all weekend, and we were grateful for the company.

By far, though, the highlight of the place was the rich history that lived there. The mansion was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and we learned that it helped nearly 40 slaves find their way to freedom. One of the rooms (located to Tracker's left in the photo above), still has a door in the floor of the closet that leads to the room where the slaves hid:

We'll have more to come soon on our pathetic attempts at the country look, as well as our trip to Gettysburg.