Yesterday was a beautiful day in Central Pennsylvania, so I took off with my camera to explore back roads. I passed this particular Amish farm and stopped to watch as a team of horses pulled a machine behind preparing a small field for planting herbs. I eventually talked with the farmer and he agreed to allow me to wander around his farm with my camera. I took this picture there. It was wonderful! Later I had a chance to talk with a group of three Amish men that were visiting from other farms nearby. It was a chance to ask them many questions about their culture and practices that I had never had a chance to ask directly before. They had many questions for me about the wider world that they have little exposure to. We talked about the Gulf oil spill and satellites, crops and conservation, we talked about families and the encroachment of pollution, we talked of many many things. It was so incredible to learn about ideas and issues through their eyes. I ended up staying a good part of the afternoon and found myself even more awed of their lifestyle than ever.