I still remember 9/11 01— I was in Mrs. Ellison’s sciene class.The college fair was going on the gymnasium–I still remember the look the Furman rep had on her face as we watched it all unfold on television. I remember going back to class—I remember the silence….the absence of words. I remember going to band rehearsal and my director Randy Grantham saying, “the world changed today people” It had. I dont remember playing music that day…how could you with a country in dissonance? The song and motifs of resilence would come in the images of those servicemen and women covered in ash…going into a disaster zone not knowing if they would return to kiss their families goodnight. Today, we remember those lost—those that never stopped working—and we honor those that protect the freedom that we take sometimes take for granted. I remember 9/11/01

I found this poem from my 11th grade English class–during a free write after 9/11

“Heroic Images”  by Jamarcus Gaston

Our heroes went to work that day–Some mothers, fathers, others on the threshold.

Hoping to help someone in dismay.

Could the world possess hearts this cold?

KLIP KLOP! Went their feet towards a new workday.

None of the birds chirped differently this morn.

No on was aware of the price to pay.

Today, September 11th, our lives were torn.

There once stood two towers, Twins.

They crashed rapidly into the side.

Was it necessary to kill?

But their beliefts in God would they confide.

Up the stairs they trotted–Fear never an option.

These are my heroes, your heroes Americas heroes–

Lost, Fallen but Never forgotten.

As many of you know I just returned from a mini vacation in Pennsylvania. I decided to tag along with a friend as he visited his stomping grounds. I didnt really know what to expect when visiting PA- I cant really say that I had heard adoring stories about the state…but I must say that  I was pleasantly surprised. After trekking from SC to NC to VA to West VA to Maryland..we finally made it to Centre Hall, PA.  I have one word to describe this place: GORGEOUS! It looked like a postcard of country living. The rolling Allegheny mountains stand proud for miles—a mere backdrop to the  bountiful cornfields..planked  by the landmark “Round Barn”  The crisp air (it was a high of 80..it was 72 in SC when we left at 4am) was a welcome reprieve from the warm weather of an August Carolina heat. I wa also welcomed by some warn southern- eque hospitality from my friend’s family. Their farmhouse had views from every window and the garage was filled with four wheelers, golf carts, and  other delightul country toys.

It was my using the golf cart that I discovered something I had not experienced before..Amish people…you know..horse..buggy…no electricity…long beards? I was fascinated by this and looked forward to investigating during the week. I will talk more about this later in this blog along with my visit to Grange Fair and State College to get some “sticky buns”  keep on reading!

I was a bit thrown off by the watch out for horse and buggy road signs posted in PA. I had never seen  these(or Amish people for that matter) in South Carolina. Several of the homes surronding the farmhouse where we stayed were Amish families. Their homes were beautifully manicured and there was always someone working outside. I was excited about the opportunity to possibly find out more information about the Amish lifestyle from actual Amish people. I knew many of the basic tenets of the Amish people with their Swiss roots..and their refusal to move forward with modern technology and no electricity..but I wanted to know who these people were really. As we drove the golf car through the lush farmland a couple of Amish kids came to the edge of the road to say hello—their names were Barbie and Samuel. They lived in Centre Hall with their father Eli, mother Verna, and brothers Matthew , John David, and a baby brother whose name I forget. Over the next couple of days I would spend some  time with the Fisher family..learning about the things they hold dear. From the  children I learned that they knew all about cell phones–even though they didnt own any–and contrary to popular belief they do get to go to town and see everyone with these devices. Their family goes to WalMart to buy groceries–while they do grow a lot of their own foods. I even caught them drinking a can of sweet tea:) Can you blame em?

 The children work from as young as 6 years old–helping out in the house and in the fields. I got to see Barbie and Samuel cutting the grass with motorless push lawn mowers. I loved how they did their work with so much gusto and pride–I would proably be complaining! They were such well mannered and sweet young people–they gave us a tour of their property including the stables where animals and the buggies were kept. I got to see equipment used to bale the hay–I was intrigued by most of the equipment because it was battery or manually powered—falling in line with their beliefs. Their home was lit by propane. The father, Eli, is actually a contractor and says that when he moved to the area the only thing there was trees. He and His men built the house that his family lives in now(very beautiful) and he travels all over building–he even has a phone in the woods (away from the home) for his buisiness…and a copier powered by 9 Volt. Eli explained to me that early on ‘his people’ and ‘our people’ were very similar in the fact that they were focused on living simply..but of course the Amish decided that they would not move on with modern day luxuries.

Which they feel is the right way for a family to live. One day Eli invited me to ride the horse and buggy along with his family up to the one room school house to weed-eat the grass.

While we were there Eli did most of the work, he occasionally pulled the children away to help. During that time the children played on the playground taking breaks to peek with excitment into the school house to see if they could see their desks. The Amish only attend school up to 8th grade. I have never seen kids so excited about school they kept looking through the windows.

I also got to talk to the children about Christmas and gifts they had recieved—The oldest boy John David was excited that last year he got a book — a hockey stick and puck. He seemed perfectly happy with this–It was good to see that he never complained about wanting more. I realized during my talks with the family that while I may not agree entirely with their beliefs on technology or education or whatever else..there are some things that I do highly respect…things that should be universal in today’s world: family is paramount, working together is the best lesson you can teach, and kindness is irreplaceable. The Fishers truly operate as a family unit from the break of dawn to the sun bidding adieu to the mountains they rely on each other. They also value  other people–taking the time to get to know someone different from themselves. They taught me a lesson too: Simplify. I feel like I over complicate a lot of things in my life.  I actually  bought a sign in PA before I left that says “Simply”–its now in my kitchen and reminds of the couple of days with my Amish family in PA. Thanks Fishers!

***Note: The Fishers allowed me to take candid photos of them–but they were not allowed to pose for photographs due to their beliefs***

I was told I had to go to Grange Fair while visiting Centre Hall. I had no idea what this was exactly..but boy did I find out. The Grange Fair is truly a family tradition–it is 136 years old(the oldest encampment fair in the country) we are talking 900 tents and over 1200 campers invading a property for a week. We are talking rides, food, games, tractor pulls, and so much more. I really couldnt believe the amount of tents as  I walked around—these tents had furniture, televisions, carpets, refrigerators, beds and even built on kitchens for their weeklong stay on the fairgrounds! One of the most interesting campers I found belonged to Ron and Patty Burris—

they say both of them can actually sleep in this contraption and say they have traveled to most of the states in the country in the camper–pulled along by their motorcycle. How cool is that???

Ron says he has been at the  Grange Fair since he was a couple of weeks old–and Pat told me that there is a waiting list to get a spot here–since sites are usually passed down from generation to generation. There was plenty of happiness at  Grange Fair..no wonder they call  this place “Happy Valley”

Here are some of my shots from my visit to Bellefonte( town near Centre Hall) and State College( Penn State) where I got the famous “Sticky Buns” from The Diner—they were basically Cinnabons…very very good cinnabons. We didnt get me devouring one on camera becase we were rushing to get back on the road, but they were very very good. I also got a shot on the Nittany Lion statue.

During my visit I also had a whoopie pie( a cake sandwhich with your choice of filling ( icing, peanut butter etc) Sooooo good! PA was definetely a welcomed reprieve from my often times hectic lifestyle.  I took away some life lesson along with my box of sticky buns: Simply and always STAY HAPPY! Thanks for reading yall! (They looked at me weird there when I said this:)