Return to the Country

A visit to the country is always a welcome relief from busy city life 

but it's especially nice when the country is my sister's farm in rural Ohio. 

Jan, Ron and their son Brad call it the Dead End Ranch.

I love farm animals and this goofy goat seemed to be saying "Welcome!"

The views on the farm were never ending

and I could feel my shoulders relaxing a bit more each day I was there.

One can't help but take a deep breath looking out over the fields.

You know you're in the country when you're awakened by a crow instead of an alarm clock.

As peaceful as the farm was I couldn't wait to explore the countryside a bit. 

The usual fall display of colors was sadly missing this October 

but the massive old barns dotting the rolling hills made up for it.

Along the way, we saw some charming old vine-covered buildings,

an old spring house along the road where people still fill their jugs, 

and an abandoned church with an old cemetery.

I couldn't get enough of these sweet funny farm animals and wanted to "play" with them all day.

Relunctantly we moved on as there was more awaiting us as we drove into Amish country.

Once you get away from the touristy main street, this area is magical.

I just loved the pristine farms. Everything was so clean and tidy . . .

even the furry cows looked like they'd just had a shampoo!

But the real treat was spotting an Amish horse and buggy. These horses were magnificent 

and the buggies made you feel like you'd stepped back into a simpler time.

The horses and buggies even had their own parking spots.

 I was careful not to photograph any of the Amish people as they prefer not to 

have their pictures taken. That didn't stop me from snapping the beautiful horses and buggies.

It made sense there would be buggy and carriage shops in this part of the state.

Wish I could have bought this sign!

We finally said goodbye to Amish country and headed back to the farm . . .

where my sister's peaceful farmhouse awaited our return.
The best part of this trip was, of course, spending time with family. 

It was good to be home.

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