Amish Women at Marina Jack, Sarasota

Amish culture is probably one of the last things you’d associate with this picture.  It’s Marina Jack’s yacht club, in the city harbor at downtown Sarasota.  You can walk along the docks there, in a city park that juts out into Sarasota Bay, and see all the fine boats in harbor.  My wife Madonna and I were enjoying an afternoon there in April, looking at the boats and the city sculptures that line the pathways.  On one of the park benches, facing the view depicted here in the photograph, there were six young Amish women, some sitting with their matron, others standing beside the bench, apparently doing the same thing we were doing – dreaming about life aboard those yachts.  They had come over on the SCAT bus from Pinecraft, the Amish vacation community in the eastern suburbs of Sarasota, and they were there for the sights.  Just like anyone would be. 

I asked if they were from Pennsylvania or Ohio, and I got the ready answer, “Ohio.”  Then I asked if they were from Holmes County, and I got a friendly “yes” from all of them.  My wife said we were from Wooster, and several of the girls piped up: “Fredericksburg!” - just a few miles south of us.  We talked for a while about the boats and the weather, and I eventually asked if they had come down on one of the tour buses run by Pioneer Trails each week from Holmes County.  All of the girls smiled, and one of them said, “No.  We flew down.  Only gonna be here a week.”

So, what do you think of that?  Pinecraft is a good vacation spot for Amish people in winter, and many Holmes County folk go down for a week.  I used to think it was the buses that took them there, but now I know it’s airplanes, too.  They bunk in with friends or family, and go see the boats in the harbor.  Or they go to the beach.  It’s a little bit surprising, until you’ve seen Amish people in Sarasota a few times, but then you realize it’s not so surprising, after all.  Anybody would do it – get away to someplace warm. 

For the Amish, the best winter place is Pinecraft, Sarasota.  It’s warm there, and the harbor is one of the best in the country.  So are the beaches.  We go down for the weather, and Amish people do, too.  If you see them there someday, ask if they’re from Holmes County.  It’s a good ice-breaker, and chances are you’ll get a friendly reply.