Fishing and photography

Fishing used to be a fairly important part of my activity as a younger man when our children were young, and it was a pleasure to take them along.  We fished quite a bit, mostly farm ponds, and nearly always for bluegill and bass.   It was always fun to rise early and go down the road to neighbor Kenneth Weekly’s pond.  He was a kind old man, and seemed to enjoy having children fishing in his pond.  We have many fond memories of sitting on the bank watching the bobbers as the early morning mist rose from the water.   Bringing home a nice catch of bluegill, and cleaning them for lunch added to the experience, and the small fillets were delicious.  The most exciting part of this experience for me though, was when I’d catch a large bass.  Something about the fight, the pole bent over nearly double, and finally landing a fish worth talking about  -- it was rare and special.

These days, my hobbies have changed.  It seems that photography and writing my thoughts and observations have taken the place of a desire to cast a line.  A word about the photography.  It’s the camera more than my skills that produce lovely photos.  Professional photographers know the ins and outs of their equipment, and can choose settings to match the situation -- getting the best photos possible.  I have mine set on automatic a lot of the time, and with a good zoom can get decent shots.  I guess for me, the trick is being in the right place at the right time, and sometimes being lucky enough to recognize a good photo composition.  I’d have to admit that this has, quite a few times, nearly caused me to run into the ditch.  Other times, I find it necessary to slam on the brakes to get the shot that just appeared.  If you’d care to ask Mrs. Ross about these details, she will confirm them.

I get a lot of photos that I like.  Often I share them.  Once in awhile I get the “big fish” photo -- at least to me it seems that way -- and it’s exciting.  That happened a few days ago when I took a short loop ride on the old Goldwing.  There in a field that borders Mt. Hope Road and Moreland Road, right across from the ancient Amish schoolhouse, was an Amishman planting his field with six mules harnessed together in a row.  This was a rare sighting for me, and I took full advantage of the opportunity by stopping along the road at the end of the field.  The man was Old Order or New Order -- not sure which -- but in either case they don’t mind photographers nearly as much as the Swartzentrubers.  As one Old Order Amish neighbor told me, they won’t pose, but if I get pictures as they go about their normal work, they don’t mind.  

I hope you enjoy seeing the mules as much as I did.  Since the man’s hands were full of reins, he couldn’t return my wave, so he nodded a friendly greeting and kept on working as I snapped away.   He came to the end of the field where I was waiting, and made a u-turn with the mules to head back the other way. The planter he was using is usually pulled by fairly large tractors, and was a combination planter/cultipacker.  The mules pulled it with relative ease.  I don’t know how long it took to train those critters, and I don’t know how difficult it is to farm with them, but it looked challenging.  

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Last evening we had an enjoyable time at the Kidron Fire Dept Haystack Dinner and Benefit Auction.  It was a community event, and well attended.  It appeared to me that the Amish folks outnumbered the English.  It was interesting to observe all the different types of Amish and Mennonites in attendance.  I saw one Swartzentruber young man, many Dan Church folks (some of them my old neighbors), many Old Order Amish, Church of God in Christ Mennonites, Conservative Mennonites, regular Mennonites, and no doubt a few other denominations too -- perhaps even some who have no church home.  

The auctioneer and his clerk.

The crowd of bidders and onlookers.

Here’s the thing.  On Sunday mornings we go different directions to the churches of our choice, or perhaps no church at all.  We are good friends and neighbors, but we pretty much agree that we don’t all agree on some of the smaller ways we practice our Christian faith.  It’s just the way it is.

However, we share a love for good food, benefit auctions, and our local fire department.  These things bring us together, and folks come out to spend an evening of jovial conversations, meeting new people, eating, and listening to the chant of the auctioneers.    

Giving full attention to the auction cry.

The children would rather be outside playing.

This is not your typical auction.  For those who came to get a good deal, they probably went home disappointed.  The bidding was fast and went high.  I didn’t pay much attention to most items that were sold, but one thing stood out as an example of the generosity of those who want to support our fire department.  One “item” was for two students to be picked up at their home in a Kidron fire truck, and delivered to their school.  The bidding stopped at five-hundred-and-fifty-dollars, and was won by Abe Hochstetler, a local Amish businessman.   He will be donating the ride to two of his Grandchildren.  Then the same thing was purchased again at the same price.  I don’t know who got that one.  But that illustrates how much this community -- the Amish included -- love and support our Kidron Volunteer Fire Department.  Eleven hundred dollars for four children to get a ride to school.  Amazing!

It is a good feeling to be part of this wonderful, generous, caring community. From Kidron, Ohio, the small town with a big heart, have a wonderful weekend.  So long.