Textures of Harmony

Okaaaay… So it’s not going to be a short post “one day at a time,” it’s going to be a short post every two days, since MailChimp is being more Chimp and less Mail, and is not letting me send all the notifications I want to, only every other day. That’s why you got two posts at a whack, by mistake. Now we will space them and keep the Chimp happy. If this didn’t bother anyone but me, carry on and forget that I said this. Thank you.


Over Easter weekend, my family vacationed in Pittsburgh. Many happy or honest things could be said about that, including how much I regretted including the words “vacation” and “family” in the same game plan.

I am mostly kidding. But only mostly.

Hoteling with children is just not as ideal as you would think. Teenagers are quite pleasant – they sleep in, they’re up for fun, they try out the coffee bar downstairs and tell you what’s good. But mix in noisy and wakeful preschoolers, particularly a small, charming, and slightly feral six-year-old child from another mother, and you will certainly be pulling out your hair in clumps.

But that is not my story for today. Today, I wanted to show you that on the way home, we stopped at Harmony, PA, home of the Harmonist sect for ten years in the early 1800’s, and afterward home to a Mennonite colony. We had to cut our visit short due to rain and bum schedules, but we fully intend to return. There is a coffee shop that’s calling my name, and an unmarked grave yard that gave me the heebie-jeebies.

What I had the most fun with in our short stop was photographing textures. Look at these…

All I can make out is 1815. The Mennonites placed this surrounding wall, arch, and incredibly cool swinging stone door around the Harmonist graveyard after the Harmonists moved out. Harmonists did not believe in tombstones, but the Mennonites ensured that the unmarked resting places were respected by the generations to come.
This is the top of the swinging stone door. Super heavy, but hung so that it’s moveable with one hand.
Door of the old Mennonite meetinghouse.
My favorite kind of wall.
My daughters got to work a very old loom for a little while, add a few lines.
Thinking where to go next, out of the rain.

We’ll be returning to Harmony. That is, in every way.

And when we go, I’ll show you more.


Where did you travel to last? I’d love some good recommendations for family trips this summer.

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Claudia
1 year ago

To Jerusalem for Easter weekend. With a four year old, and two year old, and a baby bump, it wasn’t as dreamy and reflective as you might think. I hear you.

1 year ago

We took our littles to the Cleveland Zoo on Easter weekend. This past weekend we took a bike ride at Cuyahoga National Park and pulled the 2 yr old n 5 month old in a bike trailer. Both adventures – fun!

Debra Burkholder
1 year ago

Thank you. This is a place that I want to visit or at least research more.

You may want to check out Malone, New York location of the Almanzo Wilder homestead. It is within driving distance of one of the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway. The 1000 Islands are close by if camping is your thing.

Melody
1 year ago

One of our past family vacation highlights has been biking Colonial Williamsburg. We’ve also really enjoyed the National Zoo in D.C. which is free (plus parking). Luray Caverns in VA was a recent wonder. And the ocean is always a fascinating place to relax, explore and learn. As a homeschool family, we’re always looking for good field trips. ????

The Baritone
1 year ago

Harmony is always good, right? Generally it sounds better than unison, anyway, in my opinion. πŸ™‚

Shaunda Stoltzfus
1 year ago

How about you and I go to Harmony some day soon!?? πŸ˜‰ I might be checking back here in your comments for more suggestions for family outings this summer. I feel old and like I mostly just want to stay at home these days.

Wendy W.
1 year ago

Right- vacation and family do not go in the same sentence, especially if camping is also in that sentence.
Yet, I find myself, as said darling children (not all so young anymore) argue on the way to church, still dreaming of the next road trip/self punishment!
Two years ago, we drove through the midsouth for ten days- visiting many civil rights historical towns, sights, and museums, and other cultural oddities such as a coon dog cemetary!
When our children were younger we would camp our way to MT, taking 9 days and visiting Laura Ingalls sites, dino museums, parks, and whatever interesting obscure things we stumbled across.
This summer is supposed to be the New England States. The sad thing is, it will probably be the last road trip we all take, with children scattering here and there. πŸ™ How fun will future trips be with only my husband’s and my relationship to work on?! Pretty often I dream about that, too. πŸ™‚

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