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Home,  family,  and community form the focus of Amish life,  and the house typically reflects this.   Since large families are the norm,  spaciousness is not a luxury.   In addition,  most older orders of Amish have no established building for school,  recreation,  funerals,  nor even for church,  so these functions take place in homes,  which therefore require space for lots of folk.   Several generations may live on the same farmstead,  so additions are common, as well as multiple houses, including the cozy "Dawdy Haus" (grandfather house).   Like most things Amish, the exterior of the house is not fancy,  but the interior is always designed to bring family together,  whether to warm toes around the hearth or heater,  or to break bread at the long kitchen table after a day's work in the fields.   The quilt on the porch is evidence of the colorfully creative work that takes place in the Amish home.

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Unlike most Amish orders who hold services in a member's home,  the Mennonite group maintains a separate building for worship and community functions.   However,  their church's unembellished white wooden facade is in keeping with the austere architectural norms of the houses of the Amish.   Among Mennonites,  this order would be considered quite conservative,  as many others feel much less need to shun modern conveniences.

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Lined with marigolds to discourage certain small furry thieves,  the kitchen garden provides food for the table and fresh produce to sell to tourists.

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Certainly the tallest and slowest thing on Amish wheels,  the tottering load on a hay wagon is a common sight in farm country.   Every hot summer,  the farmer will put up two or four crops of fast growing alfalfa blend from each field,  depending on the weather.   Because this plant is crucial to crop rotation and to the winter survival of livestock,  the heavy,  hot,  and quite itchy chore of baling hay can nonetheless be more than satisfying to a weary farmboy.   Hay must be cut,  dried in the field,  turned,  then baled as dry as possible,  that is,  without rain,  hence the expression "Make hay while the sun shines".

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Many a young boy's warmest memories were forged beside the glowing heat stove of the workshop,  where,  with his father,  he would spend long winter hours making and repairing harnesses,  furniture,  or farm tools.   The most useful skill handed down was how to reuse almost anything, especially metals,  thus very little is ever thrown away.

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In time of need the Amish carry on a wonderful tradition of helping their neighbors.   Should fire,  snow,  or wind bring down a barn,  the Amish community responds within hours to begin to clean up,  and make plans to rebuild the structure.   It is not uncommon to see as many as several hundred men come together to help one's brother in time of need.   A barn can usually be rebuilt within one day with the hard work of friends and neighbors.

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The typical Amish home is designed to support the family's focus on faith,  family and farming which are three main essentials of the Amish culture.   Indeed,  the home is the center of family life and family work, as well as a place for group worship.  Heating of the Amish home is achieved with a central wood stove in the kitchen,  which is used for all cooking as well. Amish homes are without electricity,  so there are none of the modern appliances such as refrigerators,  televisions,  or telephones.   Most floors in the Amish home are bare wood except for an occasional hand-made hooked rug.   Most furniture is also quite basic,  without the use of upholstery or decoration.   Because Amish families take turns holding religious services in their homes,  first floor rooms are often designed in such a way as to allow doors to open to form a space large enough to accomodate the members of the local congregation for worship service.

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Many Mennonite groups find no harm in driving autos,  so these buggies tell us that this sect is stricter than most,  but indeed still well-off enough to provide their horses with shelter for the time spent at church each Sunday.   The expense of this simple building is easily justified on the ledger of practicality,  since horses sweating from the trip from home can quickly catch a chill waiting in an autumn breeze.   Some visitors to the areas inhabited by both Amish and Mennonite families mistakenly identify the church buggy shed as Amish.   In reality the Amish use no formal church structures,  but instead choose to worship each week in the homes of friends and family.

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The Amish go to public sales and auctions almost as often as they attend religious worship services.   A visit to a public auction or sale is looked upon as a social event and is enjoyed by Amish men and women of all ages.   The men generally keep together while the women folk gather in small circles,  close-by their children who romp and play.
The auction is an important part of the Amish culture as many farmers will take unneeded farm equipment and livestock to auction when they retire.   The income derived represents an important retirement nest egg for a people who generally choose to shun government benefits.

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Most Amish farms are not very large,  and they generally grow just enough to support and raise a family.   But because the Amish are extremely good farmers there is generally an abundance of fruits and vegetables beyond the family's needs.   Much to the delight of visitors and locals alike,  these crops find their way to small produce stands that dot the rural landscape.   These locations are often shared by several families,  and sometimes include fresh baked goods,  honey and apple cider.   City dwellers marvel at the freshness of the products found at these rural stands and value the vegetables grown without the use of commercial fertilizers and pesticides.   If just for a short time,  those who visit the Amish produce stands can sample the flavors and view the beauty of a simpler and wholesome way of life.

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Farming is one of the main essentials of the Amish culture.   While the men concentrate on the primary crops of corn,  wheat,  barley or tobacco,  Amish women and children are generally responsible for the smaller vegetable crops,  most of which are utilized by the family.   The vegetable gardens are extremely neat and often include herbs and flowers that are attractive and often useful as natural insect repellants.   Most "old order Amish" families utilize basic gardening tools and techniques that have changed little from one generation to the next.   The Amish garden is a pleasure to view and serves as an example of the group's happy and peaceful way of life.

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The primary mode of transportation among the plain people is the horse and buggy,  but contrary to the popular image not all communities throughout the United States use black buggies.   Members of a particular region or religious group can be identified by the colors they use.   In Lancaster County,  Pennsylvania,  the Old Order Amish drive gray buggies,  while Old Order Mennonites drive black ones.   In other parts of Pennsylvania buggies may in fact be brown or yellow.   In Ohio and Indiana most buggies are all black.   Regardless of color,  they allow for little image of status;  the similarity in appearance of the community's vehicles speaks of all being equal.   The normal speed of a buggy is between 5 and 8 miles per hour,  and they can cost between $2,250 to over $4,600 new.   Styles range from open wagons to fully enclosed vehicles.   Today some buggies are equipped with wipers for rain and snow,  and some have battery or kerosene-powered lanterns.