Erv reminded me of an event that occurred thirty years ago. I accompanied two elderly Amish gentlemen on an ice harvest. Most shun electricity but some use gas refrigerators and the rest still use iceboxes - metal-lined Oak cabinets that need a block of ice every few days. Some buy the ice, but the community near me harvests pond ice and stores it underground in sawdust and straw-lined pits all year long.

On a cold January morning, we rode out to Milo's pond in an oak wagon pulled by a span of massive plowhorses. Two holes were chopped in the ice about three feet apart and a huge saw was inserted. Up and down, up and down the saw was worked until two parallel five foot long kerfs were opened. A cut was then made between the two holes, and then another crosscut was chopped about two inches deep about two feet away. The Amish gentlemen straddled the cutout and took each others' hands. One jumped on the cut and scored block as the other pulled him onto solid ice. The block was broken free and bobbed in the water. The freed block was hooked with ice tongs fastened to a chain and were horsedrawn a slid up a ramp onto the wagon. It was then covered with sawdust.

I asked how much we were going to do and was told a full wagonfull! Wow! The Amish have big wagons and I marveled at the two old men with one English helper thought they could do all that work in one day. I heard a motorized vehicle approach. A pair of four wheel drive quads with three Amish lads pulled up on the ice. The two older gentlemen talked about going to the house to warm-up and left. I stayed. A Stihl chainsaw scored the ice and the blocks were loaded with the quads and some muscle. After a couple of hours Milo and the other gentleman appeared and the boys left them with a wagon full of ice. We drove the wagon back to the pit and unhitched the team. It would be unloaded the next day. The older gents never commented about the boys or the machinery, they just turned their backs and accepted the help. Help? Those kids worked their tails off and never complained. They talked about girls most of the time. I think of the Amish often when I'm drinking a Gin and tonic on a hot summer day.

The Empire Builder is perhaps the most beautiful Amtrak route I have ever traveled on. Enjoy!

As a side note, for all those who like/need/want to travel by Amtrak: In the next 2 years of total GOP control of Congress, they will likely make their attempt to finally kill Amtrak, which they've wanted to do for years (because it is a government run/subsidized company, and because the employees are unionized). Unlike private corporations, Amtrak cannot lobby Congress. It is up to us, the riders, to demand that Congress keep their hands off Amtrak.

I have Mennonite ancestors and both Amish and Mennonite cousins. I found that the term Mennonite includes everything from the very conservative to those who are like "normal" folks. There are Mennonite colleges that are basic liberal arts schools with a little more religious emphasis. The Amish tend to be more like their ancestors. The Mennonites were founded by a former Catholic priest, Menno Simons. The Amish, if I remember correctly, were an offshoot of that from a fellow named Jacob Amman. Brethren are also found in many varieties, but are for the most part "normal" folks. I live in an area where we have all three groups. Amish are horse and buggy people, the Mennonite range from the Old Order (also horse and buggy and no electricity - except in their barns sometimes) to "normal" and Brethren (normal people around here). All three groups stress family values. AND, I enjoyed the photo.