Amish and Mennonite Living

Nestled within Sarasota is an Amish and Mennonite community of about 3,000 people or so. They live and work primarily in an area called Pinecraft, which is a compact residential and commercial area with a 5-lane road running through it.  Those of us who live here year around are accustomed to seeing the Amish and Mennonites traveling via bicycle (the women riding in dresses), running errands or just enjoying a ride.  I was a bit surprised to see this gentleman on his 3-wheeler negotiating traffic at this busy intersection only because he was so far away from home and riding alone. He must have been 7-10 miles away.   In the Pinecraft community, you'll see women in their no-frills dresses and men in their plain work shirts, trousers and suspenders.  Many people who visit the Sarasota area are familiar with a couple of well known Amish restaurants, including Yoder’s. (Oh, the delicious pies they create!)  I don’t know a lot about their cultures, but, apparently, many Amish and Mennonite families discovered Sarasota during spring break, and like so many of us, fell in love with the area and moved here. The young Amish ladies I met last year at the water skiing demonstration were on spring break from Pennsylvania.   Editor's Note: As a reward for working extra hours to document two bird families recently, the SDP management has kindly agreed to allow staff to fly the coop for awhile.  See you next week!