This is my first return trip to the spot I felt had potential and I am certainly glad I went. The evening started out with stormy weather and I had high hopes of getting lightning here,but instead I just set my camera on the tripod at the side of the road and it basically sat there for well over an hour with a constant rain pelting my gear. I covered the camera with a trash bag and left the lens hood sticking out so I could still use my remote if anything developed. At least twice I said to myself,go home already and quit wasting time because it was nothing but gray sky and rain. I was getting fed up when I noticed a hint of blue sky to my left and I hoped things might get better.

Shortly before I shot this,a rainbow appeared behind me,and I almost shot it but unless a rainbow has a foreground element or is absolutely stunning I usually pass and that was the case this night.This composition is not my first choice but there was an ugly old ford truck parked to my left and I was not sure I could clone it out,so I moved forward to this spot,which by the way is right in the lane of travel. While this is a rural road and there were cars going by every 30 seconds, when the sunset happened, there was a good 4 minutes when not a single car came. There is plenty of line of sight to safely get off the road if needed and I don’t make a habit of this but the color reflecting on the wet road was very specific to the spot you viewed from and when I went off the road,the color was minimal at best. Patience is not one of my strongest attributes but when I know there is potential,I can be persistent and many times I have been richly rewarded.

Even though its 90 degrees around here and the middle of summer, some folks are busy making plans for winter and that includes stocking up on wood for the fireplace. This Mennonite family includes six kids riding on the wagon driven by their dad.

Go ahead,wander into the old foggy cemetery if you dare.

A young girl checks out her dads handiwork at this Amish buggy building shop.

This little guy feels safe under moms long mane.

While out driving around,I took notice of these farm buildings framing the farm in the distance and knew with a little patience,an Amish buggy would be the perfect complement to complete the shot.

I found a new favorite composition while out in Amish country and hope this is just the start of great shots to come. I really liked the way the barns on each side of the road framed the barn in the distance plus the winding road going through the shot. I set my tripod up and used my wifi Camranger and tablet to shoot remotely from my truck to get this. I particularly like the contrast between the colorful trio of Amish on the right and the conservative tones worn by those on the left. The girl on the left buggy is turned away from the other buggy,almost like she disapproves but that is merely conjecture and probably totally wrong on my part,and she might have seen my camera and decided to look away.

Just relaxing in the back of the chauffeur driven wagon on the back roads of Lancaster County.

Working together to rebuild a burned down barn, these Amish workers rebuilt this entire structure in three days.It is something I have witnessed a few times over the years and it is a great lesson in teamwork and community support.

We live along a rail trail in our town and I have what is known as the Gnome village that I created for children of all ages to inspire their imagination. In the next town along the trail, a local artist has also taken the time to add his artistic touches to an old building that was being vandalized regularly. Artist Shaun Hogarth was tired of seeing the beauty of the trail ruined by a careless few,so he has been creating masterpieces like this whenever he gets permission from the property owner. The trail is quickly becoming a favorite place to hike,bike and spend time with family enjoying the beauty along the way.

An Amish man heads out to the fields to do some planting,while a family headed the other way enjoys a ride in the buggy on a relaxing day in Lancaster County.

For whatever reason, I found these freshly sheared sheep grazing in front of the colorful clothing on the wash line slightly amusing. Everyone is without clothes this day.

People often say the Amish use a bowl to cut their hair,and whether that’s true or not,I can’t say but you can see where the thought might come from.

Just another day on the back roads in Lancaster County, Pa. Horse decided to go for a walk,but he was wrangled a short time later and was safely back in the barn where he belonged.

These Two Amish siblings are in perfect synchronization as they scoot along the country road. I actually own one of these scooters,but I electrified mine for easier travel. I did it after seeing an Amish guy with an electric version and speaking to him about it.

When you are in the farming business, being efficient is a top priority and this farmer raking hay is a good example of that. The multiple wheels with teeth on the end progressively spin the crop to the center,making nice rows to be bundled later.

Seven Amish girls are packed like sardines into this little cart as they head down the farm lane. Now that’s just good country fun and no phone,tablet or internet needed.

The quaint little town of Intercourse,Pa is considered by many as ground zero for tourists visiting Lancaster county and wishing to get a glimpse of the local Amish community. I personally consider the area around Intercourse to be among my favorite local destinations when I want to photograph local scenes. This quilt shop is located right in the heart of town and has been on my mind to shoot for a little while. I was actually out chasing storms and having no luck with the skies, so as I headed through town here,I decided to swing in and see what it looked like. Almost instantly I noticed the slate sidewalk was all wet from the storm and was reflecting lovely color from the lights. The icing on the cake was the multiple windows with illumination inside and the warm feeling they provided. I think they must use the upstairs as a B&B because all the shops were closed and there was a lot of activity in the rooms.

We have a picket fence at our house and I always liked this fence and home in a town nearby so I stopped to try a shot this past weekend. The arched stained glass window provided a nice accent to the garden out front and a little added illumination from my flash helped things pop a bit.

Well it might not be the best seat but it is the most interesting one. Everyone was all decked out in blue on this Amish buggy and chips were the snack of the day. You don’t often see a wooden chair on a buggy but maybe she wanted an elevated view.

When you visit Lancaster county and you traverse the many quiet country roads, you usually don’t have to go too far till you get behind some piece of farm equipment heading to a field. This behemoth caught my eye because the cars looked like toys as they lined up behind it. Around here, this might be considered congestion.

I saw the two boys selling raspberries along the road and they were unaware of me at first,then all of a sudden a third head pops out from behind the wagon and sees me. I am not sure where the raspberries were,because all I could see were flowers.

These group of structures caught my eye due to their varied shapes and sizes and all topped with copper cupolas.

A toddler gets a front row seat on this Amish scooter.

This youngster appeared to be diagnosing engine trouble on this tractor as I drove by. Till I turned around to get a shot,he was already on the other side, so either he knew what he was doing or was playing the role perfectly. He had to be around 8-10 years old but already he was ready to fill pops shoes.