The three of us are settled in here in our new neighborhood. We have not only been enjoying the weather (seems a bit warmer than what we see recorded up north) but also becoming familiar with the area. After traveling through the night and into the next day, we arrived on Thursday evening feeling exhausted but ready to go. Over a meal at a small Chinese restaurant that night we got our first sense of the close community, as we overheard the table next to us in conversation about the roads in Goshen. We're clearly in Mennonite territory!
We're living right in the heart of Pinecraft-- Hans and Niles are in an apartment that is owned by a conservative Mennonite woman and Emma is just across the street in an apartment owned by Todd Emrich of Yoder's Restaurant.
After a night of rest we decided to eat at Der Dutchman, one of the two restaurants we were given meal vouchers to use twice a day, every day for the next three months. If you're curious about anything on the menu at either Yoder's or Der Dutchman, we'll most likely be able to give you a full run down by the end of our time here!
The first few days were full of orientation as we drove with Norm Kauffmann around the neighborhood, met as a team, and had our first meeting with both the Pinecraft board and one with the Sarasota county. One highlight was a beautiful afternoon spent at Siesta Key Beach. On Sunday one of the men on the board, Fred Hershberger, invited us to attend the Amish church down the road. Hans and Niles sat with Fred and Emma with Fred's wife and though the service was 3 hours long and we were limited by the language barrier, we were with great hosts and were able to meet many people outside after the service.
Tomorrow we'll have our first combined meeting with both the Pinecarft board and the county and will discuss our progress on designating items to include in the Masterplan. We'll be posting our meeting minutes on a regular basis, so be sure to check out that portion of our website if you are interested. For now, we'll enjoy the sun!
- Emma, Niles, and Hans