No redneck bus tours, either...

Suzanne gets sidetracked way too easily.

This weekend, we were supposed to go up to Philadelphia to meet one of her cousins, and to introduce them to the giant wabbit. Somehow along in there, this has now morphed into some kind of Pennsylvania Dutch tourist extravaganza... initially, the cousin (or maybe Suzanne) suggested that we do one of those bus tours of "Amish Country."

Ummm... no.

I used to live up in that area of Pennsylvania, and I find the whole idea of "Amish tourism" demeaning to those people. I mean, we live in a fairly rural area, so I asked Suzanne how she'd like it if some company ran "Redneck Country" bus tours all up and down our road, gaping tourists with outdated camcorders pressed against the windows as some teenage tour guide reads a script about our "way of life?"

It sort of appalls me. These are people, they live the way they choose, and it demeans them that outsiders -- us English -- view them as tourist attractions. I won't have any part of it.

That, and I hate organized tours. I much prefer to wander and see what's interesting and unusual, not what the tour script says.

Well, the tour bus idea has apparently fallen by the wayside, and then Suzanne forwards me an email from one of her sisters suggesting, "how about having dinner with an Amish family?"

Oh, fuck.

I'd just as soon stay home. If this cousin and her kids have some sort of tourist urge they have to give into, they can meet the wabbit some other time. And me.