Time on the Farm

Location:  Salt Lake City, Utah

We're in Salt Lake City doing some dog sitting.  More about the journey here in the next blog.
At the end of the last blog, we were in Port Aransas, TX headed east towards Alabama.

The boardwalk from the Pioneer RV Resort to the Port Aransas beach.

The pick-up and RV on the ferry, crossing from Port Aransas towards Aransas Pass, TX.

We stopped in Houston for our annual check-ups and spent a night at the Red Shoes RV Park at Coushatta Casino in Louisiana.  My mom, Louise, flew into Gulfport, Mississippi and we spent a few days in Biloxi.  On December 21, we drove from Biloxi to the farm near Gantt, Alabama.  We parked the RV under the barn and settled in to the cabin.

Rocky Creek waterfall on the west side of the farm.

We started a jigsaw puzzle, did some farm chores and took our daily walks in the woods.  We had a quiet Christmas morning and then ate Christmas dinner at Donnie and Judy's.  Their oldest daughter, Kelly, and her family were visiting for the holidays.  We played cards, either pinochle or whist, every day.  For our project, Mom and I recovered the cushions on the dining room chairs.  On New Year's Eve, Dave and I took Mom to the Fort Walton Beach airport for her flight back to California.

Mom (Louise) starting a jigsaw puzzle.

Kelly with Insley and Judy fixing Christmas dinner.

Dave cutting firewood.

Mom working on our chair project.

Chair project - before (left) and after (right).

More farm projects, including working on my International pick-up and working on the tractor.

Dave working on the tractor.

Dave coming back in after bush-hogging.

Found a lion's mane mushroom in the woods on one of my afternoon walks.
We cooked it for supper and it was delicious.

Thanks to Dave's brother, Pete, the lights on the tractor work.

The finished jigsaw puzzle.

Blocking up Big Red, my International pick-up, so we could work on the brakes.

We registered Big Red in Alabama and got vintage vehicle plates.

Dave's daughter, Heather, came to visit for a few days mid-January.  We kept busy doing farm chores aka "Farm Fit".  Lots of exercise including firewood gathering, fence post hammering, deer stand hanging, tree limb cutting and roadside trash pick-up.

Heather riding in the pick-up.

Dave and Heather ready for farm chores.

Farm Fit - Fence Post Hammering

Farm Fit - Firewood rolling

Farm Fit - Deer stand hanging.

Heather headed home on January 16th.  We kept busy working on our projects, walking in the woods and doing more farm chores.

Judy planting loblolly pine trees while Donnie drives the tractor.

Dave visiting while Charles cuts lumber on the Woodmizer saw.

Dave disassembling the hub and front drum brake on the International pick-up.

A pile of chicken litter that the farmer will spread prior to spring planting.

Dave's son, Ben, and his friends, Andy and Rocky, arrived the last week of January to deer hunt and enjoy time off from their office jobs.

Ben, Rocky and Andy hanging around the cabin after a day of chores and hunting.

Ben after a morning hunt.

B with Pearl after a walk in the woods.

Firewood cut and stacked to dry for next year.

Ben with a new door (built by Charles) for his master bathroom.  It is made out of poplar from our woods.

A new work bench for the container

The boys headed home on Saturday, February 2nd.  Dave and I did a few more projects and enjoyed our last full week on the farm.

Dave re-assembling the driver's side rear brake drum on the International pick-up.
We finished both of the rear brakes.  We didn't get all of the parts we needed for the front brakes
and hubs.  That will be one of the projects waiting for us next trip.

Setting up to grind deer meat.

Meat grinding complete - 8 bags, ~ 1.5 pounds each.

On Friday, February 8th, my Mom, Uncle Max and Aunt Darlene drove up from Florida, my cousins Lydia and Richard came down from Nashville and my cousin Morgan drove down from Georgia.  We had a good weekend with lots of walks in the woods, visiting and card playing.

A competitive game of Hand and Foot.
Richard, Lydia, Morgan, Uncle Max, Mom and B.

All of our visitors left on Sunday, February 10th.  My Mom, Dave and I spent Monday closing up the cabin and the barn and stowing everything until next season.  On Tuesday, February 12th, Donnie and Judy drove us to the Pensacola airport.  My Mom flew home to California and Dave and I flew up to New England to visit with family.

Sunrise on the farm.

Until next time...