Yesterday was our last day for visiting before getting underway back to Arizona. We stopped to see Ed and Caroline Kulka who live in Beaver Dam in the summer where Ed works for John Deere, and then they head for Superstition Lookout RV Park in the winter to avoid the snow and cold. It will be a while before they head out because Ed still has some John Deere work to do before winter. He got out the map and showed me the best and shortest way back to Arizona. After the Ed and Caroline, we headed to Alto, WI where Colleen Derivan and her husband Brian Tenpas live. Brian is a dying breed in the US and operates a small family farm. They had invited us up for dinner and we went a little early so we could tour their farm. I haven't been on a farm since I was a kid visiting my
Grandfather Senecal in Fond Du Lac, WI where he had a small farm. I always loved to visit there and see how much mischief I could get into. Colleen gave us a tour of their operation. It was milking time for their cows when we got there so we went into the barn where they were milking. It was interesting to watch but much more modernized from when, as a child, I watched my Grandfather and Uncle milk cows. The cows enter the stalls, are hooked up to the milking machine after being wiped off, milked and then leave the barn without any direction. They know just where they are supposed to go and to leave when their done. They did recognize that we were new and didn't belong in the barn. The lead cow didn't want to walk past when they were done milking her. She stopped and starred at us and backed up all the rest that
were done behind her and wouldn't let them out. As soon as we moved they headed out of the barn. Colleen and Brian have a beautiful home they built a few years ago back off the road on a hill in front of a pond they use for a swimming hole. It's quite a beautiful setting and we could look out over their farm buildings about a 1/4 mile away. We had a great Mexican dinner and visited for a few hours and then it was time for us to head back to Beaver Dam. Besides, Brian had to get up early for work. I sure give the small family farmers a lot of credit. They are all very hard workers and an example of what made this country great. It was a great visit here in Wisconsin and we appreciate Jim and Sharon allowing us to park our 5th wheel in their driveway while we ran around meeting long lost relatives and catching up on old times. I just wish we all lived closer together so we wouldn't wait so long to get together.
Tomorrow we'll be hitting the road back to Arizona. In some ways we're sad to see this summer come to and end. It'll be hard to go back to the hustle and bustle and pressures of the big city after a summer of relaxed, small town lifestyle.
No comments:
Post a Comment