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Saturday, May 25
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We were pleased to have the day open when my sister Nancy and her husband Marlin invited us to go on a day trip with them to Fulton County. The purpose for this drive was to visit a farm that his friend Dale bought some time ago. Marlin and Dale work together in agribusiness.
Fulton County is in Southcentral Pennsylvania and was named after Robert Fulton (the inventor of the first successful steamboat). He was born in southern Lancaster County, but it is thought that Fulton County was named after Robert to honor him as a Pennsylvania native.
When Marlin and Nancy realized that we were going to be driving near our friend Kerry and his wife Tina’s Christmas Tree Farm, they called Kerry to see if they would be home. They were going to a local benefit auction but would come home when Nancy messaged them that we were getting off the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Pictured: Tina, Nancy, Kerry, Marlin, and Cerwin. Kerry grew up in our neighborhood and is the son of good friends of ours. We have know him since he was born. Kerry showed the men some of the equipment they use for their Christmas tree operation while Tina, Nancy and I visited on their porch – after checking out some flower beds that she is replanting.
When we left, Kerry said, “You made my day. I love when friends from my home area come to visit.”
Not too far from their place, we drove by this old McCormick-Deering tractor which had been carefully placed on a large rock.
Before long we arrived at Dale’s farm. He and their son Jeff bought it as a hunting location for their family. There is some farmland that a neighbor plants and harvests for him.
I had fun walking around the property, looking for unusual things. Nobody has lived on the property for many years. I was fascinated by this tree trunk (above) that grew around a fence post.
This appears to be a great hunting area because the houses and farms are sparce and there is a lot of woodland. Dale, his son, and several grandsons had fun hunting turkey in the morning. One of the boys excitedly told us about calling in a turkey that morning. I think he said it was a female, so no one took a shot at it. I understand they did get a nice tom turkey the week before. It appears that it will also be a good place for bear and deer hunting.
An old water pump outside the kitchen area.
The remains of a piece of equipment in the backyard area.
Three of Dale’s grandson’s relaxing after playing several games of Can Jam – a game where two teams throw a frisbee into a large can. There were 2 or 3 other grandsons there as well.
Internet photo of Kan Jam cans.
Dale told Marlin (the night before) that he and the boys would make lunch for us. It began looking and smelling delightful in the early afternoon as they grilled sausage, potatoes and fresh New Jersey corn that Dale purchased the day before – after delivering a few small hogs to a New Jersey farmer for a Saturday event. I think it was for a petting zoo or pig chase at the farm the next day.
It was a beautiful day to enjoy an outside meal. Marlin, Nancy and Cerwin.
As we relaxed and visited, we felt like we went back in time. A neighbor on a four-wheeler stopped in to visit and the lady who runs the nearby greenhouse stopped in on the way home. She wanted to tell the boys that her cat may wander over to the farm. She mentioned that her greenhouse cat is friendly but the feral cat in the neighborhood may not enjoy their company.
We drove by another friend’s farm before going home. It is also used as a hunting lodge or place for travelers to use as a place to stay for a night or two.
I am still reveling in the relaxation of the day.
Tomorrow I will post a bunch of pictures I took of old barns and sheds. I love old barns and had several great opportunities to get photos.