5 1/2 yrs ago I was doing the 'leg work' to start up a fluid milk processing business. At that time I did not have much enthusiasm from the rest of those involved in the farm.
2 nights ago, Mark came in for supper telling of how he, his Dad, and uncle had been talking of doing fluid milk processing here on the farm.
*long pause*
HELLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
*sigh*
When will they all get on the same page I am on?
So, once again, I am get excited about the possibility of having our own processing center and delivery route. And this time I have some backing.
Would you be willing to pay $3.25 / gal ??
Friday, September 18, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Vacation - part 3
Where oh where did I leave off? Oh yes, the grumpy old geezer. sigh. Tuesday morning we decided to head off to Gettysburg. Shawn and Teressa and the 3 boys stayed behind and spent the day out with the boats and at the beach, while the rest of us spent the day at Gettysburg. Hot and humid. Really made it come to life for us all there.
Just imagine: July 3. Wool uniforms. Being away from your family. Barely 18 years old and the single thought through your mind "will I be alive tonight". Charging across the hills, knowing the odds are that you are going to be shot down. The fields running red with the blood of your fellow soldiers. All for the dream of an ideal country where everyone is free - no one is slave to another. Incredible. And yet so many forget the lives that were given.
After which we set off to find the Mason Dixon farm. This is a LARGE farm right on the Maryland border (hence the name Mason Dixon) that has robot milkers. We had an idea that they would be found on the Mason Dixon Rd (brilliant of us, huh?). Down the road, up the hill, around the corner and then "WOW". Huge. Awesome.
We stopped in (they have a visitor's center) and met the patriarch of the family (yes, this is still a family run farm) and were able to schedule a tour of the place for the following afternoon.
We headed back to the campground - after a stop for a new bottle for Rusty. As we got to our campsite, Shawn was just getting back with the truck & boats, so we pulled across the road into the vacant site. Barely 2 minutes later the park ranger comes along and stops and gets out, heading for the car. I was right there in the back of the truck so I called over to him, let him know that it was our car and why it was over there, blah blah blah. So now he heads over to our sites and sees the boats - 'are they registered' he asks. 'no' I say 'we didn't realize that kayaks had to be. we've never had to up in NY'. So that leads to the discussion that in the morning we have to go to the office and get a 7 day pass for the boats. *sigh* (when we asked what the purpose of registering them was, his basic reply was more money for the gov't. at least he was truthful!)
Then supper. Then another night at the beach. So nice.
Then. It rained. Our tent leaks around the windows. Mark and I were up for the whole of the storm, doing what we could to keep the kids dry.
So Wednesday morning we head to the office to register the boats and then down to the closest laundr-o-mat (which you can only find if you are coming the opposite direction) then back to the campsite. YEA!!! VAL AND JIM ARE THERE!!! Then hurry hurry hurry to get back down to Mason Dixon for the tour. Yes, even on vacation we can not get away from cows. But the place is so awesome. So awesome.
On the way back we decided to stop for icecream at a Dairy Queen. Oh how I love those places. I would open a franchise in a heart beat if I could. As we are getting out of the car I was questioning whether we were all going in, or leaving the kids in the cars and bringing icecream out (this is important to the story - I was distracted as we were getting everyone out - remember this!!!) We took everyone in. Now also remember that this whole week, there are 15 of us. My kids were generally with someone else. We ordered our icecream. The kids were already sitting in the 'dining' area. Mark, Mom, Hillary and I got our stuff and sat down. Enjoying our icecream. Something was said about the kids, and Evan started counting everyone. And then he said the words that would be the joke of the family and a source of great amusment for, well, who knows how long it will last............
"where's Rusty?"
At this point Mark and I just look at each other. He gets up. Goes to the car. And sits there. Yes. We left our dear sweet baby in the car. *sigh* It had to happen at some point.
From here we head back, go to the beach, and then as the storm seems to be moving in head out for really GREAT pizza. Our last night.
(It did rain again, but we were prepared with a tarp over one side and two rubber maid bins pushed against the other window with a pot to catch the water!)
Thursday morning we pack up, wondering what would happen this day. Any more run ins with the ranger or host? And it did happen. The garbage was put out at the end of the other campsite so that Mark could stop with the trailer and throw it in the back to off load it at the dumping station. And yes the host came by. And yes, he made sure it got to the right place. :)
We headed home and oh what a long trip back it was. But we got home. No mishaps - just a couple near misses.
A week filled with memories. Glad to be home, but ready to go again. Till next year.
(I don't think we are going to head back into PA. At least in NY all we ever had trouble with was raccoons and car alarms at 2 am, raccoons stealing an unopened can of peanuts and leaving the empty can in the woods, dumping the canoe on the never ending trip that finally ended after dark.....but no grumpy old geezer campground hosts.) Ahhh....the memories.
Just imagine: July 3. Wool uniforms. Being away from your family. Barely 18 years old and the single thought through your mind "will I be alive tonight". Charging across the hills, knowing the odds are that you are going to be shot down. The fields running red with the blood of your fellow soldiers. All for the dream of an ideal country where everyone is free - no one is slave to another. Incredible. And yet so many forget the lives that were given.
After which we set off to find the Mason Dixon farm. This is a LARGE farm right on the Maryland border (hence the name Mason Dixon) that has robot milkers. We had an idea that they would be found on the Mason Dixon Rd (brilliant of us, huh?). Down the road, up the hill, around the corner and then "WOW". Huge. Awesome.
We stopped in (they have a visitor's center) and met the patriarch of the family (yes, this is still a family run farm) and were able to schedule a tour of the place for the following afternoon.
We headed back to the campground - after a stop for a new bottle for Rusty. As we got to our campsite, Shawn was just getting back with the truck & boats, so we pulled across the road into the vacant site. Barely 2 minutes later the park ranger comes along and stops and gets out, heading for the car. I was right there in the back of the truck so I called over to him, let him know that it was our car and why it was over there, blah blah blah. So now he heads over to our sites and sees the boats - 'are they registered' he asks. 'no' I say 'we didn't realize that kayaks had to be. we've never had to up in NY'. So that leads to the discussion that in the morning we have to go to the office and get a 7 day pass for the boats. *sigh* (when we asked what the purpose of registering them was, his basic reply was more money for the gov't. at least he was truthful!)
Then supper. Then another night at the beach. So nice.
Then. It rained. Our tent leaks around the windows. Mark and I were up for the whole of the storm, doing what we could to keep the kids dry.
So Wednesday morning we head to the office to register the boats and then down to the closest laundr-o-mat (which you can only find if you are coming the opposite direction) then back to the campsite. YEA!!! VAL AND JIM ARE THERE!!! Then hurry hurry hurry to get back down to Mason Dixon for the tour. Yes, even on vacation we can not get away from cows. But the place is so awesome. So awesome.
On the way back we decided to stop for icecream at a Dairy Queen. Oh how I love those places. I would open a franchise in a heart beat if I could. As we are getting out of the car I was questioning whether we were all going in, or leaving the kids in the cars and bringing icecream out (this is important to the story - I was distracted as we were getting everyone out - remember this!!!) We took everyone in. Now also remember that this whole week, there are 15 of us. My kids were generally with someone else. We ordered our icecream. The kids were already sitting in the 'dining' area. Mark, Mom, Hillary and I got our stuff and sat down. Enjoying our icecream. Something was said about the kids, and Evan started counting everyone. And then he said the words that would be the joke of the family and a source of great amusment for, well, who knows how long it will last............
"where's Rusty?"
At this point Mark and I just look at each other. He gets up. Goes to the car. And sits there. Yes. We left our dear sweet baby in the car. *sigh* It had to happen at some point.
From here we head back, go to the beach, and then as the storm seems to be moving in head out for really GREAT pizza. Our last night.
(It did rain again, but we were prepared with a tarp over one side and two rubber maid bins pushed against the other window with a pot to catch the water!)
Thursday morning we pack up, wondering what would happen this day. Any more run ins with the ranger or host? And it did happen. The garbage was put out at the end of the other campsite so that Mark could stop with the trailer and throw it in the back to off load it at the dumping station. And yes the host came by. And yes, he made sure it got to the right place. :)
We headed home and oh what a long trip back it was. But we got home. No mishaps - just a couple near misses.
A week filled with memories. Glad to be home, but ready to go again. Till next year.
(I don't think we are going to head back into PA. At least in NY all we ever had trouble with was raccoons and car alarms at 2 am, raccoons stealing an unopened can of peanuts and leaving the empty can in the woods, dumping the canoe on the never ending trip that finally ended after dark.....but no grumpy old geezer campground hosts.) Ahhh....the memories.
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