Visit On The Farm With Ometa and Bill

I spent a wonderful weekend with Ometa and Bill on the farm (or estate, which ever you want to call it) where they are living with their dear friends Angie and Tom Ward. After being with them for the few days I believe, if they could, both would sell their house in town ( which is still leased after their return to Cartersville from Beaufort SC) and move to the country.I watched both work so hard and seemed to enjoy every minute of it. Stay with me and I will try to show you just what they did.

I dedicate this Blog Post to Angie and Tom Ward, and thanks for the wonderful

weekend I spent at your beautiful estate.

TRIP BEGINS AUGUST 19, 2011

I know this 420 mile trip is going to enjoyable because the VA has issued me a wonderful new set of hearing aids also an Icam with blue tooth so I hear phone messages that I receive through my hearing aids.I keep it  around my neck under my shirt so when I receive a call I just talk into it. I guess people nearby think I am talking to myself. I hope they don't call the men with the white jackets.

I can understand book tapes very clearly so the trip seems so much shorter.I was met East of Atlanta by Ometa and Bill. It was OK to drive 350 miles by myself, but thought they should drive me through
Atlanta. Don't you just love concerned children.

This is the sign that greeted us on arrival, Ometa said speed over so  you will be over it if it gives in.I am not sure why, but that is what we did,

This is the damage to the bridge.I can certainly see why you should fly over it.They were worried.

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 We crossed over it Sunday morning but Ometa called Monday and said it caved in on its own.I am a little sorry it did not happen on Saturday night so I could spend a little more time with them.The food and company was wonderful and delicious.

After we crossed the bridge you can see we are close to all the power needed, The plant is just a few fields away (roughly about 5 miles or more of fields)

This is the entrance to Angie and Tom's Farm.The estate sits back against a small mountain ( if not that, then one high hill ) You really have to see this whole area to appreciate the beauty that surrounds it.

The building on the right contains two apartments,attached to the main house by a breeze way.The stained split rail fence just adds to the beauty of the well kept lawn and shrubs.

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These 2 pictures are of the front porch with the stone deck. I love the implements on the entrance, but my question is, did they save any to work the farm ?

Just some of the equipment needed to run this operation.I think the yellow one is for Sunday afternoon joy riding

This is the back porch  with a lawn that reaches to the edge of the mountain (or hill, which ever).

LETS GO INSIDE THE HOUSE

This is the wall in the den with a 28 foot chimney and fire place.The 21 deer heads were killed by Tom or his family.I believe one was shot by Ometa's husband Bill.I am not sure of what meats they eat during the year but I feel quite certain that there is no shortage of deer meat.The 2 white containers you see on the fire place are chicken incubators.You will hear about them later. That is a very impressive deer horn chandelier.

Tom and Angie's "zoo" on the left side of fire place.I understand Tom and relatives also bagged these,including the bear.

I hope he is not smiling at me. Snakes, I don't care, poisonous or not ,scare the h+++ out of me.

Very spacious, I guess den and living room.

This is Ometa and Bill's upstairs 4 room apartment plus the "patio" overlooking the den.

Dining Room .

Master bedroom, stone Shower, and claw foot tub.

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Before arriving at Cartersville we stopped and visited my grandson Timothy and his beautiful wife Jodi who live just off of 285 that circles Atlanta.I am glad we  stopped because Timothy was leaving next day for Las Vegas ( to work he said, and being my grandson I believe him.) He really does work for a company that goes all over the country setting up displays.

  

This is Billy's family

Front row son Chase, wife Holly, me, daughter Erin, and Ometa, back row.Billy and Bill. Not present Billy and Holly's 13 year old daughter Hannah

Visit from the McLane Family (Jodi's parents)

father Stan, mother Kathy and brother Timothy.Can you

recognize which is daughter and which is Mother ?

Billy, wife Holly, and Granddad

VISIT TO THE GOAT MAN

Ometa said that goat milk was all they drank and she wanted to go to the goat farm and see if she could milk one, so off we go.This is just a few of Lee Devor's flock or heard or whatever they are called.

These are the goats that are being milked

Lee showing Ometa just how to do it

All I can say is, I can just give Ometa an E for effort because I watched as she pulled,squeezed, pulled,squeezed and not one drop fell in the bucket.I only pray that there is not a hungry baby somewhere waiting for this milk. However the goat did seem to be enjoying the feel of those strange hands.

CHICKENS

This is the beginning, and this period lasts for 21 days

Just hatched

Ometa and Luci inspect new biddies that have been moved to, I guess you would call a warmer.

Evidently there seems to be many stages a chicken goes through, from the white incubators you saw on the fire place until you order a breast and a wing with fries from KFC.

If you will notice some of these pictures are not in sequence, so before you ask "why Not ?, I ask you to try a blog post and you will find that pictures are just like a cat, they do, and go where they want to and  the harder you try to correct then the more ornery they become, so you finally say "go any damn place you want" I am too old to get upset over a few chickens.

RABBITS

I am not going to get in a hassle like with the chickens so here are pictures which to my surprise came out in fairly correct order.

These are the young rabbits that are ready for market.

 More rabbits

This is Luci in the breeder cage area.The cages are marked A for females,and B for males.I understand they are not allowed to socialize unless  more little rabbits are needed,

Luci is looking for the renegade rabbit that keeps climbing over the fence so she can chase it all around the compound. The little white spot behind the tree is what she is looking for.

CARTERSVILLE ROUNDUP

As you can see this heifer is no fighting bull but also, Bill "ain't" no matador either, but the pictures will show the price of admission was worth it. Bill and Ometa are giving the heifer a shot of penicillin. Ometa did you tell him you are a registered nurse and not to worry? I find out later the shot did not work. The little heffer died.

ODDS AND ENDS

Fenced in garden, sunflowers, and Luci inspecting the Okra

BEST FOR LAST

If you might be interested in owning this magnificent estate it has one more great feature.

GOLD

Lee,the man with the goats also pans ,or in his case told me he uses a pump and all kind of other equipment to find gold in the stream on the back side of this property ( same one that goes under the troubled bridge. Here is his results for about 2 months work I believe he said there was 35 grains in this tube.It takes 437.5 grains to make an ounce so  figuring at $1700.00 per ounce, with my trusty $4 calculator it figures to about $3.90 per grain, so the total value is $136.50.I think he should stick with the goats.

FAREWELL & GOODBYE

I ask that you, Angie, Tom, Ometa, and Bill say a little prayer for me because of a few choice words I have used doing this blog. If you have ever completed one you know what I am talking about.

Always remember,God loves you, and I love you.

Christopher's Cushing Academy Graduation & Marblehead Party

                                           Cushing Academy  Ashburnham Mass.

• Cushing is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12. It was founded 135 years ago. It is sometimes cited as the oldest coeducational boarding school in the United States.
• Graduation Day
• 
• I was not able to attend this ceremony, so by chance I pulled up Cushing on my computer here in Whiteville NC and low and behold it was going to be televised. Please excuse the quality of the 3 pictures but it was the best I could do with my computer. I must say you looked comfortable under the tent but I bet my recliner with a cool Bud was more comfortable than those folding chairs you are setting on. I am just kidding,I would much rather be on one of those chairs with you.

• 
  
  
  
• Three great pictures, a proud Mother, Father, and Sister,
• Christopher minus cap and gown, and the third one ,what Chris is so good doing that it earned him a scholarship at The University of Hartford to play Lacrosse.
• 
  
  
  
  This is the University of Hartford"s logo

        Hawks
Finished 19th in the Country last year.

• .

                                     Marblehead

                                     Thursday,June 9

It is great to be back in Marblehead and as we pass my grandson Jeff's home I see  Dan's big boat(it is really not big but larger than his small one ) but I am sure that one will be in the water.However when we turned in the driveway I knew boating was out,the small one was on dry land.I am just kidding, I am here for a Graduation party, and to see my new 2 week old great granddaughter.Charlotte Lily St George



Family Dinner


                                       Charlotte Lily St George
                        Now is the time for all to line up for their picture with Charlotte.




























Friday
Clean up day for party Sunday

















Allyson and Dan have such a beautiful lawn, completely surrounded by shrubbery and trees.Their home inside is so open and spacious. He worked his 88 year old father until a blister developed on his thumb(evidence shown above).so to make amends he agreed to treat us all to dinner at the Yacht Club.
Friday Evening Dinner















Corinthian Yacht Club
The Club is beautiful and my dinner was delicious,broiled fresh salmon with all the trimmings.Both Katie and Chris work here for the summer,Katie is in charge of the sailing classes,for both young and old.I believe Chris is in maintenance.



This was taken almost at sunset so it could have been much sharper.There is a tradition in Marblehead Harbor that all of the Yacht Clubs at sunset fires a cannon that will awaken the dead. Everyone immediately stands and faces the Flag while it is being lowered.Very impressive sight.


Marblehead Harbor

. This picture was taken at sunset from the deck of the Yacht club.As you can see I have no camera lens that could take in the entire harbor.This main harbor plus Marblehead's side of Salem harbor entails 3000 moorings.With that many moorings available you would think you just have to hook up your boat, stop at Marblehead's leasing office, pay for the mooring and head for the harbor.Not quite that easy because everyone in Boston and probably a 100 mile radius want to moor their boat in this very protected harbor. I asked Dan if he had applied for a mooring in this popular part of the harbor for his boat and he said,"I certainly have,.my application was entered in 1994 and I understand those that applied in 1992 are just getting issued a mooring.You would think that most moorings would be grandfathered and that would causes this shortage but not so, you die, you loose. Can you imagine having a business that has a 19 year backlog of applicants.


Saturday
This morning preparation's for the party tomorrow begins.


Dan preparing to make the BBQ








Here is the time when I helped. Me, 2 forks, and that pork got along just fine tearing it apart. 
The finished BBQ using Whiteville's own Joe's BBQ sauce.I don't think there was any left after the party.
















                                  
           Allyson's Famous Asparagus Roll-Ups

On thinly rolled Pepperidge Farm bread, spread with cream cheese and blue cheese mixed, roll in an asparagus spear.Dip in melted butter and freeze over night.Cut into 3 pieces and bake.Those little morsels are delicious. I was sent the recipe if anyone would like it.


Saturday Evening
La Siesta Mexican Restaurant
Winthrop, MA

My treat this evening and I think all had a good time. the food was excellent and the "band" was not bad at all.
























Sunday, Party Day for Christopher















Cake and Family
This is what this weekend is all about, Christopher graduating from Cushing and a proud family that has been with him all the way.


The party was a  success and the food and refreshments were both wonderful.Three cheers for Allyson and Dan.


I am going to end this blog with pictures of family and Guests, so sit back and enjoy It has been fun doing this, good or maybe not so good.but it is just pictures of a dear wonderful family.















For a final Act- A whole bunch of St Georges





Christopher, study much and play hard !!!