Grandpa O's

We visited with my nephew, his fiance, and her girls today. They have bought my Grandpa O's farmhouse It was built in the late 1800s. I have so many fond memories of the time I spent at Grandma and Grandpa's. I would bake, cook, sew, weave, and crochet with my Grandma. When I was real young, she'd pull me in a wagon to the field where Grandpa was working so we could give him his lunch and eat with him.  He grew corn and wheat mostly. He raised cows - both beef and milk cows. When I was real young, he had hogs. And at various other times, he had chickens, geese, and rabbits. He always had a smile (unless we grandkids did something wrong - like jump in the hay mound and get the bales undone - or walk through the wheat field instead of around it).  He had a twinkle in his eye when he was being ornery. He loved to joke and tease. I really enjoyed walking around the farmhouse and yard today. I thank my nephew for allowing me to see the whole house and how they are remodeling and updating it.

House from the road.  There use to be two cherry trees in
front of the house. They were lost to storms over the last
few years. We used to pick cherries every year from them.
They made the best cherry pie!

The back of the house can hardly be seen through the trees.
There was an apple orchard to the right - now there are only
a few trees left. There use to be a huge raspberry patch where
the pile of wood is. Ymmm. ... were they ever good!! 

The edge of the barn and one of the cornfields.

Shed where Grandpa could always be found
sitting.  I had taken a photo of this when I was in
Ohio last October. I wanted to compare it to what
it looks like in the summer with the walnut tree
full of leaves and the shed covered in ivy.

Shed in the autumn. Just a few orange leaves
left on the walnut tree. Most of the ivy has
died or turned orange. I think this will make
a wonderful painting. I will keep you posted.

A possiblitity for Patt Blair's retreat

I really didn't find anything that just jumped out and said "Paint me!" in searching through photos for Patt Blair's quilting retreat. One photo that would work the best is one of my grandpa's shed. I played with it in a photo program on my tablet and thought about it. If I don't do this one this year, I may paint it at another time. My grandfather always sat in the larger doorway, no matter the weather. He just loved being outdoors and seeing his land and fields. He would usually sit with his gun, so he could shoot groundhogs, but you couldn't let Grandma know!! As if she missed anything! I miss both Grandma and Grandpa. They were such neat people!

Grandpa's Shed

More Fall Colors

Today, Mom, Dad, and I went to Grandpa's woods to check out the fall colors. Although, it's not Grandpa's woods anymore. It was sold after he died. All that's left in the family is the farmhouse and a few acres that belong to my nephew. Mom got permission from the owners for us to go walk in the woods. But I'll always think of it as Grandpa's woods. We (all of us grandchildren) grew up there.  

Grandpa's garage sits just east of the
barn behind the farmhouse. Grandpa
always sat there, no matter the weather.
He loved watching the corn or beans
grow during the summer and just
 be outdoors the rest the year.  You
can see a bit of the woods in the
background. 

In the spring, we'd wander through the woods searching for all the different kinds of wildflowers - white and red trilliums, Dutchman's britches, Jack-in-the-pulpits, and sweet peas to name a few. It was always an adventure. We never knew what we'd find. One year, Mom and I found a wildflower we couldn't name. We hunted for hours in the library trying to find what it was. It was a small, round ball that opened on one end showing a purple, velvet-like interior with stamens.  It was like a magical world unto itself.

In the summers, all the cousins, aunts, uncles, and  grandparents would have picnics almost every weekend at the pond. We ate blackberries, raspberries, and goose berries 'til we were sick. When it was warm enough we'd swim and play on the rumpus raft. We'd also fish. Grandpa had the pond stocked with bluegill, perch, and catfish. We'd have a fish fry over the camp fire!

The edge of the woods on the way
back to the pond. The giant oak
was always one of my favorite trees,
although it wasn't quite
that mighty when I was younger. 

In the fall, the colors were just brilliant - so many  maples, oaks, hickory, black walnuts, hedge apples, and buckeyes. Buckeyes were fun to collect, while Grandma would make cake out the of hickory nuts.  Grandma and Grandpa, their siblings and parents use to have a sugar camp, making fresh maple syrup. Yummy!!

In the winter, we'd get a treat with the maple syrup. Grandma would make a candy by pouring the syrup over fresh snow! Delicious!!  Back at the pond, when the ice was thick enough, we'd ice skate. We'd have a bonfire to keep warm. One year, my cousin got to close to the fire and actually caught the toe of her skates on fire! They became my skates the next year! Hand-me-downs!

I have so many fun memories of these woods. It was nice to walk through them today!

This is the view of the pond we'd see when first coming upon it.
It is so beautiful today! The water was so still
that the reflections are almost perfect. 

A view of the pond looking north.  To the left of the tree in the
foreground, was a small walkway where the rumpus raft
was tied.  After getting on, we'd pole out to the middle
to play and swim.

Fungus and moss on a fallen log. 

Fallen leaves.