Vacation 2013 - Part Four - Besta's Farm

As mentioned previously, "Besta" (Norwegian for "Grandma") was T Rex Dad's maternal grandmother. She lived nearly 102 years. She was an amazing lady and she owned her farm until she died. The farm was part of her parent's homestead, acquired in 1893.  My mother-in-law kept it for a bit after Besta's passing, but eventually it was too much work to keep things going so she sold the land to the folks that had been farming it for Besta.  We loved having the family homestead in the family, but it went to great people who care greatly for the land, so we are happy about that.

When you visit, it's like stepping back in time. There are thousands of acres of crops on endless rolling farmland.  Hubby and I loved hearing Besta talk about her time on the homestead and the various crops she had chose each year and how she would wait to sell them till  prices were right.  (a guessing game)  We would hear her tales of the hail storms that would cause damage and how she had to collect insurance for the losses that year. It was a fascinating process. Even more interesting were her tales of being the wife of a farmer during the Depression or what she thought the first time she saw an airplane in the sky...  But I digress!

I am not surprised that our son wants to be a farmer. We did talk with him about how much work farming is and that we still want him to have a trade to take care of the five kids he wants to have. He did decide that being a large animal veterinarian would allow him to care for the animals on his farm as well as those farms around his and provide enough to pay for his large family. Love his thinking. He came up with that on his own. Five kids, though...hope he finds a wife that is good with that! He was very excited to see Besta's farm.

One funny story from our visit, being the "big city" folks that we are.   We live in Idaho's most populated city.  This isn't saying much since our entire state has fewer people in it than my birth place of Las Vegas.  Still, our city is a big city to me and definitely very different from a tiny Northern Idaho town like Troy, Idaho (population ~862 people).  Our store goeslike this: we were driving down Sumner Road to view the family farm, the road being named so because of Besta's husband Bill, when we encountered a horse roaming around loose by the road.   In our experience with equines, it's not a good idea for them to roam around loose, and it is certainly never allowed in a city like ours!  When we saw this horse, we stopped our family photoshoot, I rounded up the kids, and Hubby insisted he catch the horse and try and take him back to the farm.  (he later said he wasn't even sure if the horse was from "our " farm).  Using skills he learned from caring for my old horse, he gingerly guided the horse back towards the main farm house.  (a long walk)  The horse was very friendly, and totally ignored the dog that came up and started barking at him (and the horse).  While it was obvious to Hubby that the horse must know the dog, he still didn't know what to do.  Just then, someone came driving very quickly away from the house towards the main road he was standing beside.  They slowed down and asked what he was doing with their horse!  He explained that it was wandering down the road and that we were afraid it might 'get away' or that a car might hit him.  She laughed and said he had free run of their place and all the farms around.  "Don't worry...:  (smirk)   And on she drove.   Hubby patted the horse and walked back to where we were waiting and told his tale.  He felt horribly embarrassed, and we both just shook our heads at ourselves and we agreed "we are dumb city folks." 

Aside from that, it was an uneventful trip to Troy.  It's a charming town.  A step back into a simpler time (which is why we go there). Oh, I should point out, the house shown in the photo is Besta's old house, built in 1903 or so, which Besta and family moved to from their farm in 1933 so the three children could be closer to school. Grandpa Bill and later his son, Hubby's Uncle Twain, would drive out to the farm every day to tend the crops.  The old house on the farm is gone but Besta's house in Troy is still there in that tiny little town.  We know the new owners of the house, but chose not to bother them during this brief visit.  They have done wonderful things with the house and the yard, fixing it up, and restoring many things back to the original turn of the century (circa 1900) style.

There was young wheat growing on Besta's old farm land. and the kids loved showing off in it. TRex enjoyed walking around taking photos with his Dad. Lil Sister insisted on keeping Baby and me company. I think she was feeling cold and hungry but my sweet little girl refused to say so. We loved our visit back to the homestead and look forward to visiting there again!!!