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The Farm at Nostalgiaville
The Grounds at the Farm

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On the first anniversary of our marriage, I presented the four year old with an Anniversary Garden, nestled by Carr Creek downstream from the Barn. The pathway to the garden is perpetually guarded by one of our four Tarnished Knights.

Magic Valley

The Magic Valley extends from the head of the drive by the Upper Creek, continues beside the Barn, and ends at Carr Creek. A small wet weather stream flows along its length and passes under the Arch Bridge, a main feature of the Magic Valley. The area is kept in its natural state, and is overwhelmed with spring bulbs.

E T's bicycle, found in the old barn cleanup sits awaiting his return.

Shop Building & RV Pad

An outbuilding near the cabin was in a bad state of disrepair. A choice had to be made whether to restore it or replace it with another storage building. After some soul searching... replace was the only choice. The Shop Building serves as a grounds maintenance headquarters for the Farm, and the RV pad beside it is home base for the RV with power and sewer hook up.

The Grand Old Tractor

When we bought the farm from the Jones's, we also purchased a 1957 Ford Tractor that they had used on the farm for many years. While bush hogging the heavy growth in the upper field, the fuel line broke, spilling gas on the manifold, and setting the tractor on fire. It burned almost everything including tires, battery, wiring, etc., setting the dry field on fire and prompting a call to the local fire department to help put it out.

Master mechanic, Carl Bond challenged himself with the task of rebuilding and restoring the "Toasted Tractor". The results were unbelievable and the tractor looked like it had just driven off the show room floor as shown in these pictures taken in February 2000..

Old Farts Cart

The distance between buildings and features at the Farm are such that we were spending an inordinate amount of time running back and forth after tools, so we decided to purchase an electric cart to facilitate our movements.

The four year old and I just couldn't leave it alone... we hung fuzzy dice from its top, put a cover on the steering wheel, picked up a set of steer horns from a local flea market and installed them on the front... and lastly appropriately named the customized cutie... the "Old Farts Cart".

Tom's Retreat

Number one son, Tom Bates, lived in the Cabin for a few months after we bought the Farm. He spent a lot of time and effort in early clean up of the grounds, and decided to build his own magic spot on the bank of Carr Creek. The results are what we now refer to as Tom's Retreat. A fire pit in front, a picnic table overlooking the creek, and a couple of bunks to throw sleeping bags on inside the structure, provide the perfect place for a campout.

All pictures can be enlarged by clicking your mouse on them.

Knights of Nostalgiaville

During the first adventure to Niagara Falls (Love Story) we developed playful names for each other. Cheri started calling me her "Sir Knight in Shining Armor", but I modified the expression to a " Knight in Tarnished Armor", because shining armor was... well... too "normal". On the other hand, I coined the name "M'Lady" for the four year old to match the knight theme she had labeled me with.

On return from one of our trips in early December, I was surprised to find four guests standing guard around the Barn. Cheri had purchased the four knights for a Christmas present and had them delivered while we were out of town.

Mariachi Band

On an early 2002 trip to the eastern part of Texas, we visited Fredricksburg. The town was quaint and full of unique shops to attract tourists and snatch at their billfolds and pocketbooks. We stopped at one corner establishment that, try as we may, we couldn't escape from. The resulting raid on the old credit card netted us a genuine mariachi band made from scrap metal by Mexican craftsmen. After puzzling over how to get the musicians home, we finally settled on strapping them to the top of the RV and hauling them home... we looked like Jed Clampet on his way to Beverly Hills, California. If you walk by the Band where they reside at the Farm, you are in for a surprise.

Bird Houses

The four year old and I enjoy watching bird activities, and birdhouses are big at the Farm. In addition to the many houses purchased at yard sales and flea markets, we commissioned Gene Lewis to build a hundred customized units out of barn wood with the standard Nostalgiaville red tin roof. The birdhouses are spread throughout the grounds at the Farm.