We took a major side road in September. For two weeks we were in Western New York for a siblings’ reunion with Tom’s brother and sisters. It’s a tradition we began in 2016 and we’ve only missed two years since we began.

Having lived on the property for three years when our boys were very young, it is always good to go back. The property has been in the Kauffman family for well over 100 years.

Marilee traveled with us. Three airports and four flights. It’s not as easy as it was when we were younger!

Seattle from the air

Memorabilia

We call the family property the “farm.” Tom’s grandpa, who lived there, was a chicken farmer much of his life. He and his people loved the land and took advantage of its resources. There are many vestiges of the days of yore on the farm. Wherever you look you can find antique tools, kitchen gadgets, books, and so much more. And most have accompanying stories.

Whenever we visit the farm I discover some “new” old stuff that intrigues me.

Here are a few of the relics that are part of the family’s life.

When Tom’s parents got married in 1938 they moved into a small cottage on the property. This is one of the two shutters on the front room window. Today the shutters grace the garage door of the house Dad K built in the late 1980s.

The house has two libraries. One is off the living room, jammed full of books,  journals, memories, and other information carefully organized by Marilee.

The second library offers collections, classics, and magazines. This Popular Science featured here was published in 1956.

This handmade box filled with kids books sits on the tray of the high chair our boys used when we lived on the farm.

Dad K had lots of tools, including this beautiful blowtorch we found in the barn. It came in handy for his many building projects.

Mom K wore an apron whenever she worked in the kitchen. She made this one and wore it often. It was like having her close when I wore it.

This barn belonged to the neighbors. Tom’s family moved to Seattle when he was very young but they made several trips to the farm when he and his siblings were growing up. He milked the farmer’s cows in this barn.

This is the tractor Tom drove when he was a kid. When we lived on the farm he used it again to plow a large garden space for us. Our little boys enjoyed sitting on it with him.

Aren’t these three cute?

This painting hangs on the wall of our bedroom on the farm, but I’d never heard the story about it until this trip. Of all the new things I saw on the farm, this was my favorite.

He told me that he had painted the picture when he was about 12 years old. “What do you think we used for my canvas?” he asked me. When I shook my head he said, “It was an old pull-down window shade!”

Now that’s the best story I’ve ever heard of Depression Era ingenuity!

Natural Beauty

For all the delight of exploring the past, we were there in the present. I kept my eyes open to the beauty around us. (With hardly any rain, amazing cloud formations, and New York’s exquisite beauty in September, we thoroughly enjoyed the simple, everyday loveliness around us.)

Starting with the farm itself, here is some of that beauty.

Foggy sunrise

Sunrise through the butternut tree

This little hill leads to the pond in the back yard. Tom’s dad had it dug out in the early 90s, shortly before we arrived to live in one of their houses. Our house was 100 years old. While we lived there we published a magazine called Family Scrapbook. We raised a few chickens, vegetables and flowers, and made our own maple syrup from trees we tapped on the farm.

Here’s the pond

Flowers growing in front of the barn door. (I had never noticed the knot in the door before.)

Mom K’s wild rose bush

Clouds on display on our way to church

A trip to the farm always includes a drive to Letchworth State Park (just 21 miles from home), family pictures, and a meal at Glen Iris Inn. We kept with our tradition, of course!

This is a stone staircase up into the woods. Some call this park The Grand Canyon of the East. It features spectacular gorges, three major waterfalls and more than 50 smaller ones, forests, lodging and camping, and so much beauty.

This is the best I could do for fall colors. Two weeks later and we would have seen amazing fall colors.

Serendipities

I want to share four out-of-the-ordinary parts of the trip.

A Meeting of Sweet Friends

I met Katherine O’Conner Beiter when we lived in New York. We drove to her home to interview her and her husband for an article in our magazine. Her niece, Jill, is a dear friend from our years in Western NY and she arranged for us to have coffee with Katherine at her daughter’s bakery. This was the first time I’ve seen Katherine in 30 years. We had a delightful time with her.

Jill and her “Aunt Kaci” at Sweet Arts Bakery in Geneseo, New York

Carol’s Cats

Tom’s sister Carol is a cat lover. We knew that she had several cats but we knew nothing about the kitties! For that matter, she didn’t know that she was going to be caring for newborns while we were there.

A stray showed up and found his way into her heart. About three weeks before we arrived he came to her with something in his mouth. She thought it was a mouse. But when the cat dropped it at Carol’s feet, she saw that it was a kitty. Oh! The stray was not a he, but a she. And now Carol was responsible for a new kitten.

But that was not the end of the story. While still in shock over the presentation of the baby, the mama cat returned and dropped a second kitty at Carol’s feet!

How cute those kittens are! Here is Carol with the babies. They were probably about four or five weeks old a the time.

Not only does Carol have these little cuties, but she has Gray Kitty who thought he should mow the lawn for her! He climbed off the mower when he realized he couldn’t get it started! ; )

Amish Neighbors

There are many Amish families in our part of New York. We usually go to the Amish store, just a few miles from home, to shop while we’re there. The farm is within walking distance of three small schools for Amish kids, and more Amish families are moving into the area.

On our way home from church we passed a home where the weekly church service had been held. Tom was able to get this photo of their buggies.

Horseless Carriages at Letchworth

When we pulled into the parking lot at Letchworth State Park we spotted 20 or more beautiful old time cars. The owners were part of the Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) and they were having lunch at Glen Iris. Tom and Dan got to spend time talking with one of the car owners. He told them about his car and HCCA. It was fun for the brothers to chat with the guy as they looked at his car.

If I had any more words in me after this long post, I might make some kind of a comparison or contrast between the Amish means of transportation and the horseless carriages. But my brain—and your eyes—could use a break!

So I’ll share with you our family picture at Letchworth, and an arty photo of planes as we taxied through the Philadelphia airport on our last flight of the trip.

As I close, I will share a final photo. It is the butternut tree that stands in front of Tom’s parents’ home. It’s strong and beautiful, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the Western US. Actually, I’d never paid an awful lot of attention to this one as it spread its branches in the front yard. It is the picture that I will see in my mind when I think about the farm, our little family’s life there with Dad and Mom K, and the siblings with whom we share the love for the family farm.

Peace and grace to you,

Ginger