Notes taken from my journal...
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
What a day we had. Skip arrived at 9:30 with a map of the whole farm to show Mama. We also watched some photos on DVD of the building of the house. Quite a process! Then we walked around outside on the immediate property for a bit. So much has changed even since we were all there in 2009.
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| Skip showing Mama a current map of the property. |
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| the old potato cellar used to be here |
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| Looking at the irrigation system in the fields |
We checked out Skip's shop - very nice! I guess he must do autobody repair. He is also into the demolition derby. A very wrecked vehicle was there and a second one, too. He mentioned the purse for the upcoming derby was about $4000 for 1st place. :) We also got to see Larry's restored 'hot rod Lincoln'. It is the same kind of car that John F Kennedy was riding in when he was assassinated. It was very nice. It only has about 20,000 miles, incredibly. And everything is original except for the tires. He got it from a military buddy I think Skip said. There was another old car in the shop that Skip indicated he was working on now - that belongs to Larry.
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| With Skip in his shop - you can see the demolition derby vehicle behind them. :) |
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| Daddy, Mama, and Laura with Larry's 'hot rod Lincoln'. :) |
Skip then put us in his truck (very cool with the automatic running boards that come out when you open the door and retract when you close the door.) and we took a long tour of the Willwood area. Skip is on the board for the Willwood Irrigation District so had keys to the clubhouse and took us there. How nice! We sure had good memories walking in that place and thinking about June 26, 2009 when we all celebrated Mama's birthday with the Hart family. We saw a print of a picture of Heart Mountain that we need to get a copy of for Mama.
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| On the porch of the Willwood Irrigation District Clubhouse |
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We sure remember this building from our family gathering in 2009!
(I had blogged that trip at the time, but have not yet rebuilt it on the archive blog...
need to get that done!) |
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| We need to get a copy of this print of Heart Mountain for Mama... |
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| Looking at a picture of Buffalo Bill Reservoir at the dam |
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| great memories in this place :) |
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| Mama and Skip |
He took us by Willwood Dam, stopped the truck in the road (at an angle even) so I could take a photo of Heart Mountain (his wife is a photographer so he is used to that he said) :D and even drove us up on BLM land to show us what the ground/land looked like when Mama and her family first arrived. Wow. I am so glad he did that. Great perspective. What they first saw when they pulled up in that truck must have been somewhat shocking. And, as Mama said, all they had was a horse and a shovel. But they got the ball rolling and got the land started off. They never made any money, but they got the land growing and working and ready for the next generations. And to see what the Hart's have been able to do with it is a wonderful thing.
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| Heart Mountain |
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| Heart Mountain from the Willwood Dam |
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| Following along the Willwood Canal |
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| This is what the land looked like when Mama's family arrived in 1935... |
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| ...and all they had was a shovel and a horse to begin to work the land. |
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I'm just so fascinated by the hay out west.. the size of it all.
For perspective, note that is a full sized pickup truck parked by the hay!! |
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| This made me chuckle... the beginnings of a Wyoming stonehenge?? :D |
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| Sorghum bales in the field |
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| We so appreciated Skip!!! |
In the afternoon we went to Skyline Cafe (new ownership I think but very good food) and then drove around Powell a bit. We didn't go to the Homesteader Museum since Rowene has retired. Plus it was 97 degrees outside! We did go to the Powell Visitors Center upon recommendation by Skip. They have a nice exhibit on the Irrigation District. Glad he told us that. We drove by the Merc but it is closed. How sad. We drove by Northwest College - I am still impressed by that place. Then we washed the car in a super fancy car wash that cost $12 and wasn't the most expensive option! Then went to Blairs supermarket to get more milk and another box of cereal. Then filled up the car and went back to the homestead. We made breakfast for supper using the supplies Larry had brought in for us. Biscuits, eggs, sausage, and a sausage gravy packet. Very nice. So incredibly kind.
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| Daddy and Mama at the Powell Visitor Center |
We also went by the house that Mama's family lived in when she was 12 - for just one year. But she sure remembers it! It had heat!! And solid walls! And was a mansion to her! It is at 365 Absaroka and was recently remodeled and sold. We found the listing on the internet. Mama said it really looked completely different. Fun to see, though.
I still can't get over the power of Mama staying on the actual homestead property. Incredible. Head shakingly amazing. We walked around the property in the evening and she showed me where their little tar-paper shack/house had been... where she and Dale would lay in the yard to look at the clouds... on that ground! powerful stuff.
I do have video (a long one!) from this day but have to wait a couple days to get it uploaded. Will update this post this weekend.
