Miss you Dad

In remembrance of my Dad and our special drives in the country, I did just that... a drive in the country!

3 years ago on October 29th my Dad was called to his eternal home.

We took many drives together, especially in his later years! I loved our fall drive to check on the corn and see the farmers working in the fields. Driving through the bluffs of SE Minnesota near Iowa's north border is where dad called "home", God's country, the farms and land of my people.  

 One of my favorite photo's of Dad and I is not about our faces, 

the resemblance is in our hands. I have my dad's hands...I love that.

Many of these photos have been in prior blog posts, they are my favorites and make me think of times with my dad (so bear with me)

Bucksnort dam was always our second stop... 

Right after "Cabin Coffee" in Chatfield.  Coffee and sweets were dads go-to right up to the end.

Dad would have said, "it's been a good year for the corn". I dont know how he knew but he did. I pulled over in the stretch of gravel road to watch the combine in action. They are often in a plume of dust, you can see it if you look close. 

The Storlie School house that my dad attended as a child! It is now someones residence and only .1 miles from my Great grandfathers farm (that is no more)

The road signs to Great-grandpa Andrews farm... 

It's a dead end, minimally maintained road! The sign reads, "Travel at your own risk".

 I've seen it in worse condition. 

The windmill that my great-grandpa Andrew built still sands, the fan blades are long gone but the structure is still there to mark where the old barn once stood.

You can see the white Storlie School from my Great-Grandpa Andrews farmstead. If I remember right my Grandpa Alfred & grandma Blanch, along with my dad and his siblings lived on this farm for awhile until grandpa Alfred got his own.

I took this photo years ago, my Dad in his 80's walking the farm field of his childhood

This gravel road leads to the Farm my Grandpa Alfred owned. 

and there it is, except all the old buildings have been torn down. The buildings are rebuilt, and ironically enough the old windmill to Grandpa Alfreds barn still stands... It's down near the bottom left o fthe photo.

Close up

The cute old sign pointing to Scheie Church

This is the church that my dad attended in his older childhood, he was confirmed here. I didnt stop to go inside this time, but I've been inside many times before with dad. We found he and his twins confirmation photos on a display board in the back of the sanctuary.

I struggled a bit to find all of our favorite spots, but I think Dad was giving me a sense of direction because I did ok. I still wish he was sitting next to me, talking about when he was a boy, and taking me to other sites that are now only in my memory. 

I talked to dad while I drove, I thanked him for sharing his life with me, for sharing our family roots, and for loving our family.  

Lots of farm machinery on the roads and in the fields. Dad, I think the farmers had a good year.

Last stop on the way home was Stewartville where my dad was laid to rest. He was so proud of the little bench that he and mom chose as a part of the design to their headstone. I sat there and remembered our little road trips to God's country. Thanks dad for spending time with me and sharing your family history. I'm trying my best to remember how to get places on those back country roads where they all look alike.

Ok...a photo of our faces, some say I resemble him  

I miss you Dad…

 I took a drive the other day without you dad. 

It would’ve been the drive to hang out together as we did so often. 

This Father’s Day the seat next to me was empty, but I felt your presence regardless.

I made the trek down to what you called “God‘s country“ its where you grew up on the family farm

 and went to school in the country schools! 

The Amish were in the fields, you would have got a kick out of this!

I found the farm your dad bought, the last one before he and grandma moved to the city in Cresco Ia! 

All of the original buildings are gone. There’s an old, rusty, windmill, hard to see in this picture, 

but I bet it’s the original windmill from the old farm.

I wish I would’ve done a better job of “pinning“ all of the places we used to go!

 The stories will stick with me and just driving on the country roads bring back good memories

 of time spent with you.

One of my favorite places we always visited was Grandpa Andrews farm near Canton! 

Many times we drove down this path, that led out to what used to be the farm!

All that’s left of it now is the windmill that Grandpa Andrew’s built. 

You and I would always get out of the car and checked the corn to see how it was coming along, 

so I did that...

It felt weird not having you there in person, but I felt your presence as I stood on the land, once farmed by my maternal great grandfather

I love this photo I took of you a few years back!

I’m guessing this was in the fall 

after the corn had been harvested, 

Oh, and Just a little update for your dad the corn looks like it’s doing well this spring,

 I think the farmers are going to have a good year 

I miss our drives Dad! 

This 1st one without you was hard but I will continue our country road trips and remember the stories you shared with me! I'll smell that country air, walk on my ansestors land, visit the gravesites of family and make sure to notice how the crops are doing.

Happy 1st Fathers Day in Heaven

Miss you and Love you

The 1965 Mustang

Since Dad lost his license last fall due to advancing Dementia, 

I frequently taken him for drives in the country, or really wherever he wants to go. 

Last week when I arrived at my parent's home, dad suggested I take him out for a drive in his

1965 Ford Mustang! This car is dad's "baby" and I've only driven it one other time.... a  l-o-n-g time ago, it happens to be a manual transmission, so I wasn't sure how rusty I'd be, but I thought,

 what the heck...for Dad I'd do anything.  

It's a beauty of a car, it's been restored and drives pretty good for an older car.

Dad has had the mustang to many car shows and has come home with several trophies over the years,

 he's very proud of his old car.

First we must check the oil

 I had mom come out and take a photo of us, before we left.

Ya gotta have the dice hanging from the mirror.

 We drove all over the hills and valleys of Fillmore. 

We drove by a farmstead near Chatfield that we spent a lot of time visiting when were kids.

 Playing in the pastures, chasing the cows and running in the creek that flowed through the farms property. I was reminded of the time we were playing hide and seek in the dark and I ran straight into a barbed wire fence, to this day I have a 4' raised scar on my left thigh. No ER visit or tetanus shot, just washed it off and back out to play.

 I wish I would have taken a photo, it's a beautiful farm...next time. 

We visited one of our favorite spots Bucksnort Dam on the Root River. 

I love the blue-green colored water at the base of the dam

 Dad and I had a great time driving all the roads we love to drive, 

we did avoid the gravel this time, because well... we wouldn't want to dirty-up the Mustang.

It's what Dad and I do....

I was due for a road trip with Dad.

The kind of road trip that leads us down gravel roads and  

 off beaten paths to country, "God's country", as my Dad calls it. 

I never tire of the stories Dad tells of his boyhood, he shows me the schools he attended,

 the roads he walked, the family farmsteads and the fields he worked. 

It's beautiful country in southern Minnesota, with rolling hills and valleys defining the landscape.

Fall can be especially beautiful if you catch the colors. 

We were a little late this year but the sights and smell of country never disappoints! 

 We saw a lot of this

 Smoke billowing around the combines as the farmers bring in the beans

I bet the farmers are appreciating these beautiful fall days extending into November.

 One of my very favorite places...

Minimum maintenance road

TRAVEL AT YOUR OWN RISK

 This little path leads us about a half mile in to where my 

Maternal great-grandparents once lived and farmed the land.

 Heres what's left...

the windmill stand that my great-grandpa Benson built himself.

Dad is pointing to where the house used to sit

Appreciating the times spent with my dad, telling stories, his dry humor, and quick wit. 

It was a beautiful November day!

Fall Drive with Dad, Part 3

Dad and I have traveled many times down to the SE corner of Minnesota, 

the area where he grew up on his parents farm, but never had I seen this little gem ....

My dad sprung this one on me, it was almost an afterthought on his part.

 A little brick school building on the corner of Otterness road and Co 19, 

between Blackhammer and Spring Grove.

As we were driving along dad pointed out his passenger window and said, 

"that's the school that your grandma and her sister attended for a few years" when they were little girls. 

I quickly applied the brakes and made a U-turn in the middle of Co. 19. 

Are you kidding me, dad.... 

The loosely secured fence was easy to enter through, and there was not a

 "no trespassing" sign anywhere! There was no holding me back.

BEST PART EVER.... The front door was UNLOCKED.....SCORE!!!

I think I squealed with delight, 

I live to enter the unlocked doors of old churches, schools, barns and abandon houses. 

I can hardly stand the anticipation of what lies inside.

As we entered we saw this straight-up staircase to the attic.

 With a knee that's still heeling, I opted-out of climbing up to explore. 

It was surreal to enter the little brick school house that my Grandma Blanche and

 Great Aunt Ester attended as little girls.

The room was filled with old furniture

The old chalk boards were filled with someones writitngs, 

probably from others, like dad and, I who dared venture in to explore. 

 the wood burning stove still stands. 

 I'm guessing they didn't have TV's like this one back in those days.

Dad replaced the old board that went between the handles of the two doors.

Dad says," it's important to leave things how you found it".

This outside door led to the basement. 

The stairs were a little scary so we didn't dare go down, but peeked in the windows. 

It housed utilities, and looked like an area for more storage.

As we were leaving a farmer was passing by on his tractor, he pulled over to investigate

 these two city folk wondering on his uncles property. Dad explained that he grew up on a farm nearby, so we were checking out this old school building that his mama once attended.

He didn't seem to mind that we were there...

 just wanted to make sure we secured the gate as we left.... and we had!

You can click on here and here if you misses part 1 and part 2 of My road trip with Dad