Down on the Farm

When we first started planning our full-timing adventure we knew the first state we would spend any time in would be Florida. Not just because it's warmer...you could hardly tell from the days we've been here, but because it's been so long since I've seen some of my family and some high school friends. Today, we are in Myakka City, FL parked at my cousins dairy farm. Let me try and paint the picture... Back in Clifton, when I was a child my great-grandparents had a farm in town. They had chickens, horses, cows. They grew all sorts of vegetables and they lived in a lovely two story brick farm house. There was one large barn and a corral for the shetland ponies. So when I told my cousin I was coming to Florida, she invited us to stay at her farm. So what was I expecting? A large barn, a farm house, some cows. What was I not expecting??? THOUSANDS of cows, calves (which are so cute) and a five mile ride down a bumpy dirt road in my motor home towing my car. Oh yea, there's also alligators here. I looked but couldn't find any yet. Stacey tells me they are in the pond and swampy area that we drove through. She is going to take me down tomorrow to show me. She also told me about the alligator that crawled under her house! I better not wake up to one under my motor home.While Stacey doesn't live in a huge two story farm house like my great grandparents did, she does have a modest two bedroom ranch. There are a few other modular homes peppered on the property for other family members and some migrant workers. I'm sure we will explore more tomorrow before Levi's (her son) birthday. He was bashful tonight when he first met us but I'm sure he'll warm up to us by the time we leave. I'll be posting pics tomorrow after our "adventures" on the farm. I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight, but dairy trucks keep going up and down the road all night long and Stacey tells me there are coyotes. This should prove to be an interesting experience. Thanks for traveling along with us on The Thomas' Trails...till next time.