Farmer Dave
This is the first picture available of me on the web. It was taken in the summer of 1998 while on a fishing trip with my cousin, John Cleary, in the Adirondack Mountains of NY.
About Farmer Dave
Farmer Dave was born in Schenectady, New York in 1929, and spent summers on the farm where he presently lives. The farm was started by his great-great-grandfather in 1860, but prior to that was a deer farm and an inn. The farm house was built in 1790, and remodeled extensively in 1860 by Dave's great-great grandfather. Dave graduated from Norwich University (Vermont) in 1950, was commissioned a 2d Lt of Cavalry and was immediately sent to Korea. He served 28 years in the Armor Branch of the US Army and was stationed in Japan, Germany, and Iran as well as Ft Irwin, CA; Ft Knox, KY; Ft Belvoir, VA; Ft Monroe, VA, Ft Leavenworth, KS and Norwich University in Northfield, VT. He retired as a full Colonel in 1978. He served as Commandant of Cadets at Norwich from 1978 - 1981, bought the farm from his mother, one uncle, and two cousins and moved there in 1981. Dave likes to hunt, camp, canoe, fish (for trout) and snow ski -- depending on the season, but does all his hunting away from the farm in the Adirondack Mountains. The farm is kept as a sanctuary for wild life. |
The Farmhouse
Farmhouses are made to be lived in -- built circa 1790 as a center hall colonial with a massive central chimney, no front porch and no dormer over the center window. From 1790 to 1860 it was a home, a general store, and for part of the time had a deer park.
It was remodeled extensively by Dave's great grandfather in 1860 who took out the central chimney (but left the stone foundation of the chimney in the cellar), added one three-story central chimney for the kitchen stove in the center of the house, a two-story chimney for the summer kitchen in the rear of the house, and a one-story chimney for a stove in the south (second floor, left) master bedroom. A flat-roofed shedlike structure was added at the rear of the house which had the summer kitchen on the first floor and storage space on the second floor. It had a cold cellar basement accessible through a trap door in the summer kitchen or by outside steps with a sloping cellar door. Stories are told that this cellar was used as a stop on the "underground railroad" during the Civil War period. A cedar-shake roof was replaced by a sheet metal roof at about that time, too.
The next major remodelling was in 1981. Central heating was installed, water pipes were run to three bathrooms and upstairs and downstairs kitchens, all the electrical wiring was replaced, the inside walls were built out five inches and insulation was installed in all outside walls and ceilings, a new double flue chimney was built to replace the unlined single flue chimney, some sills were replaced and the stone foundation was covered with concrete. A new metal roof was added in 1995. Much more comfortable, but not many outward changes from the 1860 remodeling.
The Front Doors
Stained-Glass windows are pretty. They are especially beautiful when they have a story to tell. These doors have a tank and a tractor made of stained glass pieces put in place one by one and leaded (soldered) by Dave's brother-in-law, Jon Barber. The M4A3E8 tank is for 28 years Dave spent in the Armor Branch of the US Army and the Ford 8N tractor is the one Dave has been using on the farm for the past 22 years. Thank you very much, Jon.
1999 Reunion
August 1999 saw a family reunion at the farm. This is a picture of all present Saturday morning, after the previous day's activities of a hay ride to the far end of the farm, a day at the races in Saratoga, dinner at a new restaurant in downtown Ballston Spa and lots of great companionship. The day before that we had freshly picked sweet corn and barbequed food in the back yard. From left to right, the family members are:
Back Row: Jon Barber - John Cleary - Bernie Meyer - Tom Smith - Audrey (Cleary) Smith - Bill Ford - Mark Napier - Dave Hicks - Steve Schneider
Front Row: Nick Mandato - Bev (Cleary) Mandato - Betty (Hicks) Meyer - MaryAnne Ford - Kathleen Smith - Joan Hicks - Patty (Hicks) Barber and, finally,
in the very front row: Jeanne (Cleary) Ewing.
White Tailed Deer
Deer can be seen almost any evening or at dawn in the hay fields, grazing peacefully. They are beautiful animals and are quite numerous on the farm, although none are as large as this!
Eastern Coyote
The coyote is always present when a hayfield is being mowed. He looks for mice and rabbits that may have had their nests disturbed by the mowing operation. They are the size of a German Shepherd dog, but do not bother humans. They are suspected to be involved with the disappearance of house or barn cats, however and are a threat to newly born lambs and calves.
Field Mice
Food for barn cats, coyotes, snakes and hawks. Lives in the hay mows in great numbers, especially if the hay was harvested late and a lot of seeds are present.
Cottontail rabbit
Rabbits love the clover in the hay fields. Food for coyotes, hawks, and , when young, the barn cats.
Grey Squirrel
There are lots of squirrels around, especially near the bird feeder and the oak and hickory trees surrounding the hay fields.
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Other animals on the farm: | |||||||||||
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That's it friends -- thank you for visiting. |