We bought our first trailer from a farmer. He had only had it three years and needed to sell it for health reasons. Besides maintaining it well, he had also added his own touches. Bolt-on step covers made the steps not only safer but usable for seating. Hand-made wooden wheel chocks secured the tires much better than the yellow Lego-like things. There were other little modifications and for the ten years we owned that camper, we appreciated his ingenuity.
Last weekend, we camped with a couple of farmer friends and I noticed that tendency has not disappeared. In a day when six-figure combines are directed by GPS and a myriad of technology developments have changed farming, there is still the almost genetic urge to make do with simple, clever homemade add-ons when that will work. It's not that non-farmers are not imaginative; it's just that that kind of innovation seems a part of the the farm culture.
They provided entertainment too. One night when the topic around the fire was raccoons, I was especially amused by a tale of a raccoon who got trapped in a combine that was subsequently taken into a shop for repairs. The next morning, the repairman found the raccoon sitting on his desk and a record on the security camera of the animal running rampant in the shop all night.
Finally, before we left, I was blessed with a surplus of tomatoes and peppers from one farm garden. It isn't often that we return home with more food than we started with. I recommend camping with farmers.
Last weekend, we camped with a couple of farmer friends and I noticed that tendency has not disappeared. In a day when six-figure combines are directed by GPS and a myriad of technology developments have changed farming, there is still the almost genetic urge to make do with simple, clever homemade add-ons when that will work. It's not that non-farmers are not imaginative; it's just that that kind of innovation seems a part of the the farm culture.
They provided entertainment too. One night when the topic around the fire was raccoons, I was especially amused by a tale of a raccoon who got trapped in a combine that was subsequently taken into a shop for repairs. The next morning, the repairman found the raccoon sitting on his desk and a record on the security camera of the animal running rampant in the shop all night.
Finally, before we left, I was blessed with a surplus of tomatoes and peppers from one farm garden. It isn't often that we return home with more food than we started with. I recommend camping with farmers.
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