Day 40 Thursday, June 17, 2010 We didn't even hear Jon going off to work. He travels all over the state of Maine for Gaftek Petroleum Specialists repairing everything that might go wrong at gas pumps. Cheryl made us a very nice French toast breakfast. It was raining this morning so it was an inside time and we played pictionary again but with easier words that Dave made for the twins. After a lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit, we all went in Cheryl's van for a little tour. Lake Wood is the closest swimming spot for the girls. Cheryl showed us the house and land they have bought and will be moving to and the homes of all Jon's relatives on that road and then we stopped at the family dairy farm, owned by Gerald all these years and run by Jon's nephew, Josh, right now. He is very busy as the hired hand needed an operation and it is haying time now as well as milking about 50 cows of the approximate 100 that they own. Anna Marie and Brianna are so comfortable around the animals that it is amazing. We arrived just as the milking cows were going to go in the barn for milking. Sage, the border collie, helps them get in by nipping at their ankles. Josh let me put the milking device on one of the cows. Then we went into the second barn and played on the hay bales which are the best income for the farm, and looked at all the calves. The girls are allowed to feed the newborn calves by bottle. When it was time to go, they didn't want to leave. After a barbecued steak and hamburger supper with potato salad and watermelon for dessert, Jon's dad, Gerald, came over and we went for a sunset tour with him. He is 82, a born again Christian, and as talkative and bright as could be. I said they should tape record everything he says as he knows the history of the whole area. As well as being an expert farmer, he has also in the past worked in the paper mill, construction, built houses and delivered mail. We drove up to Thirston Hill lookout just in time for the sunset. He pointed out all the summits in the Appalachian range that we could see in the distance. The girls ran all over and discovered an old piece of equipment that Gerald says used to be used to drag the Kenebec River to bring up sunken logs. On the way back home, we saw the river several times, some of the gravel pits and a GIGANTIC greenhouse business started by some Dutch people where they grow and sell tons and tons of tomatoes. Gerald stayed for a while after we returned to Jon's house and talked to Dave about his school days when he played football and basketball but couldn't be on the traveling teams because he had to help with the milking and chores on the farm. All evening it was funny when he would say words that we know as "horse" or "north" but because they don't pronounce the late "r's" in words to us they sounded like "hoss" and "noth".
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