2 - A REAL Easter Egg Hunt at the Ames Farm
sent in by Michael Martini
March 30th, 1997 - Michael Martini & Janine Powell and Stephen Wooters & Wendy Sczubelek were just two dating couples enjoying a quick holiday weekend road trip to the Ames Farm as Uncle Chuck’s guests. Easter Sunday brought in a real treat as we all had a blast finding real eggs laid in various places around the farm including several right by the cows. Chicken eggs. Goose eggs. Pigeon eggs. (Even a golf ball.)
We searched high and low for the missing hen we believed was nesting - Uncle Chuck declared we would never find her and we were DETERMINED to win the day. But Uncle Chuck was right.
We decorated our treasures, large and small - but never found the hen. We only heard later that shortly after we left the hen came down from the heifer barn hay loft with her new, real live "Easter chicks"!
Of all the Easter Egg hunts in my life, this one ranks as my favorite - even though there were no quarters or chocolate inside these eggs!
3 - "When ya going home?"
sent in by Andrea Huber
My mom loved the farm. It was always near and dear to her heart, which she passed along to her children. She spent many summers at the farm and she would have had a long list of memories to share. One that we heard quite often:
Uncle Chuck has a way of greeting mom on those summer visits that stood out to her and him, very fondly. As Darlene would come bounding out of the car ready to start her summer visit, Uncle Chuck would say,
"Hi Darlene, when ya going home?"
This question took her aback and she would exclaim with such concern,
"I just got here!!"
And of course that was just the start of a visit that would be filled with many more memories!
Michael Martini, Janine Powell,
Wendy Sczubelek, & Stephen Wooters
and their Easter Egg Hunt Baskets!
2 - A REAL Easter Egg Hunt at the Ames Farm
sent in by Michael Martini
March 30th, 1997 - Michael Martini & Janine Powell and Stephen Wooters & Wendy Sczubelek were just two dating couples enjoying a quick holiday weekend road trip to the Ames Farm as Uncle Chuck’s guests. Easter Sunday brought in a real treat as we all had a blast finding real eggs laid in various places around the farm including several right by the cows. Chicken eggs. Goose eggs. Pigeon eggs. (Even a golf ball.)
We searched high and low for the missing hen we believed was nesting - Uncle Chuck declared we would never find her and we were DETERMINED to win the day. But Uncle Chuck was right.
We decorated our treasures, large and small - but never found the hen. We only heard later that shortly after we left the hen came down from the heifer barn hay loft with her new, real live "Easter chicks"!
Of all the Easter Egg hunts in my life, this one ranks as my favorite - even though there were no quarters or chocolate inside these eggs!
1 - Driving to the farm with Grandpa,
sent in by Stephen Wooters
Although I fondly remember early childhood visits to "Jamestown", my true love for the farm blossomed in my teen years with trips up from Wilmington with Grandpa. Warren Ezra Ames was Uncle Chuck's older brother.
Sitting next to Grandpa as we meandered through Pennsylvania up to the farm was always a fun adventure. The single lane roads would wind through small towns where we would predictably be slowed down by a less hurried driver in front of us. Without fail, Grandpa would mumble "Damn locals", glancing over at me flickering a quick wink. We would often listen to some big band classics from tapes I would buy or make for the journey. Mostly we just drove. Often silent. Never awkward.
Finally at the barn, Grandpa would quietly follow Chuck up the aisle as Chuck effortlessly danced from cow to cow - his feet almost seeming to hit the exact same spots they did only hours before in the day's first milking. There wouldn't be a lot of talking. Just being there was enough. Just being there seemed to mean a lot to both of them.
Grandpa would routinely grab a shovel to scrap a cow's fresh present into the gutter. Mostly he just danced with Chuck, but with far less steps as he would never get in the way.
When the milking was done, we'd sit by the kitchen table for hours. They never boasted. They never spoke ill. They never talked over each other. I never grew tired or bored. The stories were often the same but they always seemed fresh.
Usually we would go out to eat on Saturday night. Sunday's the middle brother, Hermes Luther Ames, would visit and the three brothers would continue the same talks - at least until the youngest brother went back out to the barn, when the two brothers would keep talking.
Leaving for the long ride home was always the hard part. But it was never bad. The scenery was always nice. Usually less big band music and longer silences. Just being there seemed to mean a lot to both of us.
But any silence was always sure to be broken by a mumble - "Damn locals".
The Stories
1 - Driving to the farm with Grandpa
(Steve Wooters)2 - A REAL Easter Egg Hunt
(Michael Martini)
3 - "When ya going home?"
(Andrea Huber)
A simple slice of Americana, the Ames Farm is warmed by a quilt of memories crossing generations. We'll never capture every piece of the 135 years of history - but let's capture as much as we can and share it here!
Send your story in by going to the "send us a memory" page and forwarding it to Stephen (your friendly "web admin"). Be sure to include a title for your story.