These were the views traveling along part of the Tainter Hollow roads I've never gone on before. There is Tainter Rd, Tainter Hollow Rd, Tainter East, and Tainter West. If that doesn't confuse you, you are not alone.
However, the drive isvery scenic on gravel back roads that go up and down and twist all around the valleys and hills.
Then I found this truck sitting in a field.
When I was 22 and pregnant with my first son
I worked on a Potato Farm.
My job was to sort potatoes as they came up the belt on the harvester I rode on. The ugly misshapen potatoes went into a large bin and the pretty ones continued on the belt to be dumped into the truck like this one below. When that truck was full, the gent driving would drive back to the farm and dump his load.
I often rode with that old fella back and forth to the fields we were working on. He was a hoot. He had a country boy's explanation for everything in the world.
One of his funniest quips was. "I didn't get much of an education, my parents sent me to school on the second Tuesday of the third week of each month."
He was quiet while I thought about that one and burst out laughing.
I was paid $1.90 per hour. My work hours started predawn and stayed until midnight if there was going to be a frost. If the weather was good, we'd put in about 12 hours and be done for the day.
The farm owners brought out a snack for us in the field at 10am and at 3pm. We made our own lunches and ate out in the fields also.
I actually enjoyed the job even though it was hard. The family who ran the farm were very good to us.
When the season was done, I got 100lbs of the ugly potatoes. What can I say? We ate potatoes with all our evening meals.
We eventually made it to the Mississippi River and admired the river bluffs.
Now that a lot of leaves have fallen and been blown down, I was able to see some of the homes on the bluffs.
Yikes. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't want to be perched on that bluff, though the view has to be amazing.
Charlie can see out of this car much better than the Outback so he seems more comfortable. It was a good day even if it was overcast and drizzly.
So many adventures now and in your future. Love that road. Lori
ReplyDeleteYou are enjoying that car! Good for you and Charlie! What pretty country roads. I was a USDA potato grader one year to buy insulation and windows for the upstairs part of our house. Oh the smell inside the plant was awful...I would have preferred field work:)
ReplyDeleteSo picturesque! And who doesn't like potatoes?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful roads. Cool how you can be at the Mississippi and not have those brick levis you see in St. Louis. Charlie knows you bought the new car for him. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteWe have tall bluffs along the Mississippi here so less low level land.
DeleteI picked potatoes when I was a boy. We had to fill a bag and were paid by the bag at the end of the day. I am sure it was hard work but I don’t recall much about it.
ReplyDeleteWe used that method at my Grandpa's place. After that we took corn knives to the corn stalks and cut them down.
DeleteYou literally had a trip down Memory Lane.
ReplyDeleteI did!
DeleteMy older sisters used to help with potato lifting (harvest). One bought her first bicycle with her earnings.
ReplyDeleteAhhh. I probably had it easier since I stood on a rocking harvester-digger and took care of the potatoes as they bounced by on the conveyor belt.
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