The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[dodge man]

Something that is for an old military installation.

 

[LouNY]

Submit your guesses on what the stone castle turret is for

Likely a cell phone tower

 

[ning]

Today was another day where we would get a 10-20 minute “spritz” and then 5 hours of hot, oppressive sun. No problem baling. In fact it helps put just a touch of “dew” moisture in the bale, not harmful like stem moisture.

On my way over to the Customer’s Farm/Estate, I snapped a quick picture for y’all that might interest you. Can you guess what this ~100’ tall stone tower with windows and a door is for?
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Here I am at Customers gates in small Challenger.

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Now up in fields raking. It’s about 92 degrees and pretty oppressive.


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View out the front of the Challenger MT535B while raking. Note wheel rake in side view mirror.

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Thunderstorm clouds threatened, but never rained

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A couple baling pics. Here’s a 1,700LB block of hay. Krone Baler in side view mirror.

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Climbing a pretty steep hill. The big Challenger gets better traction than the old Magnum 270, but it also has better tires.

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Finishing up a section.

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I'm finding Granogue estate, water tower.

 

[ning]

Not my pics.

 

[BackRoad]

Cold War Missile Silo...

 

[Gator6x4]

Cold War Missile Silo...

Don’t think so. They all looked like this

 

[Hay Dude]

Yep, it's Granogue. A massive DuPont Estate. It's their water tower. I farm the property across the street & railroad tracks and it's his nephew, also a DuPont.
We have a running joke in my area that the DuPonts all have water towers on their properties BUT the super wealthy DuPonts have their water towers disguised with stone.
Here's another one just a 1/2 mile away.
Isn't it cool?

 

[Gator6x4]

Yep, it's Granogue. A massive DuPont Estate. It's their water tower. I farm the property across the street & railroad tracks and it's his nephew, also a DuPont.
We have a running joke in my area that the DuPonts all have water towers on their properties BUT the super wealthy DuPonts have their water towers disguised with stone.
Here's another one just a 1/2 mile away.
Isn't it cool?


View attachment 878960

Those old rich people worked hard and had no problem displaying their opulent wealth.

Like the founder of the RJR (Reynolds Tobacco Empire)

This is the house he built on over 1600 acres in Winston Salem NC. Even had Air Conditioning in 1917.

Ten Things You Might Not Know About Reynolda House | Wake Forest Magazine

magazine.wfu.edu

 

[mrmikey]

'Ya know HD, if you ever decided to change careers, photography and history would be right up you alley. Your posts are always interesting.

 

[Hay Dude]

'Ya know HD, if you ever decided to change careers, photography and history would be right up you alley. Your posts are always interesting.

Very kind of you, Mr. Mikey.
My area on the PA/DE border is full of historic wonders. I’m not uber wealthy, but my clients are. Most of them are wonderful generous people who are looking for trustworthy people to care for their 300+ year old farms & estates.
The DuPonts are unfortunately getting bad publicity and much of it deservedly so. However, I know how much they have given to this area and how they have preserved it so beautifully.
Heres a picture of Granogue and you can just barely see the water tower to the right

 

[Runner]

So, I was right, it is a water tower. What did I win? Maybe some seat time running the mower?

 

[Gator6x4]

Very kind of you, Mr. Mikey.
My area on the PA/DE border is full of historic wonders. I’m not uber wealthy, but my clients are. Most of them are wonderful generous people who are looking for trustworthy people to care for their 300+ year old farms & estates.
The DuPonts are unfortunately getting bad publicity and much of it deservedly so. However, I know how much they have given to this area and how they have preserved it so beautifully.
Heres a picture of Granogue and you can just barely see the water tower to the right

View attachment 878996

The DuPonts deserve some bad publicity.

“A North Carolina newspaper reported in 2017 that a former DuPont chemical plant had dumped PFAS chemicals into the Cape Fear River for nearly 40 years.

DuPont owned the facility that polluted the river from 1968 until 2015, when it spun-off its PFAS business to the Chemours Company.


Because Chemours was operating the facility at the time contamination was discovered in the river, the state of North Carolina investigated and fined the company $12M for violating clean water laws - part of a consent order the company agreed to in order to avoid further litigation.“

Our America: Trouble On Tap | Life with Forever Chemicals | Full Episode

"Our America: Trouble on Tap" is a three-part documentary series produced in partnership with ABC News and National Geographic to raise awareness around access to safe drinking water in the United States.

abc11.com

 

[scootr]

There was a large Dupont estate in Devon Pa when I was a boy there about 55-60 yrs ago

 

[Hay Dude]

There was a large Dupont estate in Devon Pa when I was a boy there about 55-60 yrs ago

That was John DuPonts estate. He was the one who shot & killed the olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. A tragic chapter in the DuPont Family.

 

[scootr]

It was a large estate, open field was a big hill where they allowed the locals to sled in winter. Big pond at the bottom of the hill - if you maintained too much speed you went out on the ice where the guard geese gotcha

 

[Hay Dude]

It was a large estate, open field was a big hill where they allowed the locals to sled in winter. Big pond at the bottom of the hill - if you maintained too much speed you went out on the ice where the guard geese gotcha

That estate was sold and developed. That is another very nice area, about 45 minutes from here in Radnor Hunt Country.

 

[scootr]

That estate was sold and developed. That is another very nice area, about 45 minutes from here in Radnor Hunt Country.

Sad but that is progress... My brother told me not to go back, all the farms around where we lived were cut up and built out. I remember it as it was a half a century ago

 

[Hay Dude]

Sad but that is progress... My brother told me not to go back, all the farms around where we lived were cut up and built out. I remember it as it was a half a century ago

No. While there has been some development, much of it still looks the same. The wealthy land owners are still in Radnor Hunt Country. Not like it was in the 70’s, but still a lot there.

 

[FriendwithTractor]

That was John DuPonts estate. He was the one who shot & killed the olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. A tragic chapter in the DuPont Family.

To chime in on this, there was an interesting documentary called "FoxCatcher" I believe it's available online.

A true tragedy for all involved. I believe John DuPont had an untreated mental illness that many wrote off as simple rich guy eccentricity, which is a shame given the resources at his disposal.

 

[dodge man]

So, I was right, it is a water tower. What did I win? Maybe some seat time running the mower?

Next time Hay Dude breaks down you get to go help him fix it.