Overnight Trip Packed with Memories
Published: Friday, July 13, 2018
It was a fun, hot and quick trip to Traverse City last weekend to cover parts of the National Holstein Convention. The planning and preparation had been going on for years and the big event drew Holstein enthusiasts from across the United States.
Traverse City was especially busy last weekend. Not only were the Holstein people in town, the city's Cherry Festival was happening, and it is a very big deal. Big enough to draw performances from the likes of the Navy's Blue Angels. The pilots lodged at the same resort where the Holstein Convention action was taking place. Their pilot swagger induced a lot of eye-popping from the women at the convention, and a lot of eye-rolling from the men in attendance. It's all a matter of perspective.
I chose to lodge at a less expensive (and less swanky) hotel about a mile away. There was a lady looking quite upset as her car was being loaded onto a tow truck. I completely sympathize with the look she wore on her face; I am upset anytime a vehicle leaves the premise without the benefit of its own power. Now I am without transportation, and I know it will be costly. To top it off, she was further from home than I, according to her Alabama license plate. We looked each other over; turns out we were both wondering if an approach should be initiated. She just had that look about her—you know, the one that says "farm wife" even though her clothes or vehicle didn't scream anything specific about her occupation. We just seem to have that sixth sense, that special radar, where we can pick each other out of a crowd. On my second trip past her and her downed ship, I stopped to offer a ride, like possibly to the Holstein Convention. The hunch was correct, and she had noticed my "Undeniably Dairy" sticker in the back window but thought that stopping me might be too stalker-like.
She turned down my offer but took my phone number in case she needed it later in the afternoon. We encountered each other in the evening when her husband suggested we recognized each other as farm wives from our mutual "sturdy hips." What? Was that an insult or compliment? He likely caught what-for later that night!
I had my own set of vehicle troubles too. The air conditioning got a little rest because something was making a lot of noise. AC on—clunk clunk. AC off—no clunks. The rest of the trip was AC off and windows open. But by the time it went to visit the car doctor on Thursday, the problem seems to have resolved itself, at least for now. There was nothing wrong with the AC at all, which saved me a few hundred dollars, at least for the time being.
Visiting farms was my weekend highlight, especially after interviewing the farmers and writing profiles on each leading up to convention. I especially enjoyed meeting the young woman who dreamed of having tour buses pull into her farmyard someday to tour and see the cows. Eight buses throughout the day made her dreams come true. Those are goose-bump moments and once in a while, I get the privilege to be part of someone's goose-bump moments. Last Sunday was one of them.
Overall, the Holstein convention was a fun experience. If you made it up to visit, hope your trip was as enjoyable as mine!
Bev Berens is a mom to 4-H and FFA members in Michigan. Do you have a story to share? Email her at uphillfarm494@yahoo.com.
Return to Top of Page