Eleven Years
In October of 2012, Cyndie and I packed everything we owned and moved from Eden Prairie, MN to the property we named “Wintervale” in Beldenville, WI. I am very lucky to have a record of the process and everything that has happened since preserved in the archived posts of Relative Something.
We spent a little time yesterday looking back at pictures we took eleven years ago and marveled over some of the changes. We found one of me sitting on the Ford New Holland 3415 diesel tractor with the manual open to the “Instrument Panel” information.
There is also a photo of the one and only time Cyndie drove that tractor.
The bucket is filled with debris we were clearing out from the space beneath the barn overhang. The previous owners had stored gates, fence posts, and a bunch of firewood under there. It’s been the primary hangout space for horses ever since.
On a walk yesterday, I tried to take some pictures from a vantage point similar to ones from eleven years ago. It wasn’t easy to find the exact same spot.
October 2012
October 2023
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I tried using the top part of the barn visible in the shots above to line up a reasonable comparison. There’s no longer any sign of the shop garage or the house roof from that hill. It’s nice to see how much the evergreen trees have grown. In the 2012 photo on the left, the willow tree that is visible became fenced inside the small paddock and is now nearly dead.
There was an incredibly warm day in 2012 that inspired us to cook dinner outside over an open fire for visitors, Elysa and Ande.
October 2012
October 2023
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It is easy to see that there are more leaves remaining on the trees in 2023.
October 2012
October 2023
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That spruce has gotten a little taller.
I’m curious how much growth might happen in eleven more years. While walking through the area we call the North Loop –which over the years has been cut for hay, fenced in for grazing horses, and now allowed to grow wild– I was surprised to discover several new pine and oak trees that have naturally sprouted on their own. The existing poplar grove is doing a fair job of expanding its reach and many of the existing pines are growing strong.
We look forward to shepherding this acreage toward becoming its own little forested space on the north side of our driveway for years to come. Based on clear evidence revealed on our walk, the deer are already fond of bedding down there.
Happy 11th Anniversary, Wintervale!
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Relative Something 
Yes, you have been living the dream – through thick and thin as they say. And setting an example of living/experiencing awareness and acting on it. We all need that wake-up call, so desperately… it is the beginning that will remain… which reminds me that your Words on Images ought to be made into a book… you see, as Stephanie has noted: more and more we need a tangible reminder of all that we are, especially ‘*this* John W. Hays’ take on things’!
Ian Rowcliffe
October 20, 2023 at 9:10 am
Thanks, Ian. Eleven years for us here means it was even longer ago that we shared time with you and your family and friends in Portugal. Cyndie and I will always remember that experience as pivotal in our journey toward the dreams we have lived since! I’m not sure I have the energy to put toward publishing a book. If I were going to entertain that idea, I would need to start saving images at a high enough resolution for them to pop on a page. That has never stopped Cyndie from creating some single versions along the lines of the one she put together as a gift for you upon our arrival.
Your support for my creations has always meant the world to me. Much love, my brother!
johnwhays
October 20, 2023 at 11:46 am