The Liberty Gazette
September 14, 2021
Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely
Linda: As it was time for a much-needed vacation, we slipped away to my hometown, Indy, to visit family and friends. We’d have clear skies for the two-thirds of the flight up but would contend with unstable air as we approached our destination. A low-pressure system stretched for miles from Indianapolis to Dodge City, Kansas and was at least 75 miles wide. Our onboard weather displayed an elongated mosaic in green, yellow, red, and purple, severity in varying degrees. The red and purple areas are the ones to avoid. Embedded thunderstorms, strong downdrafts, and the potential for ice do not make for a pleasant environment for small planes.
Nearing Bloomington in southern Indiana, we checked the radar more carefully. We would land there to wait out the weather ahead if we had to. But the red blotches over Indy were dissipating, and it looked like we could pass Bloomington and keep going. (Not that there’s anything wrong with landing in Bloomington. It’s a beautiful spot, it just isn’t where Mom lives.) Continuing northbound, we soon spied our final destination, the Hendricks County airport, about five miles away.
In the traffic pattern, we turned downwind, base, to final and flew over a “sign” on the ground. In the corn was carved a Pokeman themed design with, “Gotta catch ‘em all. Beasley’s Orchard, 2021.” Last year’s corn maze gave tribute to healthcare workers, with symbols from the medical industry: a stethoscope, a heart with a beat, and the Caduceus, and the words, “Thank you for your relentless dedication. Beasley’s Orchard, 2020.”
Now in the third generation of owners, the Beasley family has been growing and selling fruits and vegetables since 1946. From their humble beginning, selling tomatoes packed in little Johnny’s red wagon, their business has grown to today’s 165-acre farm focused on agritourism.
The Civil War-era Old Barn Retail Market invites visitors to roam the stalls filled with fresh produce and products such as soaps, candles, and kitchen utensils. After sipping fruit-flavored honey sticks, we meandered outside, down between the rows of Jonathan and Gala apple trees. Mike, being the tallest in our group, reached high to pick the choicest fruit to fill a bag. Families also enjoy other popular pickings this time of year when they hop aboard for a hayride to the pumpkin patch or pick sunflowers for their fall gardens.
Meanwhile, on the porch, near the antique farm plow, surrounded by beautifully potted mums, we perched upon rocking chairs and sipped apple cider smoothies. Haybales and picnic tables accented the scene, while children bounced atop a 75-foot long “air pillow,” like a colossal bubble covered in rubber. Others navigated the 8-acre corn maze, equipped with 10 multiple choice agricultural questions, which, answered correctly, led them in the right direction.
We didn’t have a specific plan in mind for the apples, until back in the barn, I happened upon a crumb cake mix, which gave me a good idea. That first evening, a delicious aroma filled the house as we celebrated being together.
ElyAirLines.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment