Casey McFarland Photography: Grandpa Ford: 90 years of pure man

This is a tribute to my Grandpa Ford. He just turned 90 and I think everyone could benefit from hearing a little about him.

The following images are from a "field trip" we took around my grandpa's 150 acre farm. I mean really how many people have a grandpa that has a school bus. I do!! It is a full size, state of the art, yellow school bus. The conversation we had as we went around the farm may have seemed normal for a farmer just starting out but as my grandpa stopped and showed us how he would love to buy the adjacent 150 acre farm it shows you his mindset. He acts like he wants to expand operations when most people wouldn't dream of it.

Grandpa Ford is a beacon for me. He is someone who sees big and acts big. When so many people are so pessimistic he sees only opportunity. He had a TV iPOD before me, an iMac 24 inch, Nikon with video function and many more things way before me. He is cutting edge.

Last year he decided to create a lake on his property in a vacant gravel pit. He stocked it with 1000 trout and he and my grandma went out every morning in the canoe to feed them. Last fall we had our own private fishing sanctuary and the fish got to be between 3-6 pounds.

At one time it was difficult for me to locate their house on the long highway in Blackfoot. It isn't any more thanks to the gigantic power pole grandpa bought from Utah Power so he could hang his 9x12 foot American flag on. He bought 5 of those poles for $5 each since they were trying to get rid of them.

And yes, he is a Ford man. He drives a Ford F350 and makes it look nice. Above all he treats my grandmother with unwavering respect. She calls him Sir Handsome and often rides in the tractor with him and bails hay with him. I will let you in on more of the culture we have built around my grandparents farm in a later blog because it is worth sharing. These are some pics from our last field trip with Grandpa at the wheel.