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J Demaris: Couple of items in your text caught my eye. First the mule, just last week I found myself e mailing Bob M, inquiring about good reading on the history of the Erie Canal. Bob gave me some good suggestions, but didn't mention the museum. Where is the museum situated, might want to visit that someday. Next the Model T ice cutter, we didn't get a photo on that one. This one has me curious as I remember a 8N 3 point hitch ice cutter in my hometown, just barely but I do remember seeing it. As I recall it was not a roaring success, as it was little more than a circular bench saw upsidedown. Story has it that a somewhat reckless operator, travelling to the site where there was open water. He bumped the 3 point lever on hard ice with tractor facing the hole. This sent the tractor at about 15 mph into 8' of open water. I also remember the last couple of years my dad used the ice house. he used the ice in summer for cooling cream. He had a concrete below floor tank with water level to milk can handles. As I recall it was new ice couple times per day in July. I can also remember the teams of horses, hauling ice to the various farms on bobsleds. There is a story about a Mr. Cox, had some youngsters on sled load of ice. In the middle of a hayfield a cake of ice fell off. The kids rushed to tell Mr. Cox of the loss. It is reported Mr. Cox said, "don't worry about it, we'll pick it up in haying time." Well, he didn't fool the kids, most of them went home told their mothers, how niave Mr. Cox was to think the ice cake would be there in haying time. That joke on Mr. Cox lasted more years than ice harvest.
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