Dairying
Linda grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. I got into the dairy business after college. I worked on a dairy in Nehalem, Oregon, then managed a 2400 cow dairy in Los Banos, California for many years and now manage a small dairy in northern California. Linda and I met outside the dairy business, it was just coincidence that we both had that in our backgrounds.
How we got started collecting
Old things around the dairy always interested me. My grandfather grew up in South Dakota and had many stories about farming when he was younger. My first dairy collectible was a Golden State Cream Top milk bottle. Nothing special but that was how it all started. I originally collected embossed milk bottles because I liked the older bottles and their history. Now I have gotten started in color applied bottles because they display so nice. However I'd have to say I enjoy the pre-1935 bottles the most. It took a couple of years till I got up the guts to buy my first butter churn. It turned out to be a mismatch, an Elgin top on a Dazey jar. I did not even realize it at the time. The person I bought it from swore it came that way. I've learned a lot since then and have added many butter churns to my collection. I stumble across cream separators every now and then and love the mechanical aspect of them. I don't have a lot but I can't pass up an interesting one. We also have a lot of other dairy related items: bottle cappers, butter workers, crocks, cream extractors, milking machines and a lot of interesting stuff (at least to me!). Linda and I enjoy getting out and searching for new things to add to our collection. She is the eagle eye in our team. I usually walk right by but she'll find it. Thankfully she allows me this hobby. I always tell her it is better than drinking or gambling!
This is Kentucky. He is Linda's revenge for all the milk bottles and butter churns. At least they don't make endless noise like he does.
