TRIMONT - The materials used to make the scenic waterfall, signs and crafts in Darvin and Nancy Bishops' landscaping display aren't original to their property, but they remain "a history of us," according to Nancy.
"We've burned, buried and moved off 13 buildings," she said. "The last to go was the large dairy barn and silo shortly after we retired from farming. The question was what to do with the empty space."
The spot where the dairy barn sat now has a large rock fountain and waterfall, inspired by a friend.
"We had nine different neighbors who were willing to furnish rock for it," Nancy said. "Some of them we couldn't move; we needed a forklift."
About 30 tons of crushed rock serve as the base for the Bishops' display.
Darvin Bishop put in a lot of the manual labor, including for the waterfall, the walkways and the man-made pond, and the little bridge that crosses it.
"Our wish was to retain some of the history and memories of Idlenot Farm and before," Nancy said. "Stoves from the silo were used for walkways, cupolas were saved from the barn and granary. My grandfather's dairy cart that he used to carry milk, and he'd carry us all over the farm on it, we've got that here."
Another item from the family farm is Nancy's father's windmill set up by the pond.
"It almost appears like it's the windmill that's operating the waterfall," she said.
A string of barbed wire is now rolled, as a reminder of the fenced-in area that held in the dairy cows. Posts and wiring that served as a horse paddock now hold a wire display horse.
"I spent 40 years showing horses," Nancy said. "So the posts here are a tribute to that."
Along with the horse, there are wire display chickens that serve as flower pot holders.
"Both of our families raised chickens," Nancy said. "We never had chickens here, though there was a chicken coop we got rid of, but this part represents the chickens."
Tree stumps used as displays represent the groves of trees, and even the rabbits and squirrels serve a purpose: "For the past few years, I've had a lot of trouble with the rabbits and squirrels, so there's the part to represent that," Nancy said.
But the best part for the Bishops is probably the gazebo, where they can sit and enjoy their creation.
"Instead of just standing out in the hot sun, we can sit by the gazebo, still look at it, and there's usually a bit of a breeze and later in the day it's in the shade, so it's a good place for us to enjoy it," Nancy said.
And the big "Welcome" sign that greets people? They mean it.
"We've seen people slow down on the road and look at it, and it's OK for people to turn in and drive by it," Bishop said. "If we see you, we'll probably come out and say hello. But there's a little used road that drives around the outbuilding where people can circle around and take a look."
However, the Bishops advise the best time to see the display is in spring.
"It looks OK now, but it's starting to die out," Nancy said.
This is the fourth year the Bishops have had the yard display. And while Nancy sees more she can add, Darvin wonders if there needs to be more.
"He's always asking, 'Are you done yet? Have you done enough, Nancy?'" she says with a laugh. "There's no question of what we're doing with our retirement ... We've been here since 1955 - it's a history of us."
