If you missed Bob Skelding and his team of four Percherons clip clopping through Westfield last Friday, the 24th, it's not too late to jump on the wagontrain. You can catch up with Bob and his horses, Joyce, DeeDee, Dolly and Doc online at http://wagonteamster.com. Skelding left Deerfield, New Hampshire late last July on a trek across country, no destination in mind. Bob Skelding is a man with no purpose other than to travel the countryside the old fashioned way, slowly, one town at a time, savoring all this land has to offer, and the hospitality of the people he meets.
Friday it was Westfield's turn to meet and greet this man travelling the simple side of life. And greet him they did, if Skelding's blog is any indication. He was met along the way with offers of money, hay for the horses, and even homemade grape juice! The Eggert farm was host for the night for Bob and his horses. Dave Eggert heard the wagon was passing through and drove out to meet it. After talking a bit, Eggert offered a place to stay overnight for the team of Percheron's alongside his Belgian draft horses. "I just tried to be a good host," says Dave, "and got him up to the Amish to get shoes for his horses."
The wagon is one that Skelding built himself. "It had to be light enough for the horses to pull, yet sturdy enough to live in," he says on his website. While nothing fancy, it has a hot shower and kitchen facilities among other amenities of home. Bob stops often to talk with the well-wishers along the way, and then when he's done visiting, you can hear him softly call, "Joyce, DeeDee, Dolly, DOC! g'yup!"
To read more about Bob Skelding and his adventure, and to wish him well in his guestbook, visit him online at http://wagonteamster.com.