Book Review: Quite a Sightly Place: A Family Dairy Farm in Vermont

A Vermont Dairy Farm?!? What? Why is this book in here? Though the title may lead you astray, this is one of the funniest and most interesting reads I’ve come across in a while. Now, let me be honest and say that a lot of what I’ve been reading lately are books on PHP, CSS, JavaScript and other computer code, so that may have a bit to do with my impression.

Quite a Sightly Place is a book by my good friend, mentor and incredible photographic professional David Middleton. My review is coming…but first the Quick Facts.

Quick Facts

• Title: Quite a Sightly Place: A Family Dairy Farm in Vermont
• Author: David Middleton
• Publisher: Commonwealth Editions
• Publication Date: July 1, 2010 (That’s the official publication date…but it’s available right now.)
• ISBN: 1933212918
• Cover Price: US $29.95 [See other pricing options in the Where to Buy section.]
• Pages: 176

Review

As I mentioned already, this book doesn’t fit into the usual Lightroom book or Photoshop book reviews which are posted on this site. That doesn’t mean it’s not photography-related, though. David Middleton is a well-known photographer and writer who has written numerous books and articles and taught hundreds of workshops. That’s where I first met him, in fact. I took a Professional Photography workshop from him in 2006, and it was, by far, the most useful photographic education I’ve ever had. He teaches real-world, useful information in an informal, down-to-earth manner. But, I digress. I should be talking about the book.

Quite a Sightly Place is full of beautiful images of the rural Vermont dairy farm on which David has spent much of his time over the last five years, or so. Along with the images, you’ll find touching and humorous stories about the farm and its history. Here’s one of my favorites:

A Hoe for Roger
by David Middleton

It’s 9 o’clock at night and the phone rings. It’s Roger.

“Hello, it’s Roger”

“Hello, Roger. What’s up?”

“When are you coming over to the barn in the morning?”

“It’s usually after I get up.”

“That’s not always the case.”

“Why do you ask?”

“The barn needs a new hoe.”

“You’re tellin’ me. What happened to the old hoe?”

“I couldn’t fix’r. Got all loose and then I broke’er.

“It’ll happen if you use’em hard.”

“So could you pick one up on your way here tomorrow?”

“Where am I going to find a good hoe in Danby that early in the morning?”

“Go to Elby’s, he’s got hoes.”

“Elby’s got hoes?”

“Always has.”

“That rascal, but to a hardware store to get you a hoe?”

“Yes, he’s got some that are strong and wide.”

“Strong and wide? What about good lookin’?”

“I don’t care about good lookin’, I want a hoe that works hard.”

“Its come to that has it?”

“I don’t care about pretty anymore. I want a long handle and a good head.”

“Every man’s dream. Am I paying for the hoe?”

“Yes but I’ll pay you back.”

“So this is what it has come to, I am now supplying you with hoes.”

“Well, I can’t ask the old man, he wouldn’t know what to do with a new hoe.”

“Bet he’d like to try.”

“And I can’t ask Trish to get me a hoe.”

“Wouldn’t be right.”

“She’d get one that was all fancied up.”

“Couldn’t have that.”

“I need one I can handle easily, otherwise it seems like work.”

“Couldn’t agree with you more, Roger. Don’t you have a hoe at the house?”

“Used to have several.”

“You’re a lucky man.”

“Not anymore, they’re all gone.”

“Nothing worse than losing a good hoe.”

“You’re tellin’ me. Its hard as hell finding a good hoe.”

“This is a big responsibility, getting you a hoe you like.”

“Remember, I like a hoe with a thick neck…

“Got it.”

“And a good curve to it…”

“Uh huh.”

“…and sharp blade.”

“Roger, what are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I was talking about hoes.”

“Oh, okay, so was I.”

“And drive the truck, it’ll be easier getting ’em in the back.”

---

I call Elby.

“Hello?”

“Hi Elby, it’s David.”

“Why hello, David. What can I do for you?”

“I need a hoe.”

“Claire gone is she?”

“No, it’s not for me.”

“Never is.”

“It’s for Roger.”

“Roger wants a hoe?”

“Roger needs a hoe.”

“So you now supplying him with hoes?”

“The man can’t get enough.”

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s for the barn.”

“He’ll be using the hoe in the barn?”

“Sure between milking and chores.”

“Not much time for a hoe.”

“Roger is very fast. Grabs a hoe, a couple of strokes and he’s done.”

“Gotta admire a man like that. What does Trish think of this?”

“She’s all for it, got her own hoes. They work better for her.”

“Can’t say that I blame her. What kind of hoe do you want?”

“Roger likes ’em with a thick neck, a good curve and a wide bottom.”

“It’s a sad state of affairs. So just a plain ol’ hoe?”

“Just a plain ol’ hoe will do.”

“Spray some WD-40 on the hoe before you take it to Roger.”

“You want me to spray the hoe with WD-40?”

“Not where you grab it, just the bottom.”

“You want me to spray the bottom of the hoe with WD-40?”

“Makes it work better. “

“I’ll be darn.”

“And bring your truck. It’ll be easier in the back.”

“Easier in the back?”

“Easier for the hoes in the back.”

“Roger said the same thing.”

“Doesn’t surprise me. He knows his hoes.”

“Yes he does, he surely does.”

It’s me again (Scott). So, if you’re looking for a great read with beautiful photos, I definitely recommend that you grab Quite a Sightly Place: A Family Dairy Farm in Vermont by David Middleton.

About the Author

David Middleton is a full-time professional outdoor photographer and writer. During his 25-year career, he has photographed and written ten books (“Quite a Sightly Place” will be his eleventh) and led more than 150 nature/photography tours and over 200 photography workshops across the country. Middleton is a Contributing Editor of Outdoor Photographer Magazine, a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens, and the Executive Director of the Photographers Alliance Workshops company. Middleton now lives on an old dairy farm in southwestern Vermont, not far from the farm featured in this book.

Here are some other books by David Middleton:

• The Photographer’s Guide to the Oregon Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
• The Photographer’s Guide to the Maine Coast: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
• The Photographer’s Guide to Vermont: Where to Find Perfect Shots and How to Take Them
• Nature of America
• The Nature of Vermont: A Year-Long Photographic Journal
• Ancient Forests

Where to Buy

My favorite place to purchase books (and a lot of other stuff) is Amazon.com. They tend to have the best prices online, and I’ve been pretty happy with their quick shipping and customer service.

Here’s a link to Quite a Sightly Place: A Family Dairy Farm in Vermont at Amazon.com.

The other way to get a hold of this book is to attend one of the author’s speaking engagements or workshops. You can learn more about his speaking engagements on his website or his workshops on the Photographers Alliance Workshops website.

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Tags: book • book review • David Middleton • nature photography • paw • Vermont