Country Life
Gardening • C7 FFA/4-H • C8
Section C • lyndentribune.com • Wednesday, June 14, 2017
The tractor trove
Escape to the countryside
The Oostema Farmstead Inn opened for business last year. (Courtesy photo)
Oostema Farmstead Inn offers a stay with a history By Ashley Hiruko ashley@lyndentribune.com
A wide variety of antique John Deere tractors were pulled out of Martin and Betty Grasher’s old barns last year. (Courtesy photo)
Martin Grasher’s antique tractor collection, hidden away for decades, sees the light of day By Brent Lindquist brent@lyndentribune.com
CUSTER — For much of the 20th century and part of the 21st, the barns owned by Martin and Bet-
ty Grasher became something of a local legend among tractor collectors. Martin Grasher was born in 1920 near Custer. He ended up doing custom farm work around the county, purchasing his first John Deere tractor — a 1924 John Deere model D — and plow around 1939. Martin chopped off the tractor’s fenders to make it easier to roll over sticks and roots without plugging up the tires under the fenders. Martin eventually parked that John Deere D
in his barn and went on to work as a mechanic for a Chrysler dealer. He didn’t stay away from custom farm work, however. Larry McPhail, president of the Puget Sound Antique Tractor and Machinery Association, remembers filling silos and putting up hay for Grasher around 1959. “I remember even back then, he would say, ‘Do not get any salt on those old John Deeres in the barn,’” McPhail said. Later in life, Martin drove other farmers’ tractors while doing work for
them. One night in 1998, Martin died of a heart attack while roto-tilling in a tractor. His collection remained hidden away from the outside world for decades, in his barns on North Enterprise Road. His son, Ray, moved back home to live with Betty, and was just as protective of the tractors as his father was. “Nothing was ever done with those tractors again,” said Lisa Weyh, Ray’s daughter and Martin’s See Tractors on C3
LYNDEN — For those traveling, or looking to get away, the Oostema Farmstead Inn offers something different than what’s typically found within the bustling cities. The inn, situated just a seven-minute drive from downtown Lynden on Northwood Road, offers a homey stay in the country. It’s been over a year since the inn went live on Airbnb, a website that connects those looking to rent their homes and those seeking accommodations, in April 2016. The place is a full-time venture for Lisa Oostema, who said she first started the business after
a friend had planted the idea. “The first couple times [guests stayed] I was a little nervous about it,” Oostema said about hosting. “But now, it’s a piece of cake.” Now Oostema looks forward to hosting guests from around the world and helping to get them acquainted with Lynden, she said. “I like to meet new people,” Oostema said. “I always have. It’s kind of fun to see who’s coming, what they’re going to do and where they’re going.” And when they get to the inn, a two-bedroom two-bathroom suite off of the Oostema farm and home that was built in the 1950s, guests are greeted at their cars not only by Oostema, but also with spectacular views of countryside and mountainous ranges. Inside their suite, visitors are surrounded by See Farmstead on C2
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