Home Sweet Home

We have made our big decision after 13 months of travel to settle down at the farm in West Sand Lake, New York! Thom grew up here, and we’re all enjoying being with family again.

After about three days of living here and watching the boys enjoy every moment, Thom said, “This just feels right, and it’s great to be home.” The irony is that after many months of job searching, he was invited back to NREL in Colorado for a second interview. Had this happened a month ago when we were in Colorado, who knows what may have happened? I believe God wanted us to experience this time together at the Farm first. Thom called NREL and explained why he wouldn’t be returning for the second interview. It sounds crazy to pass up such an opportunity, but we’re all very satisfied and happy with the decision. Thom has some ideas regarding work or possibly starting a business here in NY, but that can wait.

What a great feeling to know this is home! We enjoyed our adventurous trip immensely, and realize it’s been the trip of a lifetime. We traveled through 33 states, 7 Canadian provinces and the Yukon Territory, along with 7 European countries over the past 13 months! The boys learned so much not only from our travels, but also from the challenging Calvert curriculum we chose for home schooling. Thom considered jobs in Florida, Colorado, Michigan, and Massachusetts but we ended up right back here where he departed 30 years ago for West Point.

Thom’s parents, Clayton and Louise bought 150 acres back when Thom was about 6 years old. Now there are three houses, a garage with an apartment above, a huge red barn, acres of hay, and an in-ground swimming pool on the property. Clayton and Louise live in one house, while Thom’s older brother, Clipper, lives in the main house where Thom grew up. He and his wife, Wendy have two children: Tucker who is 10, and Avery who is 8. Our boys love playing with Tucker and Avery and they all think this is great being neighbors!



The third house is ½ mile away and was built about 8 years ago by Thom’s youngest brother, Fred. Fred lives in Truckee, California and offered to sell his house to us! He rents it out to a wonderful couple who graciously toured us through the house and garage. It is a 5-bedroom house with 3 ½ baths, but 2 of the bedrooms and one full bath are currently unfinished. So while the tenants are moving out over the next couple months, we’ll be making plans to finish off the unfinished rooms. In the meantime, we’re living in the apartment and our motor coach. We’re used to living in a small space, so hopefully a couple more months will be manageable. Clipper and Wendy are very accommodating, and we appreciate everything they’re doing to help us during this transition.

Thom’s third brother, Eric lives in Maryland with Terry and their 4 children (ages 11-5). They came by for a visit this past week and we enjoyed a family reunion! Can you picture ten Besch children playing on a 150 acre farm?! Eric also brought two horses, Willow and Ricario who now live here permanently. Our boys are thrilled! My niece, Erin, invited me to ride up to the top of the hill on the horses. It was beautiful sitting on horseback overlooking the rolling hills and lush green countryside. I could see the tall buildings of Albany about 10 miles away on the other side of the Hudson River. Yet here I was on the highest point, and I could only spot about 10 houses as I looked around 360 degrees. So we have the benefits of living close to the capital city of New York, while living in the middle of the country. Yes, this is a wonderful place to call home!
Here we are at Frost Point, Ontario, Canada enjoying a family reunion. The cottages in the background have been in my mother-in-law's family for over 100 years! Our kids are the 7th generation, and they love spending time here.