2010 car cruise part 2

So, more of our ride and eat weekend--which is mainly what we did! After seeing George Stauffer's million dollar cars we visited Little Norway. We took the $10 tour and saw old buildings built by Norwegians back in the day. One interesting building was an international building at the Worlds' Fair in Chicago--built in Norway, reconstructed in Chicago, torn down again and put together (with all the pieces numbered) again in Wisconsin. Our tour guide was interesting and wore a beautiful outfit and jewelry. After that we made our way to Lodi and the Best Western motel. Very nice (and only $63.30)! Our supper meal was at Fitz's On the Lake where the speciality was prime rib and fish. I had cornflake encrusted walleye. Good--wish I had been hungry!

Sunday morning after a small breakfast at the hotel we made our way across the lake on a ferry to Merrimac. No charge for the short ride on the ferry. After all the cars were across we were on our way to Hillcrest for a brunch. We had been there before and knew it was very good. From there we went to the "World Famous Jim Delaney's Shopping Experience". A big warehouse full of everything from food, construction paper, hand cleaners, tools, door knobs--anything and everything you never knew you needed. Bill called it junk. Maybe so. We didn't buy anything!

Finally, to the highlight of our Wisconsin trip for me--the apple orchard. We were at The Oakwood Fruit Farm where I did buy apple cider doughnuts and 2 bags of apples, Honey Crisp and a new kind called Ambrosia. Of course while there you can have an apple to taste and taste a doughnut. Rick was running out of gas so the farmer gave him a couple gallons. The Cedar County cars left for home from there (a couple of us stopped in Dubuque at the casino--I won so it was ok.)

Big weekend, had a good time. Now back to farming. When I got home from school they were combining corn at Bill's mother's. I had a busy day at school from running the die cut machine to copying a music book.

2010 car cruise

This weekend was the Wisconsin car cruise. For my car geek nephews here is a list of the cars with us: a rare '82 Olds 462, '57 Chev, '59 Edsel, '68 Camero, '40 Ford, a couple Nova's, 2005 Corvette, Chev Impala, a '94 & '66 Mustang, Indie special Mustang, '55 Chev, a 60's era Dodge convertible, SSR pickup, '62 Chev, BMW, and Mercury Cougar. Those are the ones I can remember. Our first stop was New Diggings, WI, for lunch at Anton's Saloon, home of the Macho Burger. From there we took winding rustic roads. Going thru Darlington, WI we even got to be part of their Homecoming parade--it was just finishing as we got there so we were at the end of it--one person even asked if we were going to come back next year! Our destination was George Stauffer's car collection of nostaliga race cars, mostly road race cars, a Bentley, a car that had belonged to Queen Elizabeth, a collection of model cars and a brand new, one day old, red Nissan, beautiful car. His collection is worth over $100 million we were told. It is not for public tours; he let us in because he is a good friend of the guy who led our tour.

More later--I'm off to school.

Rained out

We actually started corn combining yesterday--at least for a few hours. I even got to run the combine while Larry hauled in with his semi and Bill with the straight truck and Ben running the dump cart. All this came to a quick end with the storm. We could see it coming; felt the air change and knew we had to quickly tarp the truck and get all the equipment up to the road from the waterway where it had been sitting. Just pulled on the road to take everything to Grandma Elijah's when it let loose. Corn is dry enough; tested 18 or so, but the yield isn't as good as last year.

Neighborhood wedding

Saturday night was Jason & Jessie Schroeder's wedding at the Clarence church with a reception in Walcott. Very nice, very simple, very pretty. The church was full, the reception very crowded. Jason is Donna's grandson; Jason & Jessie and their daughter Peyton live a mile west of us. Jason is a farmer and works part time for the post office.

Thursday night we took the Edsel to the car show in Tipton. They had the farmer's market going on and food vendors; games and balloons for the kids. Not very many cars and not too many people. Probably last car "doings" this year is our Wisconsin trip coming up this weekend. Then we can bring the car back home and Grandma can park her car wherever in the garage she wants! Bill talked to her neighbors and they no longer park their cars right behind Grandma's garage. Took Grandma to her chiro appointment Tuesday morning. He still wants to see her every 2 weeks.

Off to school this morning and tonight is Evening Circle at Fox's pond. We always look forward to this meeting and supper. I have to give devotions so hope that turns out ok.

Harvest begins

Larry started combining corn yesterday. They worked the field right south of Clarence. Ben helped by driving the dump cart, Bill used the straight trucks to haul the corn here to the bin and Larry combined. On one trip Bill came in to the house and said "Did Ben call you?" No, he hadn't. Well they had some excitement in town--the corn field caught on fire! What a way to start the season. It all happened while Bill was here--he and I missed out on the whole thing. From what they can figure out, Todd Wynkoop had dumped some hot ashes in the driveway to the field (why, we don't know) and probably when Bill drove thru them to park the truck--in the grass, not in the field--he picked up a hot ember and somehow it got into the field, probably when he turned the truck around to face the road again, and it started the field on fire. Larry was way on the other end of the field when Ben shouted on the CB. Luckily Todd and Tim where at their shop and used their blade and skid stir and the fire company came and we didn't lose much corn. Larry said he put the combine in 3rd gear and tried to combine around the fire as much as he could but at one point decided maybe he was too close to the fire to be safe. All in all, Larry figures he probably only lost about 50 bushels of corn. So much excitement--what can the rest of the season bring?

Old Threshers

Sunday we went to Mt. Pleasant to visit the Old Threshers Reunion. It has been many, many years since I was last there. I know I saw every tractor in Iowa (or maybe even the nation)! Just about every tractor was commented on--so and so had one like this or how did they make this--as we walked down rows and rows of tractors. We sat in the grandstand and watched biggest part of the Parade led off by old cars and then the tractors(again) and the steam engines. We walked thru the old car museum and found where a local Clarence man had set up his little engines that ran a water pump, corn sheller etc. We walked through the arts & craft building (at a run!) and walked through some buildings housing antiques for sale. It was a beautiful day weather wise with just enough wind to remind us what the old threshers must have smelled like--the coal and/or wood smoke, steam belching out, the old whistles on the steam engins. Nice day and was glad to be able to go.

We spent Labor Day having fun too. Rick & Deb and us went to Riverside first thing in the morning (left here at 7:00, back at 11:45) and then went to Klahns for an afternoon of cards with Schroeders and Klahns and a pot luck supper. Home by 9:00. Now back to the real world.

Keep waiting to hear news of a little one from the Kibbe household!