Monsters on the Great Plains

There are monsters prowling about upon the Great Plains. You will see them here in this post.

I grew up with tractors.  My grandfather Johnson owned a farm implement dealership at Chokio, Minnesota.  When we were little kids, my cousins (Chuck and Randy) and I terrorized his employees in the shop.  The only place off limits for us boys was his office.  We were just youngsters when we "drove" tractors on the showroom floor.  

There were big hoists in the shop that were used to lift engines out of tractors.  Grandfather's mechanics must have looked on in horror as one of us youngsters grabbed the hook on the hoist to be lifted toward the ceiling by the other two of us.  Somehow we lived through those years.

The implement buildings are gone now, at Chokio, but the memories live on.

There is something about tractors.

My grandfather would not have recognized the tractor cab of today.  Air conditioned, with stereo, and computers as shown in this picture.

These tractor pictures were taken today at the Pope County fair at Glenwood.  

We have been experiencing small-town life this summer.  First there was the 4th of July celebration at my hometown of Hancock.  We took in the parade then drove over to Starbuck for another parade.  The Waterama celebration at Glenwood served up a third parade and a water show.  Now it is the season of the county fairs.  Then comes the big one in September, the Minnesota State Fair.

You can take the boy out of Minnesota but you can't take the Minnesota out of the boy.

I was told the men in grandfather's shop made this car for me, complete with horn and pedals.