Orono, ME

We are just north of Bangor, Maine for the night.  After 10 days in Canada, the last four on Prince Edward Island, we are back in the USA.

Will be at Niagra Falls on Sunday, Shipshiwana later in the week.

Lynn

Fredericton, New Brunswick

about 72 degrees.  Everything here is in Celsius so have to translate.  Great weather.  We did run in rain yesterday for a bit.  Did a full day tour of Montreal one day, with several stops for looking around at sites.  Spent some time at Notre Dame church.  Had a guide for half-day tour at Quebec City, Quebec yesterday.  Today toured the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Factory in Hartland, New Brunswick.

Saw lots of country side which is now more trees than the farmland we had seen near the St. Lawrence River.

Will be on Prince Edward Island tomorrow and for next 4 nights.  Have taken several hundred photos, may get them posted some time.

Lynn

In Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Our 4th night out on this 17 day trip to Canada.  Last night we were in Watertown, NY and tonight we are in downtown Montreal, Quebec.  Am told this is a city of just under 2 million people and many of them were on the highway tonight as we came into town just after 5 pm.

This morning we did a boat tour on St. Lawrence River and walked through a castle/home on one of the 1,000 islands.  Found that 1,000 Island Dressing came from a man who managed the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York and had a summer home in the 1,000 Island area and he named a dressing in his hotel restaurants for that area.

Am tired tonight and won't try to post any photos or go into detail.

Will write more later.

Lynn

North east Ohio

Heading down the road.

Janet

At our break near Walcott, IA

The "Three Amigos" - Phyllis, Lynn, Patty

Eating lunch in "The Barn" near Archibald, OH Tuesday

Traffic near Toledo, OH

In Ashtibula, OH overnight.  52 degrees as I write this.  51 people on bus, counting the two guides, Janet and Monroe, and the driver Mel.  With decent weather (though we ran for a few minutes in a hard rain storm while on I 90 for a bit in the afternoon) made pretty good time.  Break in the morning and break in the afternoon with a big buffet dinner at noon. 

This afternoon we are to spend time in a "Made In America" store in New York State and also to see an original canal boat and Erie Canal Museum.

Till next time, Lynn

Some art at Newton, IA where we stopped for lunch Sunday.

Good weather - and on the road

Joliet, IL  73 degrees  Mostly clear.

   Started our 17 day north east US/Canada motor coach trip today.  Nearly full load, we are staying in Joliet, IL tonight.

Lynn

Clarinda, IA 82º
      

After returning yesterday I mowed the lawn, but most of it didn't need it.  Areas in the shade of building or trees has a little growth but majority of the lawn is in bad shape.  The new sod laid last year after our new street appears to be dead.  Hope it is just dormant, but sure doesn't look good.  Guess this is August so maybe it is just normal.  Did get several tomatoes from our 6 tomato plants, but not too many that will be ready before we leave this weekend for another 16 days.  Maybe neighbor will get some good out of them.

 Last week, during the rally, we did two different tours of factories.  We went to the John Deere Plant in Ankeny, IA.  They make several different sizes of high-boy field sprayers there and also Cotton Pickers.  The guide, at right, is standing by one unit that is for just one row of the cotton picker.  There are literally hundreds of spinning cones on rotating cylinders.  These pluck the cotton balls off the plant and move it to area where blower blows the cotton up into holding tank.  When there is a certain weight accumulated, the tank is dumped into a huge round baler that is at the rear of the machine.  It takes 5

 dumps to accumulate 5,000 to make the bale and then it is dumped without the combine ever stopping.  These cotton pickers cost only $780,000 each and they are all sold and prepaid before construction even begins.  They are about one year behind on orders, exporting the machines all over the world as well as selling in the US.                      We weren't allowed to take any photos inside the plant, but took several outside and a few while we were shown movies of the history of the plant.

 These machines are shown in their "lowered" position.  They stand around 17 feet tall when running, but are only able to be 14 feet tall on low-boy trailers in order to go down the highways.  The tank that catches the cotton direct from the rows is the part that is lowered while transporting.

This shows the bale portion tipped back like when dumping the bale.









One day we toured the Emerson Valve Plant in Marshalltown, IA.  They do make huge valves for anything liquid.  They showed us all the manufacturing aspect of several different size of valves.  Some have 60" openings.  They quoted a one million dollar price on several valves that were sent to the near east.  We weren't allowed any photos inside the plant.  Fisher plant (Emerson) in Marshalltown, IA
Never saw such huge milling machines.  One casting they were working on, which was only a few feet by one foot, would take two days to machine down to the flanges, openings, etc.  Denny Arment, with our group, had retired several years ago from working in this plant 30 some years.

On Sunday, before the rally officially began, Phyllis & I rode our recumbent trikes some 6.5 miles (up and down some pretty steep hills) to an antique power show.  The hills were just as steep returning to State Center.





Old ear-corn sheller at left powered by belt driven tractor.

 John Deere 60 tractor similar to one my Dad bought in about 1954 back in Custer County, Nebraska.

This team of horses were pulling a potato digger.  Lots of kids (and older people) were picking up the potatoes behind the digger.

 Dirt, and potatoes, really flying as the team moved down the potato field.

 This guy had a Cub Cadet running a PTO on an old ear corn sheller, putting in one ear at a time.

On Saturday, after going to our son's place in Marengo, IA, we rode with him to Belle Plaine, IA and spent a short time at an auction of things out of an old oil station.  There were two rings running and I am sure it must have taken all day to sell all the items.

Mike and Frank from American Pickers should have been on hand for this auction.

We spent the weekend at our son's and Saturday evening had supper, then played some Pegs & Jokers with them, their daughter and husband and other daughter and boy-friend.

Check my pictures from the Kenwood Summer Rally at  Kenwood Summer 2012 Rally Photos

Till next time, Lynn

Photos from Kenwood Summer Rally

I have finally gotten the photos sent up to a Picasa album.

Check it out at this link  Photos at State Center, IA of Kenwood Summer Rally

We got home this afternoon to Clarinda; parked the trailer and transferred much stuff back to the house.  Bit tired, will write more later.

Lynn

Cool weather for rally

State Center, IA 73 degrees overcast.
     Got a few sprinkles overnight and it is cool today.  I have not written much lately as I rely on WIFI to get on the internet and there is none at the campgrounds.  I am in the Library now and will post a few photos and what has been going on.

 The four photos at left show the two things that I guess are done most at these gatherings -- eat and visit.  I won't try to identify the people in the photos as would probably get names wrong.  You people from Kenwood will probably recognize them.

Sunday noon there was a gathering at Bob Morse's new 5th wheel for lunch.

 This shows the building we meet in and many of the trailers already set.

Sunday Phyllis & I rode 13 miles round trip up and down some pretty steep hills to an antique machinery show that was located between here and Marshalltown.  Long hills on the recumbent trikes are doable, but you sure realize what muscles in your legs need worked on.

Will write more as I get time.  Lynn

Kenwood Summer Rally - State Center, IA

State Center, IA 75 degrees.  Has been real cool here, with some 20 people gathering over the weekend.  This afternoon officially starts the rally, but many got together earlier.  One group of 4 units not only got together here, but have made reservations to go to a park in Florida this winter instead of returning to La Feria, TX.  Yesterday sweet corn was picked and we enjoyed that for supper last night along with some Casey's Pizza and dishes some brought. 
At noon a group of 8 or 9 are going to Des Moines to tour the John Deere Plant that Bob Morse set up for us.

Weather has been cool, but to get in to lower 90's today.  So far have hardly had to run air conditioners other than Friday evening.

This morning Leonard and Bill made waffles, with strawberries, eggs for breakfast.

Last night we introduced Judy to Pegs & Jokers, and of course her team won.

Will catch up later, Lynn

August is here--Where did July go?

Clarinda, IA  89º predicted high 99º

    

 We're in a new month and the Midwest is just as hot as July.  Picture at right shows the lawn (& the neighbor's RV after he returned from last trip). 



Photo below shows airing up the trikes with pump powered by the car's 12 volt system.  Oh yeah, that is Phyllis leaning over the garden hose filling some milk jugs to water flowers.  I didn't notice here when snapped this picture.  Should have waited a bit.

This morning it was a little cooler when we went for our ride.  Only about 70º when we started out about 7 am.  We have been riding about 7 miles each morning with much of it on steep hills.  Seems like the same hill is lot steeper going up than going down.

Sunday morning's ride was quite productive as we rode by the nearby restaurant/bar and found that many a folk finished their evening in the parking lot and chucked their cans there. 

Page County Fair was this last week.  Since we don't have kids or grand kids in the fair any more we don't attend like we should.  However, on Friday we helped with the pop/water stand for the 4-H group.  Watched a few minutes of hog judging before we reported for duty.

 Since we had the 10:00 am to 12:00 am shift and the morning was cooler than had been we weren't exactly over-worked.  The pop was in ice water and it took only a few seconds of fetching out the lower bottles to numb your hands/arms.

 On Friday evening we participated in the Square Dance with the Clarinda Circle 8 Square Dance Club, dancing in a pavilion where spectators could watch.  Since it is advertised that lessons will start this next week it was hoped that some interest would arise for those lessons.

Didn't get any photos at the dancing site, but, of course, we all went out for ice cream at the local Runza Restaurant afterward and took a few photos of this activity.

Phyllis is going to the church to the sew & share (or visit & eat) session this afternoon.  I am going to bring the Ford Excursion in from storage and start getting tires checked, hitched up, etc. for Friday

Oh, did you know plants created animals so they would have some way of spreading their seeds?
Till later, Lynn