Ride-Abouts

          A rainy day here, guys. 

           That means no stump pulling. I'm not altogether sad about that either. Stump pulling is hard work. On the other hand, it's work that needs to be done and the sooner it's done, the sooner it's done and we can move on to other things.

          We had four ride-abouts, which netted me a ton of photos. As it stands right now, at the time I'm writing this, there are 123 photos in this album. Sometimes I add or subtract to that number as my writing takes me to places I don't anticipate. We'll get started and just see how it all shakes out.

          Mike's tractor came home after its oil change and hose fix. Yeah, we had a leaky hose and Jonah replaced it. The tractor was all clean and shiny and looked almost new again; he couldn't do anything about the dent in the hood. Jonah did a great job for a great price and will get all of our work from now on. "My tractors never been in the rain," Mike had told Jonah when he picked it up. And because of all the rain we've been having, it was Sunday until there was a break in the weather and Jonah could bring it back. Now Mike can continue to say his tractor's never been in the rain.

          When the tractor came home, Jonah had his dad with him. The guys stood around and did what guys do best and that's shoot the bull, while I stayed in the house and kept working on my letter blog.

          The next day Mike asks, "You wanna go for a ride?"

          "Where to?" Me answering a question with a question again.

          "Let's go see where Jonah's dad lives."

          "Are we taking the dirt roads?"

          "Not this time, let's just go and maybe we'll take the dirt roads coming home."

          I didn't take any new photos on the way over except this barn photo.

          Mike didn't have any trouble finding the place and guess where it is. At the farm where the truck is in the house.

          "There's Dave," Mike said like I was supposed to know which one Jonah's dad is.

          He parked and got out while I sat in the Jeep with the girls. This was the view out the windshield.

          The older guy took his leave.

          "Peg, they're all older guys," you say.

          I know, right! I can't say the one in the hat cause two of them have hats. How about the guy in the middle? The one with suspenders on?       

          "Is that my tractor?" Mike asked.

          The guys turned and looked in the garage. "Yep, that's it,"

          From there they started talking about hoses and oils and stuff and I sorta stopped listening, preferring to listen to a sermon on my earbud.

          "Peg! Come here!" Mike calls.

          I put Ginger aside and did as he bid. Once I went in the garage Mike showed me a trike, a three-wheeled motorcycle Jonah and Dave had gone to Wisconsin to pick up.

          "Peg wants to get a three-wheeler," Mike said. Then he made introductions. "This is Dave, Jonah's dad."

          I stuck my hand out. "Nice to meet you, Dave."

          "Rick," Dave corrected.

          "I'm Dave," the guy in the black shirt interjected.

          Before we'd left I'd called him Dave at least once more after that and he didn't correct me, but Mike did.

          "What's the story on the old house over there?" I asked.

          "They brought that house here on wood roller pulled by a team of horses," Rick said.

          "Did they live in it?" I asked.

          "No. I think they were going to use it for a corncrib, but I don't think they ever did that either."

          This is a family farm with an interesting history. "If I come back with my mud boots on sometime, would you give me a tour?" I brazenly asked.

          "Sure!" Rick readily agreed. "Just call the night before you want to do it and make sure I won't be out on the road someplace."

          "I'll do that," I agreed but I don't know that I'll ever follow through.

          I took a few pictures on the way home.

          Burnin' the recliner.

          I didn't get a very good shot of this turkey vulture nest but I know where it's at. Maybe I'll get back there again before long and try again.

            The next day we made a trip to Dushore to have some title work done. 

          Mike's phone rang. We saw a wide spot just ahead so he pulled off the road to answer it. It happened to be in front of a farm and while I waited for him to finish his call I watched a guy mow his hillside. 

            Then I saw this sign.

          THE COWS ACROSS THE ROAD BELONG TO THE GREEN TRAILER BEHIND THE BARN NOT HERE the sign reads.

          Just a guess, but a lot of people must be stopping and asking about the cows.

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          Years ago I won a few bucks with a photo of this barn.

         The next set of pictures are from our first trip to Montrose.

          The water was high and running fast but some of the cows managed to cross.

          We hit road work and had to wait in line.

    

         And this next set of pictures are of our second trip to Montrose.

         There used to be a barn here...

          This time I took more pictures of the town itself.

          Let's call this one done!