Weekend Steam II: Steam Powered Machine Shop, The End

 

We have watched many episodes of the Steam Powered Machine Shop, but it has now come to an end. The equipment will all be sold soon, and you can take part if you are in need of machine shop equipment. Click Here for the link.

Pioneer Acres Steam Festival, Irricana, Alberta

 The current Engineers and Engines Magazine features this show in Alberta, Canada, and it is worth looking at. This part of Canada saw steam come in near its peak, and countless acres of prairie suddenly became farmland producing wheat. It is much different from the progression of farming in the eastern U. S. and the Midwest, where mechanized agriculture developed during the Nineteenth Century. 

The video is a news report from one month ago, and I will add some videos from previous years below that.

Cleaning Gutters

                                                                                   

Also doing some repairs, such as adding new hangers. These gutters were installed in 1979, so a little maintenance is to be expected.  Just because you are not too old to climb, you must not forget that you are too old to fall! Keep that belt buckle centered while you work. 

The cistern at the end of the  concrete was there in 1903 when Susan's g-grandparents bought this place. A log cabin stood where this house is, and we used that cistern until 2000 when the water main came through our front yard. Water seemed like magic then! We moved to the farm in 1980, and pumping down the cistern and cleaning it was one of the first tasks we had to do. We learned the importance of clean gutters from that chore.

Fall Colors Are Coming In Better Than Expected....

 ....after the long, hot dry spell we had during the summer. We might get a little rain Thursday night/Friday morning.

The sumacs are looking great, but they will drop their leaves soon after they peak. Don't neglect enjoying them because they won't last.

Red maple has been teasing us, with little bits of color scattered about their crowns. It is more evident now, and there will be red, yellow and a bit of orange, often on the same tree. They are muted after all the dry weather, but they will be nice to watch.

Black walnut is turning its signature yellow, and the leaves soon drop to the ground. Note the nuts hanging in the tree. Some of our walnuts are already naked, and still have nuts hanging all over them.

Beautiful in the morning sun!  Get out early and enjoy the season change!