Not My Victrola: George Gershwin, I've Got Rhythm

The information is lacking on the YouTube description, but I have a hunch that this is actually played by George Gershwin.  He made many reproducing piano rolls, and the information on those has been digitized so they can be played  on modern players.  Anyway, that's a guess.  Don't know if it's true.

FFA Forestry Fun

We had our annual FFA Forestry Contest this week, and it was  a good one, with perfect weather and enthusiastic students.  Here we see a couple of students measuring azimuths on the compass and pacing course.  One student scored 91 out of 100 possible points, which is downright remarkable.

I tell them all that they should get 100% on the equipment ID, since they have the list in advance and can look up pictures of every item.  The kid who scored 91% on the Compass and Pacing got 100% on the equipment, and on Tree ID, and the management exercise. 

Many of the kids have trouble measuring timber, and we work with them afterwards so they can do better next time.  Both of these students are showing good form. 

This is the Fairfield, IL team, plus two trainees who will probably be team members next year.  The Olney team took top honors, with their five members taking the top five individual scores.  

Offloading On The Fly

What is this header, 12 rows wide? That's over thirty feet. My dad had a two row planter to pull with his WD Allis, and it would have been right at home behind a team of horses. He also had a two-row pull-behind New Idea picker, and because it was a pull-behind you had to open the field shucking by hand, or get a neighbor with a mounted picker to open your field for you. Times change.

Mike Rowe: You Don't Know Mike

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Light Foundation

Ruger is offering a .32 Caliber Convertible Single-Six this week to benefit the Light Foundation.  This  revolver, made in the 1990's for Buckeye Sports Supply, comes with two cylinders; oe for .32 H & R Magnum, and one for .32-20 Winchester.  This revolver will sell mid-day, September 14, 2016, and all proceeds will go to benefit the Light Foundation. Click Here  to read all about it and to place your bid.  $3325

Big Foot

We did the FFA Forestry Contest at Sam Dale Lake today.  Most of the students were prepared and at least looked like they had practiced the various tasks a bit. A few weren't prepared, but that's normal.  I saw one boy on the compass and pacing course walking heel-to-toe to measure between stakes, so I paced the same leg and came up behind him.  I asked to see his number, and he had 112 feet.  I had paced 120, and a check on the numbers showed that it measured 122.  He was 120 inches short in 112 steps, so he has feet that are a bit more than an inch over a foot long. He could have come closer trying to take three foot steps like some of the other students do.   I explained pacing to him and told him to walk normally and count each pace (two steps) as five feet.  He should have come closer on the rest of the legs.

Tuesday Torque

Our friend Gary Bahre made a trip to the big show in Rollag, MN, and he shot a bunch of video.  Here is one of his first ones, of a 22 HP headless Witte.  The Witte Expo was at Rollag, so I bet there will be more of these engines featured in future vids from Gary.

Multi-Task Monday

Back To The Old Grind! (And shell, separate the cream, and wash your overalls.)

Photo Credit: Gary Bahre, ILEngineGuy.

Not My Victrola: Shine On Harvest Moon

Weekend Steam: Aerial Views Of Old Threshers