All Steamed Up part 3

I realized that there was a kid's tractor pull coming up. Husband wanted to go talk to the 'train guys', so I turned on my cell phone and took off for the pull.

There were ages from about 3-4 up to around 8. The goal was to pedal the tractor as far as possible, with the weight increasing on the back as it moved forward. 

The ones that stood out.  A tiny, tiny little boy, that wanted to try so badly, but with his tush on the seat, he couldn't reach the pedals.  He tried standing up, kicking, tossing his feet 'round and round, no luck.  The judges finally told him good try, and gave him a participation ribbon.  He looked confused, and his mom told him that he needed go get up, the next person was going to try.  He looked at the ribbon, and sort of smiled, then said "I did it, I got on a tractor!"  He was so happy to just have been on the (toy) tractor, I don't think he even understood exactly what he was doing...

Another young boy, pedaled like mad, and then he hit the limits of what he could pull so fast, the tractor locked up, tipped backwards, and dumped him on his back.  He looked more confused than anything, and his dad ran out to check on him.  Little guy was juuuust on the verge of tears, when the judge said, "Did you know you did the longest pull yet?"  

THAT snapped him out of it!  

He jumped up, and told Dad, "I pulled it way long, Daddy!"  Dad was grinning, kid was grinning, and he was skipping as he went out. 

Young girl had cowboy boots on.  She was going like sixty, and then hit a spot where it was hard going for her.  She pushed, and then her boot slipped off the pedal.  She adjusted, tried again, and the OTHER boot slipped off (slick soles).  Her mom came out, and the girl looked up and asked if she could take her shoes off.  Judge and Mom, simultaneously, "NO."  She tried once more, halfheartedly, and then both feet slipped.  The judge said it was good enough...  

As they were leaving, I heard her mumble to herself, "I could have gone farther barefoot."  

There was a parade of tractors, and while I didn't get pics of all of them, here is a few.  I don't swear to this, but I *think* the big wheel on the upper left, was to use when it was stationary, for powering devices, otherwise it was disengaged as a tractor.  However, it could also be a flywheel...

I can't remember the name of this one, but it could hold several people in the back.  It had a very, VERY loud whistle, that came in useful with some ding dong that was standing in the road, on a phone, oblivious...  

This is a Great grand daddy Case tractor.  It always amazes me that these were steam engines, run usually by a large fire in a hold, that went out in the hottest point of the year, to cut, swath and pick up dry hay, grain, what have you...  And, occasionally, you had problems with this.  

Eeep.

This one I took because it was a nicely restored Allis-Chalmers.  But mostly because it reminds me of going out on the tractor with my dad...  (But we didn't have the umbrella... And ours was red with cat prints all over it...)

Next, whistle stop at the train yard!