Tractor Trippin

Today Keith and I set out on a tractor adventure.  Some of our favorite tractor shows are the winter ones. The different clubs sometimes have shows in remote locations that we travel to and enjoy getting away from central Illinois frigid climes.  This show though was in central Illinois, it was the Prairie Gold Rush Minneapolis Moline Winter show and the main event, banquet and auction was in Nokomis, Illinois at Aumann Auctions.  Rather than go their first, we decided to take in the tours offered.  For me. tours of collections etc. are often my favorite part of some of the winter shows, and this year, they had a really nice selection to choose from.

Our first stop was in Pana, Illinois at Jeff Scott’s farm where he had built a new shed and placed his office in the site of a former corn crib.  Using wood from the crib to create several of the items in the office, it was a cool sanctuary.  In the shed were Jeff’s MM’s along with a corn sheller and several other collector’s “toys” as well.

We headed from Pana to Sigel, Illinois to check out the Jansen brothers collections.  Kent and Karl Jansen own Jansen’s Garage and a bevy of younger Jansens and more, work there as well.  We toured the shop then headed to Kent and Annie’s where I have to admit, I spent most of the time in with the ladies in Annie’s kitchen sipping Jasmine tea, eating and visiting.  Annie and I bonded, it had been too long.

New friends and old are all part of the fun of tractor trippin!

When we left in the early morning hours, it was cold, but not freezing and snowing and icing like it was in Sigel.  Just that far east made a huge difference.  Since it was so cold and we didn’t want to go to jail, or ruin our friendship with the Jansens, (this set of Jansens anyway) we didn’t take off with Kent’s Indian motorcycle, we just headed on over to his brother Karl’s farm.  Karl, like Kent  had an array of beautiful tractors that were RARE, RARE, RARE!  I fell in love with a lovely Samson tractor that Karl really didn’t like the color of.  I thought the color made the tractor, but then, I don’t restore them, I just write about them!

Before we headed out, Karl said, “Go inside and see my toys”.

We were ready to hit the road, but oh my, were we glad we went in.  There were some of the most detailed wooden toys I have ever seen!  We met Karl’s wife Sandy and she plied us with hot chocolate and let us enjoy their beautiful sun porch that had a roaring fire in it that drew all the cold collectors like bees to honey.  We left our track marks in and out of their sun room and kitchen and Sandy just smiled like we didn’t trash her lovely home.

Nokomis was our last stop before heading to dinner.  We admired the items on display and I was especially enamored with Sheryl DeLap of Prairie Gold Rush’s NTX MM toy and a neon Minneapolis Moline sign that sadly I knew would never be mine!

Then it was home, to thaw out and look over pictures and mull together with our ever present question, “What was your favorite”.  I must say, I saw lots, ate lots, talked lots, but my favorite thing was tractor trippin with my husband on a cold winter day!