Rt. 1 Elrnwood, Wisconsin 54740
As I look and enjoy this beautiful Indian Summer day October
12th, Columbus Day, I just can’t refrain from wanting to share
its beauty with others who do not live where this exists.
I have never seen the trees more beautiful. The maples bright
red, the oak almost a purple, the elm and others a bright yellow
and some yet green that have not faded. Our hill sides are simply
aflame with color and against the blue sky make a picture almost
out of this world.
Not only does our woods show beauty, but our fields and gardens.
We live on a bridge between the Eau Galle River and Plum Creek and
as yet have had no killing frost. The fall flowers are just
gorgeous, the hay fields and pastures green and the fading corn
fields with long ripe ears hanging not only look beautiful but
rewarding to the farmer for his years work.
Why should we not sing, ‘This is My Fathers World’ or
‘America the Beautiful,’ and thank God for His
blessing.
Saturday October 10th, my good friend Lawrence Mikelson of
Codott, Wisconsin, picked me up and took me to Joe Rynda’s
‘Steam Engine Joe’ steam threshing bee, along with his
father and Leo Weilner. It was a beautiful trip and a real warm
day.
As we arrived long before it started, we drove on to Le Center
to visit the Zieganhagens, who have a collection of engines and
antique machinery worth going miles to see. Bill had two of his
engines steamed, a returned flue Lidey 12-36 and a 20 Nichols
Shepard double He gave us a demonstration of both. Here we also saw
modem farming in operation as their renters were combining a fine
crop of soy beans.
Here I met our good friend Ray Ernst of Weyland, Iowa who is
also interested in steam engines. After having a drink of cold
water from the old hand pump we sat down on an antique to rest our
aging bones and had a visit while the younger ones of the party
took in more of the sights.
Seeing the engines and activities of the shows is only half of
the fun. Meeting old friends always warms our hearts. Many of the
shows call them ‘reunions’ and they truly are.
After the threshing bee we drove to Montgomery to take another
look at Joe’s huge collection of old steamers. It was now
beginning to get late and time to get traveling home. It was dark
when we arrived home and Mar-lys (my daughter-in-law) had coffee
and all kinds of goodies for us to eat.
With 60 or 70 miles that Lawrence had yet to go, we said
good-bye till the next time.
Perhaps I had better send a picture of our double-cylinder
Rumley, doing its stuff there at home. The picture was taken in the
fall of 1960 here at home. We were filling silo and had the steamer
on the blower.
Gilmar and Alice Johnson of Frederic came down bringing their
company Harold Anderson (Jobe) with them. Gilmar lent a hand with
the tractors and unloading and Jobe being interested in the Rumely
took over the engine. He got a big kick out of it as that was the
first time he had ever fired with wood.
Jobe and I are the ones in the picture. Jobe on the right. That
was the last time I saw him as he died before the Mt Pleasant
Reunion the next year.
