22 Jun What’s this? ANOTHER breakdown?
My little bit of home that follows the wheat trail. I think they are really loving this Texas heat. And the toad that has found a home in the dahlia pot thinks he’s going along to the next stop. I don’t think so!
It was working earlier today…I swear! The Combine Cam, that is. Maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to head to Vegas right now. I know we gamble all summer long anyway, but I’m beginning to think I may have a bit of a losing streak running right now. First it’s the Beast and now this.
Last night, I received a text from family at home: “Gilligan’s (Jillian’s nickname) got Livestream hooked up and she’s watching you on her phone. She’s watching you with Candi.” So, I tried to give ’em a little wave and turn the radio up just a little louder so it wasn’t so boring. “I like your music”—an email from Jillian. So much fun! It really is. Especially if you don’t get to sit in the cab of a combine or if you have and just need a reason to get excited about your own harvest. I like to tell people who ask that it’s almost as though you’re sitting in the buddy seat right next to me.
We’ve determined that a new cable is what is needed to keep the webcam running like it should so there isn’t any break in the action. There’s nothing worse than getting settled in for the day of harvest and then the screen goes blue. The breakdown actually came at a good time. Jim and I should finish with the acres we had lined up in Texas tomorrow (hopefully). Maybe my breakdown streak is over. We’ll get the equipment cleaned up, road-ready and make our way to Deerfield, Kansas. We’re hoping to be back in the field on Friday.
While we’re finishing up and making our way north, the replacement cable should be making its way to Dodge City (home of High Plains Journal) and waiting for our arrival. Keep your fingers crossed!
Will leave you with a few pictures from today.
Candi and Jillian with their phones in their hands watching the Combine Cam last night.
They ran to the fence when I was in their corner of the world. Someone once told me calves at this age are comparable to teenagers. That would make sense.
Finishing the day with the full moon on the horizon. Not bad for an iPhone picture.
Best part of the day!
The nightly ritual. Jim blows the dirt and chaff off the Beast with a leaf blower every. single. night. I’m usually in the cab being told when to lower the head and turn it around. Tonight, though, I was already out of the seat so I took advantage of the time to get a few nighttime pictures.
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Tom Stegmeier
Posted at 18:14h, 22 JuneWhen I farmed ,blew the combine off with an air hose and a long nozzle one of grain trucks was on air, plus oiled the chains every night if there was bearing going out or something was coming loose or a belt was pack’n up.you could catch it.So there wasn’t like Gomer Pile would say Surprize ,Surprize, Surprize, in the morning !! Plus it makes servicing in the A.M. a lot nicer,
Dan McGrew
Posted at 15:26h, 23 JuneZ-Crew — What a difference! Late 40s an 50s, we were out of touch with home for 60 to 90 days. There were usually no more than two pay phones in any of the Plains stops and the bosses made it known they had first priority, with hands waiting until no boss needed to use the phone for the next half hour, because at times it took a full 20 minutes to get a long distance call through.
The idea of family being able to sit at home and watch us work, sitting on that steel seat in the open — is still incredible.
Just as me sitting in North Carolina and producing an email to you out in west Kansas. Just out of Okla. State, I managed the weekly newspaper at Buffalo, Ok, and then was farm editor for the McCook DAILY GAZETTE, charged with also covering all news in 17 counties of S.W. Nebraska, N.W. Kansas and N.E. Colorado — Everything from the U of N. School of Agriculture at Curtis to the sheriff at Holyoke catching a .22 load of birdshot in the mouth from one of three runaway boys from Beatrice, NE.
Will never forget interviewing that sheriff in his hospital bed after doctors removed the birdshot from his cheeks, lips, gums and tongue — With him telling me, …”they are three frightened young boys– tell the guys not to hurt them.”
I was riding with Sheriff Wayne Hovey, Hitchcock County, Nebraska — Alan Strunk, the publisher’s son was with a McCook patrol unit.
I got the interview and the sheriff’s photo exclusively, and Alan’s ride came up on the boys, as they came out of brush with their hands up. We had all the exclusive photos and reports and all the major Colorado newspapers wanted the story and photos.
But we did not have Ipads, Iphones, Internet, Skype, attachments or digital photography. One year later (1959) I helped install the Photo-Offset Newspaper Plant at Middleton, N.Y. for the first Offset Newspaper.
Then late 1959 converted the first photo offset full-sized newspaper on the West Coast. We did not have any of today’s electronics, not even electric typewriters.
Often newsrooms mechanical typewriters had lost their ability to move ribbons, so ribbons were removed, we typed with two new carbons — with a protective sheet of newsprint over the first carbon, using the second carbon for the original for the editor and saved the second carbon for our back up file — now known as the CYA copy.
Colin Cloude
Posted at 12:54h, 25 JuneExcellent blog, love the pictures a real insight into harvesting, your weather woes also, over here in England the weather at harvesting is seldom good! We rarely go straight through, last year we were parked 3 weeks!! It’s very frustrating, but mother nature eventually allows us to Finnish the job, never had to abandon crops yet!! But I guess out there it happens,keep up the good work and thank you all for your efforts.