Sunbelt

Well, where to begin. I 'spose the beginning would be the best place.

We got a late start going down. I rode down with TH and his grandson MH. TC and JE and most everybody else from up here left the day before. TC went the back way down to Lagrange to pick up his uncle Gene. Uncle Gene is retired, but he putters around with antique tractors. He always takes his little Allis B down every year to show it off.


This actually a shot taken last year during the parade of antique tractors. I realize this isn't the best picture, but I never claimed to be a photographer

Anyway, we stopped in Cordele and ate dinner at a place named Cutters. An odd place that we ate at last year... they have fatback on the buffet. No, that's not a joke. Fatback, sowbelly, streakedy meat, streakalean... whatever you call it, it's a heart attack waiting to happen and its on the buffet (that's pronounced booo-faay, by the way).

We arrived at Norman park a little after dark and found TC and Uncle Gene sitting on the porch in rocking chairs waiting on us. The place we stay at is the site of a former Baptist college and it's a pretty good place to stay. The rooms are about what you'd pay at the average roach motel and the rooms are a bit nicer... and they lay out a good breakfast starting at 5:45am. Grits, bacon, sausage, biscuits, eggs (aigs), pear preserves, fruit, hashbrowns, gravy... you name it and it was there. All a body could want to eat and then some.

Wednesday morning we decided to ride around instead of going to the expo. We went down to the little town of Pavo, which is home to the biggest tractor junkyard I've ever seen in my life. I've been to some yards in the midwest that don't have a tenth of what's sitting in the weeds down there. I got a call from work on the way down, but then we got out of range and I didn't have to worry about that until we got back to Moultrie that afternoon. I think I got about five calls that day. I should've turned the damn phone off.



I realize these shots are not that great, but this is just to give the idea... there where rows upon rows of junked machines like this


Decent looking D model JD, note the missing seat. Either someone lifted it for another tractor or the owner drove it standing up. Good possibility either way

And I saw a few odd things, well, odd things to find in the South at least.


A Massey-Harris 55... sort of an odd sight to find in the deep south. This one belonged to a road department somewhere down yonder at one time.


A 50-something model JD cotton picker that somehow escaped the scrap heap. Notice it has no cab. This thing was built in the days of manly men who'd never heard of skin cancer... but I bet it still beat the heck out of picking it by hand.

We spent most of the morning crawling around down there. They have several different lots, one of which is nearly thirty acres of every kind of tractor, combine and cotton picker you can imagine.

On their lot where they keep the running equipment that is for sale they had something else you rarely see in the deep South. Three 70hp Olivers, a 1655, a 1650 (with cultivators, that's the largest tractor I've ever seen with front mounted cultivators) and a 1650 High Crop.

They were a bit shy on Fords, which is a shame because I was looking for a part. I did find a set of front weights for the Deutz, but they were a mite too proud of 'em.

And did I mention cats? All I heard the whole time I was gone all I heard were jokes about that damn frozen cat. From people I don't even know. It was funny at times, but damn... four days of cat jokes will wear on you. I may have to to dig the damn thing up and have it mounted. Then people would KNOW I've got a screw loose and leave me the hell alone.

whew! Enough blather for one day. I'll continue this tomorrow. Or not. Depends on how I feel when I finish mowing.