Thursday, June 05, 2014

Our little mini-vacation to Iowa

The ultimate reason for a trip to Iowa at this particular time was that we had been added to a tour group to see Jon Kinzenbaw's tractor collection.  Kinzenbaw is the founder of Kinze Manufacturing (click HERE to read about that).  We, along with our tractor club, were on a three-year waiting list to be a part of the twice-a-year viewing of Jon's tractor collection, but the mother of the little girl I babysit knows the family, and she pulled some strings so we could be there this year.  We were scheduled for Tuesday morning.  I suggested to Cliff that we leave on Sunday so we could make a stop at Dumont Museum in Sigourney; it's only open on weekends.  We've been there several times, but it's always interesting.  I could just take a seat and watch Lyle's trains all day long, and Cliff never tires of looking at his Oliver tractor collection.


It was a slow day, as it happens, so Cliff got to ask Lyle some questions about painting tractors.  They talked for quite a while.  In fact, Lyle even offered to let Cliff see his shop, and the work in progress that was going on there.  


This one is done.  


Here is the work in progress.  

Lyle and Helen don't just collect tractors.  


Toy trucks


Because, you know, he and his wife were friends of Roy Rogers.  


And then there's his wife's doll collection.


The bicycle collection hangs above the Oliver tractors.  


Lots of random items.  


Keepsakes from the old days.  


An airplane he and his buddies built and flew when he was in the armed forces in Korea in the '70's.  


They gave Cliff a printout with some pictures of their tractors, and we were off to our motel in Williamsburg.  

7 comments:

  1. I love little museums like that. Up here we have some good ones, Norman Rockwell museum and the Grandma Moses one. Other regional and local ones. There is a gentlemen outside of town that has a tractor collection, I should stop sometime and see if he will let me photograph it.

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  2. That is awesome! I love looking at collections, but would never want to have one. I would get way too compulsive! :)

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  3. Mini vacations are often better than longer ones and certainly generate less wash.

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  4. Wow! I guess they do collect a lot more than tractors. It would be something to see. Glad you both could get out for a little mini vacation.

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  5. What fun! I love visiting places like that.

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  6. What an interesting place. I love people who collect things.

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  7. Wow!! Sounds like a very interesting trip!!!

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