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.