Tractor Pull

Can you tell we like tractors? Day two at the National Threshers Show is a big deal. It's the kiddie tractor pull, a pedal tractor with a sled that has weights on it that move forward as the tractor goes forward making it difficult to pedal. The boys got in lots of practice time leading up to our trip. They pedaled up and down the hills around our house pulling dumbbells. They came prepared.

There are three divisions by weight class. Under 40lb., 40-60lb. and 60+. Before we left, Josh was weighing 39 lbs. which was perfect but, somewhere along the way, a growth spurt happened and he was put in the same weight class as his brother Benjamin. Even though he was with the bigger kids, Josh had a smile on his face the whole time and just loved being in the moment. Benjamin did fantastic, out of thirty kids, he pulled (pedaled) 155 lbs. a distance of 46.5 ft., just 1.5 ft. short of a full pull for fourth place. It's a moment we hope he will remember when he is a grown man.

What did Gracie do this whole time. Why, she sat in her stroller so nicely and clapped for her brothers. She was so sweet, and yes girls can compete so we will be entering her next time we go. Maybe the Buffkin kids will sweep all three classes.

National Threshers

A couple of years ago, the boys were watching one of their many tractor DVD's. On it was a tractor show with 19th century antique steam tractors and also a kids pedal tractor pull event somewhere in Ohio. Out of curiosity, my friend "Google" and I checked it out. Turns out it is an annual event only two hours from Larry's hometown. Ever since, we always combine our trips to visit Pat (Larry's mom) with the National Threshers Steam Tractor Show. This year was a bonus because the featured, gas, tractor was John Deere, Yeah!

We had some excited kiddos in the car who couldn't wait to get there. This is how we know we are close to the fairgrounds, look for the big black sooty cloud. These tractors use coal or wood so the air quality is not the best. It's noisy, smoky and grimmy, it makes you appreciate modern farm equipment. It's considered a working event with plowing, hay baling and saw mill demonstrations all using vintage equipment. Even the homemade Amish ice cream is churned using a hit-and-miss engine.

We spend two days at the event. A favorite is the parade. All the tractors are introduced and blow their steam whistles, it's really loud. We enjoy being able to do this for the boys. If you ask them, they will say they love it better than going to Disney World. It certainly is A LOT cheaper.

Chattanooga Choo Choo

Benjamin has become a train nut thanks in part to his best friend Steven. Together the two of them plan out and build all kinds of elaborate train layouts. So, while we were in Chattanooga, we took a ride on the Tennessee Valley Railroad so Ben could ride on a steam train, his favorite. Unfortunately, the steam train was under maintenance for a "boiler wash" but the whole family still had a blast riding on a vintage diesel locomotive. The trip goes through a pre-civil war tunnel, which only had six inches of clearance on either side. A working turntable, the boys loved that. And a tour of the maintenance barn where they restore the trains. It was a really neat trip, we hope to return someday and take one of the longer excursions.

Summer Vacation

Every other summer, we drive up to Ohio to visit Larry's mom. To break up the sixteen hour trip, we stopped in Chattanooga for two days to do some fun stuff. The Children's Discovery Museum was a big hit. There was a special Curious George exhibit, one of our favorite kids shows, with lots of hands on science experiments. They learned about river systems, music, all kinds of mechanical stuff and a big favorite was digging for dinosaur bones. Gracie had a great time getting wet in the river exhibit. I mean really wet, thank goodness for hand dryers. It was a great place to run around and explore.