Back on June 26th you were introduced to Avery Stevens. I had encountered him at the local gas station where he was filling up the truck to haul his 1948 Minneapolis Moline tractor to a show in Sandwich, Illinois.
After I parked my car in the pasture at the threshing bee, a group of us stood together waiting for the shuttle to take us up to the entry. It wasn't very far, but my knee was feeling quirky and besides it's fun to ride in a tractor driven hay wagon. Pretty soon I look up and who's coming but - - - Avery! And of course, he's driving the favorite of the tractors in his collection, the 1948 MM. He's also decked out in a Minneapolis Moline shirt and hat.
If you remember I mentioned he had a cassette player retro-fitted onto the tractor, just above the steering wheel. He was playing his Norwegian polkas to get us in the mood for the exciting things waiting for us just up the rise. We rode along, sitting on old bus seats that had been mounted to the hay wagon. A young girl sitting across from me noticed the cameras (plural), including the Nikon which made her sure I worked for a newspaper or something. A newspaper, yes, but not as a photographer. I handed her my card and told her to check out the website.
Just before we left the wagon I also handed a card to Avery, and told him to search out the pictures of his beloved tractor. He doesn't have a computer, but he assured me that his daughter would look it up for him on her machine.
Hey Avery!!! Thanks for the ride, you're one really interesting and happy fellow that seems to have found the secret to staying young - doing something you love!
1 comment:
Folks like Avery are a national treasure, keeping alive bits and pieces of our past. More power to him!
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