Open Mike: Tractors

["Open Mike" is the editorial page of TOP. It usually appears on Wednesdays, even when comets appear.]

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At about six last night I was out throwing the ball for Butters. It was overcast but cool, so I put the dog in and drove to the hill.

When I was walking up the hill I saw something I've never seen before. Going through the wooded section, I started something up in the branches of a tree by the roadside—it turned out to be an absolutely giant raptor of some sort. It looked like an eagle to me but it might have been a buzzard—it was a lot bigger than a hawk anyway. He was very close. He (or she, who knows) took a flurry of powerful strokes to get himself airborne, and then glided past me only twenty feet up or so before turning lazily into the woods. It was almost, I don't know, scary to be that close to such a large bird. You get a feeling you're in the presence of something primeval. My hands didn't even go for the camera; I knew I wanted to keep my full attention on the bird. Sometimes it's better to simply look than to try, and probably fail, to make a photograph.

Once I got up into the meadows and farm fields I ran into two friends—and was confronted with two obvious pictures. First, my Mennonite neighbor Adam came by on his old bike, which he rides all over tarnation*. He stopped, and as we stood talking it was an obvious portrait, man and bike. But some Mennonites do not like their pictures taken and I haven't asked Adam how he feels about it yet (or, if I have, I've forgotten his answer), so I refrained.

Adam, by the way, has a campground in a huge field halfway up the hill. You can rent a nicely mown, flat campsite, pitch your tent, and stay as long as you like. But it's not for campers or trailers—just people with backpacks. If anyone's interested let me know and I'll put you in touch with him. I'll try to take a picture or two next time I'm up there.

Later, Dave came by on his tractor. That picture I took, because Dave puts up with me.

Notice his name on the big rims—customized, right? Pretty stylish. I was using my old X-T1 and the fast 35mm (~50mm-e). I like the color scheme of Dave's tractor, which I think is original, although I think the red bits are now a designer color known as "formerly red." It's a '53 Ford and according to subsequent research it's a Jubilee model, made for Ford Motor Company's 50th birthday that year, but the crest on the nose doesn't say Jubilee so I'm not sure of that. Dave says it's a '53, though, and he should know, although the tractor is older than either of us.

I ended up spending a pleasant hour helping Dave pick black currants, and some white ones too. We've been dry this year, but Dave has a pickup truck with a big tote-tank on the back he uses to haul water to the cattle. This Summer he filled up the tote and watered the currant bushes four times so they'd yield berries despite the dry weather. His crop was about half the bounty he usually gets, but much better than it would have been if he hadn't watered them. I came home with my pay in my stomach. I didn't eat too many—they're precious—but fresh-picked black currants have an amazing flavor. They're not actually all that bitter. When I walked back down the hill I was loaded—my hands were full of yellow squash, onions with dirt still on 'em, and fresh-picked kale, and I had a cucumber in my shirt pocket.

Dave's is a working farm tractor, as you can tell from the hard-won patina of age and use. If you'd like to see this same model (well, I think—something very close anyway) used as a recreational vehicle, check out this video I found of a guy whose name is Mike Hood. Mike is not only a tractor aficionado but a tractor photographer, too. (Bet you were wondering why this post didn't have "OT" on it.) He makes tractor calendars. The part about the photography doesn't come until near the end of the video.

Seems like a happy guy, doesn't he? It helps to know what you like.

Mike

*Originally a squashing-together of "the entire nation."

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Derek Kemp: "Mike, you made my day! Ha, I haven’t heard anyone use that word since I was a lad (and now at 75, that was some time ago) when my Dad used it all the time: 'What in tarnation . . .!?' I can still hear him say it, ha!"

Rod Franklin: "Based on my experience in the woods, the bird that you saw was an Eastern wild turkey. The smartest bird on this continent...according to Benjamin Franklin. I see a lot of them 'cause I live in the woods and near the swamp. Thanks for the blog. I read it every day."

Mike replies: Could have been. Another reader suggested a turkey vulture. I'm sorry I can't identify it for you; I just don't know birds that well. The turkey vulture's five-foot wingspan seems about right, though—the bird I encountered was imposingly large.

BWJones: "There is a Lamborghini tractor currently up for auction. I must say, it is beautiful, in a form-follows-function sort of way. And I like the paint scheme."

Comments

[Jeff]

Mike Hood, in the video, not Mike Ford.

[Hmm, the video itself says Mike Hood but the written description on YouTube says Mike Ford. I'll assume the narrator knows more and that the written description was a typo. --Mike]

[Helcio J. Tagliolatto]

Wow!
Compared to it, our 1968 three cylinder Valmet is a child!

[Michael]

News from the Oxford English Dictionary (but also Merriam-Webster and others): 'tarnation' = 'darnation' = 'damnation'.

And this does reflect the sense in which my Arkansas relatives of the mid-1950's used to use it.

[Bear.]

"Tarnation" I knew; it's etymology I did not. Thanks, Mike.

[Bruce Hedge]

A couple of years ago, you introduced me to the joys of Delicata squash, through a post about your local Mennonite food stalls. I managed to get seeds here in Australia from a specialist seed company in Queensland...(We're in Central Victoria) and grew the most astoundingly delicious "eat-it-all" two-person size additions to our Autumn cuisine. They keep well in the root cellar ( a newly installed fire bunker ) and there are still a dozen or so left three months after harvest. I have introduced them to participants at our local monthly food swap, sadly diminished and changed somewhat by current events, but I even noticed seedlings of them at a local nursery last year. Thanks for the intro.... any other Mennonite delicacies we should know about?? They'll be on our menus for the forseeable future.

[Mike Ferron]

Here in the Austin area it's hard not to see a Black Vulture or 3 flying in the visible sky. Seldom do they flap the wings as they ride the thermals.

There is some confusion on the differences between a buzzard and a vulture. Either way your puppy or cat is safe. They eat dead prey only. Not so with the beautiful Bald Eagles I'd often see when I lived in Central Maine. Cats and small dogs beware.

[Peter Komar]

I realize the image is small viewing it on my iPad but holy cow Mike why would you want any other camera or lens combination. Only you know how much effort went into post processing, maybe very little? I must say it looks so “film like” and a very nice image to just look at and enjoy as a moment in time captured with your camera.

[Zack Schindler]

I bet that you saw a turkey vulture as they are common in the north USA. They have a wing span of over 5 feet. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/id

[hugh crawford]

Oh the lovely Ford N series tractor. That's what I learned to drive on. It is remarkably like driving a sportscar in its directness. It turns out that it is entirely too easy to fall off and run over yourself, but I spent hundreds of hours driving one of those without incident. Then when we got an old Maseratti* I was ready. I think ours was a 1948 8N. They are super useful to keep around.

*in the 60s you could pick up an old Maseratti for hardly anything.

[David Lee]

David looks just like my father. Nice photo Mike.

[Kenneth Tanaka]

“...my hands were full of yellow squash, onions with dirt still on 'em, and fresh-picked kale, and I had a cucumber in my shirt pocket.”

You country guys sure have a strange way of making yourselves attractive to women.

[Jeff]

There are various online links to Mike Hood, tractor photographer, with his photo.

[Crabby Umbo]

The small town in Indiana I used to live in, had a Porsche Show every year (lot's of doctors who "hobby farmed"). It was were I saw my first Porsche tractor! Yes, Porsche...

https://www.automobilemag.com/news/porsche-diesel-tractor-models-history-origin/

[Jim Arthur]

Here’s a nice sampler of raptors in your neck of the woods. The max wingspan of some is quite impressive (Goshawk 45”, Red-tailed Hawk 56”, Osprey 67”, Vulture 71”, Eagle 87”).

I find raptors fascinating and have photographed Raptor Free Flights at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum on several occasions. These birds have been rescued, rehabbed, and trained and are free to leave during training flights and demonstrations if they so choose. It’s amazing to have a Great Horned Owl (300 lb/in grip strength & 48” wing span) brush your hat with a wingtip as it glides by or watch a Red-tailed hawk fall out of the sky from a mile up and whiz by your face on the way to its handlers arm.

Earlier this week I changed up my morning walk by using Google Earth to find a tree lined wash to explore. I found a Red-tailed hawk on what must be a favorite perch (feathers beneath) and a pair of barn owls in a fissure 15 feet up a cliff face. I used my EF 100-400mm to peer into the fissure and find the owls. I will be returning at dawn/dusk with my only fastish tele (EF 135mm f/2 + EF 1.4x) to hopefully catch the owls in action once the summer monsoon lets up. You do not want to be standing in a wash in the Sonoran Desert when the sky opens up.

[JimH]

The Lambo tractor reminded me about Bill Scott who runs Summit Point Raceway in Virgiinia. He collects Porsche tractors!

http://www.porsche-diesel.com/gallery.aspx

[Jeff Markus]

Mike, as per Kenneth Tanaka's suggestion, you should be okay as long as you avoid Rue Morgue Avenue.

[Bill Tyler]

If it was a turkey vulture, it had a red head. Also watch for soaring flight with very little flapping, wings held in a shallow V, and a sort of wobble from side to side. I rarely see turkey vultures anywhere but in the air, though they do land from time to time. Incidentally, vultures have some of the strongest immune systems in the animal kingdom.

[Kylian]

If you think *one* of those birds was disconcerting  -
About a week ago I wake up to the sound of something [large] clomping about on the roof above me. Hesitantly go outside, flap of large wings almost overhead as this monstrosity leaves my roof. And there are dozens of these turkey vultures/buzzards in the tops of trees all around my home; don't know how the trees bore their weight. Thought to myself, what are they doing here, pretty sure I'm still alive...
Felt like I was in "The Birds".

Should my embed fail:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/189439761@N02/50148725281/in/dateposted-public/

[craig]

the last picture i took at "the farm" was of a group of turkey vultures lounging in a giant dead tree (appropriate)

the red head really does stand out

they are pretty powerful flyers but they do dip down on takeoff...kind of like the planes coming off a carrier deck in the old war movies

turkeys on the other hand are like giant quail...airborne quickly and very fast in flight
it seems if they have to take wing they mean it

vultures will kill their dinner
they seem to carry it in their beak as opposed to their weak feet
at our place we would see them carrying snakes and squirming mammals they picked up in the pasture in front the barn

early ford tractors are amazing tools except for one way hydraulics
when we sold our place we gave the kid buying it a '47 8n...i think he liked tractor better than the ground

when my uncle "retired" from farming he bought a restored jubilee, it was absolutely gorgeous

[Michael J. Perini]

Re The Nikon 35mm being bigger than the Fuji.....
Wouldn't you expect a modern AF lens that can cover Full Frame to be bigger than one that only has to cover APS-c?
Sort of an apples & oranges comparison , no?
I hear that the Nikon f/1.8's are very nice.