Harvest 2010

Harvest for my family is officially over!  After a little more than 3 full days of cutting the last load is in the elevator.  It was great to see all my buddies at the elevator. 

There are still two employees left from when I worked there when I was in high school so it is always nice to see them and talk about the "good old days" before hydraulic probes, computers, and a fancy shaker machine figure out dockage.

These days I drive the truck.  Since my uncle bought the semi harvest has been much more enjoyable for me.  My right arm would be almost dead after the second from all the shifting so a new automatic is heaven!  Here is my pickup with the semi in the distance.  I sometimes wonder what my grandpa, who was the official truck driver for as long as I could remember, would think of this truck.  It has air conditioning (even though my uncle swears it doesn't work right), a radio, air ride seats.  A far cry from the trucks we had when I was a kid.  My favorite truck, which we lovingly call Pinky, does get to come out at least once a year to collect the seed wheat.  I remember Grandpa heading to town in Pinky with usually 2 or 3 of us grandkids with him.  First, I really don't know how he put up with us and secondly, I don't know how we fit into that cab!

There was usually not a lot of sitting for Grandpa.  As soon as he got back from town the other truck was sitting full waiting for him.   I don't know that Pinky would hold a full dump from both combines.  The semi holds at least 2 from both combines and a little more.  Needless to say, I do have a little down time between loads.  So I take a book along and I can be found either sitting on the top rung of the ladder or leading against a tire in the shade reading. 

Thankfully harvest went pretty smoothly.  My uncle broke the belt to his spreader in the next to last field.  Other than the tarp handle attacking me and almost knocking me out, the belt was the only casualty.  The guys have planted a lot more corn this year so hopefully I can play hooky from school a day or two and go drive truck for corn harvest.