Busy Bringin in the Wheat Crop

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, though it feels like it sometimes! We have just been so busy and only get internet service through the wi-fi at the cafe in town so its been a long time since the last posting. In Colorado we worked long, long hours getting 1700 acres cut in 5 days. There was a lot of time spent driving the combines from field to field as well, with some easily 15 miles apart. It went really well in that area. The nice lady that owns the RV sites also runs a catering business and she gave us leftovers from an event, it was sure nice of her and we really enjoyed it! Most of the days there I was driving the grain cart since we were short of people, but the last couple days we only had to haul to the farmers bin so the guys could keep up without me in the field. We left Colorado early Monday morning to head for South Dakota. It started out really nice that day, I even had on a long sleeve t-shirt. We left Colorado early Monday morning to head up to South Dakota.

Driving through western Nebraska. At a truck stop in Hyannis, NE a fellow custom harvester warned us about some road work in South Dakota to avoid as he barely got through, so we will have to alter our course a little after Nebraska, but we are glad he told us about it. After leaving Hyannis and really getting into the Nebraska Sandhills and out of cell phone service, we had truck problems. The Volvo semi was losing power on the hills and literally shutting down. After a couple hours of creeping along, stopping to check things, creep along to try it out, then stop again to re-check, the guys found that a patch of very rough road had loosened 1 battery connection enough that it had all but came off. Tightened up, it was good to go the rest of the way. While it turned our 8 hour trip into an 11 plus hours trip, it is good it wasn't anything major or expensive wrong with the truck!

Well I got these few pictures uploaded on here, but that has been painfully slow. I may take the computer along this afternoon when I go to Faith to get groceries and see if the pictures will upload faster there. I can't sit in this cafe all day, and the guys will be wondering where their lunch is in a little while.

I am in Faith now, just picked up some new gaskets for one of the trucks and am trying to finish updating this before I get groceries. So after we moved the 1st round of machinery up to SD we stayed overnight at the campers. The next morning Jon & Holly headed to ND to put business cards out and try to get some work up there. The rest of the guys headed back to CO to get the 2nd load of machinery up to SD. We all headed home after that. The wheat in South Dakota was still quite green at the time, so we had at least a week until we would combine. Everyone got to be home for about a week over the 4th of July. It was a nice break for everyone.

The guys all came back on the Thursday after the 4th. Of course it rained that night so the guys had to wait a couple days to start in combining again. Holly stayed home until Monday morning when she and her grandparents came out so they could visit a couple days. They brought a whole bag of cucumbers from their garden out and we sure enjoyed them! They went home on Thursday and Dave went back with them (he came out after teh 4th with the guys for a few days). Holly washed all the towels that day, then the sheets Friday, and all the clothes on Saturday. We have friends who are harvesters also that stay right next to us in this town. It has been really fun to get to visit with them whenever we have a few minutes. Lisa went home to MN on Saturday for a couple weeks but will be back out wherever Chad is towards the end of the month. We hope to catch up with them again. Marg brought Levi(Caleb's twin who will be working with us also now!) out on Saturday and Kyle's parents stopped by for the day on their way to Sheridan, WY. So it was quite hectic with all the visitors, but it was fun too.

Taking supper out to the field, you never know what will be on the road, no bull about it! To get to the fields we were working at the road goes over cattle grates (so they don't get out) and through several pastures, the cattle may or may not be on the road, gotta watch out!

Kyle's parents had sloppy joes in the field at lunchtime with us and they treated us to a feast at suppertime: pork steak, corn on the cob, salads, and I made apple crisp. It was so good. I think they really enjoyed seeing the wheat harvest, and Kyle of course too!

When the elevator runs out of room they pile it on the ground until they get time to get it all hauled the 100 miles or so it needs to go. We don't have to worry about it, the farmer we cut for had 3 60,000 bushel bins and several smaller bins we haul his grain to.

Jon crawled up the farmers bin to help get the auger set up. They take it down and put it up everyday.

Dan D. is in the tractor and Jake is in the middle directing and communicating between the 2.

Jake's ready to go to the field!

Dan, unloading the truck.

We get to the field after church on Sunday and Jake says, "You are coming on a date with me Marg!" oh? where to? well in the grain cart of course! aren't they cute :)

Jake is giving Levi the grain cart tutorial.

Food is here! Leftover clean up, I love those kind of meals!

There have been some pretty big fields we get to harvest here in SD. There are 800 and 1000 acre fields, to us that is really big. This farmer we work for has 2 combines of his one, 1 new Case and 1 newer JD, plus he has a grain cart and trucks as well so we work with him and his couple hired guys. This year his oldest son is in the field as well driving grain cart. He is ONLY 13! And he is driving the JD 8300 with a 1000 bushel grain cart. He is doing a great job for how young he is.

On Monday night a storm came up fast. Marg & I went to Isabel to get an alternator. It was very dark up that way and lots of lightning starting grass fires, boy were they praying for rain in those clouds and not just lightning. We headed back south to Dupree and worked on getting supper ready. The pork roasts were done in the crock pot so we just had to get potatoes and green beans ready. In a short time it was cooler outside than in the camper. The temp dropped 20-30 degrees and the wind switched from the east to the west and really picked up. It was getting very dark too. Jon said they would be coming in soon that this rain was almost to them in the field. So at least we wouldn't have to take supper to the field, they could eat in the camper. Well a short time later Marg & I couldn't even hear each other in the camper, the hail was so loud. It was marble to nickly size, bigger in the field I guess, and it cracked and came right through 2 of the plastic vents in our camper. Then the wind sucked out the cardboard above our extra air conditioner and that window was banging up and down against the air conditioner. We had our hands full trying to get to everything. Nothing broke in the other camper, but water came in somewhere.

Dan D's artwork.

The guys hoisted Kyle up on our roof to tape up the broken vents until we can get them replaced. About 2 inches of rain had fallen so no combining on Tuesday. A few repairs and then we all went to the community pool in Faith. It was quite a comical sight with these guys going down the slide and off the diving board, but a fun time. :)

I think this is the first time we have had the awning out all summer! Its like cooking for a party every meal around here. The fun just never stops.... Wednesday it was a little too wet in the morning so the guys came back to the camper to eat then were able to combine all afternoon.