Uncle Merlin's Tractors

So, I guessed that the highlight of the Iowa trip just might be Uncle Merlin's tractors. And when I say "tractors", I mean lots and lots of tractors. Take your pick - small, medium, or large. Ford or John Deere. He's got 'em all. Or at least most of them. Four (or is it five?) working tractors are housed in the garage, along with a steam engine he built, and many toy riding tractors to complete the (garage) collection. Sarah and Eric got to ride on a big one and play on a toy one. They sat on every one of the tractors and grinned from ear to ear. They couldn't get enough of it.

If that weren't enough, there's a basement full of toy tractors. We thought that this part of the collection may be too tempting for little hands and wanted to wait until the end of the trip, but Eric got a glimpse when the door was left open. Downstairs we went - three grown ups for two kids - and they loved it all. They even received a toy tractor as a souvenir - thank you, Uncle Merlin!!

Did I mention the ATVs, the mule rides, the motorcycle, AND the Ford Model A? No? Well, they really liked all of that too. (I can give Uncle Merlin credit for the motorcycle, but the rest belong to one of my dad's cousin's kids.)