Scene From a Bike Ride

As a landscaper, I'm a lover of beautiful scenery such as this. About two months ago I went for a 12 mile bike ride after work and I came across this scenic sight about a mile from my house. I often see scenery such as this near my house but since I was on a bike this time I decided to stop and take some photos.  As I gazed into the hay field I felt like I was somewhere far away, somewhere serene, regardless to the fact that I was on the side of a main (sort of) road. This behemoth is a mid 1960s International 656 Hydro with a John Deere hay mower behind it. Not the  type of tractor I collect but  I figured if I enjoyed this view then so would someone else.

A Bit of Art

Other than collecting antique tractors, I absolutely love drawing. I drew this piece about one year ago in my dorm room when I had some free time. I had nothing to look at while drawing this, it was a bit of a freestyle drawing. I am not entirely sure what model John Deere tractor it is that I drew but it is definitely early 1930's, judging by the body style. While I may not have ever been properly trained how to draw, I'd say this was one of my most successful drawings using only pen and colored pencil. Surprisingly, I do not own an antique John Deere tractor. I don't know how the market is in the rest of the country, but in New England John Deere's are far too expensive for my liking. For now I'll stick to collecting my International Harvesters and Allis Chalmers.

It's All About Timing

Sometimes when you've got an engine apart you've got to take a minute to stop what you're doing and take a photo. Here we see the timing gears at the front end of a Ford Model 8n engine.There's something photogenic about these heavy steel gears with precision angled teeth. Timing gears have since been outdated and mostly replaced by timing belts. Nevertheless, these gears will be performing their duty for a long time to come.

My First Restoration Project

My father and his family came to the United States from Italy in 1970. Just like all other Italian immigrants, they lived in the city in a predominantly Italian neighborhood. Of course they liked the hustle and bustle of the city, however my father often missed the farms and fresh country air of his home village of Pietravairano. This desire to be out in the country stayed with my father to this day. When he  married my mother,  they purchased a lovely house away from the city and and raised three kids there. Ever since I was a small child I loved being on and around farms as often as I could. My love for history is also just like my father's so we collect antiques together. In the summer of 2009 we purchased the tractor pictured above. It is a 1944 International Harvester Industrial Model A. By 2009 I had been to dozens of county fairs and tractor shows/pulls yet I had never seen an International Harvester tractor that wasn't dressed in the infamous IH Red paint. The tractor grasped our attention instantly. We made the purchase and proceeded to haul the tractor behind us, smell of diesel exhaust in the air, for about 70 miles. Little did I know, but the next three years of my life would be spent working on this old beast for hours on end with my father and brother. Today, this tractor is still the only one of its kind I have ever seen at the nearby tractor shows. According to other collectors I have spoken to, this tractor is worth a pretty penny due to its condition and its rarity... Too bad I'll never sell it.