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The third officer on the highway seems to be there to yell "Hold it!" when the others can't get the cars to stop on the road. He saved my bacon when I almost blundered in front of a car running the roadblock. Buickandeere's "masons" were the ones who built that magnificent limestone cave, with waterfall and courtyard. The landscaping by this masonry firm around the site is truly impressive. The quilts were a class act, as well (tossing another bone to Buickandeere), but I really enjoyed looking at the old tractors. Somebody said they had 24 acres of antique equipment at the show. The Porsche wasn't the most impressive tractor in the row, either. One of the highlights of the show was a steam engine running the saw mill. The young lady operating the power plant apparently acquired it as a wreck a few years ago and has restored it herself. It's a very impressive, self-propelled, 20 hp steam engine. A scoop: one outdoor wood furnace dealer told me that his company is testing a prototype which should be on the market by next heating season. It relies on a computer to control stack temperatures, reducing the smoke to levels acceptable for town and suburban use, and greatly improving efficiency. This guy is putting a temporary gas boiler into his new house until the improved wood heater comes out. I camped last night in the RV park and had a great chuckle this morning watching heavy duty 4WD pickups skating around in the mud. They may be great on the highway, but on a slick meadow they act like pigs on ice. Those RV campers really know what they are doing: last night by 9:00 on a rainy evening there must have been 1500 of them on lawn chairs in the entertainment tent, watching the show. The rows of lawn chairs were as orderly as those in a theatre, and they perched there, appreciating the comedian, the fiddlers and the square dancing. The comedian asked, "How many of you have been married for more than forty years?" Seemed as if they all put up their hands. I got caught by the rain in a food tent with a couple from New Brunswick, owners of a potato farm. Interesting conversation about old and new tractors before we rigged garbage-bag raincoats and set off. The people of the Listowel area are obviously proud of their community. It certainly showed in their support for the 2005 IPM. Beautiful country around there.
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