4-24-18 A tour of a John Deere Combine Factory

A guided tour that took 2 hours to see how precise the Combines were made.  Very impressive.  We could not take pictures inside the factory for security purposes but we did take pictures of the finished product inside the showroom.  It was huge.

This combine is huge. One costs about $500,000 to $600,00

Looking out the window of the combine

Al at the wheel of the combine

Kathy standing next to the wheel of a combine

Kathy sitting in the wheel

At the wheel of a combine

Senior Missionary excursion to the Amish Country in Kolona, Iowa 4-23-18

We participated in a group excursion to the Amish Country in Kolona, Iowa to see an Old Amish Museum and some buildings.  Other things we experienced was a Amish buggy factory and an Amish farm.  We had a great lunch at an Mennonite home.

 Amish Buggy at a Amish Farm.  But notice a piece of machinery next to it.

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Quite a site.  The buggies are equipped with tail lights and blinkers as required by light.  A car battery supplies the electricty

 Have to have a picture of us in the new buggy.

Newly completed buggy ready for the customer

Framed with wood and metal. Places to put LED lights and battery

Beautiful upholstery

Baby calf at the Amish Farm

Bat Dog....haha..Beagle Puppy barking out of the window of the barn

Cute shot of the puppy peaking over the edge of the barn

Huge old Anvil at the buggy factory

Corn stored for feeding cattle and pigs at the Amish Farm

Old treadle Singer sewing machine at the Amish buggy factory

Singer Sewing machine -- treadle or foot operated.  It is used for heavy stitching as in leather

Photo courtesy of Elder Gary Weight from the Temple Missionary Group

We had a delicious lunch of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, peas, dressing and homemade bread made my this lovely Mennonite family with the matriarch being the main cook.  Her daughter to her left and flanked by two adorable granddaughters that helped serve the food to each table.  The tables were very big and I will post pictures of tables when I get them from other Missionary couples.

The Following photos are courtesy of Sister Kathy MacKay

This lady made us all a delicious lunch

All of us at the Mennonite home having a delicious lunch

This is the way they plow

A Visit to the museum of Anhauser-Busch Beer Brewery

Even though we do not subscribe to drinking alcohol, we did take a tour of this brewery. Our tour guide, Page, was very respectful of our status of being LDS Missionaries and answered questions as to the beginnings of the brewery and how beer is made and how the Clydesdale horses became a mascot of sorts for the company.  We appreciated her tour which educated us on how two men from Germany started a company that survived the prohibition of alcohol.  It is also impressive on how clean everything is and how ornate the various areas of the brewery is. The company treats their employees well.  We enjoyed our visit.....even though we do not drink alcohol.

 Us inside the museum where the horses are kept and the wagons used over 100 years ago.

This Clydesdale Horse is in an outdoor pen for viewing by the guests. The Horses are well taken care of with baths daily and food to the precise portion. There is a special farm for the Clydesdale horses where they are bred, trained and also a place for retiring Clydesdale horses. The average age of the lifetime of these magnificent animals is 20 years.  There is a special cemetery for deceased horses.

The front of the museum

The Clock Tower at the Brewery

Al and tour guide Page in the room of the aging vats of beer. The odor we noticed most was of the grain that was used and the fermentation taking place.  Not the most pleasant odor.

Kathy at the well kept and ornate level of the brewery.

The Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri. The Gateway to the West

Kathy is very frightened of heights and was adamant about NOT taking the ride to the top of the arch.  Once she saw a video on how the enclosed cars go to the top and how safe it was to look out the windows, she agreed to go to the top.  All was well and we both enjoyed it.

An art impression of the building of the Arch, Gateway to the West

The Missouri River

A view of the capitol building that was a mile away from the Arch

Elder Al and Sister Kathy at the top of Arch.  We made it. The video presentation of the step by step building of the Arch is what was most frightening.  That is the only time that Kathy felt queasy.

Looking up at the Arch

A Unique shot of the Arch between two buildings.

A visit to the Lewis and Clark Museum

The Lewis and Clark Boat House and Museum

We visited this museum and viewed a film on how Lewis and Clark undertook an arduous expedition to reach the Pacific Ocean.  We learned much on how difficult this was.

A visit to the Saint Louis Temple

We went to the St. Louis, Missouri Temple for a beautiful temple service

A historical visit to a Confederate Cemetery April 18, 2018

This monument to Confederate POW Soldiers is in Saint Charles, Missouri.  Elder Al's ancestor, a distant cousin, died here as a result of freezing temperatures.  He was 20 years old.  Around the monument are the names of all those who passed away.  More than 1500 during that time.  The name is Benjamin J. Balkum.