Something You Dont See Everyday!

Once upon a time, there was a company in Montana called "Northern Manufacturing Company". The company began building tractors in the 1970's if I remember correctly. They produced a line of tractors called "Big Bud". In fact they built one tractor that still holds the record as the largest tractor ever built. But they also made some more modest sized tractors that are pretty rare to see today. They stand out in the fields because they are painted bright white.

I was returning home from an art sale in Medicine Hat, Alberta when I spotted a white tractor on a hill. It took me a moment to realize I was seeing a rare Big Bud tractor sitting in a field waiting to goto work.

With a large set of disks hanging on it, this Big Bud is in fabulous shape and made for a couple of beautiful images of this beast waiting to get out and stir some dust again.

Just waiting to "Giv Er".

The Gallery In Early October

Well the outside of the gallery is pretty well finished the construction phase. Some details here and there like skirting the deck and parging below the siding remains, but you can really see how things are going to look now.

Our fabulous contractor (Tim Hovdestad of Westward Homes in Moosomin) has done a brilliant job of managing the project and some incredible carpentry work outside on the deck where we will have seating for customers of the cafe. Tim's work is second to none and he is a super nice guy as well. We were blessed to have him on the job. The handicapped ramp is totally amazing work.

This shot was taken a day before the final grading of the site was to begin.

More Gallery Pictures From The Early Construction Phase

This is myself and my older brother at the end of his stay helping me. He busted his tail (And elbow, one thumbnail and a mysterious scrape that got infected) with me making my dream come true and I will forever be in his debt and of course his wife Pearl who fed us and kept us working. Thanks you two!!

Very Late Update On My Gallery's Contstruction Progress

Well this update is long overdue. I seem to have a bear of a time posting multiple pictures in the Blog so I will add a couple of entries today just to show where the gallery has progressed to.

I also need to thank my oldest brother Garry and his wife Pearl for contributing most of their summer holidays to helping with the construction. They were awesome and I am in their debt.

The summer rains held our contractor up continuously and when I arrived on site in the second week of July, I was not met by a building shell that was closed in and ready to work in as I had hoped. But, it was closed in enough for my brother and I to begin the interior work.

We threw ourselves into the job and began building all the interior walls on the main floor and then the walls downstairs. Followed it up with insulating and vapour barriers and then hired some awesome guys to hang the drywall. Here is what things looked like as we arrived on the job site. Definitely not the closed in shingled shell we had hoped for. But it didn't slow us down.