a day in history...

The beginning of a very important aka history making day. This is the day of the Adrian Fire Department's celebration.. the day we have come out for... a day that we get to share in....a day that has taken (literally) years of planning... It begins with a  parade and then the water games, muster and open house will follow. 

I've seen a lot of musters but this water ball will be new to me and after seeing what it takes to even put it up... I bet it's going to be a great game to watch.

A few of the redshirts had made the trip as well. They will be here with Protection No.2 as her family to support her on this very special day.

Everyone -- especially Ed, is pleased that Protection No.2 has traveled well. Last minute polishing and looking over to make sure she is ready for her debut....  and she is ....

The parade line up was a few blocks from the station, so she was carefully pulled there... but during the parade members of the Redshirts, along with members of the Adrian Fire Department will be pulling her during the parade. Everyone is so excited and they all find it wonderful to think of this old fire piece on the streets once again.. where she had served as a brand new piece so many years ago.

And so we begin. I thought it was rather sad that the crowd along the way were not bigger. And even though the fire department advertised this event, unless you are some how involved, no one truly understood what this was all about. The children seemed excited to see the fire trucks... and thought Protection No. 2 was "cool".. but they didn't know that there was a day when she "protected" their city... well... we appreciate it, that for sure

Because I don't know the city, I just followed along.. but I did begin to think.. "goodness" this is a long parade... because it seemed to go on and on... turning onto this street and then onto another...

And then we were told why. Jeff wanted to bring Protection No.2 to the spot where she had lived as a new fire piece. Her station is long gone, but the idea that this (vacant parking lot) was truly once her home, had a heart felt feeling about it. Again, if you're not involved in the fire service, or have a love for old things like this, it can be a hard thing to understand... but no one here, on this day had a hard time understanding.. and in fact, I saw a few tears when people began to realize what this was all about. 

It was nice to see the "new" pieces all lined up along the way.... because of pieces like Protection No.2 and the men who served with her all those years ago... fire pieces like these, and men like my Ed and Jeff... and so many others..have learned all kinds of things along the way. Improvement on fire fighting equipment.. safety... the science of fire, have all come from the generations before. 

And what better place for photo opts...

Jeff and Brenda... our hosts, and the two people who began all of this..... such a huge day for them... a successful, huge day....

Then it was time to head back to the main station and begin the fun... Protection No. 2 was carefully pulled back. As she rolled past this station (which was not her's but here when she did serve)... I managed to get this shot.... I am so pleased that even though this station is now an office building, they have kept the original look to it... 

The big rounded doors, were steamers pulled by horses used to leave from.... the fires that they all protected the city from...

And from one moment to the next, she goes from the past and back into the future... 

Let the games begin!!! so the idea is to move this "ball" which is on a rope, over into the other teams zone.... it's wet, it's wild and the teams are serious players....

The crowd was pretty amazed by it all (so was I)

Jeff was able to take us on a little tour... the old fire station that is now the office building... not only is it original on the outside, but much of it has been preserved on the inside... including old photos of when the building was... of course, anything with horses has my attention and I loved this one of an old steamer and it's team that was taken in front of this very building

They have even kept the hose tower (where drying out the hose after it was used was a must).... and some of the guys took the time to climb the stairs and ladders to the top. When I was a little girl, I remember a hose tower in the fire station where my Dad served (even as a Chief)... but as things have progressed fire hoses no longer have to be dried and can go right back on the trucks... so many new fire houses don't have towers any more....and (my camera battery had died by now).. they even have the brass pole in the building, which some of the guys tired...

After a great day of fun... there was a banquet as well. Protection No2 was brought to the banquet and set up as a piece of honor. 

Ed and Mark

Mark was invited to open the banquet and say a prayer

Ed was invited to speak on being the care taker of Protection No 2.. our trip out there, and the restoration that he did a couple of years ago. Everyone was so interested in "what" Protection No2 life is like now and the history as much as we know of her since the days that she left Adrian

Beside bringing Protection No 2 back to the city, Jeff had done so much with all of this. In the history he had found the names of the men who died in the fire service in Adrian. He found their grave sites, knew their stories and then invited their families (some generations old) to attend as honored guests. All were given awards of appreciation that the loved one had earned in the fire service. There were seven men that lost their lives serving in the fire service of this city.... their stories were interesting and sad. And I think that some of the families members never really knew them, but now they do. 

The other neat thing was families got to meet other families and learn that their member served with a member of the other family. Or that someone's relative was at the funeral of someone else's relative... the connections were real and emotional .

Ed and Mark made a presentation to Jeff and the city of a copy of the book we did about Protection No. 2 restoration and then, they took a finial off her, an original .. that will be put into a memory box and left at the fire station .. a little token from Protection No. 2

this wonderful day and evening was last captured in a photo of our guys who traveled out, and the Adrian folks .. forever our friends, and another great memory/moment due to an old fire piece that we call... Protection No. 2

we're on the road!!!!

Yesterday, the truck pulled a hay wagon... today... a car hauling trailer.... and inside... Protection No. 2.... we're heading to Adrian Michigan to celebrate their fire department's 175th anniversary. This trip has been in the works (for us) a year... for the fire department a few years... and I am sure that everyone is so excited that the time has finally come......

We had hoped to get to Michigan in one day.. but because we were so late getting started (due to the hay)... we ended spending the night in Erie PA..... just four hours shy of Adrian, but it was late and we were tired..... 

The trailer has pulled well... giving Protection No. 2 a good ride.... Ed, of course, has been carefully hauling....it's been a long ride, but a good ride and we are seeing parts of the country that we have never seen before....

Hello Ohio..... I have been teasing that I hoped there was land west of Vermont....not having been this far "west" before.... I am pleased to say that there is...

Adrian is sort of in the middle of Michigan.. so my "dreams" of seeing the great lakes wasn't exactly what I thought. However, as we approached Cleveland... we did catch a glimpse of Lake Erie....

As big as it looks to me, it could have been the ocean... and I understand that this isn't even the "biggest" lake... but we'll put this back on the bucket list... "to see the great lakes"....

Hello to Michigan.... honestly, by now we were pretty happy to see this sign... it's a good ride, but a long one, and we'll be happy to get where we're going...

Even better... "the" exit....













So, why Adrian and why Protection No. 2.... Protection No. 2 is an 1853 Button hand tub... She was bought, brand new, by the town of Adrian Michigan... when Jeff began to do the history on his department, he did a search as was so surprised to learn that Protection No. 2 was still around. He contacted the Red Shirts and made the trip out to see if this really was the same fire piece. That was 10 years ago, and since that time, Jeff and Brenda have become very good friends with all of us. They have come out for several of our firemen's musters...

.

As their anniversary approached.. Jeff asked the Red Shirts if they would consider allowing Protection No.2  to come out to the celebration. Their answer was yes, provided that Ed was willing to take it out. And we saw this as a great opportunity and were more than happy to give her a ride "home"..

As we pulled into the station, everyone was so excited to see her.... and I think they were surprised at just how beautiful she is... 

They couldn't believe that Ed had done the restoration work and she looks as good... if not better than she did so long ago....

This is not the station that she worked out of... that building was a few blocks away from the station of today... and sadly, it burned down in 1950...but the fact that she was back in the Adrian Fire house and on the streets that she once served... it was a very special moment...








As usual,,, Ed fussed over her, making sure that everything  was and is... just so...

We arrived in time for an open house that Jeff had planned. Several people aside from the fire fighters came to see her. And I think sitting there beside the modern trucks.. she held her own for sure. 











The weekend ahead is filled with all sorts of activities... tomorrow a parade... muster and banquet.... and Protection No.2 will be the queen of the ceremonies 

This is one of the original fire houses... (not Protection No.2)  but it looks very much like the house she was in. The building is now an office building, but they have kept the original look and the hose tower (in the back).. tomorrow we get to tour it, and I understand there are many things about it that are original to it's history. 

Love the weather vane.....

Mark from the Red Shirts arrived later in the day.... he was glad to see that she traveled well. Four of the Red shirts will be coming for the celebrations... plus three of the guys from our fire company .. and Ed and I... so, that makes a pretty good showing with us from the "east'>..

It's going to be a great weekend. Full of history, traditions, good friendship and adventure.... 


I am so happy to be here and share in all of this.... 

a night of hay...;

As a "rule"... once I begin to see Father knocking down the hayfields, I am a happy girl. With the hay loft beginning to look empty and the knowing of how much hay we need for the winter months... it's always a comfort to me to see the hay getting ready to come in. However, this year..... when I saw the hay drying in the field.. my thought was "oh no!!!" We are leaving for a trip tomorrow... and knowing we can't get all the hay brought in in a day... I will be leaving this job to others. 

We have been planning our trip for almost a year... but, when we found out the dates were in June, a small dread did begin to creep in. June is such a busy month for us with everything that we seem to manage.... so, I decided, as best I can, that this is just one of those things that I can't have complete control over and sometimes, it's best to just let go and allow things to plan out on their own accord. At any rate, it will give us the chance to try out new hay wagon, which makes Ed feel better because the flat bed trailer always made him nervous when having to haul hay. 

Because it had to dry all day in the sun... the hay wasn't (isn't) ready to baled and brought in until the end of the day. We were hoping to be on the road bright and early in the morning, but again... what needs to be done.. needs to be done.....

The first load was ready around dinner time. Denise, Ed and I headed down to the field...We decided that we would just do the best we can....but I feared it was going to be a rather long evening....

I will say... the hay is looking good, and with this nice stretch of weather... it's a good time to bring it in...

First load..... 

Everything went along quite well.... the trailer pulled nice, the hay elevator worked well.... after this load, Ed had to attend a meeting at the Town Hall... which left the rest of the work up to us gals. Astrid (who is minding the farm while we are away) arrived and jumped right in on the activities.  .. then Sadie came up... so, the second load was all us....

Girl power for sure.....

We brought in a total of three loads of hay. Almost 500 bales.... Ed arrived to help with the last load, which we put in around 9:30 pm. Supper was at 10:00 pm..... We were hoping to start our trip around 5:00 the next morning, but since we hadn't packed... and there were still some loose ends to tie up.... no way were we on the road that early.... 

To top it off, there are still another 500 bales to come in, and as much as I hated to.. I had to leave the rest to the gals. They all assure me that it's fine, and to go and not worry....easier said than done..... but again... I just have to let go what I can't do and trust..... 

I know the hay will get in... and it's time to look forward to some time away and a chance to have some fun and see new things....

party for 10