Hi Cody, Patrick and Bryce:

This is a story just for you. I know you all like monster trucks. I want to tell you about monster tractors. Tractors are what farmers use to plow their fields. They have big huge wheels on the back and small tires on the front. They are not made to go fast like race cars, or mash cars like monster trucks. They are made to pull hard.

Nana and I are in Windsor, Nova Scotia. That is on the far eastern side of Canada and we are attending a Tractor Pull this weekend. These tractors have funny names like Haywire, Intimidator, Bandit and Backroad Bully. Some of them have Diesel engines like our motor home, but others have super hot, alcohol burning engines. Some even have two engines to double their power.

To see who will be crowned “Giant of the Valley,” they have to pull a heavy sled down a dirt track. The sled is built so that it gets harder to pull the further they pull it. The dirt flies out from under their tires and the Diesel tractors shoot out clouds of black smoke when they are working hard. They usually do wheelies all the way down the track, and the only way they can steer is to step on the brakes for one rear wheel or the other. They are very loud like the Monster Trucks. If they get outside the lines they are disqualified. They measure the distance with a laser and the tractor that pulls the sled the furthest, wins.

We were rooting for a young man named Mitch Thomas from New Brunswick. His tractor was named “Haywire.” Here is a picture of “Haywire” pulling the sled.

Now here is a top fuel tractor called “Intimidator” pulling the sled. The sled is named “The Judge.”

Notice that it has little bitty wheels up front and it has two engines and they are running on alcohol so there is no black smoke. Oh yes all of the speckles showing up in the sky are dirt clods being thrown by its tires.

When all of the dirt clods had settled and the smoke cleared, the winner of the “Giant of the Valley” award was Backroad Bully. Our favorite, Mitch Thomas on “Haywire,” had to shut down in the middle of his last pull. Something bad happened to his engine. He will very likely spend most of this week repairing the damage to get ready for the tractor pull next weekend.

I hear that summer school is over and summer fun can begin. We both hope you have a great summer. We love all of you. Bye now, Nana and Papa.