Evening Spencer,
At first I assumed your comment was the one with Bob pulling the dirt from around the auger. I don't let anyone near the auger if it's under power.
The kids were quite safe I assure you. First thing is in those soil conditions you cut better with a nice slow turning. It's sorta like cutting steel. Sometimes slower is a lot better.
The auger was thirty inches or so into the ground and the tractor was just above idle. We were discussing the type of rock I was cutting and the kids and the father stepped closer for a look. But I can assure you they were clear when the auger came out of the hole.
My biggest safety concern was that dog. He's older than water, deaf, blind, and everywhere, you saw him under the dovetail in the first picture. I just knew he was going to get behind the tractor and I was going to roll over him.
His owner, the guy in the picture with the boys, kept assuring me that the dog hadn't got that old by being stupid. Of course I couldn't see what being old, blind, and deaf has anything to do with stupid.