Good afternoon from the sunny West Coast, from the land of it is only six weeks til Hockey season.
I sure am going to miss going to the rink(s) now the kid is going off to University. He said all his goodbyes to everyone last spring when he returned from his last tourney in Calgary.
The phone has been ringing from all the people that use to get him to babysit and tutor over the years to see if his sister will take over from where he left off. She seems agreeable to the idea after seeing the money #1 son made tutoring. Like her brother, she is an "honours with distinction" student, so helps a "B" student become an "A" student.
The movie/TV biz, hiatus, must be over. They take time off at the end of August to have a bit of a holiday with their families before the kids go back to school. The kid has been getting some calls directly from a couple of directors he has worked with on some of his projects. The casting companies are also calling even though he has informed them he is off to school at the end of the month. He got a call asking if he might think about flying back from Ottawa for three days if they need him to do some filler shots for continuity purposes. I am not sure of the details on that one yet, though I can't see it happening. He will be flying home in October (one week), December (3 weeks), February (1 week) and when school ends in April.
My wife was in the checkout line at Safeway and the lady behind her was talking about working on "Legends of tomorrow" and "Deadpool" to her friend. My wife turned and said my son worked on those. The lady asked what the kids name was and when she found out she instantly knew who he was. She was a script/continuity director and had nothing but good things to say about the kid. That made the wife's day.
Well, the eclipse was a bit of a bust here. It was 90%, however, it just seemed like a big cloud had gone over. I was expecting a bit more than that, oh well. One thing I did notice was, all the birds went completely silent when it started, and our dogs went and lay quite close to each other out in the yard while it was happening. They were lying there looking around wondering what was going on even though in my eyes it was minimal.
Starting to get into fall mode today and am putting the top back on the truck. I have it set up so I just have to back into the garage and hook the canopy to the ceiling and drive out. I do the reverse to put it back on. It requires very little effort to do.
I think I will take the pool down as I doubt it will get used again this year. I can count the times on one hand that anyone was in it this summer as everyone was so busy. Over the years that pool had kids in it everyday from dawn to past dusk. I guess it just means the kids are moving on in life. The house was always a beehive of activity and full of kids in the past, but not this summer. The pool holds 60,000 litres of B.C.s finest. I will put it up next year, but that will likely be the last time if it doesn't get used again. Lugging 9-20 KG bags of salt home and dumping it in the pool is getting harder to do every year as my Arthritis gets worse.
Ray, That kid working that engine is one lucky guy!
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Evenin' folks!
Janie, I could use a cup of decaf and a slice of the blueberry poie with some whipped cream on it, Please. Huh? No whipped cream? Well....... I guess I'll have to do with some Cool Whip then. At least I do get to see the tank cars full of corn syrup running by at speed on the LA&L next to the Museum from time to time.
BATMANRay, That kid working that engine is one lucky guy!
Oh yeah!!! He was one kid who was pleased with himself.... He is a great young man and has ofetn helped as Car Host out there, and also works as a guide in both yards to answer questions to our guests. His Mom serves in several positions as well as Dad being a board members and officer of the Museum.
BTW here is the "New" flat car we rebult into an open air observation car. (It was originally an old US Army flat car and has the old Journal box axels.)
Here is one of her backing up a few feet with the crew from the owner of the loco.
One of the high points of the day last Saturday was when their engineer was riding out on the front porch of my caboose and overheard a lady ask me what "Torpedos" were.... I told her, "Oh we have to have torpedos in the caboose!" and was about to explain what they were for, when the engineer comes in and looks behind the door where the Fuzees and Torpedoes would be (We have the old boxes in each caboose for historical reasons, but do not have them on board). His eyes were wide open and he says to me, "You ---- well better not have Torpedoes on board! They are illegal!!! They lady who asked is now wishing she hadn't asked... I told them with a grin that we don't have them on board, but would have 50 years ago. I did mention that the Museum does have them under lock and key somewhere. Again, the engineer says you can't have them, they're illegal. I assured him that as a museum we are allowed to have them and under strictly controlled circumstances can do a demo with them. He was still shaking his head in disbelief. LOL I checked out the accuracy of what I told him later and, yup! I was right. (I did explain to the family that asked what they were, what they were used for, and why they aren't needed today...)
I had to make another trip to Penn Yan today about the old chainsaw I donated to the Museum several years ago. Dropped it off for some repairs. On the way back home I stopped at the corn stand right around the corner. The young lady (absolutely adorable black teenager with the cutest freckles I have ever seen) askes me if I had seen the eclipse. I told her only what has been shown on my computer so far. It was right after the peak of the eclipse here in the Finger Lakes which was about 84%. She got excited and asked if I wanted to see it and that she had her glasses for it right there. I took her up on it and then bought a couple ears of corn. It was really neat to see the eclipse, I might add. We had a nice clear day here in the Finger Lakes. I don't know how he does it, but the farmer who owns the stand gets some of the nicest kids working for him every year!
Hope you all have a great night! Stay safe out there...
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
tin canMB: we have curbside pick up of large stuff every week, even old fencing. There are scavengers who go through the piles, even though it is against city ordinance. Anything metal is picked up, for sure. At the end of a semester, the college kids throw out furniture deluxe.
Yes, we depend on the "underground DPW" to get rid of things like old air conditioners, which I assume are picked up for scrap metal value. We have 3 big IKEA-style bookcases I'd like to get rid of, but those don't always go away, and if it rains they are ruined because they're just particle board.
They picked up everything today except the stuff the wife put out that I knew they wouldn't take. But, I can't tell her because she does not understand that the rules we all live by apply to her, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Eclipse: Very clear view (89%). There was a viewing party at our local library. They had quite a few of the cereal box viewers. I even saw a few viewers built from mailing tubes! I had my glasses with me and I even let a few people borrow them for a diffrent view than they had. It got dark enough for my photogrey lenses to shut off. I even could see the individual hairs in my very bushy beard in my shadow. (Doesn't normally happen in the middle of the day.)
Hobby Front: Got the latest caboose this morning. Got the weight kit installed. Very stubborn lettering! Ended up having to paint over the old numbers. The renumbering is a project for this evening yet. (Yes photos will be taken.) Got the additional decal sets (Gondola & Hopper) placed on order. (Waiting for the seller to get back on combined shipping.) Got some unexpected funds which helped.
Anyone else watching Google maps to see the post-Eclipalitic traffic? There are multiple sections of interstate highways with massive backups. (Solid red from south of Idaho Falls to south of Pocatello.) My son lives in Rexburg, Idaho right in the middle of the path and he said it was absolutely amazing. I was content to use my eclipse glasses in Arizona and see 68% coverage. Even with the limited coverage, there was a big difference in the radiant heat from the sun. And now we go back to our regularly scheduled program, expect those stuck in traffic on the interstates.
Richard
I caught a second or two of the eclipse, in SE Wisconsin, by using my welding helmet. I think was about 89%, if I remember corrctly, in WI. The rest of time, it was too cloudy. Then a open spot appeared, the sky brightened, and the color turned, so I grabbed the helmet.
I wasn't sure about the lense being a #12 or higher, so took a very quick glimpse, and turned away.
Mike.
My You Tube
Good evening.
The eclipse was amazing here. The moon looked like a big black disc with a huge ring of fire around it. Awesome!
Altogether we had 10 visitors from out of town. We still have four with us this evening. Those who headed home immediately after the eclipse regretted their decision because of heavy traffic. For example, our son and his family headed to their home shortly after the eclipse. Five hours later they only traveled 100 miles of their 330 mile trip home near Cincinnati .
While they were stuck in traffic , the rest of us went boating .
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
MisterBeasleyYes, we depend on the "underground DPW" to get rid of things
Over the years we have put out tons of usable stuff and rarely does it last for more than a few hours before it magically disappears. A couple of years ago we put out an old roll top desk that was in bad condition, and the roll top was missing. It was gone in less than an hour. A couple of weeks later a lady knocked on our door, and she said she had something for us. We didn't have a clue who she was. She proceeded to hand us $75.00. She was the person who had taken the desk. She had painted the desk art deco style and sold it for what she described was a good price. She thought we deserved a share! Just proves that there are still good people out there!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning, Diners! It's my wife's (mumble)ty-sixth birthday, so everyone have a slice of birthday cake, on me!
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Morning diners,
Steven- Hey happy birthday to your wife for me. I wouldn't mind having a slice.
The stuff I normally see are the old tv entertainment cabinets, dishwashers, washer/dryers, desks, and tables. Sometimes I'll see kitchen cabinets, stereo speakers and tvs without remotes. (Even though it reads it works free). It's not worth it without the remote.
Eclipse: I made my out of an old cereal box. I saw the moon slowly taking the sun in the beginning and end but not the middle. The arizona desert became to hot and bright that I couldn't see this tiny moon passing the bigger star.
Amtrak America, 1971-Present.
Steven OtteGood morning, Diners! It's my wife's (mumble)ty-sixth birthday. . .
Tell her happy twenty-sixth from me, you craddle robber, you.
hon30critterOver the years we have put out tons of usable stuff and rarely does it last for more than a few hours before it magically disappears.
Years ago, I had an old dehumidifier. It was not working, and I assumed it needed a new charge of refrigerant. But, I knew that taking it in for that would actually cost more than buying a new one, so I put the old one out. It disappeared quickly. Then, I was in the basement and found the plastic cover plate and control knobs for it. I had hoped it was picked up by someone who was going to fix it rather than scrap it, so I taped the knobs to the panel and put that out, too. Sure enough, he found them and took them.
Mornin' everyone!
Zoe, I'll have a slice of the Birthday Cake that Steven brought in... Huh? What's wrong with cake for breakfast? Don't you dare tell my doctor! As long as the A1C is normal, he doesn't care (much) what I eat..... Oh, a pot of Seneca Lake Blend Dark Roast, organic, Fair Traded Coffee would be enjoyed as well.
Quote just for Steven:
"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age." - Robert Frost
The city DPW Crew arrived bright and early this morning to dig up the street in front of my house. No, I don't know exactly what time as I was sound asleep in bed at that time and without my hearing aids didn't hear a thing. Supposedly they are replacing the water main. I thought they were doing a much longer piece, but they only did the area right in front of the neighbor's driveway across the street. They are still repaving the section so I don't know what else they will be doing.
I need to get outside and mow lawn today as well as do some shopping for a few items.
Currently 85°F outside under cloudy skies. Calling for some strong storms this afternoon. Best get myself at it... Later!
The plumber showed up at 8 o'clock yesterday morning. Took him only 30 minutes to replace 25' of copper pipe with plastic pipe. The old saddle valve has been replaced with a tee & a quarter turn shut off valve. It's really a nice system, but does require some special tools. We were both surprised to see that the old pipe was failing in about a half a dozen places. All that was covered up with some foam insulation because that pipe use to sweat pretty bad.
After the plumber left, we went grocery shopping & ran some errands. Stopped for lunch & found a new favorite sandwich. Brisket burger with applewood bacon, a couple of different cheeses, & a sauce. I couldn't believe how good it was. A repeat visit is definitely in the near future.
Today is laundry day, so I better hit the cellar & start another load. Although the grass needs cut, it's just too nasty (humidity) out there. The weather here is suppose to moderate this week, so I'm going to wait for that to happen.
Have a good one...
Tom
Pittsburgh, PA
When LION used to live in Brooklyn we rented a roll off container since we were moving. You had to place an armed guard on the thing lest people fill it up for you.
When I worked for the Franciscians in Manhattan we rented a roll off container and could fill it up three times before the company came to collect it.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Howdy !
Steven ... I'm sure the cake is good but who wants to ruin the famcy frosting ?... Happy B'day to Mrs. Otte !
All of our company is gone now. The clear sky is gone too. We are glad the clouds and rain waited until after the eclipse.
Edit .... I just found out it took over 13 hours for our son and his family to drive 330 miles to go home to Cincinnati area. They left immdiatley after the eclipse and were stuck in heavy traffic all of the way.
Gee..... Another slow day here in the diner. I see the girls have been spit shining the counters and mopping the floor just to keep from being bored!
Well, Janie, I could use a cup of decaf... What? That's OK I can wait until it gets made... Not a problem for me. I see Garry is in the back booth, so I'll have a seat back there and chat for a while.
Been an "Interesting" day here in the Finger Lakes today. We were under a Tornado watch almost all day and under three different Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. A couple predicted 3/4" hail and 60 MPH winds possible. It got very dark and windy a few times right here and did dump quite a bit of rain, but very little thunder and lightning and no hail right here. No tornados either. Rochester area wasn't so lucky as storms took out a lot of electric around the area. I managed to get about 3/5ths. of the lawn done before lunch and put the battery in the shed to charge hoping to get it done before the storms hit. No such luck! Within a few minutes of me getting in the house the first storm hit. Hoping to finish up tomorrow if the lawn dries up enough.
Hope everyone is having a fine evening out there....
Steven Otte Good morning, Diners! It's my wife's (mumble)ty-sixth birthday
Good morning, Diners! It's my wife's (mumble)ty-sixth birthday
Wish her a for me as well.
Hobby Front: As promised, here are the pictures of the latest member of my caboose fleet. This is an Athearn Blue Box with an Adair Shops weight kit installed. The old numbers were painted out as they were very stubborn. (I couldn't get remove them with the Micro Sol trick. The paint was also being removed as well.) The interesting thing about these photos is that they were taken on my layout with my "work" wall in the background. With the flash on, one can barely see it. The other ones that I took without the flash, the background was front and center. I also got a little crazy with the layout this afternoon. I found a piece of plywood to build a shelf to fill out a notch in the section of my layout that is the yard. The section started as a standard NMRA HO module (48" wide by 30" deep) and later gained an extension on the right side and for part of the back. At points I had considered building a piece to fill it out but never had until this afternoon. The piece is cut, but I have to get a couple of L brackets to attach it.
I also decided to completely rearrange my yard area. I reluctantly decided to discontinue building the hopper sand tower. A major piece decided to fall off and trying to get the hoses on was going to be a major headache. (However the other major building will be retained in some way. I am thinking of making it into a paint shop but I will need to double check the size on it as that idea was thought up at home rather than on the layout.) Somewhere in the area that was the original plan for the sanding tower area is where I will move the fueling tracks. (I will use the new triangle shelf that I will install.) I have decided to get a Walthers Sand House and Tower kit and place it in the area where the fueling tracks were. Before I did that I downloaded a copy of the instructions and footprint to double check for size and room. Yet more projects that weren't planned on where I started today! (And apologies for getting a little bit verbose this evening.)
I also have 3 cork sheets on order to fill in the area where the fueling tracks were, where I cut the existing cork for a first attempt at postioning the fueling tracks and for covering the new shelf. (I do also need to rearrange the terminal joiners where the sand tower area was as tracks are being obiviously being rearranged.)
Evening Diners
Flo, Ed, Gary, Brent, Jan, Track Finddler and I will have a please.
Track fiddlerYou know I don't post here too often. because I never was invited.
Fiddler What makes you think you need to be invited to post? If they let me post here, anyone can post! So bellie up to the bar and order what you want, the tap is on Steven as long as it is birthday cake! Feel free to post about what you feel like as long as you have read the site rules.
Far as the eclipse goes, it was kind of cool. I was sitting outside when it happened and the light sure did look erie if you lived 800 years ago and had no idea what was going on. This was not my first one, I think I was in second grade when I sort of saw my first one. Used a shoe box with a hole in it.
Yesterday Work Front was a While it was not a great day $1750.00 in sales is pretty good. Today sucked rail spikes so that is covred.
Off to the VA Diabetic Foot Care Wednesday. Guess the timing is good. New shoes as per normal caused so blister after wearing them only 9 hours last week. Shoes get refitted this Friday.
Ed Enjoying the heck out the Mighty CB&Q's!
Later, Ken
I hate Rust
Hi Gang.
Hope I'm not late for the Birthday Party. That's a great looking cake. I'll have mine a-la-mode please.
Br. Otte, plesae wish Sister Otte all the best wishes a birthday wish can bring. (now blow out the candles).
Nothing new on the LM&E front, but I just thought I would check in before going to bed.
FrryKid, that van looks great.
BTW, does anyone know what happened to V8 Vega, It has been quite a while since he signed in here. I sure miss the MIAs.
Not much of an eclipse here, just a shade darker as if a big cloud rolled by.
LongJohn thanks for the neat pictures, you do have a way with that camera.
Prayers and blessings to all.
See ya all before the week end. enjoy the rest of the week.
Johnboy out.................for now
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
OK, I have to blow my own horn tonight! (This will be the second time tonight as I already posted the news on my new club layout thread. What a braggard!!)
My club voted on our new permanent layout track plan tonight. There were two possible choices, both quite good IMHO (especially since one of them was mine). The vote was 10 to 4, and I came out on top!
Here is the track plan. The layout space is 25' x 20'. It looks like a bit of a spagetti bowl but we wanted to build it so we can have as many operators as possible. It is a single main line with four passing sidings. The main yard has five - 17' yard tracks as well as a long A/D track and a decent length yard lead.
Scan0006 by Dave Warnica, on Flickr" alt="" />
Please let me know if you see any flaws!
Thanks,
Not one, but two of the obligatory switchbacks. I guess you just couldn't help yourself and had to do it.
Good morning, everybody .
Dave .... You deserve to be proud they selected your plan. It looks like a good one.
FRRY ... Nice work on the BN caboose !
Everybody .... Happy model railroading ...
Dave- Congrats! It must be tough having a winning track plan.
FRRYKid- Is fixing or replacing the place the sanding tower going to be difficult?
I have already started to make a list of materials to buy to start Christmas shopping. In the beginning of September. It's way to start now then wait until October-November into December.
I do like BN cabooses (cabeese)
Afternoon Diners
Flo, Gary, Ed, Jan, Brent, Inch, Rail Fiddler and I will have a cold please.
VA Health Front I ran a little late getting to the VA Hospital. Went to my CBAC and got checked in electronically by using my VA ID card. Sat down and thought I better let them know at the desk I am here! Good thing I did! I got there 5 minutes late, toook a few minutes to electronically check in. When I went to the desk there clock said it was now 1:10 PM, so ten minutes late. Got the needed paper work and went to the Foot Care officess.
Bob The Foot Care Nurse Was A Total Rail Spike Hole!!!!!!!!!!!! Acted like I runied his whole day because I was 10 minutes late! We have a 20 minute leway! Said I was 15 minutes late! Hum, pointed out to him his clock was 5 minutes faster then the main desk clock and was 3 minutes a head of my watch. (keep it 3 minutes fast so I am not late to work) Said "hum, it may be a little fast" and left at that.
Got my Blood Work Done, lets hope for a good A1C.
Weight Front Got on the VA sacles and last time I was offically weighed I was 284 before I started watching what I eat to lower my A1C. Today wearing the same clothes I came in at 269!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! While 15 pounds is a drop in the bucket when you are big as I am. It surely helping my knees.
To Much Of A Good Thing Train Front Got carried away with the ATF on the short line! OK, the Monon F unit no longers stalls so that is a plus. But now the Walthers Sound SD 7 Bessmer is playing slip and slide.
maxmanNot one, but two of the obligatory switchbacks. I guess you just couldn't help yourself and had to do it.
Hi maxman,
The more, the merrier eh! Yes, I know switchbacks are a bit cliche. Actually, the track plans in the gray areas haven't been established yet. I drew in basic sidings simply in an attempt to figure out how many sidings we could reasonably fit into the overall plan. Our goal is to have operating sessions which is something that the club has not done in a long while. The limitations of our last fixed layout and our portable layout pretty much confined us to going around in circles. There is one small yard on the portable layout. It has a switchback too, so we are just following tradition!
Evening Diners.
It was so good to see my daughter Brittany.
She lives in China now for two years ever since she finished College.
She learned her third language Mandarin in college. On top of her other two languages Spanish and French from classes and on her own while she was in high school.
She wanted to become more fluent in the Mandarin language and decided the best way to do that was move to China to live and speak amongst the people. She just loves the Chinese culture and really enjoys it. there.
Her College pays for her airfare and she has free lodging. She teaches English at the school.
She stays there for ten months and comes back for two. So it's always good to see her when she returns.
She came over and cooked me shrimp curry stir fry last night. It was very good, a little spicy though ! She's used to that kind of food now.
I'm afraid the two months goes by pretty fast, but I enjoy my time with her while she's here.
Good evening
Track Fiddler .... It is good you shared with us what your daughter, Brittany, is doing. Of course, you should be proud of her.
Ken .... So now you have a slip and slide SD7 .
Dave.... It sounds like you club will have an interesting layout in the future.
JohnBoy ... Looking forward to uour next post here in the Diner.
MLC ... Possibly, I will finally get to Paducah this Friday. I'll try to PM you.
Evenin' Folks!
Janie just a cup of my usual decaf please...
Got a lot of odds and ends done today. Finished the lawn, brought in some vegies from the garden, Drove over to the Mennonite Farm Stand for some corn and a nice Cantalope, and spent some time trying to get some items finished for the NMRA Division Fall Meet. Didn't make a whole lot of headway with that, but know of several things that won't work. For instance I can't get the use on my church here in Geneva for the morning session as they will be hosting a Presbytery Meeting that day...
Hmmmmm.... Ah Ken, even 15 lbs. can make a very positive change in the A1C test. I know it did for me! You want the weight loss to be slow and constant. Fast loss may not help the sugar as much and may not be good for your health generally. BTW, When I see my GP Doc, I am told to arrive at least 15 minutes before the appointment time. That gives time to get all the possible paperwork done. Normally I show up at least 20 minutes early and often get called into the exam room beofre the time of the appointment so the Nurse can take vitals and go over my Rx's and such. At least for my Doctors, you show up 15 minutes late, you will be told you can't be seen today and you WILL be sent a bill. My insurance doen't cover that, so I've learned to make darn sure I am there at least 20 minutes before the appointment time! My dentist, on the other hand.... Tomorrow I have a 1PM appointment to start work on the crown. They are at lunch until 1PM and sometimes the door is locked. As soon as 1PM arrives I head in the door, and within 5 minutes or so I get called in. The trick is knowing what you can get away with. I'm surprized you even got in to see the guy who saw you.....
Dave, love the track plan! Should make for an interesting club layout for operations...
I'm going to have to get some major house cleaning done fairly soon as I exp[ect a few gents to be visiting to evaluate some Structures for the Certificate (NMRA AP) in the next couple of weeks or so. I also may have my layout open for the Fall Meet of the Division so I really need to get this dump cleaned up!
Have a great night! Prayers for all in need!