Good Morning!
Thanks, Ed, for the smooth flight over the Big Pond, the soft landing and the welcome on the British Isles! What a treasure trough for a train buff to visit. Britain was not only the cradle of railroading, but has a preservation scene unmatched elsewhere! Aside from quirky little narrow gauge lines running on 15" track, like the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Rlwy. or the Ravenglass & Eskdale Rlwy, there are a number of "real" NG lines to visit, including a rack line up Britain´s highest mountain - and no, it´s not the Mt. Everest . When Dr. Beeching took the axe to Britain´s branchlines, a number of preservation groups sprang up, resulting in a larger number of preservation lines in some of Britain´s most beautiful areas. I bet we will visit some of them this month!
I´ll be off to my eye doctor in an hour, just to have a check up on the outcome of the recent surgery. I still see those gnats dancing before my eye, but that is supposed to be normal. We will see !
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Great to see you here, Ulrich! I wish you well at your checkup. I'm actually scheduled for a CT scan later today to look for a few kidney stones that I believe I passed just last night Old age is sure a challenge!
Let's take a look around the loco sheds and see what's going on. There's a new chap starting out:
"Better get on the chimney, young Harry" Right "Outside and inside, mind"
Happy Canada Day to our friends in the Provinces and Territories!
CN_Toronto by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
I have a feeble minded Internet connection today, which is quitre annoying!
There are a number of interesting videos made by British Transport Films available on Youtube, showing British trains in the 1950s and 1960s, and even later. BTF was closed when BR was dismantled in the 1980s. Up until today, a cornucopia of information for the aficionado.
Yes, thanks for the smooth flight over Ed.
I see the diner has arrived, let me go supervise its unloading. HMMM...All of a sudden I am out of retirement, oh well at least I won't let them drop it.
Thanks for the Canada Day acknowledgement Ed. I am not sure how much celebrating will be going on though, in B.C. today we had 12 new cases with a total of 18 in hospital including 3 in the ICU. Were getting there.
I sure hit a wall of exhaustion yesterday, I have too much going on and I still think I am eighteen. Oh well I took it easy today and worked on the worlds longest bathroom remodel. Got the wedi board up. That took ten minutes and then the phone rang with another vulture wanting a piece of the Estate I am looking after. They will not be phoning back.
It is good to be back in jolly old England again, my wife has to sometimes remind me places I have been. I once told someone I had not been to a certain small town in South America and my wife promptly got a photo off the wall of the two of us standing in the town square. So if you ask me if I have been somewere, I now answer, ya maybe. I do tend to remember scuba diving, sailing and river rafting and backpacking trips as I really loved those, but being a tourist wandering around the usual tourist trap locals, well they tend to all run together. I have seen a lot of castles in England but to much time has passed to tell you off hand which ones they were. I do hope for more train trips while the diner is in GB. I am lacking in my British Rail experience.
Time to hit the sack, Hope Meryl is asleep I am really tired and she can be so demanding.
Out of the Provincial Archives, it says last working steam loco out of Vancouver.
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."
Hi Ed,
Thanks for moving the Diner!! I was just about to start writing the first post and you beat me to it!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
So you thought Stephenson was an early railroader! Check this out:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/Steam-trains-railways/
Here is a little bit about Stephenson:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Stockton-and-Darlington-Railway
Some key dates in British railroading:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/jan/15/transport.uk
The formation of the British Railways company:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/British-Railways
Good Morning and happy July! Where did half a year go?
hon30critterI was just about to start writing the first post and you beat me to it!
Sorry if there was any confusion, Dave. I had offered to host the diner back on Thursday then there wasn't much discussion after that other than one post between you and Ulrich.
This is a good look at 1959 track laying. They lay panel track then take up the pre-installed rails and then apply the 600 foot welded rail? Seems a bit unproductive don't you think?
I could do without the Blackpool pipe organ score {{}} (I love theater pipe organ music but it simply doesn't seem fitting here?)
Now how about that big British Fry-Up?
Lyme_Regis by Edmund, on Flickr
I certainly wouldn't want to share a confined space, say hammering staybolts in a boiler, after me or me mate gulped down a plate of this!
I'll settle for some crumpets or an English muffin, thank you.
Cheers, Ed
Dave - in legal terms, British Railways was never a company, but a department of the British Transport Commission, a public entity, which did not follow regular accounting procedures set for private enterprises. Any loss had to be covered by the government out of tax money. As the losses were becoming a budget threat, Britain did, what most other European railroads did a few years later as well - abolish steam traction, cut-down on services, reduce the network. Like in all other European countries, this did not show the attempted benefits.
Btw, I wrote my thesis on the privatization of state-owned railways.
Back from my visit to the eye doctor - all is good, I just need to be more patient!
gmpullmanSorry if there was any confusion, Dave. I had offered to host the diner back on Thursday then there wasn't much discussion after that other than one post between you and Ulrich.
I missed your offer to open the Diner so the error was on my part. No problem! Thanks again for doing it.
I like the look of that breakfast!
Tinplate Toddler Dave - in legal terms, British Railways was never a company, but a department of the British Transport Commission, a public entity, which did not follow regular accounting procedures set for private enterprises. Any loss had to be covered by the government out of tax money. As the losses were becoming a budget threat, Britain did, what most other European railroads did a few years later as well - abolish steam traction, cut-down on services, reduce the network. Like in all other European countries, this did not show the attempted benefits. Btw, I wrote my thesis on the privatization of state-owned railways. Back from my visit to the eye doctor - all is good, I just need to be more patient!
Hi Everyone, and welcome to the UK. It is nice to have you visit us, again. It is 11:15 and outside, tipping it down and the winds have swung back round from the north. Our GCH is running - in July! So I think I may feel like a 2nd helping of Full English Breakfast, at lunchtime. John had me fooled about his visit, albeit I did wonder how he being allowed to holiday before the Hotels open on the 4th of July (Independance Day)
Ulrich, British Railways as a Nationised entity since 1948, was what most people knew of, up until it's being franchised into separate Railway companies in the 1990's. My own research has brought me to firmly believe that Britains Railways would have been far better left alone as the big 4 private companies, GWR, LMS, LNER & SR. They may have required Goverment assistance, but our Rail Network would have survived far more intact had Nationalisation not provided a Lever for certain types to weald their Axe. Their attitude towards and the damage they inflicted on the BR network - is what led me (personally) to commence modelling USA Railroads.
Anyway, have a nice stay. I pressume in Cyber-world all the museums and preserved Railways are open. We missed our June holiday in North Wales, where their are some great little Narrow Gauge lines. Paul
"It's the South Shore Line, Jim - but not as we know it".
Good Afternoon!
Too late for lunch, but the right time for some coffee and a piece of cake!
Good news on the home searching front. We have found a nice and cozy 1-bedroom apartment in a quiet street in Görlitz. We have set up a date to have a look at the place on July 13th, so we will hop in our car on the 12th to drive those 400 miles down there! I will try to set up other visits around that date, so we will have options available.
LazersMy own research has brought me to firmly believe that Britains Railways would have been far better left alone as the big 4 private companies, GWR, LMS, LNER & SR. They may have required Goverment assistance, but our Rail Network would have survived far more intact had Nationalisation not provided a Lever for certain types to weald their Axe.
Paul, I am in total agreement to your statement! The same happened here! The total cost of all of the various operations have gone up drastically, as each separate entity maintains a costly, but mainly useless overhead. Another result is that hardly any of the managers has railway experience, both in the sense of technical and commercial implications. The result? Ticket pricing through the roof, trains overbooked and running late, customer service non-existing, demotivated staff and angry passengers!
Strange thoughts to be voiced in a model railroading forum, I must say! I fully disagree to what you say. Train travel still is the most economical and environmentally friendliest way of moving goods and people, especially when electricity drives the trains. If car drivers and airline passengers would be charged the real cost incurring to a society, there would hardly be a car on the road nor an air service.
Back to British trains!
Here is a short video on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Rlwy.! It´s not a toy train, but a public railway running on a timetable for the general public!
I loved the Rocky Mountaineer, but it is hardly commuting, business travel nor inter-city transportation.
As rail travel and interstate highway grew, development followed the highways. The car culture is big in the US. Acquiring land for a high speed rail line is cost prohibitive. Even low speed lines are expensive to build in the US. I don't know that the rails are a public utitlity. I am sure Amtrak pays trackage fees to CSX in my area but passenger traffic is often slowed by freight traffic and it is not a smooth ride.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good morning! I've waited a while for this, so Chloe, I'll have a full English breakfast. I'd also like lots of black coffee.
Paul, I apologize for the misleading post. I was thinking of the diner move. I only wish it was a real-life vacation to the UK.
Not much going on here. It's bill-paying day, but that takes about five minutes. The rest of the day is open.
Last year, my daughters and families all began their European tour in the UK. They then moved on to France riding the train in the tunnel. I should have gone with them.
York1 John
BigDaddyI am sure Amtrak pays trackage fees to CSX in my area but passenger traffic is often slowed by freight traffic and it is not a smooth ride.
In my country, it is the other way around - freight trains get ditched for passenger trains.
Good morning ..
Ed .... Thanks for the move to UK, and thanks to all who contributed so far. ..... I have a few things I can contribute this month, and I will do so when I can.
Bret .... I can image what Bear could do with that last photo. He could make a Bear Toon like "That big airplane is sticking out its tongue."
I'll be back later.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
I'd be suprised anyone is taking the risk to travel overseas right now with the pandemic going on! .. Or if this is a "virtual" visit, I'll have a real scones or British food instead of imaginary since my wife is a Brit. She makes real Yorkshire pudding pretty often.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
LastspikemikeBeg pardon if I posted something too controversial to this thread. I'm new here.
No harm done. We enjoy differing opinions, when voiced with due respect!
I rode the RH&D Rlwy, back in 1973 and it was a tight squeeze as well. Getting my 6´4" inches hulk stowed away properly took some effort.
I had noticed in the old diner yesterday that Kevin (See you 190) was heading back from Ohio. Where were you headed through? If going through Columbus you have to stop at the Train Station on Indianola Ave and Robbie's Hobbies as well. Which way are you headed back?
Good morning from a cool wet West Coast. I am stalling before I tackle the bathroom project today, I am on my third mug of coffee. I have done lots of reno's with no issues, this one on the other hand.....?
Kevin, you were right to leave the gathering considering what is going on. We are going through similar issues as someone was pushing to rent out a restaurant for a celebration of life for the close friends of this lady whose Estate I am looking after. So far not one person out of the 63 she has asked thinks this is a good idea and not one said they will attend. The lady that passed on was heavily involved with the church to a point where the head of her church for BC will conduct her service at some point. It will be a huge service and has now been put off till spring. Not sure what kind of cheque I'll be writing for it, but it won't be cheap. I am glad people have brains enough to turn this ladies restaurant idea down.
Darwinism at work. My daughter recently showed me an article connected to one of her Anthropology courses suggesting when things went from survival of the fitess to survival of the smartest, where brain power started to take over from physical might in determining who survives. It was pretty interesting to read.
All my family on all sides comes from England, my wife immigrated when she was six, my Mom when she was two in 1921. My earliest relatives arrived in Canada to the Swan River Valley in Manitoba in the late 1700s ( I was born in Winnipeg) and some are traced to what is now Virginia even earlier. I have the photo albums of all the Grandparents and great Grandparents that include a lot of RR pics of British steam. I'll have to dig them out and scan a few.
Best get to the reno work, the sooner I am done the sooner I can unwrap the layout, I sure miss watching my trains run, plus I have the completed water tower to add.
All the best to all and happy Canada Day!
ED,
Good move, feet wet ??
Ulrich,
Had my lenses replaced in my eyes, the left one was folded in the process of being implanted. Now it is like looking through a pile of birch branches. I got used to it----Perhaps at some point I will have a re-doo.
3.6 inches of rain the last 36 hrs., more to come today, garden needs it. River full of striped bass at present, wife is nagging for some fresh fish, sooo----. Don't go plug fishing with a retriever---
Hope all have a safe, sane Fourth---
Prayers for those in need, best to all.
herrinchoker
I treated myself to a goodie today! To celebrate my 5 years of being a non-smoker and my in 7 weeks upcoming birthday I ordered a Lego set of the famous Swiss Federal Railways Ce 6/8 II, better known as the "Crocodile". It was released today and is exoected to be sold out quickly.
I just got the confirmation that it is on its way to my doorstep, but I won´t be able to open the box before Aug. 19th!
BATMAN
Hmmmm, Is that the province of Muskrat? That sticks well, I think!
Say Ulrich, Here is a nice little country place for you... Naw, you can't have it! That is my son's place in England. Well out in the countryside and well protected from all kinds of dis-eases and such. They have a nice local pub where they have been able to get takout for the duration and the pub owner always includes a couple pints with the meal for free..... The house is somewhere between 400 and 600 hundred years old I think. He is lucky to be working from home via Zoom so he doesn't have to travel anywhere near London at the moment.
I will see what he might be able to provide in terms of some of the trains he has been on over there.....
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
York1Paul, I apologize for the misleading post. I was thinking of the diner move. I only wish it was a real-life vacation to the UK.
Hi John, no need to apologise, I thought it was a bit of fun. I hope you enjoyed your Breakfast. Smoked Herring (Kippers) are a UK breakfast special and when you are in Scotland, try some Haggis or Porridge - the Scottish way, add salt only!
As for Beers, you are totally spoilt for choice. Black Sheep, Theakston's Old Peculiar, John Smiths, Trophy, Camerons, Whitbread, Newcastle Brown Ale, Mcewan's Export + all the speciality craft beers that have have emerged from 'Micro Breweries', in recent times. All of these may take some getting used to, however.
Hi Ulrich, thanks for your support in my letting-off steam. But it saddens me whenever I see abandoned Railways/Railroads from anywhere around the world. I see it as a way of life, destroyed. My - how Lego models have changed since I was a 60's kid. No knobbley bits to attach other bricks to. Happy times. Paul
Good afternoon ....
I should have said "Happy Canada Day" when I stopped in this morning. Hope Canadians are having a great day.
While in England, we can diiscuss history of the first steam locomotive, called the "Pen-y-Darren". It was designed and built by Richard Tevithick. It made its first trip in 1804 hauling 5 wagons with 70 people aboard. It went 9.75 miles in 4 hours and 5 minutes. Average speed was 2.4 mph.
Below is a photo of a replica of the Pen-y-Darren.
Happy Canada Day
BATMANDarwinism at work. My daughter recently showed me an article connected to one of her Anthropology courses suggesting when things went from survival of the fitess to survival of the smartest, where brain power started to take over from physical might in determining who survives.
I guess it will be a few more years before Darwinism is perfected.
What some of you may know as Chincoteauge ponies are survivors of very early shipwrecks on the East coast. They wander around the barrier island on the coast of Maryland, and usually there is a watcher, someone who makes sure people don't mess with the ponies. No watcher was around this stupid woman
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/watch/woman-kicked-by-wild-assateague-horse-after-she-hits-the-horse-with-shovel/vp-BB16drfL
Lastspikemike Beaverlodge. Muskrats live in muddy holes in the banks of rivers or lake shores. The industrious beaver builds a lake and then a lodge with an underwater entrance only. To catch a beaver in his lodge the predator has to hold its breath for a very long time, and, as it comes up inside the lodge, nose first, the beaver will be waiting.....
Beaverlodge. Muskrats live in muddy holes in the banks of rivers or lake shores. The industrious beaver builds a lake and then a lodge with an underwater entrance only. To catch a beaver in his lodge the predator has to hold its breath for a very long time, and, as it comes up inside the lodge, nose first, the beaver will be waiting.....
I forgot to mention that the photo is where this guy lives.
Being a National holiday he is obviously at home today watching a little telly.
Somehow, "the Canadian Pacific muskrat" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
I've heard they are better than chicken. I don't think I will ever find out, but I did try calf fries, better known as Rocky Mountain oysters.
drgwcsI had noticed in the old diner yesterday that Kevin (See you 190) was heading back from Ohio. Where were you headed through? If going through Columbus you have to stop at the Train Station on Indianola Ave and Robbie's Hobbies as well. Which way are you headed back?
I am heading over towards West Virginia, then down the Atlantic Coast for a few days.
I stopped in both Robbie's Hobbies and The Train Station when I was in Columbus las year.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
What a great day!
I started at the Mad River and NKP Museum, which was closed. I was still able to see about half of the equipment up close, and I was able to take pretty good pictures of a lot more through the slats in the fence.
The two hobby shops visited in Cleveland were both busts, and I did not make any purchases.
Then I spent several hours hiking the trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It is not like any other of the National Parks I have visited. There are several hiking trails all seperated from one another that you need to drive from one to the other. They make nice big loops which really helped with social distancing. I had a great time. It looked like rain for a while, but the weather held good all day.
Then I took a scenic ride South on State Road 93. That is some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen.
Then... Out of the blue... I stumbled upon the Age Of Steam Roundhouse in the middle of nowhere! I knew nothing of this place, it was shear liuck I came across it.
I arrived there after 7:00, so of course it was not open. I took a few pictures through the fence. I will 100% for certain be coming back here to see this place.
My wife grew up in the Cleveland area, and keeps telling me how beautiful the area is south of the city.
One thing I probaby won't enjoy in the UK this month is the beer. I love beer that is very light. I have never enjoyed heavy dark beer. I know some of you will think I'm missing the best, but there's just something about the taste I don't like. Give me an ice cold Bud Light and I'm happy.
I have my annual doctor's physical tomorrow. Each year, one of the questions they ask me is if I drink alcohol, and how much. I said I have two cans of beer each day, and the doctor said that's good. He said two is OK, but not three. The thing he didn't say was what size can.
We had been planning on seeing some of the grandkids this weekend, but we heard one of them was not feeling well, so out of caution I guess we will stay home. We haven't seen any of the grandchildren in five months. My wife is not happy. Zoom is not the same as being there.
Another unhappy creature in our house is Daisy the Dachshund. I have put her on a diet. Every so often I catch her staring at me, and I know she is not thinking nice thoughts about me since I'm not feeding her as much. She is the kind of dog that would eat everything you gave her until she got sick, and then she'd eat more.
Lots of noise outside. The neighborhood kids are all shooting fireworks. I don't mind -- when I was a kid I used to shoot fireworks the entire two weeks before the 4th. Daisy is deaf, so she doesn't mind the noise.
Have a good evening, everyone.
Got up just now - it´s 5am! Too early for my taste, but that´s the way it is.
York1One thing I probaby won't enjoy in the UK this month is the beer. I love beer that is very light. I have never enjoyed heavy dark beer. I know some of you will think I'm missing the best, but there's just something about the taste I don't like. Give me an ice cold Bud Light and I'm happy.
It´s not all dark and heavy ales in Britain. Each pub usually offers a variety of different kind of beers, including Bitters,Lagers, IPAs and other craft beers. Oh, and btw. Budweiser would not be sold as beer in my country
I spent too much of the day at a drive-thru virus testing station. Lots of cars. It took 45 minutes to go through. So much for efficiency. We may have been exposed 10 days ago but have had no symptoms. My best outcome would be Positive test but Recovered, so my GF would stop being so paranoid.
Given the same parameters, I wouldn't waste another day like this.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Tinplate ToddlerOh, and btw. Budwiser would not be sold as beer in my country
I have friends who say it shouldn't be sold here, either.
I don't care. I like it.
Tinplate ToddlerOh, and btw. Budwiser (SIC) would not be sold as beer in my country
And that is your loss. With the massive number of German beers that share the same corporate ownership as Anheuser Busch, I doubt there is really much difference anymore.
The best German Beer I have sampled is Spaten. It tastes like Heineken that has not gone bad.
Oh wait... we are in England... My favorite English Beer is Boddington's Pub Ale. It is not dark or heavy. I like it quite well.
SeeYou190And that is your loss. With the massive number of German beers that share the same corporate ownership as Anheuser Busch, I doubt there is really much difference anymore.
True, that the "big brand" beer tastes more or less the same, but there are still numerous local breweries making good beer. You just don´t see it in the supermarkets, nor is it advertised. Spatenbraeu is a typical Bavarian beer, very light, refreshing, but quite different from the beers you will buy outside of Bavaria.
Anheuser Busch owns following German brands:
Zhese brands are what I call supermarket beers (there are others also in that category). You´ll find them in any supermarket across the country. There are over 1,400 breweries in this country, and maybe 200 of them belong to some sort of conglomerate.
Kevin,
you must have hit Sugar Creek OH. we had our Coleman Lantern convention at Walnut Creek a few years ago and I went over to Sugar Creek to some antique stores and totally missed the Age of Steam, I did not know it was there.
I like that area of OH. Our Covention next year will be in Berlin which is not that far form there. This year's was in TX but cancelled because of you know what.
All my fun trips were cancelled
Hello, folks —
SeeYou190What a great day! I started at the Mad River and NKP Museum, which was closed.
What a shame that so many attractions are not available "for the duration" Kevin.
Here's an album of photos I took at the Mad River Museum a few years ago:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gmpullman/albums/72157698606989880
I had been following the construction of Jerry Jacobson's pride and joy for quite a few years. He spared no expense when it came to the brick work and timber framing of that beautiful roundhouse. Sadly, Jerry Joe passed away in 2014 before he really had the chance to enjoy his collection.
I met Jerry back in 1975, he was still an anesthesiologist back then, and I was surely impressed with his kindness and knowledge back then.
Age Of Steam was pretty much kept under the radar and most visits were by invitation only. Recently (pre-Covid) they have been having more frequent visitation days.
I hope his legacy lives on forever.
Today I went for a CAT scan to see if there were any kidney stones left in my blowdown pipes. Everything went well and I was out of there in just under an hour. It took a while to find a decent vein to drip the dye through the IV but other than that, smooth sailing.
Thank you to everyone for the help in getting the Diner situated in Paddington Station!
Paddington by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed.
riogrande5761She makes real Yorkshire pudding pretty often.
Hi riogrande5761,
I'll take two three!!
Your wife should be proud of herself. Making good Yorkshire puddings is an art. A friend made some for us for a dinner party BC (Before Covid) and they were great despite the fact that he claimed they were far from his best. What a mess in the oven though!! I think he used a bit too much fat. Set the smoke alarm off!
Good Morning All,
62F and foggy again this morning. Combined with the low sun trying to break through it makes driving easterly interesting. Just a regular today please Zoe. Too much food yesterday.
For what it's worth John, there are as many different British beers as anywhere else. Most don't get here but there is lots to try in country. I actually prefer Smithwicks though I am not sure exactly where it is brewed when imported here. Only a couple of pubs I go to serve it, my favourite being Paddy Macs in Palm Beach Gardens. Here in Ct, we have more and more local craft beers so things are looking up. Not that I have that much beer anymore as it makes the gout flare up.
Started putting some trees and bushes up in the back but I'm not happy with the look yet. I will also have to redo some of the backdrop to better match the colours of the foliage in front of it. Here's where it's at any way.
transition2 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Back to the trailer repairs. Ciao, J.R.
Americans are always quite quick with attributes of the likes of the world´s biggest, best or greatest. Quite often, it is difficult to supply the supporting evidence to such statements, leaving a taste of bragging in the air.
Fact is that 34% of the hop used in brewing beer throughout the world comes from a region called Hallertau (sometimes also named Holledau) in Bavaria. Hops are grown there since the 8th century. While I don´t dare to say it´s the world´s best hop, it can´t be bad, not at all bad hop which is harvested there.
What constitutes the best beer of the world? Taste! Most likely, my taste is different than yours and therefore my best beer of the world will be a different one than yours.
One lesson I learned in my life - don´t trust any superlatives!
The Lego set of the Swiss Crocodile arrived today. I orderd it yesterday. Can it get any faster?
Tinplate ToddlerWhat constitutes the best beer of the world? Taste! Most likely, my taste is different than yours and therefore my best beer of the world will be a different one than yours.
On this, you and I think alike! What matters is personal taste. What one person thinks is great may not taste good at all to someone else..... Personally I think the best wines in the world are made right here in the Finger lakes Regions of New York State... I wouldn't expect that everyone else would agree with that. They have won many international awards though.
Beer? There are a few micro breweries nearby that are making some excellent brews. I find them far better than any big brand stuff. I dunno, to each their own!
GMTRacingI actually prefer Smithwicks though I am not sure exactly where it is brewed when imported here. Only a couple of pubs I go to serve it, my favourite being Paddy Macs in Palm Beach Gardens.
I love Paddy Mac's restaurant. I assume it is the same one, tucked in behind the Publix on Military Trail.
I eat there every trip to the East Coast. Bangers and Mash with a Smithwick's! There is one waiter there that really brings the feel of Ireland. He looks and sounds perfect.
The Embassy Suites on the corner is my favorite hotel in the area. The swans are awesome.
howmusPersonally I think the best wines in the world are made right here in the Finger lakes Regions of New York State..
They enjoy a good reputation throughout the world, although hardly any of that stuff hits the shores here. I bet you folks don´t like to share your good stuff!
Some of the grand cru French Wines taste so bad for my palate, I wouldn´t spend a nickel on a bottle of that stuff. They are sometimes grossly overrated when compared to an honest table wine from a local vintner, who just follows his family tradition of making good wine without all thes little "helpers", who are just legal.
Good morning. I won't bore you with the news that it's hot and humid. (But...it's 8:45 a.m. and it's hot and humid outside.)
Believe it or not, we have quite a few small breweries in our area, with hops also being grown locally. When my sons-in-law are here, they love to try all the different kinds. As I said, think of me as a beer know-nothing, but I still like Bud Light better than any other.
I have a doctor's appointment this morning, and then time to finish a kitchen wall project.
Things are not happy in my house. The dog is constantly hungry, and the wife is tired of seeing me and not the grandchildren.
It would probably be a good idea for me to find an outdoor project for the next several days. Maybe I should think about starting a garden railroad.
Yes Kevin one and the same Paddy Macs. We used to stay avross the street at the various permutations in the same building but Targa 66 moved Hq to a place up the street and we stay there now. Lots of changes in the area since we first started going to West Palm Beach Raceway in the 80's. Still Paddy Macs is a must at least once per trip and the diner around the corner is our standard breakfast as it is the only non fast food place open at 6am. J.R.
Tinplate ToddlerAmericans are always quite quick with attributes of the likes of the world´s biggest, best or greatest. . .
I read an article a few months back that discussed the demise of the superlative. You cannot turn on the news without hearing a superlative--worst storm, catastrophic disaster, etc. The value of the superlative has been muted.
Tinplate Toddler. . .The Lego set of the Swiss Crocodile arrived today. . .
I would love to see progress photos of the build.
Richard
RideOnRoadI would love to see progress photos of the build.
As soon as it arrived this morning, Petra took it away. I will have to wait until my birthday in August to get my hands on it.
SeeYou190 drgwcs I had noticed in the old diner yesterday that Kevin (See you 190) was heading back from Ohio. Where were you headed through? If going through Columbus you have to stop at the Train Station on Indianola Ave and Robbie's Hobbies as well. Which way are you headed back? I am heading over towards West Virginia, then down the Atlantic Coast for a few days. I stopped in both Robbie's Hobbies and The Train Station when I was in Columbus las year. -Kevin
drgwcs I had noticed in the old diner yesterday that Kevin (See you 190) was heading back from Ohio. Where were you headed through? If going through Columbus you have to stop at the Train Station on Indianola Ave and Robbie's Hobbies as well. Which way are you headed back?
Not sure where you are going in WV but there is T&K hobby in Bridgeport OH judt outside of Wheeling. There is a smaller but still nice shop in downtown Nitro WV just west of Charleston. Nitro hobby and craft (Kind of funny we found out the owner was related to one of my wife's childhood friends from Indiana- small world) There are a couple of antique malls there. Does your route take you through the Hampton Roads area down the east coast. There are a couple of shops in VA beach.
With all this talk about beers and wines, we should not forget where we are and why we are here!
We are in Britain, the cradle of railroading and here is a hommage to British steam - in a full feature length, so get your favourite drink, sit back and enjoy!
Edit: I got Tops! Order up, lads - I´ll pick up the tab!
I live in the tiny state of Delaware, but I have an ample number of good locally brewed beers to choose from. In this state, beer is not a supermarket product and is only sold in liquor stores. Fine with me. The liquor stores are closer than the supermarkets anyway.
I threw away my last Budweiser three years ago when I found it had stowed away when I moved. It was my standard "rehydration beer" for drinking after hockey games late at night. Now, the only beers in my fridge are local craft beers. Life is short. Why drink bad beer?
My experience with British beer is slight. My taste runs to the German and Austrian beers. I've yet to find a French or Italian beer that was worth it. On my last trip to Italy, I drank Italian house wine but British beer.
Here in the US, I know a couple of local craft beers that were bought by Budweiser and subsequently destroyed by that company's corporate mentality. Delaware's largest craft beer, Dogfish Head, was recently bought out by Sam Adams, so we'll see what happens. And just so you know, the largest American-owned brewery is ... Sam Adams. The big ones you might think of are all subsidiaries of large foreign conglomerates.
I talked to the physical therapist at my mothers' assisted living facility. Pre covid, my mothers gait was scary. When I took her to the doctor yesterday, it looked drunk and scary as she needed to hold the wall to go anywhere.
The PT said she has seen that in all the patients, as they have been confined to their rooms for 3 months and don't even get on the elevator to go to the dining room.
I, on the other hand, am walking more than ever before. The 9 year old dog, cannot come along, without limping for the next 3 days.
Today a car passed me very slowly. I looked over and the drivers side window was open. It was a lady in her 70's. She was surrounded by stuff. It looked like a month's worth of mail on the dashboard. The passenger and rear seats were filled almost to the roof with stuff. I thought she was homeless living in her car, but I don't think there is enough room.
Good evening, Everyone .
we have company through the weekend, and therefore, I won't have much time to visit here in the Diner.
I hope everybody has a good 4thbof July.
GMTRacingYes Kevin one and the same Paddy Macs.
My other favorite restaurant in the area is Shipwreck Bar And Grill in Jupiter on US-1. One night a week, I think Wednesday, they have 2 pounds of crab claws for $35.00, and it is great to go with 8-10 people and just feast away.
It is just 2 or 3 exits up on I-95 from Palm Beach Gardens.
drgwcsDoes your route take you through the Hampton Roads area down the east coast. There are a couple of shops in VA beach.
I will not hit the Atlantic Coast until Jeckyl Island, Georgia.
Tomorrow I am driving to Spencer, North Carolina to visit the Little Choo Choo shop and the Transportation Museum.
Tomorrow should be a good day.
Heartland Division CB&QI hope everybody has a good 4th of July
You too Garry. Be safe.
A lovely scene with the Tornado:
British Railways 60163 Tornado at Dawlish by Ruairidh MacVeigh, on Flickr
Here we have British Railways rebuilt Peppercorn A1 Class Pacific number 60163 Tornado operating the Royal Duchy railtour from Bristol Temple Meads to Par along the sea wall at Dawlish.
Here it is, the weekend already!
I hope everyone is getting along well.
I hope everyone has their favorite bottle of whatever handy since it is now the 3rd of July.
Need to have a 5th on the 3rd to celebrate the 4th.
Ed, here is a short video from the same tour!
... antr this is the way it looks when a real storm hits the tracks at Dawlish on the Devon coast!
Scary!
Tinplate ToddlerEd, here is a short video from the same tour!
Steam at speed Yes!
Tinplate Toddler... antr this is the way it looksm when a real storm hits the tracks at Dawlish on the Devon coast!
Nothing like the power of nature. Sometimes we have winds blowing across Lake Erie producing some wash like that. It can be treacherous in January!
Wonderful! Thank you, Ulrich —
Ed
Evening all
Had a busy day. First did 20 km on the bike in 40 min 23 sec.. Then went out and played basketball with the kid for two hours and I whooped his butt. He has a lot on his plate right now, so it is no surprise. I then got a ton of work done on the trainroom bathroom and I am really happy about that. I feel so good and in such good shape, it is an on top of the world kind of feeling.
When this Covid19 thing took over both our kids Universities shut down and we had the kids home fast. The kid was on a flight the next day from Ottawa and I went and got my Daughter from UVic not long after that.
They both finished out the year online. The kid had lots of movie work lined up fast but that industry shut down as well.
Today the kid brought me home a bottle of 18 year Scotch, gave me a big hug and thanked me for everything I had done for him. It's a good day.
When the kid was in Ottawa he started writing for the OHL hockey network, reporting on the Ottawa 67s. When he bugged out of Ottawa due to the Corona virus, the biggest sports media conglomerate in Canada asked hin to come work for them and after three weeks of working for them reporting on the junior ranks, and getting a huge following he is now writing about the Vancouver Canucks.
There was a think tank at his University early on to advise the Federal Government on fiscal policy and how to proceed through this crises. He would be up and on the computer in his bedroom at 0500hrs for the online meeting which was 0800hrs Ottawa time. He was told to just sit and listen as he was an undergrad but they wanted his input after the Feds had left the meeting. Long story short, he is now, along with his Professor, not only advising the Feds but meeting online with UN officials on a regular basis that are working on the global response to the covid19 crisis.
It gets better. A major corporation head hunted him and because of all the volunteer work he has done for disabled sports (sledge hockey for the disabled and wounded warriors) and working with troubled youth by introducing them to sports. They hired him on the spot at his first interview to rewrite their policy manual on dealing with the disabled and multicultural segments of society. They offered him a $150,000.00 a year. He made arrangements to work part time once he returns to University and will take an extra semester to get his degree. He is 21 years old holding down three jobs and in a good place right now.
My Daughter has 240,000 followers on an online fan fiction site where she writes original stories or ongoing chapters to things like Harry Potter or other literature aimed at youth. She has caught the eye of a few publishers that want to publish her work.
Life is good for this old man.
The only bad thing going on is my old dog is on his last legs to the point where he was unconcious last night for a couple of hours. Wife says he has had a series of strokes. He is still smiling away, but the clock is ticking.
Now, where is that Scotch?
Hi Brent,
You have every right to feel good! Your kids are amazing!
Sorry about your dog. Dianne's step niece just lost her Golden Retriever. He was one of the nicest, friendliest dogs I have ever met. We still miss our buddy Jake who was a sheppard/whatever cross. It's been 15 years.
Enjoy the scotch!!
Thanks Dave, When you first have kids you worry about if you are up to the task and will they turn out OK. I could not be more proud of both my kids and I am breathing a sigh of relief knowing everything worked out, better than I expected actually.
We have a few sayings in my country concerning kids, the first one being "little kids - plenty of little worries" and the second one goes like this "parents will do everything to bring their kids up, and when they have done that successfully, the kids will do everthing to get their parents down". The latter is not always true - at least not in my case.
BATMANWhen you first have kids you worry about if you are up to the task and will they turn out OK. I could not be more proud of both my kids and I am breathing a sigh of relief knowing everything worked out, better than I expected actually.
I'm not too jealous of your son's multiple accomplishments. Our son Cole owned his first home at 26, and it is a very nice home IMHO. That was the same year he made the Ontario Sunshine List which shows all the civil servants in the province who made six figures.
When you say that your kids turned out better than you expected, we can relate to that. When Cole was in his mid teens he got into drug use and the impact on him and us was frightening! He was "only smoking dope" but whatever that crap was laced with caused him huge psychological problems. We were in counselling for months, which he rejected because some of the doctors were absolute idiots. Fortunately he figured out things on his own, got rid of his dope pushing 'friends', and has been great ever since. Now he has a beautiful wife, a beautiful home and a solid career.
Tinplate ToddlerWe are in Britain, the cradle of railroading and here is a hommage to British steam - in a full feature length, so get your favourite drink, sit back and enjoy!
Hi Ulrich,
The video is great! I've only watched the first half so far but it is very informative and entertaining.
Thanks!
My shredder died with a horrible screeching noise. I've never liked it. Everytime I empty the bin, I have to pick pieces of paper out that are jammed in the between all the blades. Of course I found a bunch of stuff to be shredded this morning.
Then I went to print something and this weeks Microsoft upgrade, which wants me to use Edge, hijacked my printer and wants me to use One Note to print.
My mother's brother and his wife and kid lived with us for a while, worked for my dad. They had a falling out with us for reasons I will never understand. I tried to get in touch with my cousin via facebook. Apparently he still won't talk to me, but his ex-wife seems quite nice and his son is in the Air Force.
I sent him some old family pictures and told him things he didn't know, like his other uncle was in the Air Force in Burma, during the war. He is training for a SWAT team and sent me this picture.
Better him than me.
SeeYou190 GMTRacing Yes Kevin one and the same Paddy Macs. My other favorite restaurant in the area is Shipwreck Bar And Grill in Jupiter on US-1. One night a week, I think Wednesday, they have 2 pounds of crab claws for $35.00, and it is great to go with 8-10 people and just feast away. It is just 2 or 3 exits up on I-95 from Palm Beach Gardens. drgwcs Does your route take you through the Hampton Roads area down the east coast. There are a couple of shops in VA beach. I will not hit the Atlantic Coast until Jeckyl Island, Georgia. Tomorrow I am driving to Spencer, North Carolina to visit the Little Choo Choo shop and the Transportation Museum. Tomorrow should be a good day. Heartland Division CB&Q I hope everybody has a good 4th of July You too Garry. Be safe. -Kevin
GMTRacing Yes Kevin one and the same Paddy Macs.
drgwcs Does your route take you through the Hampton Roads area down the east coast. There are a couple of shops in VA beach.
Heartland Division CB&Q I hope everybody has a good 4th of July
Little Choo Choo is still closed sorry I didn't catch this post last night- the transportation museum is open to some extent. I am not sure when Little Choo Choo will reopen they are being very cryptic on their facebook page. There is another shop in downtown Landis just a little south that Chucks Trains- small shop but packed full. I am not sure if they are open today- can't tell from website. There is an antique mall that has trains in Mooresville NC http://www.burkesvintagetraindepot.com/ and a Lindy's outside of Charlotte in the Catawba Antique mall in Belmont
I could sure use some coffee to keep my eyes open. It´s humid and the air is so thick I could cut it in slices!
I continue to be narrow (gauge) minded in our field trip to Britain this month. Today we hop over the border to Wales and visit the Brecon Mountains with their quite unusual railway, which should look familiar to you guys!
Enjoy!
Edit: Shoul you be bored or have nothing else to do and want to kill 100 minutes? Then watch this 1992 British comedy!
Ulrich, when I see that movie, I can't get past the star, Whatley. In my mind, he is Detective Lewis in the the best crime series ever -- Morse.
It's too bad that reruns of Inspector Morse are not on normal TV. I know you can subscribe to channels that carry it, but I don't want to pay the extra fee.
That detective series was the best -- on American or English TV.
Since we're in the UK, and my mind is on TV, how about "The Avengers"? The years with Emma Peel were the best for me. That's another program I have not seen in years.
"The Prisoner". Another UK export that was a great TV program. It wasn't just fluff TV.
Good Morning,
Going to be another hot one here today. Expecting another day with a humidex of 100F.
As it is still morning, I'd like breakfast please Chloe. As we are in England, I'd like scrambled eggs and kippers with grilled tomato and mushrooms too. I like kippers but my wife won't let me cook them in the house saying that they stink up the place. They're great on toast with melted cheddar on top. Haven't had that for years.
Well my brass engine arrived. It is a model of #2851 that hauled the press train in advance of the Royal train in 1939. The model turned out to be made by SR and not Samhongsa so it is truly the last run imported by Van Hobbies in 1998. I guess that is how it was 'new in the box'. Anyway the detail is truly amazing right down to the tiny red valves in the cab. It runs well too and likely will improve a lot once broken in. The finish on painted brass is different than on plastic. It is subtle but there is a difference. Even my wife can tell. Certainly is when you handle it. The piping and appliance castings are some how a little sharper than plastic castings. Not that I'll be buying another engine like this one. I still would like to find a J4e Pacific. They aren't hugely expensive as they were produced in the mid '70s.
We are still busy doing gardening and have planted most everything. Well my wife has. I just fetch and carry.
We are watching a great TV series called Bodyguard on the computer. We recorded it on the PVR but the version on TV is edited and has commercials. It was done in Britain last year. One of the highest rated shows in Britain.
I'm enjoying the videos posted on railways in Britain. One of my desired travel destinations is to do an extended trip there to see heritage railways and visit the pub my great aunt and uncle owned near Oxford. My Dad used to stay there when he was on leave during the war. There is a website for 'The Fishes'. Way things are now, who knows if I will ever do a holiday involving flying again. We also want to go back to Paris.
Well keep cool,
CN Charlie
John, our biggest source of Brit TV is PBS.
Another great series is Foyle's War. It ran on PBS for 8 seasons. It is about a detective during the war. We bought all the DVDs.
I agree, the Avengers with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel was great. When it was on TV back in the '60s I usually watched it with all the interest of a fevered teenager. That leather jumpsuit, oh never mind.
The Avengers ran on German TV in the late 1960 - fully dubbed in German! We always translate the movies shown on German. Did you know that John Wayne spoke German without trace of an accent?
My favorite Brit TV series were `Allo, `allo" and "Open All Hours!, and not to forget John Cleese in "Fawlyty Towers". In the years I spent in Britain I learned to love that black sense of humor so typical for British people!
I forgot about Fawlty Towers! That was a great one.
My wife did subscribe to Acorn TV. They carry a lot of British TV shows. Unfortunately, not Morse.
How about "Keeping Up Appearances"? My family loved that show because Hyacinth remined us of a relative we had.
I am rivaling TF now in being a post hog!
I just cked the Lego website - the Crocodile set is already sold out, only 3 days after it was released! There are a number of listings in Ebay, for up to double the price I paid for it! I am just glad I ordered it on July 1st!
I know this is a model RR forum but this is a sad day for me.
So many memories.
Hi everyone. Ladies could I have my usual Friday (and Saturday) evening drink please. A bottle of Pilsner Urquell, brewed in Plzen, Czech.
I've been reading thru all of the posts. Whilst you are in the UK, please do not forget the great little trains of Wales. Here are just a few. Hear those exhaust beats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7yJREB-L9g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAUxDAZF4Lg
Good Afternoon —
It is beginning to warm up a bit here in NE Ohio. I really don't mind it so much. There's a nice breeze at least.
Has anyone seen a Barracuda adrift somewhere in the Atlantic with Ken in it? Haven't heard from CudaKen since the Diner move?
Thanks for that side trip to Wales, Paul
How about a pop up to Scotland?
I wonder how I'd look in a kilt? (OK, don't have to answer that)
If anyone would like to make a reservation...
https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/scotland/belmond-royal-scotsman/
I hope everyone is doing well this weekend,
I'm sure this'll have been posted before but here's Tornado hitting 100mph a few years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAGutU3BL_U
drgwcsLittle Choo Choo is still closed sorry I didn't catch this post last night-
Thank you for the great information. I just arrived in Spencer. Will go to the Transportation Museum in the morning. I really appreciate the information on Chuck's Trains and the antique malls.
Happy Birthday, America!
I'll second Ulrich's post!
to all of our friends in the USA!!!
Edit:
Top of the page so the Birthday Cake is on me! Lots of icing and ice cream too please! (That is the only reason to eat cake isn't it?).
Dave - it´s a little bit too early for me to enjoy a slice of that birthday cake. Mind, if a save a slice for a little later?
Today´s program takes us following the tracks and traces of lost railways in Britain.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I came across an interesting discovery today when I was reading through the Model Railroader Newsletter from July 2nd. Bowser is offering drive systems to fit the Varney Aerotrain locomotive shells and chassis for the coaches! I have two Varney Aerotrain locomotives but only one older motored chassis, so I seized on the opportunity to buy a modern spec DC chassis which can be easily converted to DCC.
The new coach chassis are an easy solution to the totally absent floors in the original coaches, but I passed on them because I think they could be scratchbuilt easily. I had already replaced the original plastic wheel sets with metal sets from NWSL. The NSWL wheel sets required a wee bit of trimming of the axle mounts but they work great.
The Aerotrains used a pretty much standard EMD 567 12 cylinder engines so sound will be easy to install.
Thanks to all the good folks, friends and neighbors in wishing the USA a happy Independence Day!
C&NW Station 24 August, 1996 by Edmund, on Flickr
A regular and a blueberry donut please Chloe. Oh what the heck, how about a stack of blueberry pancakes instead with a side of link sausage. It is virtual after all.
Thanks to our friends for the Independence Day wishes. Yes Bear, we could use a little cheer just now.
Finished up the backdrop last night and started cleaning. Next up will be more turntable repair and then remounting the control panel for the layout so it is more easily opened. Once that is done and the tracked cleaned it will be on to rolling stock starting with the immobile C-Liner and then the 2-8-0.
Same photo as in WPF but for those of you who don't surf, this is the backround through the yard.
yard view by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Hope those recovering are doing better. We take Bristol the mutt to the vets Weds next for a second opinion on her left hind quarter. She is still limping pretty badly. Well that brekkie was good - off to the shop and the trailers again.
Ciao, J.R.
Good morning
Thanks for starting the Diner Ed.
Happy 4th to everyone. Thanks for our Countries Happy Birthday wishes from our neighboring Country Friends
We just got back from the hotel spending quality time with Family in town after saying good bye to Kelly Tuesday. It was great to see everyone and miss them already.
Ulrich, Thanks for taking over PH while I was gone. Somebody's gotta do it
Have a fun wonderful 4th everyone and be safe
TF
Yesterday was a learining day.
We decided to drive all the way across West Virginia since neither of us have ever been there before. We agreed to drive off route over to Kentucky, then take US-52 all the way West-To-East and see West Virginia from the local perspective.
One great thing about travelling through these United States is seeing how each state is nothing like the stereotype or reputation that it has. None of the States I have visited was anything like the general reputation that it has in culture.
Until West Virginia, they really lived up to everything I have heard about their back roads.
US-52 through West Virginia is like visiting a third world country that lost a war. I have never seen such terrible living conditions and rampant poverty anywhere in the USA. It is like a long stretched out version of Gary, Indiana.
There are apparently no building codes or inspections. No code enforcement. No attempt by anyone to have a presentable community.
All the cliches were there, cars on blocks, above ground pools in the front yard, and weed filled lawns 18 inches high.
I had no idea what it would look like. Crossing the border from Kentucky was like turning off a light switch, then arriving in Virginia was like turning it back on.
It was absolutely not what I expected. Next time I go to West Virginia I will stay on the Interstates and restrict myself to the larger cities.
As depressing as it was, not all of WVa is like that and there are pockets of extreme poverty throughout the country. When my friend went on manuvers from Camp Lejeune they ended up in a rural area where he thought he was back in Nam the way the roads and houses were. We go to Summit Point WVa for racing and probably due to its' proximity to DC, it is all modern developments and lots of farms away from the main roads. If you followed 52 you were on the border of Kentucky and West Virginia and likely where the mines have all shut down. There has been rampant unemployment since. Hope the rest of your trip is better. J.R.
Good morning, everyone. Happy 4th of July!
Kevin, I know what you mean about impressions of states. When I tell people where I live, they honestly believe we have chickens in the kitchens and climb a pole to anwer our phone.
I forget the musician, but he once joked how he had gone home to visit his elderly parents, and they had put carpet in the bathroom. They enjoyed it so much, they decided to run the carpet from the bathroom all the way up the path to the house.
Actually, our farmers are now ahead of the curve. With all the talk of self-driving cars, we've had self-driving tractors and combines for years.
Welcome back to the diner, TF. Glad everything went well with the family.
Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving
Instead Amazon, wants to move to Northern Virginia, where real estate is sky high and a 2 mile drive to the bank takes over an hour, round trip.
Happy 4th of July to all our U.S. friends to the North, South, East and West. This is a tough one to be sure but things always get better eventually. I think we have more American friends than Canadian ones. I have good friends in California and many in the Chicage area and Virginia. My wife is good friends with a lady in Virginia that lives on a huge estate right out of "Gone With The Wind" as my wife puts it. The lady sends a car to the airport to pick the wife and dogs up and she stays in the guest house while she is there.
I have had my two giant mugs of coffee, played my guitar for an hour, pumped weights for 30 minutes and am just checking the forum before I do 40 min on the bike. BP was 102/60HR44 so I am good to let it rip. Then it's cutting tile for the BR project and hop on the John Deere if there is time left. At least I don't have to lay the tile as the wife loves to do that. She marks the tile to be cut and I cut them all and hand them back to her along with a bucket of thinset which works for me.
We have a young person staying for a couple of days as home life for them with being home due to the covid19 crap has deteriorated. We use to take lots of kids in when my kids were younger that were having problems at home, my kids would just invite them to stay with us. We would even take them on vacation with us. It was that or the street for them. We have been locked up with our kids for months now and we get along great.
TF, glad your family crisis is mostly in the rear view mirror now and hopefully life will return to somewhat normal soon.
Time for some good ole rock and roll to be put on while I pedal ( makes me goes faster while I am not moving)
BigDaddy Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving.
Winters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous. I don't see why a big company hasn't relocated there, get the state to build some roads, help finance better schools and get that economy moving.
A lot is needed. Not just roads and schools, but also a serious international airport, stores and restaurants.
We used to live in northern Virginia, and you're right -- trafic, crowds, outrageous prices and all. Now we're in Delaware with none of that, no commercial air traffic, not much in the way of shopping, and just enough restaurants for us locals. Keep the big city stuff away. We left to get away from that.
MisterBeasleyKeep the big city stuff away. We left to get away from that.
My wife says the same thing when our town's council talks about attracting new companies to our area.
Howdy ..... I'm taking a break for a few minutes from our company while they swim in the lake. .... We've been swimming, boating, fishing, and eating constantly.
Happy 4th of July !
I took the photos below in Detroit during the Bi-centennial celebration.
In the second photo, you can see the Renaissance Center under construction.
BigDaddyInstead Amazon, wants to move to Northern Virginia, where real estate is sky high and a 2 mile drive to the bank takes over an hour, round trip.
Infrastruture is the thing. For a company like Amazon interchange will all forms of transportation is paramount.
Afternoon Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk half a dog treat.
Just had nothing really to say this month Ed. I still read the post every day and sit in the back booth of the dinner.
Health Front Well my rib is feeling 98% heald so that is good.
Bad part is I have a new toe ulcer on the great toe on the right foot. Foot looked good Wednesday and on Friday it was a mess. Came out of no where, no standing or walking. Heck I have not even cut the grass for a month? If it does not look better Sunday, off to the ER.
Liked the new Grass Trimer. It is a 40 volt trimer and is 5'6" tall. Can hack down the weeds with out my back hurting.
Time to sit outside with Dirk and Sue.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof America.
I hate Rust
Kevin
Did you follow 52 on into NC and then down to Winston Salem? You would have passed by Mt Airy- Andy Griffith's hometown which was changed to Mayberry in the series. How was Spencer? I know they were pulling some of the equipment out. Considering the size of the buildings they really should have been allowed to open fully.
I saw part of the flyover of the Great American Colonial Cities. Before hand I could not find out what was coming, nor if it would be near me. After DC, they must have headed toward Dover, flying directly overhead.
I saw the B2 but didn't know the B1 and B52 were coming and missed them.
It's the video, below the news video
For some reason I could not get the video to play. My wife and I were driving in Kansas one day years ago when a B1 flew right over the highway. It was an amazing sight. That still is the only one I've ever seen.
GMTRacingnot all of WVa is like that and there are pockets of extreme poverty throughout the country.
For certain, all states have pockets of poverty. In Florida we have Belle Glade, Pahokee, Liberty City, and Bithlo to name a few. But nowhere else have I seen a roadway that runs 100 miles through pure squalor.
Honestly, 95% of these structures people were living in would be condemned anywhere else.
I also visited Wheeling, West Virginia, which was pretty bad, and drove US-19 from the Pennsylvania border South the day before. It was not much better.
York1I know what you mean about impressions of states. When I tell people where I live, they honestly believe we have chickens in the kitchens and climb a pole to anwer our phone
When people find out I am from Florida, you would not believe what I am encountered with. Since 2000 Florida has been the punchline for every "dumb-state" joke, and "Florida-Man" has become part of pop-culture.
Certainly, we have earned the "Florida-Man" stories. They are all true and too funny. It is amazing how many people just assume we are all "Florida-Man".
BigDaddyWinters are harsh, but there are parts of WV that are gorgeous.
That was so amazing, everywhere you look in West Virginia there are million dollar views. The state is simply beautiful. The natural beauty provides a harsh contrast to the general living conditions.
drgwcsDid you follow 52 on into NC and then down to Winston Salem? You would have passed by Mt Airy- Andy Griffith's hometown which was changed to Mayberry in the series. How was Spencer? I know they were pulling some of the equipment out. Considering the size of the buildings they really should have been allowed to open fully.
We did drive through Mount Airy, but I did not see a sign saying it was Andy Griffith's hometown, so I did not know.
The Transportation Museum in Spencer was amazing. I will post pictures when I am back home. If you have been there before, you should go now. A few of the steam engines that are normally kept in the cramped roundhouse are outside where you can really get a good look at them.
611 is there getting some major work done. Once again, I was able to get way up and more personal with her than should normally be allowed. That is twice now I have had a wonderful surprise with 611 in Spencer! I was the only person there (which is amazing in itself), so some allowances were granted.
They have also added some stuff since I was there two years ago. I do not remember the alluminum ACL hopper or all the cabooses everywhere. The pedestrial RR bridge was also fascinating.
Main Street Antiques was a great stop. The train booths were great, but it was mostly Lionel, which is typical for antique malls.
Then we went to The Depot Antique Mall, which was amazing. It was HUGE! We spent over two hours in there.
Chuck's Trains was closed when I got there, and so was New Brookland Trains in South Carolina. Oh well, I spent the time well and had a great time from morning to now.
Thanks for all the tips.
Tomorrow... TO THE BEACHES! I will be on Jeckyl Island in Georgia, then on to Daytona.
Here's a flat car load with a bang!
Do you know what it is?
The moderators may want to move this to the Prototypical forum.
Yea the depot antique mall is huge. There are several in the area that all claim the "largest" title. There is one in Burlington NC that is about the same size. The real champ though is the Factory Antique Mall up in Verona VA (just outside Staunton not too far from Shenandoah)
hon30critterDo you know what it is?
Dave, is it a depth-charge or an anti-ship mine?
hon30critterHere's a flat car load with a bang!
Gidday Dave and Kevin, a little light reading ...
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/t/240122.aspx
and the depressed centre car in question...
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/256674.aspx
Cheers, the Bear.
SeeYou190 is it a depth-charge or an anti-ship mine?
Hi Kevin,
It could be used as either, but it would be a bit of overkill.
Hi Bear!
I should have excluded you from answering! I figured that you would know the answer based on your flat car building experience.
The picture came up in an article on my Yahoo! home page so I thought I would post it for interest.
Jumbo pretty much looks like this today:
Trinity_Site-Remnants_of_Jumbo-2010 by Edmund, on Flickr
I've had this B&W 8 x 10 in my collection for years without knowing anything about it. Possibly part of the Trinity test?
The Apparatus by Edmund, on Flickr
It certainly looks like the locomotive rolls the apparatus into place and is then attached or "plugged-in" to another device travelling on the larger-gauge rails toward the outside.
The photo was in a group I bought at a train show.
Sunday - time for my big, fat and unhealthy brealfast of crisp fried bacon, eggs, pancakes,buttered toast & jams, OJ and plenty of coffee, Janie, dear! Thank you!
Petra an I are having second thoughts about moving to Görlitz. While Görlitz is certainly a nice place to live, we have not lived in a city since we go married. We always lived in rather rural places, fare away from the hustle & bustle city folks are used to. To be honest, I am having cold feet being stuck in a city! While it is certainly the most sensible thing to do, given our circumstances, my heart is not in it. The big question to answer is what a valid and feasible alternative could be. Renting an apartment in a rural place is not the answer - there are hardly any on the market and even, if, they don´t fit our budget. If we would find a nice plot of land to buy or rent, I´d put up one of those new-fangled shipping container houses. We don´t need much space, but we do need peace and quiet, and, not to forget, independence!
I know we are in Britain, but here is a video I´d like to share. It´s about a NG forest railway in the Carpathian mountains of Romania, where people in this 21st centure do not live much different as their forefathers did, when Dracula reigned with night time terror. Narration is in Germany, but you may switch on subtitles in English.
Tinplate ToddlerPetra an I are having second thoughts about moving to Görlitz. While Görlitz is certainly a nice place to live, we have not lived in a city since we go married. We always lived in rather rural places, fare away from the hustle & bustle city folks are used to. To be honest, I am having cold feet being stuck in a city! While it is certainly the most sensible thing to do, given our circumstances, my heart is not in it.
I understand your hesitancy. Best to be certain before you take the plunge.
Dianne and I would be hard pressed to move into a more urban place than we are now. We are in a small town (19,000 people) with all the amenities and the country side is close by. Toronto is only 40 minutes away but we rarely go there. I hate the traffic and the congestion. I couldn't live in the place.
If we do anything it would be to move to a place on the water in 'cottage country' somewhere in north central Ontario. Alas, that might be a pipe dream because prices for decent properties that can be lived in year round are likely beyond our means and will continue to be so.
Keep looking! It won't do you any good to give up.
Top of the page again! Since our neighbours to the south have just gorged themselves on Birthday Cake, how about something a little less fattening? We are in Great Britain so how about watercress sandwiches all round?!? They are a pub staple so you are allowed to have a pint or three with them to help you wash them down! In fact, that might be the only reason to justify eating them! Just remember to hold your little pinky up when you indulge!
Dave - I have just cancelled all the appointments and the hotel reservation for our trip to Görlitz. We are not yet ready to decide on such a life changing step, so I don´t want to waste the considerable amount of money for this trip, only to find our prejudices confirmed. Back to square 1 again.
Tinplate ToddlerBack to square 1 again.
I'm not sure that you are actually back at 'square one'. You have explored many options. The knowledge gained has allowed you to refine your goals. You are further ahead by knowing what mistakes you don't want to make.
Dave - We actually know quite well, how we would like to live, but we are forced to make severe cuts to that because of our financial situation. We attempt to square the circle.
Good Sunday morning. Just coffee this morning.
This is another day with very little scheduled. I'll watch church this morning, and then a full day of nothing to do.
The results of this virus:
Ever since I was a kid traveling with my family, I have loved the old national park lodges. When we visited Yellowstone, I swore that one day when I grew up, I was going to come back to stay at Old Faithful Inn.
This coming week the 60-year-old dream was going to happen. My kids and grandkids were all going to spend a week at Yellowstone and Grand Teton with us. We actually had reservations for staying at the Inn. Of course, all that's out.
My daughter has remade the reservations for next summer. If I'm still alive and well in a year, I may fulfill one of my bucket list items:
I love the videos and pictures of the UK railroads. They have done well preserving some of their rail history.
I hope everyone has a great Sunday today.
Good morning, the little bit left of it.
Thanks Brent, John for the kind thaughts Yep, keeping the memory alive but down to fond and happy memories from here on out is what one needs to do now.
I don't know about you guys in the other states but there wasn't much of a 4th here this year. All the firework displays were canceled due to the corona. Lakeville had one but I wasn't going to drive all the way down there. The 4th this year consisted of a classic car ride and a red white and blue cake we ate too much of
We drove to Victoria this morning for breakfast on the patio before the humidity began to speak too loud. Now it's just a matter of trying to figure out what to do with the rest of our Sunday. Maybe BBQ some chicken I'll probably be gaining some weight throughout this epidemic. There ain't nothing else to do but eat
More time for modeling is a plus though
Have a great afternoon everyone.
I am on Jecky Island, Georgia, and it has rained since I arrived here. I never made it to the beach. It is a 1/4 mile walk on a boardwalk over the dunes to reach the beach, and no fun in the rain.
Bummer.
Track fiddlerI don't know about you guys in the other states but there wasn't much of a 4th here this year. All the firework displays were canceled due to the corona.
We had a fairly normal one, except for a town near here that canceled its parade and celebration. Our town had their big display on Friday evening.
Last night sounded like a firestorm in a war zone by our house. Of course, I played no part in that.
York1Last night sounded like a firestorm in a war zone by our house.
Much worse here, than if there were regular municipal fireworks. The dog was absolutely terrified. The M80's started around noon and then from 8:30 to 11 it was non stop.
I expect once the sun goes down today, they will start up again.
BigDaddyThe dog was absolutely terrified.
I guess that's one advantage our Daisy the Dachshund has being deaf. The fireworks (and thunderstorms) don't bother her at all. She sat outside and watched the fireworks with me.
Howdy!!!!
BigDaddyMuch worse here, than if there were regular municipal fireworks.
Same here... That was discussed before our on line Church Service this morning. My contribution was that I had no problem with it.... I just turned off my hearing aids!. What fireworks? There were even some bottle rockets being launched nearby that were exploding a couple hundred feet up...... Haven't heard about any injuries yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were...
We did have the annual 4th. of july parade in the neighborhood, but it was limited to a Fire engine with siren and warning horns followed by about 60 or 70 cars blowing their horns! I was on Zoom at the time with my son in England. He enjoyed it too!
Spent quite a bit of time over at my other son's house on the 4th. and again today. They had a family of friends over on the 4th. and some relatives too. Most of them had never had a ride in a Tesla before so I told them, put masks on, and I'll be glad to burn some electrons! The first ride was my oldest granddaughter and two other kids with the kids dad riding in the front seat. I backed out of the driveway and asked if they were ready.... Then I floored it! The boy in the back seat yelled WHOOOOOAAAAHH. WOW! I guess he had never ridden in a car that did 0 to 60 in less than 5 seconds! I got to explain to the dad several of the technical things about the Tesla. He actually had two rides in it. Think he was enjoying himself. All told I took 4 loads of people out to have their first ride in an Electric car....
Today I chauffeured my sister down to my son's house for a dinner... She can drive now but doesn't trust herself driving that far... She didn't sleep well last night (and hasn't been sleeping well) and was in a rotten mood... Was glad to get her back home so I could relax for a while and get some other things done.
Been extreemly hot here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS, with highs in the high 90's for several days in a row. That will continue for the rest of the week they say. I went out and ran 1.6 miles today right after church. Should have done it again this evening, but I am exhausted. Hope to make up for it tomorrow. I'm trying to get in a 5k most days (actually a bit over that 3.2 miles).
Catch you all tomorrow.
Evening all, it was a beautiful day here today so after a good workout this morning I spent the day pressure washing. I usually get it all done in April but there is just too much going on around here these days.
The wife started in on the tiling job in the bathroom and as I was pressure washing, she started cutting the tiles herself and did a great job. I guess I am officially relieved of that job now. Reminds me of when I came home from work and she was putting a new waterpump in her car. What a women.
Flipped the tube on this morning and CNN was on, saw thousands of people bobbing around in pools together. I guess if social distancing is too hard to figure out, being financially responsible and diet conscious is completely out of the question.
I think I can unwrap the layout as the dusty part of the reno is over, can't wait to be choo choo chooing along once again.
We had all the doors and windows open and my daughter was playing some classical pieces on the piano. A lady sat down across the road and it turned out she was listening to the music. She came to the door to ask who was playing thinking it was a recording and was surprised when she saw my daughter through the front door playing. The lady apparently taught music her whole life and loved listening. It is so great having my daughter home as she has been playing so much. Her latest thing is the score from Star Wars, she rocks the house on that grand piano. Love it!
We are very close to the border and didn't hear a peep of fireworks last night from Stateside, usually the place is rockin from the fireworks. I guess they were cancelled.
Going to watch Hamilton with my daughter tonight as it came out on the Disney channel. She has it all memorized and sings it all day long. Maybe someday I'll take her to New York to see it, I think it would be quality time together I would cherish forever. I flew her to Toronto once so she could attend a rock concert and she still talks about it.
I just heard the subwhoofers power up, that's my call, nuff said.
Good Morning —
A little ditty about the Full English Breakfast — Yum
And while you digest all of that —
Our Monday Morning Matinée:
Jeckyl Island, Georgia was a bust. It finally stopped raining, so I walked the boardwalk to the beach.
The bugs were awful. Went back to the hotel.
Packing up and heading for Daytona for a couple of days.
It will be a busy day -- a company is finally coming to cut down three large pine trees in the backyard. They are between buildings, so it will be interesting to see how they do it.
The tree company is busy. We had a storm several weeks ago with 90 mph wind gusts, so many trees were damaged.
I'm going to break down and buy a new chainsaw. I'm giving up on my old one -- I usually have to spend three hours getting it started to use it for five minutes. It has been through a lot, and it had one close-call with my foot. I won't miss it.
It's time for bacon, eggs, and coffee.
Coffee and a slice of that cherry crumble pie, please!
What a day! I was woken up by rain hammering against the windows. I have never seen such a rainfall in my life before. The raindrops jumped a foot high up in the air when they hit the ground!
Monday is the day for some household chores. Dusting and vacuuming the floors is one of my not so well liked jobs. Dusting of the furniture went well, but when it came to vacuuming the floors, all wnt wrong. First the vacuum cleaner blow off the dust bag, distributing its content nicely all over just about everything. I got that fixed and was able to get the darn thing back into working order. Just when the fine layer of dust was gone into the bag, the thing completely died on me. I shouldn´t complain, it gave us 18 years of service, but it´s death was rather untimely. I ordered a new one, without dust bags. It should be much lighter than the old one, which was a heavy beast hard to maneuver around the furniture. Another 200 bucks out of our getaway kitty
Today, let´s pay a visit to the Bluebell Rlwy. in West Sussex, one of the oldest preservation lines in Britain.
Chloe, I'd like kippers for breakfast today along with scrambled eggs, grilled tomato and mushrooms. My wife won't let me cook kippers as she says they stink up the place.
Nothing new here. More gardening today as the weather is warm but not too hot.
That brass Hudson I bought has an interesting drive in that it can be rolled on the tracks without power and the drivers will turn. It is called 'Coasting Drive' and was used in later Van Hobbies engines.
We are getting tired of staying in the house and just doing shopping errands. Even then, it is just stay in the car to do a pickup. We'd like to go out for a lunch, meet our friends and go birding or something but it looks like we are stuck here for the foreseeable future. I guess we shouldn't really complain but it is wearing.
CNCharlieWe are getting tired of staying in the house and just doing shopping errands. Even then, it is just stay in the car to do a pickup. We'd like to go out for a lunch, meet our friends and go birding or something but it looks like we are stuck here for the foreseeable future. I guess we shouldn't really complain but it is wearing.
+1
York1They are between buildings, so it will be interesting to see how they do it.
"My" guy uses a cherry picker and takes small chunks off as he works his way down the trunk. He calls himself a tree deconstructor.
Arborist by Edmund, on Flickr
The sunflowers are in bloom here:
Sunflower by Edmund, on Flickr
Look at all that pollen ready to blow into the air!
gmpullman"My" guy uses a cherry picker and takes small chunks off as he works his way down the trunk. He calls himself a tree deconstructor.
I think that's what they'll use here, too. They came and looked this afternoon, but are still working on another project. They said maybe tomorrow.
I'm ready for it to be done. Trees don't grow here like they do in Ohio. We have to baby them for years. My wife grew up in Ohio and loved the trees.
I've written before that when we moved here, there was not a tree on our property. I planted nine pine trees and about 6 or 7 spruce trees across the back of the land. After 10 years, you could look out the back windows and see just a green screen at the edge of the land. I loved it.
Unfortunately, the pines have been attacked and are dying. They are over 30 feet high. The spruces are shorter and are still OK.
Good afternoon all.
Zoe - A gigantic RBF please. Thanks.
Ed - Thanks for moving the diner.
Ulrich - I can understand your not wishing to move into town. I like the peace and quiet of country living myself. Cities are nice to visit, but I dislike spending much more than a day or two at a time. Normal years I would have been to Cleveland at least once by now, with a weekend trip within the next 60 days, but this is not a "normal" year, so no Cleveland trip. While I always enjoy it, by the third day I am ready for much less traffic and fresh air. (Don't want the enjoyment of the event I'm attending to end, but am usually done with the traffic and the amount of people.)
Weather - Hot!!!! Have the chance to tie a record with most consecutive days above 90. Last time Erie hit 90+ for 5 days in a row was 32 years ago! Forecast is for just that, 5 days of 90+, with a humidex above 100 each day. (Only once on record has Erie hit that for longer than 5 consecutive days.) AC is working overtime, and it's still above 75 inside. (It's not central air, one downstairs, one upstairs. Really need 2 more, but holding off on spending a bunch of money right now.)
Music - Country music legend Charlie Daniels has passed away. He was best known for "Devil went down to Georgia", but instead, I will have the diner jukebox do a different hit...
(Hopefully I did the video right...)
Covid - A friend of mine is in isolation pending results. Erie County (where I live) now has more confirmed cases than all surrounding counties COMBINED. Then you hear of all the athletes, and others, who are testing positive, it's getting a bit scary again. It's definitely sticking around longer than I would like.
Interesting tidbit for the sports trivia buffs - Last race in NASCAR (Indy) is the first points race since 1993 that the #48 was driven by someone not named Jimmie Johnson. ( The current list of drivers includes several who we're not even around in 1993. Even more who were too young to remember it. )
W*^k - Am doing part time on a very enjoyable j*b, and can do it from home. While it's not what I normally did, and has no insurance options, it will easily get the bills paid. (And is a permanent position. )
Hope all are well, and all enjoy the day!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I have never had a kipper nor a sardine. My mother used to eat sardines. At 68 years old, I just googled and found out you don't eat the whole thing. You clean them like any other fish.
Now those dried up goldfish they sell in Asian stores, You eat the whole thing.
Hot and humid. Thunderstorms knocked out power just after dinner. Only a few minutes until they rebooted.
Eveing Diners!
Flo, drinks are on my tab tonight and Dirk gets a dog treat.
Today was a good day at Work. I was a little busy and got out a little late. Had a tad over $3500.00 in sales.
All but one customer had mask on. Couple that did not I told them we have mask by the front door for your use. Went back to the coustomer I was writting up and saw the male of the couple had the free mask, but was not wearing it? I told him why he need to ware the mask because of my health problems and still did not put it on! Told him, there is the door sir and the couple left with there Free Mask! Not that I wanted them back anyway.
My wife is starting to hate Dirk Pip. I find that funny because after we lost Sparkie I did not want another dog. But she just had to have another dog becuase she is a "Dog Mom" so I gave in after a few weeks of her crying about wanting a dog! While I wished I never meet him, I am glad I did and we our his Forever Home plus he is my buddie.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof!
Daytona Beach has been wonderful.
There is no one here. We had the beach to ourselves almost all afternoon. There are probably only 6-8 rooms in this hotel occupied.
I will be here all day tomorrow, then drive home on Wednesday after seeing my youngest baby in Orlando where she is visiting her (soon to be) in-laws.
cudakenTold him, there is the door sir and the couple left with there Free Mask!
Well done Ken! The Covid-19 situation is not one where we can tolerate idiots! Saying nothing could be fatal!
Apologies to Kalmbach if my comment is inappropriate.
Evening all.
It was another beautiful day out West and I spent it pressure washing again. I couldn't get the pressure washer to fire up and found the spark plug had seen better days so it was off to Home Depot for a new one. B.C. had 7 new covid cases today with 16 in hospital. Even with such low numbers all us Home Depot customers had our mask on as we want to keep it that way.
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/a6f23959a8b14bfa989e3cda29297ded
Put the new plug in and she fired right up.
Ken, you keep right on asking customers to wear mask, no job is worth your life.
My Mom use to love to make clothes in the 60s and 70s and had a good selection of material on hand that my sister had kept when she died. A lot of it Mom had brought home from Europe on one of her visits home. My sister decided to get rid of it and put an ad on FB saying vintage material for sale. Someone from the movie industry was over PDQ and gave her $5500.00 for the lot of it saying it was quite the find and it will be put to good use. Good thing she didn't just chuck it out.
I think one more full day on the pressure washer and I'll have the back patios and dog kennels clean. The front of the house can wait for another week or weeks to be done.
The wife could not figure out why we had quite a bit more money in the bank account than usual at this time of the year. I reminded her we have not taken any trips yet this year. Normally we would have two or three under our belts by now. We'll make up for it once we can travel again as we both have the urge to go somewhere. She also has an eye on a new car, though she doesn't know what yet. Once she gets the vehicle she gets them outfitted with custom dog crates so the mutts are as safe as they can be. All the dog shows are cancelled so there is no rush.
We were going to do a dog show circuit down through the SW U.S. this Winter, but that will have to wait. I hate dog shows, I just dump her a the show grounds in the morning and go find something a little more exciting to do, like watch paint dry. I have had some pretty good adventures on my own once I dropped her off. One time we were near a glider club at a small airport and I went up for a couple of hours everyday with an instructor. I had my pilots license but had only been in a glider once before then in Hawaii. Got some serious glider stunt flying under my belt on the dog show trip.
Well time to hit the hay and dream of having more adventures once this pandemic is done with.
hon30critter cudaken Told him, there is the door sir and the couple left with there Free Mask! Well done Ken! The Covid-19 situation is not one where we can tolerate idiots! Saying nothing could be fatal! Dave Apologies to Kalmbach if my comment is inappropriate.
cudaken Told him, there is the door sir and the couple left with there Free Mask!
Dave - I don´t think your comment is appropriate in this form and in this forum. If this is the new style in this forum and in the Diner, I am out of this place!
There are many people who are not able to wear a mask, due to respiratory or heart issues. I am among them. There are times, when I have to go out to do essential business, which cannot be dealt with otherwise. I keep a safe distance from other people, which is by far the better protection than to wear a mask with it´s warm and humid atmosphere providing an ideal environment for bacteria and virusses to thrive in. And while we are at it, you should be wearing googles as well, as your eyes are also entry sites for the virus into your body. The virus is on your cloths, in your hair, just about everywhere around you. A simply mask won´t give you the protection, only this will:
Before you enter your house, take it off and don´t forget your shoes!
On old Indian saying tells us not to judge a person before having walked a mile in his mocassins!
hon30critterWell done Ken! The Covid-19 situation is not one where we can tolerate idiots! Saying nothing could be fatal!
Dave: On this trip I have made around a few states (Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida) I have been amazed at the different attitudes of people in different areas.
In Indiana, no one was wearing masks, and some people actually commented on my mask saying I was a "sheep" falling for the propaganda.
At the service in Ohio, the man leading the formalities actually asked everyone that was wearing a mask to remove them "out of respect", I almost lost my mind. I was paying this guy, and he said something that stupid on my dime.
Most of the rest of Ohio was very responsible although in the wide open spaces of the Cuyahoga Valley Park, no one was wearing masks, but we were hundreds of feet apart.
In North Carolina, I saw no one without a mask. They were taking the situation very seriously.
This was unbelievable: When I re-entered Florida, there was a Covid-19 check point on the border. Florida is the current "hot-spot" for the virus. Stopping people from bringing it in is like telling people not to bring sand to the beach. A little bit more is not going to change anything at this point. No other State I travelled to had a check point.
Ulrich: People with breathing problems are allowed to wear loose fitting bandanas covering their faces... problem solved. There are other options as well, but not covering your face should not be the chosen course of action. That hazardous material exposure suit would provide better protection, but if 95% of the people just wear masks, we could do a lot.
Tinplate ToddlerAnd while we are at it, you should be wearing googles as well, as your eyes are also entry sites for the virus into your body.
I wear a mask so that my saliva droplets don't become airborne and affect others. As long as I'm not crying I don't have to worry about covering my eyes.
The mask also helps in reducing unnecessary hand-to-face contact.
Century_2_covi by Edmund, on Flickr
A regular to go please Zoe. mid 70's already and it should get into the nineties by noon. Not much to report on the train front though the local railway museum is reopening for the volunteers so they can come in and clean and prep things. Maybe they can have a soft opening with restrictions by the end of July if things here keep improving. I won't get into a back and forth on masks but kudos to Ken for standing his ground at w**k. Nova Scotia has "bubbles" - small groups that are comfortable with each other but in my sisters, they still mask up.
Time to pick up tools. We are off to New Hampshire this weekend and I'm concerned with the amount of increased infection there. We shall see how it goes.
Oh boy I have top. Brekkies on me folks. I will start with a waffle with blueberrys
and whipped cream. Side of link sausage too please.
Another hot one as it seems to be the pattern pretty much nation wide from what I gather. Hot and humid is forecasted all week here with a high of 100 actual tomorrow.
Judy and I take the mask thing pretty seriously these days. Especially after this wicked disease affected our Family.
A study was done on indoor air quality up here and microscopic particles of the covid were found suspended in the air of the room with no people present with exception of the people doing the test. That's enough for me to wear a mask and my sunglasses any time I have to go inside whether near anybody or not.
I do miss my friends but have not been to Cowboys in well over three months. They have the patios open for social distancing. I have drove by quite a few times and I see no evidence of this. What used to be a middle-aged to an older crowd has turned into a bunch of kids that are right on top of each other. No Thanks! I'll have a beer at home.
For some reason the younger generation thinks they're invincible and do not take this thing very seriously at all. I guess I can somewhat understand this as I was young once too. I just wish they all knew how serious this thing really is. They say the more recent spikes stem from the younger crowd.
Well, I have a few things to take care of on my truck this morning before it gets to Sticky out.
Have a great day everyone
Good morning. Just coffee this morning.
The tree guys didn't make it last night. They got behind on another job. I hope they come today and finish. I'm tired of this.
My daughters were all older when Shining Time Station came on TV with Thomas the Tank Engine. We just never watched it.
Later, I was flipping the channels and came across the show. I was hooked -- not for the stories but for the models.
Now it is computer generated, and for me, has lost the appeal. I know some people like it better CGI, but I loved the real thing. I've seen several Thomas layouts at railroad shows, so maybe it gets some kids interested in model railroading.
Oh, well, it was UK show and we're in the UK.
LB&SCR E2
Have a good day, everyone.
Good ....... Uh.... Oops! Think I made a wrong turn here this morning. No? Well I'm sure Cousin Vinnie will be in to clean up the mess just as soon as he is up and dressed... LOL
Only thing I will say is. The issue is more about how you respect, care, and "do unto others" in this world (That is a major part of my personal faith system) than "rights". I always do my best to do what is recommended and expected when I am out and around. With all the folks yelling about their "rights", they seem to forget that one very important responsibility is, that others also have rights. Ah... You may have heard of "Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness?" I take part of that to mean that my right to swing my fists ends at the tip of the other guy's nose! Or maybe my right to ignore health recommendations ends when I could cause major harm or death to someone else. Like what has been discussed earlier.
How about we try to turn the other cheek and treat each other with respect including following rules and recommendations both out in public and, ah..... Maybe even here at the forum?
'nuff said!
Works for me. J.R.
Good morning Everyone,
Just got back from a trip to another state to visit family. Our state is still requiring masks in buildings and etc. We go to the other state and it was pretty much wide open. Didn't wear my mask once the whole visit, but we also weren't out and about that much. Sure was a different feeling at first. We're now sort of self quartineing out of courtesy for others just simply minimizing interactions and wearing our masks to the supermarket. Don't want to be responsible for giving something to someone else if we by chance picked up something.
My sister happens to be an amazing quilter. I'm just awestruck at her work. My wife purchased a bunch of sewn zipper bags my sister had made to give to people. Sorry, don't have pics to share.
Saw just a couple of RR things, a small yard and a bridge Visible from the freeway. Interesting to see how things change over the years.
Edit: Ed: libraries routinely get rid of old books. Sometimes they're for sale for literally pennies. Check with your local library. (Reference to comment on another thread.)
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Chloe - A nice cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke please. Thanks.
Ken - Good that you stood for what is required by both the CDC, WHO, and Health Dept. (Also possibly your boss, company, county, state and others.)
At least in PA, there is a medical exemption, for those under 2 and those on oxygen/with severe breathing issues, but unless you are under 2, you need to have a card from your Doctor, and are supposed to mention the medical exemption when asked to wear a mask by employees/officials, and are supposed to have the card available to show when requested by employees and/or officials. (Asthma does not qualify. I am not unhappy, as I would not want a medical exemption.)
In PA, it is required that you wear a mask when you leave your house. In your yard, a car by yourself, or in your own house you are exempt. Everywhere else it is required by the State Health Dept., County Health Dept., State & Local Government order, and is recommended and encouraged by CDC & WHO. National government is also now encouraging all to wear masks.
Yes, you have the freedom to choose whether you obey, but that comes with the responsibility of getting yourself in trouble, and putting yourself and others at increased risk. You also get the freedom of accepting whatever penalties are assessed for not obeying. (Such as being told to leave stores, fines, etc....)
Yes, many are enforcing their rights. But no one has any right to needlessly place others in harms way.
And, it's exactly because of these freedoms and rights that allow stores, businesses, and states/counties to require masks. We are required to wear shoes and shirts also. This isn't much different than that requirement. Yes, masks are hot. Yes they are uncomfortable, but they have been scientifically proven to help prevent spreading a scientifically proven deadly disease. (While not 100%, it is infinitely better than not doing anything.)
My only other comment on masks will be this - If heat and humidity were a reason that masks would harm individuals due to bacteria and mold, etc...., then medical professionals, people who work with dusty jobs, and people who wear even more restrictive masks for working with paint/other chemicals, would not be able to wear them during summer heat and humidity either. (And I have seen zero evidence to support this supposed issue, but have seen plenty of everyday proof that it is not any issue wearing them in summer heat & humidity.)
Now, back to our regularly scheduled discussions -
Ed - Your pollen pic has me sneezing clear over here!
Weather - Still hot and humid.
Tree trimming discussion - Had a pine tree (affected by some kind of blight) taken down last week. The individual we had do it pointed out where he was going to drop it, and it landed within 6 inches of that exact spot. Real professionals know exactly how to drop a tree, and can do it quickly and safely. He had a total of 3 people counting himself, and they had the 35' tree down and cleaned up in under 8 hours. (We paid cash and gave him the tree, as we do not have a wood stove, but he was aware of someone who could use the wood.)
York1The tree guys didn't make it last night. They got behind on another job. I hope they come today and finish. I'm tired of this.
When I had a tree removed from the back yard in March, it was over two weeks from the original scheduled date until it was finally cut down.
I feel your pain and frustration.
up831My sister happens to be an amazing quilter. I'm just awestruck at her work.
My wife and I really want a nice hand made quilt. We have looked at hundreds of them in quilt shops all through the South, and never made a purchase.
The workmanship is amazing, and the variety is bewildering.
One day we will find the one that just screams "BUY ME", and we will get it.
The search has been fun.
Well, I guess I'm a mask heretic. The hospitalizations are very low, and the death rate has really fallen off, and both continue to drop.
But, that just means the disease is being detected more in younger, healthy people. We are testing more, and therefore finding more cases.
My feeling is that the "herd immunity" group is right. We need to develop that herd immunity, and young people who are not particularly susceptible make excellent candidates for that.
I don't think there will be a safe, effective vaccine for years, if at all, and I don't plan to hide under the bed for those years. Sure, I will wear a mask if required, but eventually everyone is going to get exposed and will potentially be infected. We can't hide forever.
I was possibly exposed to someone who tested positive a couple of weeks ago. We got tested and the results were negative. Oddly, I found myself wishing for a positive result, since it's already been two weeks and I had no symptoms. Now, I'm back to worrying about getting infected again.
I'm 73 years old, I have high blood pressure, diabetes and congestive heart failure. The Covid Panic Brigade would lock me up and not let me even go outside for a long time, but that is not my choice. My spirit was crumbling before some restrictions were lifted a few weeks ago, and a couple of evenings out revived them. I don't want to go back to the early lockdown restrictions.
How come English Muffins are made in New Jersey ???
The Monastery and our cars are considered 'cleana spaces' everywhere else it is our policy that we must wear masks. This will undoubtedly be a continuing policy of our house long after the CCP virus is in the dustbin.
What the Heck, I have had no cold taking these simple precautions so it seems like a god idea.
ROAR
(PS Calendar of LION seems to have stopped sometime back in June.)
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
BroadwayLionHow come English Muffins are made in New Jersey ???
How come there are no bones in ice cream and vests don't have sleeves?
Good evening
I picked up Judy from work late this afternoon and she said she was really hungry.
Friday I stumbled across this new Sub Shop in Apple Valley. It's called Goodcents Deli Fresh Subs. That sub must have been really good because I had no problem driving Judy a half hour south to go to this sub shop again.
It puts that other sub chain to shame. The bread melts in your mouth and they take a whole loaf of meat and run it through the meat slicer fresh for every sub they make. They had to get three loaves of meat out to make the Penny Club.
The best thing is while we still had our masks on there is a Rita's Custard shop right next door. In 94 degrees and humid that vanilla cherry custard Shake sure hit the spot. We enjoyed our dessert first and enjoyed our subs when we got home
I'm probably going to pack some weight on during this pandemic It's one of the only few things to do anymore is eat
Oh well, I can work it off
How come they call it New Jersey? Were they too lazy to come up with an original name?
Edit; Maybe when I leave this nutty planet with Elon to inhabit a new planet, I'll call it New Vancouver!
LastspikemikeJust be aware that the science of mask use is pretty poor. There is in fact no good science supporting mass wearing of masks. It is mainly a publicity stance to encourage public confidence. It is bad public policy. No epidemiologist can claim mask wearing improves safety.
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/06/417906/still-confused-about-masks-heres-science-behind-how-face-masks-prevent
LastspikemikeIndeed, if a mask works it does so by efficiently trapping the virus particles in the mask. Viral load is what causes infection. Concentrating coronavirus particles millimetres in front of your lips and nostrils is a really dangerous idea.
https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/stanford-scientists-contribute-to-who-mask-guidelines.html
LastspikemikeIf you are an infectious covid 19 virus carrier then you should not go out. Period.
LastspikemikeMask wearing is insufficient to prevent you from infecting others. Asymptomatic carriers of covid 19 virus in sufficient load to be dangerous to others is simply not proven to be real.
We need to take information from the experts instead of choosing the storyline we like best. I wish this wasn't a "thing" too, but it is.
Mike
Please.
Eveing Diners
Flo, give the gang a mask with a straw hole, straw, and Dirk a dog treat plaese.
Work it was slow and I was Ok with that! Only people in the store came in was to finish a credit ap (she had a mask on) and later her female friend to help pick up the King Set her friend bought. The friend did not have a mask, I told her we have free mask on that table for you. She said "I am only waiting for a friend to help her pick it up, I just wanted to look around". Told her that find but you need to ware a mask, they are free. She said "I have never been told I have to ware a mask! and I was going to buy 1 or maybe 2 mattress! I will wait outside! !" Fine with me, not worth taking a chances for a few $ if I don't live to spend it!
I was told that the city of St Louis is under lockdown again. Don't know it for a fact but would not surprise me.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof.
Oh oh, The Fiddler has been browsing eBay again. A dangerous past time I know.
How could one not be tempted to buy this beautiful CN bloody nose zebra Eh!
I'm having a real hard time fighting the temptation Oh Well, ... If I lose I win
Good Evening,
TF, go for it! I get a little thrill every time I look at my new Hudson.
Time for some dessert. How about some sticky toffee pudding. A real Brit treat. No it isn't like a pudding as we usually know it here. I had some in England last time and it was really good. In fact I have one to heat up sitting on the kitchen counter. I share.
Ken, how is Dirk's paw?
I thought we were going to stay away from discussions of covid here.
CNCharlieI thought we were going to stay away from discussions of covid here.
We should. I am afraid I added to it with my personal observations of the way different regions are taking responsibility.
Sorry.
What I am doing right now: I am listening to the Follow The Leader album by Korn. This album came out in 1998, I cannot believe it is 22 years old. I loved to listen to this CD when I was driving before I had an iPod.
TF: The car I had in High School is for sale on eBay right now for $18,000.00, and I am seriously thinking about pulling the trigger. I have a nice garage to park it in now!
This was mine, picture taken when I lived in Nashville going to Vanderbilt in 1985:
I am going to go for a midnight walk on the beach in a few minutes.
Take care all!
As I recall, you've had a lot of exposure to antique shops and flea markets. Have you ever come across any MRR items that were not of the toy train category? I was recently in Arkansas and there were scads of antique stores. I passed as thinking it would likely be a waste of time. OTOH, "nothing ventured, nothing gained."
Others are certainly welcome to chime in here.
John
AttuvianAs I recall, you've had a lot of exposure to antique shops and flea markets. Have you ever come across any MRR items that were not of the toy train category?
Rarely, but it does happen. 99% of the trains that are in antique stores are broken and/or junk. I get tired of looking at $50.00 Athearn Blue Box Kits and $75.00 Tyco freight cars. A lot of the dealers price stuff way too high because they have no idea what anything is or what it is worth.
Occassionally, you get a prize. Most recently I bought three Scale Structures Limited Mack Truck kits for $5.00 each.
The exception to all this are the antique dealer booths that are actually train dealers. Lindy's Trains still has a few locations in Georgia and North Carolina. There is a train dealer booth in Oviedo, Florida, and recently I was directed to one in Charlotte, North Carolina. These guys know what they are doing and price their stuff to move. They need turnover to be profitable and lots of great stuff can be found at fair prices.
Antique malls are really my wife's passion. Her collection of art glass is amazing, and she loves to look for treasures in antique malls.
I would not go to one just to look for trains unless you knew a model train dealer had a booth in one or you have time to kill. You never know what you will find in an antique mall.
York1I've seen several Thomas layouts at railroad shows, so maybe it gets some kids interested in model railroading.
Hi John,
I have an HO Thomas the Tank Engine with the actual 'Thomas' sounds. I got it strictly to take to train shows to use on my old club's portable layout. I can tell you that the younger kids and the parents lit up when Thomas came around the track and whistled at them or spoke.
SeeYou190 Attuvian As I recall, you've had a lot of exposure to antique shops and flea markets. Have you ever come across any MRR items that were not of the toy train category? Occassionally, you get a prize. Most recently I bought three Scale Structures Limited Mack Truck kits for $5.00 each. The exception to all this are the antique dealer booths that are actually train dealers. Lindy's Trains still has a few locations in Georgia and North Carolina. There is a train dealer booth in Oviedo, Florida, and recently I was directed to one in Charlotte, North Carolina. These guys know what they are doing and price their stuff to move. They need turnover to be profitable and lots of great stuff can be found at fair prices. Antique malls are really my wife's passion. Her collection of art glass is amazing, and she loves to look for treasures in antique malls. I would not go to one just to look for trains unless you knew a model train dealer had a booth in one or you have time to kill. You never know what you will find in an antique mall. -Kevin
Attuvian
As I recall, you've had a lot of exposure to antique shops and flea markets. Have you ever come across any MRR items that were not of the toy train category?
Our weather is playing roller coaster - from spring to autumn via winter, and back to summer - all im one day! A few months ago, our weather guessers gve us a drought warning, and now the drought is dripping in liquid form from the sky. This is going to be some wet summer!
We are in Britain and make use of the time in best way there is - traveling by train. Today´s video takes us to Scotland, to the Highland town of Fort William, where we will board "The Jacobite" steam train to the former fishing town of Mallaig. This trip is most enjoyable in autumn, with all the autumnal colors adding a special atmosphere to the spectacular scenery of the Highlands.
More info on the "Jacobite" to be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jacobite_(steam_train)
72F already at 7am so it will be in the 90's again I assume. I'll just have a regular to go please Zoe.
Scrambling to finish up one customer car for delivery and my own for Tamworth this weekend. The trailer leaves tomorrow.
No news on the layout front - too much to deal with in the shop so no time at home. Hope the rest of you are doing well. Ciao, J.R.
Tinplate ToddlerToday´s video takes us to Scotland, to the Highland town of Fort William, where we will board "The Jacobite" steam train to the former fishing town of Mallaig.
Thanks for contributing all the great videos!
Thanks for the Autumn field trip to Scotland Ulrich. Beautiful scenery. Loved the Jacobite, especially the tunnel and viaduct bridge scene.
Kevin, I checked out the 66 Mercury on eBay this morning over coffee. Wow! She's a Beauty! Your childhood car and I thought I was tempted with an F7 last night. You definitely came across a more dangerous find than I did.
I didn't even know you could buy cars on eBay. I almost wish you wouldn't have told me because you just created a Monster, a new pastime for me
I'm sure you looked at all the pictures thoroughly. I know that thing hauls ass with that 428 under the hood
Respectfully, I only seen one thing that concerned me, I'm sure you seen it too. Are you going to go look at it before you make a decision?
There's something about the sound of an old classic muscle machine. These new muscle cars with the street and track key sound really mean when the track key is used but not quite the same as an old classic muscle machine.
I wish you the best. I know you are serious and hope you get the chance to go look at it or hopefully you have a friend that lives in Nebraska.
Track fiddlerLoved the Jacobite, especially the tunnel and viaduct bridge scene.
I forgot to mention, that the viaduct made it to Hollywoods fame in the movie "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets".
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is one of the first all concrete viaducts ever built. The line is among the most beautiful railway lines of the world and high up on my bucket list. I doubt, though, that I´ll ever make it up there, before I kick the bucket. In the good old days, the beauty of the line came with a distinct feature - the smell of salt water and dead fish coming from the trains, which always hauled fish cars behind the engine, so the passengers could enjoy the aroma.
That's pretty cool Ulrich.
I never was a huge Harry Potter fan but my daughter was for quite a while. Now that you mention it I do remember seeing that bridge clip. She showed me it because she knows I like trains.
I just about swallowed my tongue one time when I was watching Nanny McPhee with her. All those years I thought the Pink Floyd Animals jacket was a painting. And then one day I see the real building in England with the pig floating in the sky I remember saying Are you kidding me! Yes, ... I hit the rewind button in amazement
Howdy ..... Family visitors left yesterday, and suddenly it is quiet here. 2 grandkids kept us very busy over the long 4th of July weekend here at the lake. Fishing, boating, swimming, kayaking, etc. Fireworks viewed on a boat were very nice with a full moon.
......
It looks like you Diners have been busy with much to say. I'll try to catch up with your posts later.
I think the big problem re masks is people don't understand the purpose. It's not about protecting you, it's about protecting other people from you.
When you have surgery, the doctors, nurses and technicians in the operating room aren't wearning masks and gloves to protect them from getting germs from you; they're wearing them to protect you from getting germs from them. Wearing a mask doesn't necessarily do a great job of protecting the person wearing it from germs. What masks do really well is prevent the person wearing it from spreading their airborne germs when they exhale, especially when they cough or sneeze.
That means wearing masks to prevent the spread of a virus really only works if everyone wears one when they're around people. That's especially true with Covid-19, where there is evidence that half (or more) of people with the virus are asymptomatic, so could be spreading the illness without knowing it.
It's like drunk driving. Drunk driving isn't illegal to stop you from getting drunk and driving your car into a telephone pole and killing yourself; it's to try to stop you from getting drunk and plowing your car into a schoolbus full of kids and killing them.
Garry
Nice to see you! Your Grandson and Granddaughter sure look like some great kids. I'm sure you are proud of them.
After three months of no socialization it sure was nice to spend time with Family a short time ago over here. I was sad to see them go. Things seemed a little quiet and empty for a while after.
I'm glad to here you had such a wonderful time with your Family
Lastspikemike - while I agree to what you write, others may not and feel offended. I find it sometimes quite difficult to keep my mouth shut and at times I don´t succeed. But let´s not get carried away and remember this is a model railroading forum and while the Diner is an offtopic place, we should stay within the general topic of trains and model trains and not drift off to hot button items.
Reminder to myself - keep that in mind!
News on the house front. Petra and I pretty much concur that we are not really city folks and made to live in a city, that never gets completely dark in the night so you can´t see the stars, and which never stops hustling and bustling so you can´t listen to Mother Nature´s night time concerto.
We are beginning to once more toy with the idea of a small shipping container home, added with an enclosed deck/porch, which would give us extra usable space and keep heating costs down. Such homes can be had for reasonable prices, but it means pairing down to the bare bones of a minimalist life. A lot of things we consider essential in our life won´t be able to come with us. While I am prepared to make such a bold move, I am not yet sure about Petra. Finding a reasonable priced lot is possible, finding one where you are allowed to put up such a building remains challenging. I am firing up my CAD program to put some of my ideas "on paper".
Track fiddler I checked out the 66 Mercury on eBay this morning over coffee. Wow! She's a Beauty! <SNIP> I know that thing hauls ass with that 428 under the hood
It has a 428-4V Super Marauder, which is basically the same engine as a Cobra Jet. That is why I put that silly Cobra Jet scoop on mine.
The Mercury S-55 is a full sized car, but it was still fast. I loved that 428 sound through a pair of Cherry Bombs.
The rust is not an issue. All 1964-1967 Mercurys have that problem in the exact same areas. I am happier that the seller did not try to sand it out and repaint for a quick sale. That way I can fix it right.
If the remodel on the house was complete, I would have bought it already. Red ones are hard to find.
Heartland Division CB&Q Family visitors left yesterday, and suddenly it is quiet here. 2 grandkids kept us very busy over the long 4th of July weekend here at the lake. Fishing, boating, swimming, kayaking, etc. Fireworks viewed on a boat were very nice with a full moon.
I am so jealous of you having grandchildren. I wish one of my daughters would get into action and make one for me.
They look like they love visiting your house.
LastspikemikeHad nobody posted about the issue I'd have stuck with trains.
There used to be a sticky about discussing Covid-19 on these forums, but it seems to have vanished.
Hopefully Steve-O can put it back for clarification.
Mornin' folks!
Heartland Division CB&QHowdy ..... Family visitors left yesterday, and suddenly it is quiet here. 2 grandkids kept us very busy over the long 4th of July weekend here at the lake. Fishing, boating, swimming, kayaking, etc. Fireworks viewed on a boat were very nice with a full moon.
Aren't grandkids wonderful!!! You usually see them on their best behavior... Best thing is that you get to give them back to their parents... Yours are sure cute kids! Only problem with grandkids that age is that they sooner or later turn into Middle Schoolers which are nobody's favorite animals..... (only kidding) My oldest Granddaughter just turned 13 and is still a total sweetheart. Enjoy your time with them (I know you do)!
I am glad I paid the extra for a late checkout time, but it is now necessary to pack up and hit the road for home.
I can't wait to see my baby in Orlando this afternoon.
Grandma used to live on a lake like that. And I *was* a kid too once!
You have no proof, and it is impossible to do an rigidly scientific study anyway.
Do what you need to do, and do not come to me if you die of the CCP virus.
Besides, how did that ddnf virus get back into the dienr, we had better call the fumigators.
Vinnie must be on vacation. I heard Dr Michael Roizen on the radio today. Most academic docs do something clever and spend the next 40 years living off their reputation. He did a lot of clever things in his career and ended up a one of the TV doctors talking about nutrition. He says we aren't producing enough N95 masks for medical personnel. The ones I saw on Amazon, aren't NIOSH approved and often made in China.
My new home is further delayed until August. grumble grumble. I stayed with my SIL who lives a little further out in the country. My BIL was telling my about the big columbines that and come down the road and my SIL said they cut the grass, and the next day a big machine ran over the grass and put it in big round bales. City slickers.
There is a big barn near them with camels. They don't seem to do much but lie around. I do not understand why Virginians would own camels.
Lastspikemike Brought to you by the same "experts" who now just figured out they were killing patients by putting them on ventilators.Just don't believe everything you read about mask safety. The science out there is just junk if you look for the actual science. Sure the politics of mask safety is clear: don't need them if doctors and nurses need them (they even closed up the dentists practices here for that reason, the cross infection experts). Oh wait, yes, now you need them and any old thing is better than nothing. Old T shirt armpits, coffee filters and so on. If this weren't so dangerous I'd keep quiet but it is dangerous. Don't wear a mask if you can avoid it. If you feel you have to wear a disposable mask, do not take it off and then put it back on. Wear it once and continuously. If you take it off, use only the restraint straps to do so and dispose of it permanently. Change your mask frequently, every hour at least with a fresh new one. Do not pull it down below your chin or up on top of your head in order to use your phone or whateverl. If you elect to use a cloth mask (very dumb idea) then use it only once between sanitizing. Best sanitizer? Strong direct sunlight on both sides for at least an hour per side. Much safer practice is just don't touch your face with your hands whenever you are in contact with people (especially if you're wearing a mask). Wash your hands frequently and anytime you have touched a publically accessed surface. If it was a cool hard surface like a door knob then try to wash your hands asap. There's no proper science showing masks protect anyone in normal daily activity. Surgeons only wear them to protect the patient from serious bacterial infections when they plan on getting inside your body and they invented hand washing for the same purpose. For bacterial infections not for viruses. And certainly not for respiratory viruses. Surgical masks and gowns are definitely not PPE and the fact that everyone now refers to them as such is a sign of our times. Wearing a mask can kill you in these times. It can't protect YOU.
Brought to you by the same "experts" who now just figured out they were killing patients by putting them on ventilators.Just don't believe everything you read about mask safety. The science out there is just junk if you look for the actual science.
Sure the politics of mask safety is clear: don't need them if doctors and nurses need them (they even closed up the dentists practices here for that reason, the cross infection experts). Oh wait, yes, now you need them and any old thing is better than nothing. Old T shirt armpits, coffee filters and so on. If this weren't so dangerous I'd keep quiet but it is dangerous. Don't wear a mask if you can avoid it.
If you feel you have to wear a disposable mask, do not take it off and then put it back on. Wear it once and continuously. If you take it off, use only the restraint straps to do so and dispose of it permanently. Change your mask frequently, every hour at least with a fresh new one. Do not pull it down below your chin or up on top of your head in order to use your phone or whateverl.
If you elect to use a cloth mask (very dumb idea) then use it only once between sanitizing. Best sanitizer? Strong direct sunlight on both sides for at least an hour per side.
Much safer practice is just don't touch your face with your hands whenever you are in contact with people (especially if you're wearing a mask). Wash your hands frequently and anytime you have touched a publically accessed surface. If it was a cool hard surface like a door knob then try to wash your hands asap.
There's no proper science showing masks protect anyone in normal daily activity. Surgeons only wear them to protect the patient from serious bacterial infections when they plan on getting inside your body and they invented hand washing for the same purpose. For bacterial infections not for viruses. And certainly not for respiratory viruses. Surgical masks and gowns are definitely not PPE and the fact that everyone now refers to them as such is a sign of our times.
Wearing a mask can kill you in these times. It can't protect YOU.
Source citations required.
Afternoon all.
It is another beautiful day in the neighbourhood and I feel great after a good workout. Still hangin around the house even though the germ fest has eased greatly. I do 50 pushups and 50 situps everyday and that takes me a good four to five minutes, where do I find the time. I kind of got out of the pushup/situp groove when hockey ended as I did them during commercials.
Speaking of hockey, I can't wait to see it resume later this month, though it will be weird watching i the heat of Summer. Edmonton and Toronto is where it will all happen.
Our usual Saturday night hockey crowd is getting together this weekend for the first time in months, now things are returning to normal, it will be good to see them all again. Some good guitar players in the crowd so the tunes will be flowing. No more pickin til dawn as we are all to old, but maybe midnight and then the wives can drive us home. We get better as the evening goes on and the rum bottle(s) empties. Lookin forward to it.
Garry life looks pretty good for you and you have great looking Grandkids. I don't think I will be around long enough to see Grandkids as I got a late start on my own kids. My kids were 2 and 5 when my Mom past, she didn't get much time with them but cherished every moment she had. We swear she is still hanging around the house here sometimes.
Spent most of the day on the Estate I have been dealing with. I have been on the phone with CRA (Canada"s Tax dept.) and they have been great. It makes life so much easier when the front line workers have empowerment.
The kid got his own parking space at his new office in Vancouver, that is a pricey perk for him. The movie industry is cranking up bigtime and have been calling him constantly to do some work for them but it is not going to happen this year as his plate is full.
Well time to crank up the pressure washer or unwrap the layout. The drywall sanding is done and try as we did to keep the spread to a minimum the house is covered. My wine rack is covered, makes me look like I have some old dusty fine wine waiting to be drunk.
Wow, ... That was really something.
I keep myself logged in here because of problems in the past trying to login and it doesn't work. I never logged myself out but somehow I was logged out.
I tried to login for so long I finally called customer service and they gave me a new password. That didn't work either and she told me to shut my phone off and try again later.
That didn't work either but sometimes I have a brainstorm and tend to get a little creative. I exited the site and returned incognito mode. That worked right away, I was in. I'm going to have to remember that one.
And now I don't even know what I was coming here to say
P.S. Well, ... I might as well say something while I'm here. I hope we get some Hockey back here too Brent I haven't heard nothing but these football reruns are getting kind of bunk
Hello again.
TF, Kevin, Ray, Lion, and Brent. Thanks for all of your comments regarding my pictures of grandkids visiting us here at the lake. We are proud of each of our 5 adult children, their spouses, and the 7 grandkids they blessed us with. None of them lives close to us, and visits are a real treat .
Regarding the virus, I do not seek advice in the MR Forum on how to deal with it.
Everybody: have a good evening.
Okay, I just got bumped off as well and had a heck of a time getting back on.
Track fiddlerI hope we get some Hockey back here too Brent
TF, the whole league will be playing out of Toronto and Edmonton. There was suppose to be one city in the U.S. and one city in Canada where they would play all the playoffs. With the Covid19 thing so bad in the U.S. they went with both sites in Canada.
I am responding on my iPhone.
i was bumped off of it, but could log in.
next , I tried posting on the iMac. I am bumped out and can not log in.
so I won't post the photo I was going to post in the Show Me thread. I have other stuff to do.
have a good night everybody
BroadwayLion Grandma used to live on a lake like that. And I *was* a kid too once!
You play with trains, you're still a kid.
Thanks for the hockey update Brent.
My daughter set me up with Amazon Prime sometime ago. She could give two family members service for free with her membership. A ton of stuff is free on there but some things you have to pay for if you want it.
I will be having her find me the hockey package and sending her a check
P.S. I just found out I'm logged out of here any time I leave and come back! I have to do some kind of funky routine every time I want to log back in
Track fiddlerI just found out I'm logged out of here any time I leave and come back!
Some forums give you the option of deleting cookies automatically. That maybe what is happening.
Thanks Henry
I would love to give that a try but how do I do that?
I have been logged out all day and couldn't sign in.
Track fiddlerI exited the site and returned incognito mode. That worked right away, I was in. I'm going to have to remember that one.
That worked for me, too.
I'm kind of glad I missed the diner today. I come here to get away from virus news.
Great pictures of grandkids! I'm having trouble with my wife -- she hasn't seen our grandkids for six months. She takes it out on me.
I'm glad that worked out for you too John.
Unfortunately I'm having to put my false mustache and sunglasses on every time I come back and have to sign in again. It's kind of a pain.
Then when I go to Imgur to fetch a picture it doesn't recognize me in my disguise and I have to do everything all over again What are you gonna do though?
Don't feel alone about the wife thing. I feel so bad for Judy and her recent loss. But I have become her punching bag lately. I just smile and say it's okay dear. Maybe give her a little hug to try to make her feel a little better.
What are you gonna do though?
York1I have been logged out all day and couldn't sign it.
Same here. I switched over to MS Edge and logged in OK, after trying a new password. I'll have to play with Chrome later, clear the cache and all that. It was frustrating for a while.
gmpullman York1 I have been logged out all day and couldn't sign it. Same here. I switched over to MS Edge and logged in OK, after trying a new password. I'll have to play with Chrome later, clear the cache and all that. It was frustrating for a while. Cheers, Ed
York1 I have been logged out all day and couldn't sign it.
Thanks for the idea, Ed. Edge worked for me, too. Didn't even have to change my password. Hopefully this little problem will go away later - I much prefer Chrome.
Oh, Flo? Do you have some butterscotch cream pie? Would a big tip help?
gmpullmanSame here. I switched over to MS Edge and logged in OK, after trying a new password. I'll have to play with Chrome later, clear the cache and all that. It was frustrating for a while.
I now use the new Edge. I downloaded the new version that came out several weeks ago, and I like it. I didn't like the old Edge. The new one works on the same principles as Chrome, looks just about exactly the same as Chrome, but faster. However, I couldn't sign in with Edge. I haven't tried to sign in with Chrome.
The other thing I like is I switched to DuckDuckGo as my browser. It doesn't allow any tracking on any site. It stops the personalized ads that Google is plagued with.
Heartland Division CB&Q None of them lives close to us, and visits are a real treat
Garry: I think I told you that my Uncle used to live on the same lake you do. Back in the 1970s when I was still in grade school I would visit him for a week every Summer.
Visits to that lake were a real treat.
Somewhere there is a picture of me, about the same age as your grandson, with a fish I reeled in from that lake.
York1I now use the new Edge. I downloaded the new version that came out several weeks ago, and I like it.
I am also using the new Edge, and it is working really good, and much faster. It seems to work especially well with Bing as the search engine. I find myself using Google less and less now.
TOP OF THE PAGE at 11:00 PM. I think it is time for everyone to break open a cold one on my tab.
I am finally back home, safe and sound.
The pictures from the trip are on my computer, and I will work on posting the best ones in the upcoming days.
Here is a farm in Ohio that almost looks like a model:
Nice farm Kevin, Welcome Home
I can almost Imagine the country fresh air there just by looking at the photo and I'll take you up on that cold one. That does look like it would be a fun model to build.
My brother used to be a professional photographer before he changed careers. He used to take photos of old barns and farmhouses and had some kind of lens technique he used that made them look like miniature models. They were very popular at his photo shows and he sold quite a few of them back in the day.
I'll look forward to seeing your pictures you took on your road trip and I'm going to see if my brother can email me some of those unique pictures of his I'll post.
Just saying hello! I got bumped out of the forum and could not log in back via Firefox. I still can´t, so I tried Edge, which seems to work. I am not using Edge, so I will stay away until that´s being sorted out.
This is a very unremarkable photograph of a corn field in Michigan.
What amazed me about this scene was how corn when it is at this height, looks almost exctly like sugar cane. The terrain is also almost completely flat.
If I did not know I took this picture in Michigan, I would believe it was of a sugar cane field in South Florida. It is incredible how two scenes over 1,000 miles apart can look so much like duplicates.
A fine looking bunch!!
Seeing we're in the UK, something for the Lion.
Rolled out of the rack at 5:30 this morning to have an early coffee and watch the sunrise.
Storms last night, some of them pretty wicked, there was a tornado in Fergus Falls that did some pretty serious damage.
Had a half day work yesterday, today it is elective, don't feel like it. I think I'm going to work on my bridge today.
Have a great day all.
I finally made it into the forum, after fiddling arounf with my browsing history, clearing the cache and other things one actually should do frequently.
The weather is just dreadful! We are at 55F and drizzling rain. This is July - three weeks into summer!
Today, we visit the counties of Shropshire and Worcestershire ion our tour with the Severn Valley Rlwy. a preservation line that owes its existence to Dr. Beeching´s axe.
Just stopped by to say "hello!".
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Mornin' Bill!
Good to see you...
I too have been locked out for the last day or so. I even changed my password and sent a yet to be answered email to Kalmbach Trains.com, etc. Ulrich gave me the secret. Went back and cleared the cashe and it came back. Forget tricks like that I guess.
OK, got to go get my morning 1.6mile run in...
Later!
Good morning all. Sign in issues here too. I'm borrowing Track Fiddler's disguise to get in right now. Got a pretty good scare from my dog this morning. He got up about 5 am and was acting bizarre. Disoriented, acting confused (if that makes sense), panting heavily, drooling, and occasionally stiffening/stretching out almost as if in pain. Was on the phone trying to get ahold of the vet when he finally came to enough to get up and he headed outside. Got out into the yard and vomitted, went #1 & #2, milled about for a minute, and came back inside like nothing was wrong. The wife was convinced he was having a heart attack. I thought he was having a reaction to something. Maybe he was just sick to his stomach? Never did get the vet on the phone. He's about 8 years old and attached to my hip when I'm home. Thought we were losing him. Not ready for that.Otis by Michael, on Flickr" alt="" />
Howdy ..... I finally logged in. .... A pain, but here I am.
Thanks again for all the comments of grandkids visiting.
Bear ..... LOL at your Bear Toon ..... I am em-bear-essed .
Kevin .... You said you visited this lake as a kid in the 1970's. The lake would have been very new at the time. The dam on the Cumberland River was completed in 1966 which created Lake Barkley. With 90 square miles, it is a large man-made lake. ..... I agree much of Southeast Michigan is flat. We lived in Ann Arbor, MI prior to moving to Kentucky.
Bill T ....... Glad to see you. I miss seeing the historic photos you used to post.
Michael / Water Level Route .... I hope your dog is okay now. Nice looking dog.
I had a dome car photo to post in the Show Me thread, but could not log in and post it. Now, it has another topic.
Everybody: ..... Have a good day.
Track fiddler Nice farm Kevin, Welcome Home I can almost Imagine the country fresh air there just by looking at the photo and I'll take you up on that cold one. That does look like it would be a fun model to build. My brother used to be a professional photographer before he changed careers. He used to take photos of old barns and farmhouses and had some kind of lens technique he used that made them look like miniature models. They were very popular at his photo shows and he sold quite a few of them back in the day. I'll look forward to seeing your pictures you took on your road trip and I'm going to see if my brother can email me some of those unique pictures of his I'll post. TF
TF your brother used a Tilt-Shift lens to make that look like models
really neat to see things shot with tilt-shift.
Heartland Division CB&Qou said you visited this lake as a kid in the 1970's. The lake would have been very new at the time. The dam on the Cumberland River was completed in 1966 which created Lake Barkley. With 90 square miles, it is a large man-made lake.
I do not have any crystal clear memories of the lake. I do remember my uncle talking about how it was the longest/skinniest man made lake in the world. My memories from my youth might not be all that clear, but I do remember having a lot of fun there when I was young.
My Uncle moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s, and that fun ended too soon.
Kentucky Trainpark: This museum has a beautiful old depot and a restored E unit.
I found it interesting that the EMD data plate described the locomotive as an 0-6-6-0 instead of an A1A-A1A.
There is also a model train layout inside.
MLC
Thanks for the feedback. Your comment actually did ring a bell in my head. My brother is usually extremely busy during the week but I always talk to him on the weekends. I'm looking forward to discussing the tilt shift lens with him.
For the record, I don't know if you guys remember a while back, the discussion of his rope hair dread locks. I didn't see him much back then and always wondered if that was a wig. I guess that really was his own hair. He had it cut off carefully and saved it when he decided to get his act together.
He used to be quite the skateboarder so it all makes sense. He was a dude back then It's kind of funny, I guess he still puts it on sometimes when he's feeling a little Wanky
I hope your dogs okay. I've always been a dog man and looked at your dog's picture. I like him, How could you not like that happy face? I hope he's okay, Maybe he was just sick to his stomach. Sometimes my Nellie used to act like that and she'd go outside and eat some grass and throw up. Then she was just fine, I hope it's just something like that.
Post-hog
Man Kevin
In past photos you have always come across as this Burly Guy that someone would think twice about messing with. But I must admit you look like a little kid standing in front of that F7 though
Thanks for the pics
Heartland Division CB&QI had a dome car photo to post in the Show Me thread, but could not log in and post it. Now, it has another topic.
Garry: I just fixed it for you!
Good morning.
We have a bad storm about midnight last night. Several weeks ago we had a storm with wind gusts to over 80 mph. That took care of a lot of weak or old trees. Last night, the winds were around 60 mph, and some more trees suffered. I've spent the morning cleaning the yard and made two trips to the landfill. I'm going to start on the backyard after I cool off a bit.
My brother-in-law has a large boat at Lake Cumberland (I'm pretty sure that's the name of the lake, but I could be wrong). He lives in Bowling Green, but he spends weekends on the boat, kind of like if it was a cabin. I guess that's why it's called a cabin cruiser.
A few more minutes inside, then back out into the heat and humidity. The chainsaw is getting a good workout.
York1The chainsaw is getting a good workout.
I looked at my Royal Ponciana this morning, and it looks like a big shaggy dog! I will be trimming it down this afternoon.
Going to need to break out my chainsaw... I hope it starts.
I don't know what I did to log on, but it worked this time. Being on a cheap tablet, my usual bag of tricks is unavailable.
There's a low pressure area offshore and the media are making it sound like a big deal. It's not, but they never let even a mediocre crisis go to waste.
Hey, I just noticed that the annoying bottom-of-the-screen popups are gone. If that's permanent, thank you.
Good afternoon
I tried to beat the heat this morning when I went out around 11 to organize my truck and trailer. I dumped all the buckets and totes of product and hardware all over the parking lot. I organized everything so I can put the stuff to use, now that I know where everything is. I had a contractor bag almost full I threw in the dumpster, good riddance. I didn't beat the heat but at least I got that done.
I've been drying out in the air conditioning and resting my aching back that bent over about 300 times. For the last hour I've been surfing through eBay. I told Kevin a few days ago he was creating a monster when I found out there are cars there.
Why did I have to find this! The 1972 Gran Torino. These cars are a combination of muscle and luxury. A cruiser for comfort. She's going for 14,900, so they might consider 12 13.
I'm seriously contemplating it. One of my top three all-time favorite Muscle Machines. My second-favorite is the 1970 Cuda but those were way too expensive. I'll probably come to my senses as this is not like buying a CN N scale F7
That don't confront the fact that I want another big toy though
MisterBeasleyI don't know what I did to log on, but it worked this time.
Afternoon Folks!
I sent an email to Customer Service at Kalmbach about the problem and got this back. "We are currently working to apply a fix to our sites. In the meantime, please delete cookies from within your internet Browser. You will then be able to log into the sites with your existing email and browser." I earlier deleted the cache and the cookies and that is how I got back online here this morning.
Just thought I would pass this on to you folks....
Track fiddlerI'm seriously contemplating it. One of my top three all-time favorite Muscle Machines. My second-favorite is the 1970 Cuda but those were way too expensive.
TF and Kevin, you've got me thinking about high school cars. I knew a kid who had one of these in blue. It was parked in our high school parking lot, and everyone who saw it thought the same thing: "I wish that was mine." I remember he had a string of beer pop tabs hanging from the rear seat coat hanger. The ultimate in cool.
I did not own a car until I graduated from college. While that sounds unusual, back then quite a few kids I knew in college did not own cars. We wanted to, but our money went to tuition and beer.
First cars?
Ya' can't beat a Beetle!
IMG_0005 by Edmund, on Flickr
I didn't have any beer tabs in the back seat but I did carry a few quarts of SAE 30W and one of those push-in spouts. 1966 was the year the VW jumped in horsepower from 40 to FIFTY hp!
My next car was a 1963 Coupe deVille! ($200) Really stepping up in the world!
York1TF and Kevin, you've got me thinking about high school cars.
My high school car was an MGB. Not exactly what you would call a muscle car! However, my older brother Richard had several friends who did drive some serious power. One had a Road Runner, another had an Olds 442 but my favourite was a 58 Chevy that was a total sleeper. To the uninitiated, it looked totally stock, even the hub caps. However, if you looked at it from behind you might notice that the rear tires were huge! I have no idea what size they were but I do know that the rear wheel wells had been widened considerably to accommodate them.
Before I got into Hondas several decades ago, I took my mostly crapped out cars to a shop that specialized in servicing drag racers. Why they tolerated my presence mystifies me, but it was sure an interesting place to visit! I used to kid the owner, Ed Shram, about what his test drives were like. They certainly didn't consist of a trip around the block. Half of the stuff wasn't street legal.
My first car was a Renault R 6. I got after I graduated from German high school, but our friendship didn´t last very long, hardly a year. The whole thing was just a rust bucket, which started to fall apart, so it had to go to the scrapper.
Then I got this one:
A 1971 VW 1302L with the infamous, gas guzzling 1300cc 44HP engine, that liked to blow a gasket on the third cylinder. Kept it for quite some time.
Howdy
First cars ..... My first was a 55 Chevy station wagon my parents gave me which had been the family vehicle for a number of years. ....
...... I saved my money and purchsed a 1962 Impala convertible which looked very much like this '61 model on my layout. White with red interior.
Kevin ..... Thanks for the favor in the Show Me thread.
In high school, my afterschool job was delivering prescriptions for a pharmacy.
The pharmacy had two VW beetles for us to drive for the deliveries. I learned to drive in that car. It was colder than heck in the winter.
Whatever anyone thought of that car, it had one thing going for it -- in first gear it could beat any other car off the line. For the first 15-20 feet, it was the fastest car I drove.
Cars,
My first car was a 16 foot wooden skiff, with a 1954 Johnson 10 HP. outboard. It was hard to go to a drive in with it.
Top of the page, bars is open for those old enough to guzzle, Shirley Temples for them what ain't. Put it all on my tab.
My first wheels in High School, had to get to work somehow.
Then I bought myself this when I graduated High School. Ordered it right from the factory, paid cash. Spent as much again customizing it.
Babes O Plenty!
Sold another piece of property tonight that was part of this Estate I am looking after. UGH! I need a drink. I sold it to foreign investors and they were not nice people. Fortunatly my agent is a force to deal with and we got full price in the end.
I think I just need to watch the idiot box tonight as my brain is dead.... As it usually is.
herrinchokerIt was hard to go to a drive in with it.
Yes, but there was a lot more room in the back seat!!
BATMANMy first wheels in High School, had to get to work somehow.
I was well out of high school when I bought my first Honda bike:
Magna_82 by Edmund, on Flickr
This was one smooth-running machine, though. I didn't have the same saddle accessories you did
gmpullmanI was well out of high school when I bought my first Honda bike:
My only Honda was a 1981 CB-900 that I bought for $1,500.00 in 1987.
I traded it in on a 1977 Harley-Davidson FXR Lowrider in 1990. That was the worst decision I ever made. That Honda was smooth, reliable, and fun to ride. The Harley was none of that... so I bought two more! A 1973 FLH Electraglide Dresser and a 1998 FLD Dynaglide Switchback.
So dumb. When I finally got rid of the last of them it was a great day.
Kentucky Railway Museum:
As usual, we were the only people there, and this was fine with me.
This museum has the only CF-7 I have ever seen. It does not look as weird in real life as it looks in model form. It is big and impressive.
It also has a BL-2 which I also have never seen in real life previously. I know it is very popular to call the BL-2 "ugly", but I like the styling. unfortunately, the way this one was positioned in the barn, I could not get a good picture of it.
There are some nice displays inside, and there are even some model trains. This "S" scale USRA pacific was beautiful enough to make by briefly consider switching scales.
The walkways to the equipment backshop and storage areas were all closed. It looked there was some interesting stuff going on. I did not have my 300mm lens with me, so this is the best picture I could get.
This is another museum that is worth a visit.
SeeYou190That was the worst decision I ever made. That Honda was smooth, reliable, and fun to ride.
I followed an almost similar path. After enjoying the smooth, four cylinder Magna I was convinced by a few fellows at w**k that I really needed a V-Twin so I searched around and found this machine:
ACE_crop by Edmund, on Flickr
I bought it in late May and, as an omen, it began to snow on the ride home from the dealer! By the time I got home there was wet, thick slush all over and I was soaked and frozen.
That engine rattled so bad you couldn't see anything in the mirrors since they were shaking so much! Over the next couple years I had three close-calls then finally a deer jumped right in front of me and down I went.
Rode it a few more times just to be sure I was done with it and, sure enough, I don't miss it one bit.
Never got the Harley bug. Quite a few times I heard guys around the shop griping about maintenance and repairs. Maybe they're better now, that was back in the late '90s.
That was my mid-life crisis in a nut shell.
LastspikemikeAt Napier there happens to be a viewpoint in a quiet residential neighbourhood from which you can look down on this container port from a very great height.
A pleasant sunrise again this morning. Another day off and only a half a day job tomorrow which is fine by me, I like semi-retirement. I need to find physical things to do frequently, otherwise I stiffen up like an old board
I worked nights for a period of time when I was remodeling pizza franchises in strip malls. I never liked turning my days and nights around. As Bear stated, I was glad when it was over. The new lease improvements, build-to-suit could be done during the day which was much better.
My dad who lived in Wisconsin had a VW Bug he picked us up in for our weekend visits. I remember I liked the sound of that thing. I was always good at sound effects and could imitate it pretty well. My older brother and I always fought over shotgun
My first car in high school was a big bomb, I guess my mother wanted me safe.
A 1972 455 Buick Centurion that looked very similar to this.
My first motorcycle was a popular mini bike.
Remember these? A 1970 Honda Trail 70 like this, they were quite popular, almost every kid had one.
Make it a great day everybody
What a summer! We have the heater going full speed - without it, it would be just too damp and cold inside!
During my stay as an exchange student on Bainbridge Island, I bought a old ex-Army HD flathead, bike, which required some work to it, before I got it going. It needed all new rubber things, including the tires, for which I spent more money than the bike itself.nI worked on it for quite some time, but coud enjoy riding it ony for a few weeks, as I had to return to my home country. I left it up for grabs. One of my old high school pals took it and rode it for a while. BAck in Germany, I only rode a bike once, about 42 years ago. Never been on a bike since, motor bike that is.
TF - that bike was called Honda Dax in Germany, but it wasn´t really popular. As a 16 year old, you were limited to 50cc engines, for any "bigger" bike, you needed to be 18 and have a full motorcycle license. For a short period of time, Honda marketed a 50cc version limited to 40kph, but it was quite expensive compared to the more sought after brands of Kreidler, Zündapp or Herkules.
Good morning, Diners .... I'll have a donut and coffee, please.
Kevin .... I'm glad you posted pictures of KY Ry Museum. It has been several years since I have been there. We were making plans to go there this year, but delayed doing that becasue of the virus and social distancing. In past years, we rode on their excursion trains. One time, Thomas the Tank Engine was visiting and we rode with grandkids who are now in their upper teens. The CF7 was on the other end of the train doing the work.
Here is my photo of the BL2. I, too, do not think it is ugly.
This C&O Berkshire was moved last year to another location where it is to be rebuilt for excursion service.
This L&N business car looked nice to me.
I did not get a photo of L&N 770 which is an EMD E6. It was in horrible condition when I saw it. They said it was going to be repaired and repainted for static display.
I recall during the train ride with granddaughters from Cincinnati when they were 4 and 6 years old. We passed a string of rusted old railroad equipemnt including the E6. One granddaughter said "Grandpa needs to fix those trains." Laughable comment.
I'm taking a break -- I've been cutting wood since 6:00 a.m. Of course, I'll quit by noon and take a nap.
I've got the worst of the cuts made. One of the pine trees was 16" in diameter, and that was the worst for me. I finally cut it into one foot sections so I could pick them up and get them into the truck.
The chainsaw is working better than I am. It's 8:30, hot and humid, and I'm already worn out. I want to get this finished so I don't have to listen to someone I live with tell me I should hire it done. I just keep telling her it's good for me.
I've never had a motorcycle, and I've ridden one only once when I was about 17. I'm not sure why, but I've never had the desire to ride one. I'd probably have loved it if I had.
We get to Bowling Green, Kentucky, every few years to visit relatives. The next time I'm going to make sure to get to that museum.
Have a good day, everyone. It's time to get going again and take a load of wood to the landfill. It gives the chainsaw time to cool down.
Heartland Division CB&QI did not get a photo of L&N 770 which is an EMD E6. It was in horrible condition when I saw it. They said it was going to be repaired and repainted for static display.
The E-6 was beind the same row of debris and junk that made it impossible to get a full photo of the BL-2. Thank you for sharing your picture.
They have a few inspection holes cut into the carbody, and the diagonal supports are completely rusted away. This is going to need a lot of work just to become am enduring static display.
They also have this crane which is stitting outside and needs some serious attention. Again, sorry for the poor photo. I never have my 300mm lens when I need it.
This baggage car looked wonderful to me for some reason. The aged patina is perfect.
I did not see the L&N Business Car there. It is handsome.
A nice sunny day here with a high of about 80F and not humid.
Kevin, you got some great photos on your recent trip. It must have been strange being virtually alone at those museums.
Things are slowly picking up here. Restaurants are at 50% and there's a lot more traffic on the streets. Stores seem fairly busy but not much sign of people wearing masks. Mind you we haven't had any new cases in our province for the past 9 days and there are only 5 active cases now. Our population is only 1.4 million of which half live in Winnipeg with the rest mostly spread out within 100 miles of the U.S. border.
We got Robbie groomed this week so he looks a lot less shaggy and I'm sure he is a lot cooler.
I put together a beach train on the layout which is a Pacific with a baggage car and a couple of coaches. It runs around as many times as I want it and then stops at the harbour where there is a small platform. The beach must be around the corner from the lighthouse. I'm only guessing as I can't see it.
As we are in the U.K. I think I'll have a cup of tea and a couple of shortbreads. The shortbread must be from Scotland as they make the best. Walkers is a good brand but there is a store here that has a private label version that is even better.
CNCharlieKevin, you got some great photos on your recent trip. It must have been strange being virtually alone at those museums.
Thank you. I have a lot more to share. I will post a little each day.
I loved this building in Michigan. Unfortunately it was surrounded by ugly buildngs, so I had to crop the photo a bit more than I would have liked.
It was strange to see Christmas Trees growing in front yards in Michigan.
Speaking of museums, how'd you like to wander round this collection?
I love the British phraseology you get from these films,
"Piston-packing, infernal machine" — "Whirling rags look like Christmas trees on the roundabout" — " "It leaves that trench clean as a guard's whistle".
Lots of neat stuff in this little episode. Enjoy!
SeeYou190It was strange to see Christmas Trees growing in front yards in Michigan.
That's funny! We get so used to spruce trees that we don't notice them.
When my daughter worked at the Omaha College World Series, she had to laugh when fans from LSU asked why there were Christmas trees past parts of the outfield fence.
I always wanted one of these
My first bike was a Honda 360. All my pics are packed away. I regret I did not have a dirt bike nor do off road riding.
First car was a VW Squareback, the first SUV and VW should have marketed it as such.
Eveing Dinners
Flo, thanks for unlocking the door for me and letting me in! Give the gang and I a please and Dirk a dog treat.
Locked Out. Read the comment's about what you folks did to get in the dinner, and it worked!
Dirk Pip is doing fine again, no more limping. I think it was Charlie that asked.
Brent I had a 1977 CB 750 and it was a good bike. I all so had a seat orament, but I would get band if I posted the photo. She thought it would be a good idea to ride in, well lets just say Birthday Suite? Oh to be young and dumb again!
Train Front I had not ran a train for 6 days, I must be sick. Well, I was having problems with the B line with the Mighty B&O F7's. One of the engine was stalling on the rear section of the layout. It is a A B A consit and dragging 35 cars. I finally got all the cars back through the team track and cleaned the wheels of the F7's.
This was the first time this year I had to clean wheels! I swear by using ATF on the rails!
Weather is giving us a break so Sue, Dirk and I will sit outside.
Ken, glad Dirk is better. I thought of you today. Our dog Daisy has been chewing her foot. I looked online and read several reasons. One was nervousness, and one was a sore of some kind. I can't see any obvious sore. We'll watch her.
Glad you're back, Ken and also glad to hear Mr. Pipp is doing better
I ran trains for the first time in over a month today. Finally, some rain is passing through and I had a young visitor named Matt see the layout for the first time. He had a good time and four hours blew by in a matter of moments!
Here is another one of my favorite LM&S films:
Take a look at Smitty at 4:50! He's happy swinging that sledge all day — and those guys counterbalancing the hot steel (5:35) Is their job title "dead weight"?
"Here's to you number 6207! Good luck and good running"!
An overdue update on the garage work:
This is the corner where the hot water heater mounts. The green pipe is the vent for the paint booth. The silver vent line is for the dryer, and the bright green hose is for air tools.
I made this manifold to connect the air compressor to everywhere compressed air is needed. The capped line pointing up will evetually go into the train room.
Here the hot water heater has been installed, and the antique workbench is in its assigned location.
This is the finished picture of that corner. It ended up very cramped, but everything fit and is functional. My paint booth is finally in its permanent loaction.
The new sink is installed. I did not have a sink in the garage before, and this is a nice addition. I really could have used it when I was building the layout test segment.
With all this updating I went to cleaning the toolbox. It has not been cleaned in over ten years. The paint is oxidizing badly, and I took the ink off of al lot of the stickers, but it is still looking much better.
This is the wall with most of everything where it goes. The new garage door opener is on the workbench. That is going to be interesting to install.
This is a good view of half of the garage. Hard to believe I used to have a Red Convertable Mustang and an eight foot long layout segment in this space.
My wife and I are very happy to finally have a washer and dryer in the house again. No more trips to the laundromat!
The other side is done also, but all the lumber for the interior work is stacked up there now.
SeeYou190The new sink is installed. I did not have a sink in the garage before, and this is a nice addition.
I see it is an E. L. Mustee from Cleveland, Ohio
I've had a double one like it for years. Sure beats the old 400 lb. concrete ones!
The Devel Sixteen, a custom built vehicle, has a 5,007 HP. engine, and will do just over 300 MPH. A woman in Italy was caught going through a photo traffic light at a speed of 437 MPH, in a Ford Focus----always knew Fords were strong runners, but damn.!
gmpullmanI see it is an E. L. Mustee from Cleveland, Ohio
Just to make it better... I bought it at Menard's in Ohio and brought it back with me!
I spent over $1,500.00 in Menard's a few days ago.
The garage door opener is installed and works perfectly.
Sunday - the day I have my (cyber) breakfast of eggs, bacon, pancakes, buttered toast, jams, OJ and plenty of coffee! Actually I have been reducing my food intake by about a third each meal for a week now and I lost two pounds this way. Petra makes sure I still get all what I need in terms of nutrients and vitamins. I shall continue with this non-diet untill I have lost 25 lbs.
The day started out with all 4 seasons in just one hour. Now it´s back to being sunny, but rather cool again.
I found some all footage on the Fort William to Mallaig line for you to enjoy.
Railway Roundabout was a series in the 1950s produced for the then young British television, which was very well received my the trainspotter generation, which, armed with the trainspotter´s guide, populated the stations platform and overpasses. Long gone are these days!
SeeYou190They have a few inspection holes cut into the carbody, and the diagonal supports are completely rusted away.
I had an MGB like that once. I managed to get 10 years out of it, but my repair methods would have been frowned upon by any decent repair shop!!
Cloudy and storms today, a good day for modeling.
Ulrich, I never knew why Honda made a 50 in option to a 70. Now I know. I do believe they made a 100 in later years. I can't remember if that was the bike though. My grandfather got my 70 for me when I was 11.
Henry, Sorry you never got yours. It's never too late though. I have a mountain bike these days and still enjoy riding the trails. I bought a really nice one a few years back that has adjustable front and rear suspension. I don't get as Rad as I used to because of my knee but I still really enjoy it.
Kevin, The man cave looks great. It looks like you did a really good job on the tile and the plumbing. By the look of the tool cabinets it looks like you have enough tools to do anything you need to do
Went to visit my buddy Erv all day yesterday. Sprucing up the work truck this year. Last time I was out there I cut the rust out around the rear wheels and installed the new metal wheel lips on the quarter panels.
I developed my own truck auto body system. I rivet in metal on the rocker panel holes and schmooze over OSI urethane. The same day after it skins over you can put the Rhino liner on. Last time I did this it lasted about four years and it only takes 3-4 hours to do. It's just a work truck but I don't like to look like Sanford and Son coming up to the job.
Yesterday we removed the old bumper and put the new one on. I am never driving in uptown again. The traffic is thick and crazy there. Last fall this lady cut me short and slammed on her brakes to make a right turn. She must have been drinking or did not have any insurance because she wasn't really worried about the damage. She was very nervous and just wanted to get the heck out of there.
We got the engine running and mounted and the seat put on the go-kart. I would guess that thing does at least 40 miles an hour. We don't have the brakes on yet and it's a little crazy using the curb to slow down on our test runs
One test run a piece was plenty, I'm not doing another one till we get the brakes on.
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee. It never gets old to me.
Kevin, the garage looks great.
I love Menards. For people who have never been to one, it's a cross between Home Depot and ...? They have just about everything, including O Scale trains. It is the only store I can spend a while in without feeling like I wasted my time.
My vehicle is loaded with the last of the pine trees, and I'm ready to make my last trip to the landfill as soon as it opens. I'm glad this is over. My chainsaw in now in its place in the shed.
I wish I could post a picture or tell a story of some UK railroads. I know next to nothing about them. Thanks, Ulrich, for your videos.
Time to go. I hope everyone has a good Saturday.
Edit: Top of the page. Everyone can join me for bacon, eggs, bacon, coffee, bacon, Bloody Marys, and bacon.
Track fiddlerUlrich, I never knew why Honda made a 50 in option to a 70. Now I know. I do believe they made a 100 in later years. I can't remember if that was the bike though. My grandfather got my 70 for me when I was 11.
TF - when I was a lad of 16, I dearly wanted to have one of those, but my parents wouldn´t let me. Well, I didn´t have the money anyway, so it was not a big loss. Shortly before turning 17, I packed up my gear and went to the US. The first thing I got ther was my WA State driver´s license to drive real cars!
I woke up sore today. Crawling around in the "attic" to run the wire for the garage door opener button was not a job for my 6'7" frame!
Today I will be adding new tool hangers to the garage to finish organization.
Another barn I saw in Michigan:
Those are very fancy windows for a barn. Michigan farmers must make more money than farmers in my area.
Britain - what a great country for the railway enthusiast!
Our tour takes us to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, a heritage railway in North Yorkshire, England that runs through the North York Moors National Park. First opened in 1836 as the Whitby and Pickering Railway, the railway was planned in 1831 by George Stephenson as a means of opening up trade routes inland from the then important seaport of Whitby. The line between Grosmont and Rillington fell victim to Dr. Beeching´s axe and was closed in 1965 and the section between Grosmont and Pickering was reopened in 1973 by the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd. The preserved line is now a tourist attraction and has been awarded several industry accolades.
In 2007, the railway started to run regular services over the 6 miles (9.7 km) section of the Esk Valley Line north of Grosmont to Whitby. In 2014, a second platform was opened at Whitby which allowed the NYMR to run an enhanced service and led to passenger numbers in the same year of nearly 350,000 people.
I vote for the superiority of Brit TV over the American counterpart. For you history buffs, this is part 1 of 6
BigDaddyI vote for the superiority of Brit TV over the American counterpart. For you history buffs,
I do not care for most television, so I doubt I will form an oppinion on the British vs. American TV debate. I like Fawlty Towers and Dr. Who, and I loved Law & Order UK. However, I cannot stand Monty Python's Flying Circus.
I guess the closest comparrison I can make is to say I prefer the American version of Top Gear.
I prefer American movies to British movies.
I prefer British history books over American.
Good afternoon all,
nice hot weather here so I am working on radio cabinet refishing in my outside workshop. I am having to re veneer some cabinets. I found an easy way to remove old veneer, Heat GUN! On call for work this weekend and I have been called in once so far. I hop all are OK,
Kevin that is a nice barn photo.
I like UK TV mystery series and cop series. Inspector Lewis etc. I like Miss Fisher's mysteries from Australia. I hardly watch current TV.
TF: that is a wicked looking GO Cart
For those of you curious
the radio I am working on today.
previous one i have sent back to customer.
This second one te owner did not want any cabinet work done, so I cleaned it up and gave it new grille cloth.
York1Those are very fancy windows for a barn. Michigan farmers must make more money than farmers in my area.
A lot of the barns in Michigan had white arches painted on the doors for some reason. I did not see that elsewhere. I thought I had a picture of a barn like that, but I do not.
moelarrycurly4Kevin that is a nice barn photo.
Thank you... and those radios are beautiful.
SeeYou190A lot of the barns in Michigan had white arches painted on the doors for some reason. I did not see that elsewhere.
That's a neat observation, Kevin. I'm aware of the Pennsylvania "Dutch" (Deutsch, as in German) applying a good luck hex on their barns.
I read somewhere about putting a distinctive marking on barn doors so that the owner could easily tell, at a glance, weather his barn door was open or not. Also helped in finding the door at night or in bad weather.
I often see the date built or even the farm name spelled out in contrasting shingles on the roof. Didn't I hear somewhere about early aircraft navigators asking barn owners to paint the town name and sometimes mileage on their barn roofs?
Then there's the whole Mail Pouch story. For some farmers, the Mail Pouch paint job was the only paint the barn ever saw!
Flo, give the gang and I a please, and Dirk a dog treat.
I be dang, we where busy today at work? We had 9 customers before I left at 4:00 PM. In the last 3 Saturdays we had a total of 5? Was not a great day, when I left we only had $2192.00 but sure a lot better than I have been seeing.
My first car was a 1963 VW Bug. My dad did not want me to grow up to be a Hot Rodder like him! Did not work, by the time dad sold my Bug I could beat up Tri Power Goats. But, that is how I got my 68 Road Runner from him and mom. Sill own it and have for 47 years.
Kevin Now I feel short at only 6'3".
Well it is hot, but Dirk and I are going to sit out for a while.
Later, Ken and Dirk say's Woof, Woof.
SeeYou190An overdue update on the garage work:
Kevin, your garage is disgusting!! Ooops, I got that wrong. MY garage is disgusting, yours is to be envied! Nice work!!
hon30critterMY garage is disgusting, yours is to be envied! Nice work!!
Thank you Dave.
Yesterday my wife and I bought $400.00 worth of groceries, and now we are starting a three week quarantine. Today was day one!
I hope we did not bring anything back from our trip. The service was almost two weeks ago, and so far we are both fine.
SeeYou190I hope we did not bring anything back from our trip. The service was almost two weeks ago, and so far we are both fine.
I hope you are Covid free too.
I felt terrible today. Upset stomach, loose bowels (too much information), no energy. That of course raises the spectre of Covid-19. However, for now I'm going to blame the problem on the heat after working in the garage for several hours at very high temperatures over the past few days. I have done this to myself previously in hot weather so, unless I get other symptoms, I'm going to blame it on the heat. Right now the AC is on and I'm feeling fine.
I got early today - in fact, too early!
Jeepers - noboday told me I got my days mixed up yesterday! I sincerely thought it was Sunday already! Well, it´s Sunday today, but I had my big breakfast yesterday, so I will just have coffee and a medium bowl of cereal, thank you.
Nothing planned for the day. We were supposed to drive to Görlitz today, but I am glad we don´t. I am not yet giving up on living in a peaceful location and in our own house, albeit a tiny one!
Maybe something like this?
We will see!
Being in Britain this month and having a number of car enthusiast on board, why not take a look at the golden age of British sportscars. Strictly offtopic, but why not?
CUL!
Evenin all,
made good progress on my radio, weatehr cooperated, I put new veneer on the front of it and repaired some on the sides. I trimmed out the veneer so I am almost ready to stain. cleaned up my mess I shot video of my progress as I have started making youtube videos of my restorations. It gives me something else to do.
Kevin, you will prob be fine. I have worked at the hospital this whole time during this event. Main thing is wash your hands, keep distant. wear your mask. We prob wash our hands 15 million times a day ( or hit the purell) I am surprised my hands are not chapped.
York1Kevin, the garage looks great. I love Menards. For people who have never been to one, it's a cross between Home Depot and ...? They have just about everything, including O Scale trains. It is the only store I can spend a while in without feeling like I wasted my time.
Thanks John.
I love Menard's too. It is so much better than Home Depot or Lowes. It is just such a shame that the closest one is 800 miles away.
Very inconvenient.
moelarrycurly4Kevin, you will prob be fine. I have worked at the hospital this whole time during this event. Main thing is wash your hands, keep distant. wear your mask.
I hope so too. I have always been a fastidious hand washer, and I shower three times a day. I am always wearing my mask. I just worry about how often I touch my nose and eyes. I did not even become aware of that until this situation.
Track fiddlerBy the look of the tool cabinets it looks like you have enough tools to do anything you need to do
I do have the tools. I cannot thinki of many jobs I do not have the right tools for. Everything from hanging drywall to rebuilding 2,000 horsepower industrial diesel engines. I have what I need.
One of the bolts to hang the garage door opener yesterday was in a very difficult to access location. I went to the toolbox and got a Blue Point 7/16" flex head ratcheting box wrench and a Snap-On 7/16" deep offset box wrench and made quick work of it. I cannot imagine doing work without every tool I could ever need right where I can access it.
Can you have too many sockets?
That does not even get into my 3/4" and 1" drive tools.
One of the greatest things I saw in a friends garage that I copied was the use of a legal sized file cabinet to house power tools.
Saws are in the top drawer:
Then drills and sanders:
Routers, cutters, and grinders are in the third drawer:
This sure makes storing power tools neat and easy.
SeeYou190Can you have too many sockets?
Never!!! (as long as you don't leave them in what you're working on!!!)
Did you work on metric stuff, Kevin?
Here's a pleasant Sunday Morning film from auntie "Beebe":
Does anyone remember posts I made featuring Fred Dibnah when he was climbing steeples and tearing down smoke stacks? He was a pretty accomplished chap.
Yesterday I was taking a walk and came across a PAIR of Pileated woodpeckers at my feeder. One flew away before I could get the camera ready
Pileated_7-20 by Edmund, on Flickr
They were both juveniles. Glad to have them in the neighborhood.
I hope everyone is well and safe.
MLC, I like the old radios, and a great job you do restoring them with the veneer. Those old-school ones remind me of the one on The Waltons the family used to sit in the evening for story time.
Ulrich, Always enjoy your videos. The one reminded me of Johnny Cash, ... "I hear the train a comin, it's rolling round the bend" If I would have to choose I must say, I have always preferred the British higher pitched whistle to the American lower pitch horn on the steamers.
I remember when I first got my driver's license as you talked about. I remember how exciting it was as it opened up a whole new world. Sometimes with a place to go with our friends and sometimes just driving aimlessly to see what we would find. Getting lost was half the fun sometimes.
Kevin, I like the other Farm picture you recently posted. We certainly have a lot of them up here in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
When I am visiting my brother-in-law in Wisconsin. When it's time to make a beer run for our evening bonfire. We drive past the Udder Farm. It has the family's name right across the top of the barn in big letters. My brother-in-law always says the same thing as we drive by. "It's not this farm and it's not that farm, It's the Udder Farm" I don't care how many times we drive by it, It's still always funny, as we both bust a gut.
P.S. And I forgot to tell you about the camel. We purposely go out of our way to drive by the farm where the one farmer owns a camel. It's so weird to see a camel in a northern country setting. It's a real treat And everyone in the vehicle says, ... "Hump day yeah"
And you're right Kevin, there's no such thing as too many sockets. When you're busy fixing something and need a certain size, they are easier to find. There's no such thing as too many any tools for that matter. "Ahh, Ahh, Ahh"
Ed, Those pileated woodpeckers are really something. With their Crest on their head, I wonder if that's where the Mohawk originally came from. They are quite the powerful tool as I have wondered about the big chunks at the bottom of the tree they rip out.
I had a customer who had a problem with one pounding on her hollow chimney top. She had a big problem. From what I understand, they go to the highest spot that makes the loudest noise during mating season in the spring. It was way too high up for me and I didn't know what I would do anyway. I told her to call a roofing company
Make it a great day All!
Good morning gang, just thought I'd check in. Been busy working on our place in northern WI. I'll finish up the trim next week, then move on to build a storage shed/3 seaon shop.
I had a little trouble getting back home last Wed., as I lost the right front wheel on my truck, going 70mph. It was a thrilling ride, to say the least.
Got everything patch up, and back on the road on Thurs., got about 3/4 of the way home, and the left front started to do the same. I caught in time, was able to pull off the freeway, and tighten it back on. From there I took back roads home, and stopped about every 30 miles or so, to make sure it stayed tight.
The last people to take a wheel off my truck was the last time I had the front brake and bearings checked. We've used this shop for about 25 yrs. now, and they aren't owning up to anything. I can't prove anything, so....
Anyway, the original rims on my old (2002) Ranger are the aluminum alloy wheels, and I've told they are a problem, so I'm getting new steel rims to replace the alloy rims.
I had the same problem with being logged off, and trying to get back on. I called CS., they said they have been doing updates. I use Chrome, so I deleted everything, and got back on with no problems. I needed to empty it all out anyway, and regained almost 500 MB.
Later gang! Stay safe!
Mike.
My You Tube
Good morning. It's a beautiful morning, and was actually cool for my walk this morning. It will be another hot and humid July day.
MLC, my parents loved antiques, and they had a radio that looked like the second one of your pictures. I don't know what happened to it after they died. Being raised in a home full of antiques, I don't like them. I will take new over antique any day. Of course, once you are married, that doesn't matter. That's why I have a house full of antiques. My wife always reminds me that if she dies first, I can get rid of all of them.
Have a good, restful Sunday.
Good morning again
One more post and then I need to go for a big long walk.
Wow Mike, That is so uncool. I'm glad you are okay out of that. Quite a few years ago there was an incident in Minneapolis where a garbage truck Dually flew off, bounced over the median going through someone's windshield killing them. Since this preventable accident happened they have green flap tags on the lug nuts to assure the proper tightness.
Well, ... I need that long walk because the last few days of working on my truck has caught up to me. I hate to whine like an old lady but sometimes I realize I ain't getting any younger.
The crawling around up and down underneath my bumper installing it and then the quarter panel metal I put on my truck. I had to pop the rear wheels off to crawl in the wheel well above the caliper at a funny angle to clean and seal up the old metal to the new metal so the salt don't get in-between and rust it out again. This type of work is not of the norm for me.
My legs are so sore today I can barely move, my arms and back too. I never understood before but now I do. Those times I'd see someone old walking down the sidewalk with ski poles. That would be really good for me right now to loosen back up
While I was spraying the undercoating in the last wheel well my buddy Erv had set the torque wrench down by my leg. No over tightening with the air impact on the lugs. Click, click, click click, click 5 time's. You already know this but that's what your mechanic forgot to do when he got sidetracked Mike
And now for that long walk. Too bad I don't have any ski poles though Never, ... Not this kid! , ... I hope
Track fiddlerI never understood before but now I do. Those times I'd see someone old walking down the sidewalk with ski poles. That would be really good for me right now to loosen back up
TF, you and me both.
Last year I knew I was going to hike Bryce Canyon, and I finally broke down and bought a walking pole from the sports store.
It really worked! I found I used it the most going downhill, not uphill. I became a believer that it may make me look like an old guy trying to hike, but it sure made my life easier.
Walking poles can be cool John. I used to have this really cool badass one that was made by an old master carver of Diamond Willow across the lake from me. It had snakes wrapped around, a fish, an eagle and all kinds of interesting little charms to look at. It was crooked and gnarly looking. He was so very good at his craft because anytime I thought I had seen all the carvings in it, I would find another one hiding. I hate thinking about it because I never knew what happened to it. I think obviously someone stole it.
He just gave it to me out of the goodness of his heart. I wish I still had it. Those things can be quite expensive, although I never could have put a price tag on that one.
Track fiddlerI used to have this really cool badass one that was made by an old master carver of Diamond Willow across the lake from me.
I wish I had something like that.
Mine is a metal telescoping pole with a nice soft handle and wrist strap. It collapses down to about a foot long, telescopes out to about five feet, and is surprisingly sturdy for being so lightweight.
I don't use it when doing my daily walk, but I will take it on vacation to national parks.
Howdy .
MLC ... I'm impressed with the antique radios in your photos. Nice.
Kevin .... That is a nice Michigan barn you showed. I remember seeing barns in MI that were converted to houses. Lots of square feet inside. ... That is a big tool cabinet. Remarkable. .... I forgot to show you and MLC my tools when you and he visited. Woodworking tools are in the downstairs workshop, and mechanical tools are in the garage. (Garden tools are in teh garage too, but that is Shelley's department. LOL) I dont think I showed the garage either. The Porsche is in it.
Mike in SW WI ..... Losing a wheel at 70 mph would be scary. Glad you are okay. ... Reminds me I almost got hit by a wheel that came of an oncoming car while on the interstate. Our car and theirs going 70 mph. No time to react. If it hit our windshield, I would not be here.
Ed ... Thanks for posting the video. You should have told the woodpecker not to fly away before you could take a picture.
Ulrich .... The house you showed looks good.
Everybody...... Have a good day.
It is Sunday.
As many know, churches are one of my favorite subjects to photograph as I travel. Here are some of the best I saw in Michigan and Ohio.
If I had more money than I needed, I would duplicate the last one as my house.
Track fiddlerWe purposely go out of our way to drive by the farm where the one farmer owns a camel.
Owning just one isn't recommended. This site says camels are easily confused and offended. Young camels need "a village" to be raised properly.
https://camelconnection.com/camels-for-sale/
Since they don't sell to the US, nor to anyone who hasn't passed the "camel course" I think I can dodge the forum rules
In the US prices range from $5,000-20,000. If you are in a country where they race them, you can spend a lot more.
I noticed in the recent ARCA race, they were retorquing lug nuts. I didn't understand their rules for a pit stop. No one was in a hurry to do anything.Throwing a way extra hammers this weekend. I had all my mothers hammers and all mine. You can't even give stuff away anymore.
BigDaddyThrowing a way extra hammers this weekend. I had all my mothers hammers and all mine. You can't even give stuff away anymore.
I have about 6 sets of Craftsman wrenches (and one S-K) from 5/8 through 15/16. You are right, they cannot even be given away.
Back in the 1980s I used to hear stories about how some lucky guy found a tool box full of tools for $200.00 at a yard sale. I did not believe such stories.
Now, $200.00 would be a high price to pay.
Track fiddler Good morning MLC, I like the old radios, and a great job you do restoring them with the veneer. Those old-school ones remind me of the one on The Waltons the family used to sit in the evening for story time. TF
well strange tha you say that
This radio
Is the model that was used on the Waltons. In the radio community it is known as the Zenith Walton radio. Because of that it is very expensive to collect. This one is not mine. I am redoing veneer on it.
Camels on farms: We saw two farms with camels when we were traveling. Not exactly sure where, but it was a head-turner and not expected.
Here in Florida, 20-25 years ago, a lot of farms began raising Emus and Ostriches because it was predicted their meat would become a staple in the American diet.
That never happened, then we had wild large flightless bird populations in South Florida.
Supposedly they are gone now. Maybe the Pythons killed them all.
Geez - camels in Florida? I always thought they´d need a hot, but dry climate! I think it´s a questionable venue to bring exotic animals to places outside of their natural habitat. Some years ago, a half-witted person released a pair of racoons in Germany, now we have a racoon population which is takind over the country. The same with bullfrogs. Crazy!
I spent the better part of the day doing some research on small houses. A few years ago, the tiny house movement reached Germany and here is a German engineer´s solution:
The "house" is actually quite spacious and bright and airy inside.
The price is forbidding, though!
Tinplate ToddlerGeez - camels in Florida?
As far as I know there are no Camels in Florida. Since the Python and Gila Monster problems, exotic breeds have been well regulated. I saw the camels in either Ohio of Michigan.
We still have a couple of large "big cat sanctuaries" but most of the smaller local "zoos" are gone.
There is still the one guy over in Dade County that has a private zoo, but he has enough money to keep fighting any state regulation for the rest of his life.
Lake Trafford, in Immokalee, now has a lot of wild Peacocks living around the shores. They make an obnoxious noise.
I visited a friend in Gilbert, AZ, a suburb of Phoenix.
I'm not sure the exact location, but it was not out of town -- a house with some acreage had giraffes in the back.
In 1854 the US cavalry tried camels in Texas instead of horses. went over like a lead balloon.
PIE
on me!
SeeYou190As far as I know there are no Camels in Florida. Since the Python and Gila Monster problems,...
Well, there are camels in Germany - all of them in zoos, none being kept privately. Lots of people keep snakes, exotic lizard and even lions, leopards and other man-eating beasts, which is not at all allowed. These peope are plum loco!
When I used to ski in Maine, we would pass a llama farm on the trip.
I had one of those lost wheel incidents, too. It was totally my fault. I rotated the tires and didn't get one on properly. After about ten miles it came loose and I saw it take off down the highway, coming to rest in the woods. Fortunately, the weight distribution was such that that corner of the car stayed up. I had lost all those lug nuts, so after retrieving the wheel, I took one but off of each of the remaining wheels, replaced the wheel and drove a few miles to Sears. Yeah, it was a while ago. There was still Sears.
sandjamYes, there are Camels in FL, in major city zoos. Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Orlando (Disney) etc
Of course I knew they are in zoos. That was not the discussion, we were talking about farms and such, as well as exotic invasive species.
Sandjam: You seem to respond to my posts more than anyone elses, and you have said you live on the West Coat of Florida.
Do I know you in real life?
I just have this hunch that we know each other somehow. Are any of these people you?
Harley Ken
Chaos Costa
Outrider Tommy
Helicopter Al
Pasco Seaboard John
Store Owner John
Board Game Derrick
Dark Side Donnie
or Norway Spud
If we are acquaintances, and all my guesses are wrong, toss me a ninkname I can use to identify you. I would like to know.
Yes, both Gila Monsters and more often, Nile Monitors, have caused problems in Southwest Florida. It is easy to Google.
-Kevin (The Tall Bretonnian, Duke Georgal of Entralgia)
Yay! I figured out how to clear all those browser things on this tablet, and I can log on again without doing the incognito thing.
Things were so much easier on my desktop. It seems like modern tablets and phones are designed for what they think you want to do, not what you actually want to do.
Germany can be so beautiful! I know we are in UK this month, but I just have to share this video of a small village 1 hour from Berlin with you!
Tinplate ToddlerGermany can be so beautiful! I know we are in UK this month, but I just have to share this video of a small village 1 hour from Berlin with you!
That really is a neat boat ride. So many things to see, so little time to see them.
SeeYou190Sandjam: You seem to respond to my posts more than anyone elses, and you have said you live on the West Coat of Florida.
I spent a few hours hiking around the Waterloo Recreation Area in Michigan.
It was beautiful, but the woods kept me from getting far enough back from much to get very many good pictures.
I got some poison ivy on my right leg while in there. I guess these signs should have been heeded.
The rental car looked pretty cool on the dirt roads back in the woods.
sandjamI Googled Gila Monsters in the Everglades first, before I replied.
This one was at the top of my search results.
Better look quick, sometimes the moderators take down links to news stories.
https://www.wtnh.com/news/unusual-stories-news/monster-lizard-terrorizes-family-in-south-florida/
The image searches are even better.
Like I'm the guy giving Florida a bad reputation...
Hard to believe you can live in Florida and don't know about the Oscars, Lion Fish, Iguanas, Cougars, Pythons, and so on... and so on.
You have heard about the fire ants, right?
SeeYou190Better look quick, sometimes the moderators take down links to news stories. https://www.wtnh.com/news/unusual-stories-news/monster-lizard-terrorizes-family-in-south-florida/ The image searches are even better.
SeeYou190Hard to believe you can live in Florida and don't know about the Oscars, Lion Fish, Iguanas, Cougars, Pythons, and so on... and so on.
Not sure where you draw that conclusion from?
OK, now I am 100% sure you are one of my IRL buddies goofing on me.
My appologies to everyone else in the diner.
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a dog treat.
Did not do much today, mainly run around with the wife.
Weather was great and we took Dirk to the park so he could pee on everything and do a #2. He enyoyed him self.
No where finshed yet but it is coming along nicely.
SeeYou190 OK, now I am 100% sure you are one of my IRL buddies goofing on me. My appologies to everyone else in the diner. -Kevin
Some here will believe that. but it is again not true.
sandjamI get the whole coffee klatch atmosphere of the dinner,
Those of us who post here regularly like the coffee klatch atmosphere of the diner.
It might be better if you just PM Kevin with your complaints about him so the rest of us can continue to enjoy the thread.
Don't know about gila monsters, but a black bear is visiting the northern out skirts of Baltimore.
The highlight of my day was showing my grandkids an inch worm as it crawled across the picnic table.
The kids in my neighborhood seem to have no knowledge of nature, clueless as to why a turtle would did a hole and stick it's rear end into it. One adult saw two foxes at the end of the pier and decided to go down and take a closer look. Fortunately for her, and the foxes, she did not get bitten when she cornered the foxes.I sat in the shade at our beach, had 3 beers and was wiped out. It was hot and humid and not much of a breeze.
York1It might be better if you just PM Kevin with your complaints about him so the rest of us can continue to enjoy the thread.
Ditto
Cheers! Ed
gmpullmanYork1 It might be better if you just PM Kevin with your complaints about him so the rest of us can continue to enjoy the thread.
I agree with John and Ed, sandjam, if you have a problem with Kevin, PM each other and work it out. You've been on his case since you came here.
I would like to 4th the motion with John, Ed, and Mike. I consider Kevin a friend and a well-respected Forum member here. We could do without all the smack.
As one of the few remaining oldtimers of Jeffrey´s (formerly Elliot´s) Diner a "fifth" the motion to keep any person to person issues out of this place, which is, and always has been, the place for a friendly exchange in a Kaffeeklatsch atmosphere. Anybody who is unhappy with that - well, there is the door!
Tinplate ToddlerBeing in Britain this month and having a number of car enthusiast on board, why not take a look at the golden age of British sportscars. Strictly offtopic, but why not?
Thanks for going off topic!! If I win the lottery I'll be back behind the wheel of an MG (or 3) instantly!
sandjamGot you.
Yep, got a real troll on the line this time. I agree with the rest, if this is the best you have to contribute to the diner.
Just ignore him Kevin, as we all should.
What's your preference Bear?
I see I got tops so go ahead and order your midnight snacks and beverage of choice.
Our get together last night was cancelled as our host had just returned from where there had been a spike in covid cases so we will wait a few more weeks to get back together. Maybe just in time for hockey season to start.....August 1st. Hmmmmm! Not sure how that feels. I think they should have left the season undecided for 2020 as they did in 1918 for the Spanish flu.
I have been eating all day as I have drop a few pounds more than I like to so it has been carb central and according to the wife I ate a 1+ lb rib steak last night, so should be back up in a day or so. I also had three beers so that will help. Like to keep the body fat at around 16%.
MLC, those radio are amazing, I have an oldie from my parents that still works.
I have been spending a lot of time with my old dog. He is happy and smiling and still enjoying being around us. He has had a couple of strokes in the last couple of weeks and I found him inconscious the other night after I heard the loud clunk of his head hitting the floor. I went and got the wife out of bed and we sat with him for a while thinking this was the end and then he woke up! He is suffering PVCs and the wife is keeping close tabs on him and figures he will go instantly when it happens. I try not to move around too much as he struggles to stay by my side.
https://www.umcvc.org/conditions-treatments/premature-ventricular-contractions-pvcs-and-premature#:~:text=Premature%20ventricular%20contractions%20(PVCs)%20are,a%20skipped%20beat%20or%20palpitations.
We spent a good part of the day trying to find what kind of new vehicle to get for the wife. She needs something that she can pack dogs and all her dogshow gear into. There are a lot of options. Once she gets the new wheels she has custom dog crates built for the vehicle that are designed with crumple zones that are matched with the vehicles crumple zones.
I will likely need something soon as well, not sure what I'll get. I'll likely keep the old truck and get something sporty. We pretty much have given the car to the kid as he needs one. He sure doesn't have time to buy one right now with his three jobs. I got him to the driving range to hit some balls and it did him a lot of good to take a break.
Kevin, I really like the church pics. I always go into churches in my travels as I find such a wide variety in the architecture and find that so interesting. In one of the Indiana Jones movies, he goes into a church in Venice that turns out to be a library where X marks the spot. I couldn't believe it when it came on the screen because I came across that church and had to go inside and have a look. It was located way back on one of the back streets in Venice. Needless to say the inside was nothing like they had in the movie as it was a church, not a library.
Well best go sit with the old guy for a bit before bed, never know if he will be with us in the morning
BATMANI have been spending a lot of time with my old dog. He is happy and smiling and still enjoying being around us. He has had a couple of strokes in the last couple of weeks and I found him inconscious the other night after I heard the loud clunk of his head hitting the floor.
Sorry to hear that your dog is on his last legs. I hope that when he goes it will be peacefull and quiet.
Good morning!
Thanks, Brent, for the midnight snack, which is in fact a late breakfast here. It´s close to 8.30am here and I am up since 4.45am. Insomnia strikes again!
I have used the time to do a little work designing our retiree´s pod. Getting a building permit for a house just under 10ft. width is close to impossible, double that and it´s usually OK. Since we still have plans to couple up with our widowed friend, two of those small houses side by side would do the trick.
Here we go!
The roof line needs to be extended to give those two houses the look of being one.
We are still in Great Britain and it´s time to climb a mountain. I am not referring to the Hugh Grant movie of the Englishman who climbed a hill and came down a mountain, but I am talking about getting to the top of Britain´s highest mountain - Mt. Snowdon, which sports a height of 3,560ft. above sea level. For those sufficiently able-bodied, there is a nice trail up the mountain, I myself dedided to go by train!
Have a great day!
hon30critter BATMAN I have been spending a lot of time with my old dog. He is happy and smiling and still enjoying being around us. He has had a couple of strokes in the last couple of weeks and I found him inconscious the other night after I heard the loud clunk of his head hitting the floor. Hi Brent, Sorry to hear that your dog is on his last legs. I hope that when he goes it will be peacefull and quiet. Dave
BATMAN I have been spending a lot of time with my old dog. He is happy and smiling and still enjoying being around us. He has had a couple of strokes in the last couple of weeks and I found him inconscious the other night after I heard the loud clunk of his head hitting the floor.
Thanks Dave
The wife will put him down at the first sign of distress or if he looks like he is suffering. He was born in this house and he will die here.
December 2005.
Hiking in the Rockies.
He has hundreds of kids all over the world and the wife has plenty of his semen frozen for future considerations.
BATMANWhat's your preference Bear?
Good Monday Morning —
Something to enjoy with your coffee:
Thanks for the pics Kevin. I've always liked the old little steeple churches too.
Thanks for the videos Ulrich, Ed, ... Enjoyed!
MLC, It was The Waltons radio model eh? I guess it makes sense why it looked familiar to me. I got Judy The Waltons box set for her birthday last year. I watch it with her sometimes.
Your restoration craftsmanship is outstanding! I don't watch much TV but do enjoy educational or history programs sometimes. I watch Rick Dale on American Restoration every chance I get. I really don't see their work quality any better than yours
Brent, I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Our pets are a member of the family. The loss of any family member is tough to go through.
Good morning. It's clear and cool this morning. By 10:00 a.m. it's hot.
I'm late to the conversation, but talk of English TV interests me. I like some of the English mysteries. Between English mysteries and U.S. mysteries, I find the English ones generally are written at a higher level. Sometimes you reallly have to follow and think about the story.
Today is cleaning and buying day. Some of the grandchildren are coming for a short visit. The guest bedrooms and bathroom need to be cleaned.
I justr received a quote for the idea I posted earlier, which made me "bin" the project! About twice as much as I had anticipated! $ 302 per sq.ft. of gross space ist way too expensive!
I need more and new ideas!
Howdy ....
Brent ..... Sad to hear about your aging dog. I like the picture of the CP passneger train. It does not show all of the station, but I guess it is Banff.
Ulrich ..... I think it is very good of you and Petra to be with your widow friend. It is the right thing to do.
During the long period of social distancing, I have postponed medical and dental appointments. I can't keep doing that. Starting with an appointmnt tomorrow, I will be busy with doctors and dentists through August.
Everybody: .... Have a nice Monday.
Good morning all.
Here are a final few pictures from Michigan before I move my trip to Ohio.
Kevin ..
The bridge looks like the one in Blissfield, MI.
I am trying to recall where I saw the Jiffy cake mix company plant. I am thinking It may be Chelsea.
Garry: Great eye! You are correct on both.
Blissfield was a very nice town to visit. Steve's Trains was an interesting hobby shop there. Chelsea was pretty, but I did not do much there. Just walked through town for thirty minutes or so.
I wish I could have shared the pictures before I got back home, but I do not have my work computer any longer, and my tablet does not have a card reader. I forgot to bring the USB cord for the camera.
I went to the dentist last Friday for the first time in six months. I usually have my teeth cleaned four times a year. Surprisingly, the cleaning did not take as long as I expected. I do not like that ultrasonic thing at all.
One more from Michigan:
Tinplate ToddlerAbout twice as much as I had anticipated! $ 302 per sq.ft. of gross space ist way too expensive!
Great Cats! That is expensive.
When we built the "Dream House" back in 1989, we only paid $40.00 per square foot in construction expense.
Times have changed.
SeeYou190Great Cats! That is expensive.
It´s a rip-off! The usual price is between $120 and $200 per sq.ft. - the latter price beung for luxuty homes.
Good Afternoon,
Light rain here now but we could use it. I'm hearing a drip in the wall. The skylight is leaking again. I will have to re-caulk it. Not sure where on the edge it is leaking so will have to take it apart again. Seems like I have to do it every couple of years.
Brent, sorry to hear about your dog but 15 is a good age for any dog. Doesn't make it any easier though. I know from personal experience.
Rainy day so a good day to run a train! Haven't done that i quite a while.
Not much happening here. My wife is really having a hard time being couped up in the house. She doesn't feel comfortable going out even though there haven't been any new cases here for 12 days.
Time for another coffee.
Tinplate ToddlerThe usual price is between $120 and $200 per sq.ft. - the latter price being for luxury homes.
When the Dream House was built, normal construction prices were $60.00-$120.00 per square foot. The reason the house was only $40.00 per square foot was because I had the lot elevation completed already, and a large part (the train rooom) was built unfinished. I also did all the interior painting myself.
It's been a long day.
Ulrich, I imagine you tired of us saying this, but I guess I encourage you to keep at it. For some reason, I feel you will find the right place when the time is right. However, I'm not psychic.
Kevin, count me as another fan of your church pictures. Watching some of those HGTV shows where people buy an old church and turn it into a house, I think that might be neat. I don't think I'm up to all that work.
Brent, glad to hear you are enjoying your dog's last years. They really are members of the family.
CN Charlie, I wish you could send us some of your rain. We seem to be avoiding rain clouds this summer.
I went to the grocery store today, and virtually everyone is still wearing masks. The same at Walmart. I think I mentioned that the nearest Menards has a sign at the door that no one comes in without a mask. If you don't have one, they sell them at the door. If you don't have one and don't buy one, you don't get in.
MLC, I love the work you do on the old radios. I know several people who collect them. I have also seen some collections of the old Bakelite (spelling?) radios. My father had a large collection of tubes for TVs and radios. Whenever anyone had a problem, he would get them working again. I remember quite a few stores that had tube testing panels.
We're cleaning today for a visit with some grandchildren. I will be worn out in several days.
Not too much happened today. Maybe one thing I guess.
I went to the grocery before I picked up Judy at work. I got some bananas, three kinds of ice cream, three kinds of topping, whipped cream and cherries. I brought it in in my tool bag so she didn't know.
I surprised her with a banana split later this evening. Her eyes did light up like a little kid. Usually I provide a picture, but you know.
Well I've been getting up at 5 every day for the past two weeks. Seems to be my new pattern. With that, I'm gonna to hit the rack.
Nighty night all
York1 MLC, I love the work you do on the old radios. I know several people who collect them. I have also seen some collections of the old Bakelite (spelling?) radios. My father had a large collection of tubes for TVs and radios. Whenever anyone had a problem, he would get them working again. I remember quite a few stores that had tube testing panels.
Thanks,
Yes Bakelite are the brown plastic or painted plastic radios from the 30's-50's
There is also Catalin, which are a colored plastic, rare and highly collectable.
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Brents Old Buddy and Dirk a dog treat.
Brent You can never have them to long! Hope he fools you and your wife and has another 3 years has a happy boy!
Day started off bad and just went down hill from there!
1. Stop to buy gas and the clerk had her mask hang on her ear and not her face. Motion for her raise her mask, she said "What"? I then said "Put on your mask please". She said " I am wearing my mask"! I just turned around and walked out! I am sorry, having a mask hanging on your ear is not wearing the darn thing!
2. A/C died at work today. Called the Heating Air Company we used last time and they cannot be out till Friday. Luckly today temps where not to bad and did not get uncomrtuble (spell check) till 7:00 Pm.
Sat out when I got home with Sue and Dirk and the cold beer tasted good!
York1Kevin, count me as another fan of your church pictures.
Thank you. I have one more to share in West Virginia that I will get to soon.
Here are the last pictures from Michigan.
Now THIS is my idea of a "garden railway" !
Look at that deep red finish on the Winston Churchill. Beautiful!
Here is a link to the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway. This would certainly be on my bucket list for a visit to the UK.
Time for another look?
The passenger waving at 1:32 sure pulls her hand back quickly on approach to the tunnel portal!
Today was a perfect time to get a coat of paint on the new caboose siding Just about half-way done!
PRR_91908 by Edmund, on Flickr
That's Otis scampering up the steps in a blur.
Enjoy the day, everyone —
Lunchtime!
Just something light for me, please. A bowl of tomato soup, a baloney & cheese sandwich to go with it, and a coffee to wash all of that down the hatch!
Ed - the caboose looks ready for Petra and I to move in! It has probably more space than a 40 ft. container home!
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Rlwy. is a true "toy" train, although they run regular services for the public and take the students to school! During WWII, the line was part of the war effort.
I am not sure how big the part was they played in the Battle of Britain. Being part of the coastal defense saved it from dismantling.
I heard they were out of tomato soup yesterday Ulrich. You may want to upgrade to the Sea Bass
A rain day here today. We can use it.
No work for me, I'm just going to do some fiddling with a model bridge.
Have a good day
Great, thanks. *pays locksmith*
OK, everybody, the Diner's open again. Flo should have hot coffee ready in about 15 minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience.
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Thanks, Steven, for opening up the place for us. Gee, it felt strange standing in front of a locked door, not being able to get in!
Good Evening!
I am glad the lockdown of Jeffrey´s Diner is over now! I was starting to show withdrawal symptoms!
Today, have received a number of quotes for small houses. All of them were way above the advertised price, as the figure stated included only the naked building shell, which was of course omitted in the text.
This is getting frustrating!
I have been toying with an idea of a house based on a single 40ft. container, with a conservatory added to gain space. It looks like this:
A cut & paste job.
We still have hopes to find a solution to our housing problem! We just cannot picture us living in a concrete slab condo! The big problem we face is to find a lot where weactually could build one of those container homes. German building reg's are not very generous, if you want something slightly different from the usual.
Thank you Steve.
Picture from Ohio:
They do run again!
The first UK mainline steam tour with paying passengers has finally taken place with a wrath of regulations in place to ensure the safety of passengers,crews and volunteers as we now enter the new norm of steam hauled trains on the mainline network. While the return of steam charter trains is a welcome sight, baby steps are somewhat still needed and unfortunately at the current time we're not likely to see pre Covid levels of excursions that we had in early March. Still, it's all Credit to Saphos Trains for laying out their plans and taking the plunge to get steam back to it's rightful place. Also credit has to go to West Coast Railways who are now ready to kick start the popular Jacobite trip over the Scottish Highlands from this weekend ! I hope you enjoy the return of mainline steam action !
Filmed today!
Steven OtteOK, everybody, the Diner's open again. Flo should have hot coffee ready in about 15 minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Edit: Oh dear. Top of the page. Coffee all around. And shome ashpirin.
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilde, coffee with cream, please.
Brent: I know you asked Bear, but of the three options presented, I like the last one. CANZUK sounds like a great idea, that said, I agree with bear. You can never underestimate the human tendency to screw something up.
Before the bubble burst in '09, I looked at some real estate listings in SoCal. They were selling for about $400 per sq ft. I haven't checked what prices are now, but I'm sure they're ridiculous.
Enjoying all the pictures of everybody's trips. That Jiffy mill looks like a candidate for a model.
Good afternoon. Has anyone seen Neowise Comet? It has been cloudy here the last couple days, and before that, I did not feel like getting out of bed at 4 am. It is supposed to be visible in the evening. We have a lot of light polution though.
I have been looking for what is different. Search works again, and I do not get logged out in Chrome. Still can't send pm's in firefox.I was unfaithfully looking at another forum yesterday, and I really do find the way our forum appears on the screen, as an easier reading presentation. It's also easier to find new posts.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/13/world/comet-neowise-pictures-how-to-see-scn-trnd/index.html
Yippee we're open again ! Thanks for putting the coffee on Steve.
New Hampshire went well over the weekend except for losing a lift gate motor loading up Sunday. That is repaired now and I'm back pulling the floor in the front of the trailer which proved to be glued on place and is a PITA. Back to it Ciao, J.R.
Good morning (for another ten minutes).
Steve, thank you for getting the diner open again. I can't tell you how much I miss it when the doors are closed.
Kevin, I can see certain barns are well-cared for, and others are not. In my area, most old wooden barns are falling down. Farmers don't use them anymore, and they don't want to spend money to fix them up just for nostalgia.
To protect machinery, most farms now use steel buildings. I would guess in another 20 years, you could drive across my state and not see any more wooden barns, where 30 years ago, there would be three or four barns on every square mile section.
I got a new tooth this morning -- the first new tooth I've had for 60 years! I believe this one tooth is the most expensive thing I've ever had for my body.
We have grandkids in the house. We're not getting much rest. More than several days and I would need to find a nice quiet place to go.
Yay, the Diner's open!
Do I need a mask?
Got my taxes done and I am getting money back!
Testing 1 2 3
Yep I guess everything works for me as well and I'm permanently logged in again.
I heard there was a lot of internet problems yesterday, not just this site. I don't know if that was part of the problem here or if it was shut down for repairs.
I went to eBay yesterday to buy something in my cart and that site was down for at least 2 hours.
The Caboose is coming along nicely Ed. Looks like a great job. I did like your color choice.
It works!
Peco has a new hybrid N scale code 55 turnout. Unifrog. It can be used as Isofrog or Electrofrog. It has a wire out the bottom and is more user friendly.
Steve O Thank you for getting the dinner opned again!
Nothing really to talk about today from my end.
Later Ken and Dirk say's Woof, Woof!
Howdy , everybody ...... Like everybody else, I was locked out of the Diner this morning.
Steve O .... Thanks for paying the locksmith.
My medical appointmnt went well yesterday . Firday is the dental appoint with major work. Then for the next four weeks, I have at least two medical appointments each week. various issues. .... I'm living with Too-Many-Birthdays Syndrome. LOL. ...... Stuff was delayed because of social distancing for the virus.
Everybody: ..... Have a good night.
Made a little progress on the 5th scratch built bridge of the 8 the last couple of days.
Going to be ordering an airbrush kit from eBay. Don't want to paint five styrene bridges with a cheap airbrush hooked up to a big compressor and take a chance of water getting in the paint.
Finally see a light at the end of the tunnel, only three bridges left. It'll be refreshing to switch things up to wood. Only a high Trestle, a low Trestle and one double track Viaduct bridge are left to build.
Sure will be glad when these bridges are done to change things up and move on to track and scenery.
Going to dig the automotive spray gun out of the tool trailer and the best wide pattern tip. Painting the tool topper on the truck matte black today. Always hated the white on gold.
Have a good one all
A regular to go please Zoe. Mid 60's today and overcast but no rain predicted until late evening. Got the floor stripped in the front of the trailer. only a 10 x 8 area but my intrepid carpenter had used enough adhesive to glue a house in the one area. Fortunately I had a Fein tool with a scraper attachment to augment the big shingle scraper I used to pull the engineered flooring. The plywood underlayment still looks ok so after letting the new (wood) floor acclimate I can fit the new flooring.
Not much else to report right now. The CFO is in Va visiting reletives so it's just the two dogs and I roughing it. No progress on the layout and I leave for Elkhart, Wisconsin next week for another event. Ciao, J.R.
It´s way past lunchtime for me, so some coffee and a slice of my favourite pie would do perfectly! You know, it´s a cherry crumble pie with a topping of vanilla ice cream!
Still working on house designs to overcome German building regs, but still have a house inexpensive enough for us to afford. Flat roofs are highly unlikely to get permitted here, so by taking to 20ft. containers side by side instead of a 40ft. container opens up new possibilities while keeping the sq.ft.´s at the same level (and costs only moderately increades). Adding a roof is not much of a deal, then.
I have been toying with some designs:
or
I like the last one more than the first one!
Back to our host country! Britain does not only have the famous Thomas The Tank Engine, bit also some good looking work horses of the branchlines:
In this video Mr. Marsh dug deep into my archive to bring you action from three preserved British Rail Standard 4 Tanks. Llangollen based 80072 features mostly with a couple of her appearances being impersonations of former class mate locomotives. 80080 courtesy of the Princess Royal Locomotive Trust is seen on the East Lancashire Railway and a fleeting appearance of 80136 which returned to steam in 2016 courtesy of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This will be the first in a series of compilations looking at the B.R Standard Locomotives all captured from the lineside. The series will focus on the Standard Fours and Fives and finally finishing with the 9F !
I hope you enjoy the mini compilation !
Just a quick question.
Is anyone else getting hacked with this congratulations you are the 5 billionth customer to Google claim your prize with all the muti-color confetti falling down or is it just me? Of course I'm smart enough to not to click on to it.
It's only Happening Here and quite frequently.
Track fiddler Just a quick question. Is anyone else getting hacked with this congratulations you are the 5 billionth customer to Google claim your prize with all the muti-color confetti falling down or is it just me? Of course I'm smart enough to not to click on to it. It's only Happening Here and quite frequently. TF
Yes, I am. I simply ignore it!
Track fiddlerJust a quick question.
No.
Track fiddlerJust a quick question. Is anyone else getting hacked with this congratulations you are the 5 billionth customer to Google claim your prize with all the muti-color confetti falling down or is it just me? Of course I'm smart enough to not to click on to it. It's only Happening Here and quite frequently.
TF, I use DuckDuckGo for my browser. It's free, works just like Google, but it does not allow trackers, and that stops almost all ads and popups.
John York 1.... We have used DuckDuckGo which worked fine for me. My wife thinks she gets better search results with Google. I wonder about that, but it is nothing I care to disagree with.
Are we still in the UK?
Hey Flo, Do you have any scones for breakfast?
York1Kevin, I can see certain barns are well-cared for, and others are not. In my area, most old wooden barns are falling down. Farmers don't use them anymore, and they don't want to spend money to fix them up just for nostalgia.
Barns are falling apart everywhere. I do not care for pictures of severley dilapidated structures, unless nature is taking it back. I prefer beautiful structures.
Ohio had the highest frequency of barns in poor shape. I did not see more than a half dozen restored/maintained barns there.
Here is an example of nature taking back from us. I love these pictures. If I did not know this was Ohio, I would swear this picture was from Georgia.
Okay, thanks for the responses. I think I'll give that DuckDuckGo a whirl John.
That thing cuts off the whole screen and sometimes I can't lose it without backing out of the forum completely. It seems to be appearing every time I'm logged in here and getting rather annoying.
Thanks
P.S. it looks like I'm foiled painting my truck topper today. The roof rack nuts and bolts are rust seized. My impact wrench was lost with all my other tools I don't use very often last year when my tool trailer was stolen.
Looks like a trip out to my buddy Ervs this weekend. Too nice of a day to model inside. Maybe a wash and wax job on my car. It needs its yearly oil change too. I'm back in business. There's always something to do to fill a day.
Interesting switcher locomotive and baggage car in Ohio:
Heartland Division CB&QAre we still in the UK?
Indeed we are!
And we shouldn´t miss one of the most spectacular train rides of the world and go on a rail cruise through the Highlands on board the Royal Scotsman!
The GF's car is in the shop for bodywork. It got rear ended by...a lawn mower. Lawn service guys did it while the car was parked in our driveway.
MisterBeasleyLawn service guys did it while the car was parked in our driveway.
That stinks. Sorry to hear about the accident. That must be frustrating.
It really frustrates me when someone parks a white SUV right in front of a church I want to get a good picture of.
A nice looking church - quite similar to a Victorian train station in Britain. The car parked right is a pest! Why didn´t they extend the llawn around the church? Or should I have better said why didn´t the get rid of the ornate windows and install a big garage door instead, so the cars can be parked inside the church?
The car park in front of the church really ruins everything!
Ulrich, thanks for the video. That is an amazing train. I haven't watched the entire video yet.
Grandchildren just left. Wife is napping. I'm sitting in my rocking chair with a blank mind.
I prepared home-made-from-scratch cheese ravioli for dinner last night using a recipe my youngest daughter sent me.
It was OK, but I did something wrong with the noodle shell. Today the left-overs turned to mush in the refrigerator.
Ohio:
SeeYou190It really frustrates me when someone parks a white SUV right in front of a church I want to get a good picture of.
Just playing around
Vanish_SUV by Edmund, on Flickr
Today I had to send both my Rapido RS-11s back to Markham, Ontario. They suffered the bad motor syndrome
Less than 200 miles as the crow flies (About 260 by highway) from where I live and the postage was almost $70. US! Sure wish Rapido would create a US mail drop.
I hope everyone is doing fine,
gmpullmanToday I had to send both my Rapido RS-11s back to Markham, Ontario.
China must have huge subsidies. I can't drive to the post office for what ebay China vendors charge for postage.
BigDaddyDid you talk to Rapido first?
Well, through email, yes:
BigDaddyChina must have huge subsidies.
I tend to run to China's defence when the bashing is unwarranted, however, in this case, you would be shocked and horrified if you got into the nuts and bolts of who subsidizes their international mail. It is an agreement that is 50 or 60 years old I believe and is something that needs to be addressed through trade negotiations held by adults.
Bear, I am in full agreement with you on CANZUK and was being somewhat tongue in cheek. We will keep progressing in that direction naturally, in baby steps as it should be. I always feel at home in New Zealand and Australia, not quite as much in the UK but still feel well looked after and like I belong.
Just been crazy busy lately, my old dog is walking on his own again after his third stroke, though he needs support as he can't walk straight. He is in very good spirits though. I guess the Doctor is doing a good job. Still, he is on very short borrowed time.
Speaking of the good wife Doctor, she has been talking with the U.S. Federal Government somewhere in Virginia often as they are asking her opinion on this Covid thingy and animals. Above my pay grade. I know she gets called by UC Davis often on things. She is sure busy for being retired.
Well time to hop on the Deere.
Once upon a time.
I never imagined China postal rates were a political topic to anyone except the Chinese.
Tell your wife I talked to my dog and he is not going to wear a mask. He says he can't breathe, it makes him claustrophobic and it smells like his last meal of goose poop.
BigDaddyI talked to my dog and he is not going to wear a mask. He says he can't breathe
Okay, but he may bring it home to you, the guy that feeds him, just remind him of that.
Ed, you must be just about done with Rapido. I can't believe they don't have a U.S. postal account and can't send you a shipping label. For all you have spent on postage they should send you a free RDC or something. Their cost on that and it should work out about the same as what you spent in postage over the years. I'd ask, or suggest, it never hurts.
GMT I sent you a pm on Dale Earnhardt's series Lost Speedways on Peacock steaming
Brent Toby social distances and only has one sniffing buddy, the rest he has told to get off his lawn.
Not much train news, I am packing up the house. As soon as I seal one box of stuff, like all the extra wire I have, I find another spool of wire.
Well, ...I'm gonna hit the rack.
Nighty night Kids.
Ed: Thank you for making the church picture acceptable.
Henry: I know the pain of packing and losing the organization you hoped for. I have two full boxes just labeled "miscellaneous" of stuff I found after I sealed the boxes.
Nifty locomotive:
The day starts bright and shiny! Temperatures "hover" currently at 62F and the daytime high is expected at 72F - my kind of weather! I knew that one of my "forebearers" must have been a polar bear!
I dis quite a bit of research into the cost of modifying shipping containers so the morph into good looking houses. With all that info in the back of my head I have come to the conclusion, that the efficiency in this way of creating a habitable space lays in not modifying them or as less as possible! Any cut-out will make the container unstable, requiring massive supports to be welded in. Adding things like a real roof, or a balcony voids any saving you may expected to have. The corresponding labor costs are overwhelming - unless you are a welder and are able to donthe job yourself, which I am not. This means to accept the way the container house has been planned by the builder - or leave it.
I am sure there is a low budget alternative way of building a house somewhere out there. It is for me to dig it up! More research to be done!
My favourite church!
Inside:
The church was built in 1745 and is one of the best known baroque churches around the world. It is a UNESCO world heritage site.
Our local church is much more humble and was built about 150 years later.
Quiet, except the distant highway this morning. Been trying something new the past few weeks. I've been getting out of the rack when I first wake, 4:30 today. Been sleeping through the night better since.
Saw the twilight this morning over coffee. The sky was glowing a dark navy blue ink color like the ocean, it was kinda cool.
Been enjoying all the pictures and videos posted here, Thanks. I was zooming in on Baroques ceiling. Didnt Pozzo paint that one Ulrich? If my history memory serves me well enough. It was kind of cool how Ed got that white SUV removed from your church picture Kevin. I wonder how he did that.
I like the picture of the piers in the forest Brent. Did you take that pic? Curious how there's still a clearing there. It makes me wonder if a forest fire took the bridge and that's all that's left or if it was an abandoned bridge project.
It's Friday! WPF day! I usually hear from my Brother like clockwork in the evening. We most always have quite a long layout chat and exchange text pics. I'm looking forward to both.
Well, I haven't decided what I'm going to do with my day yet. Looks like it's going to be a hot one though. More coffee and something will come to mind.
BATMANEd, you must be just about done with Rapido. I can't believe they don't have a U.S. postal account and can't send you a shipping label.
I like all the good folks at Rapido and they certainly try to put out a good product. Every now and then there's going to be a wrench in the works like this.
Somehow Broadway Limited got caught up in a similar motor mess with their PRR P5a electrics. I had to replace 2 out of 3 of those. BLI covered the cost of the motor and decoders and I installed them very easily.
The Rapido RS-11 is a different animal and I've read several accounts of experienced modelers attempting to even get the shell off and ended in many broken parts.
I'll give Rapido one more chance when the New Haven EP-5 Jets show up (Jason, are you listening?) I probably won't live long enough to see the U-3b's come to fruition.
Track fiddler I wonder how he did that.
Good 'ol Photoshop
Two trains on one track with individual control? In 1957? The future is nigh!
I just delivered a friend to the hospital for surgery. Now I'm off to my Friday morning men's group.
It's already uncomfortable out at 6:00 a.m. We need some rain to break the heat spell.
Ed, those toys were around when most of us here were kids. Fun film.
TF, that's pretty much what I do, too. When I wake up, I get up. I've never been able to lay there and go back to sleep. My wife and I are on separate schedules. She has only been in a bed a few hours when I'm getting up. It's fine for when we're home, but it's not pleasant when traveling. Then one of us has to change schedules.
Those pictures of churches are inspiring me to start taking photography more seriously. It's not something I've done before. I was mainly someone who had a cheap plastic camera and snapped blurry photos. I think my biggest issue is to try to see things in a more artistic way. Some of you will see the same building or scene that I do. I ignore it, while you guys take great photos of it. I may be too old to change.
Have a good day, everyone. Off to the restaurant.
Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum in Bellevioew, Ohio.
This was a great railroad museum, and is well worth a stop. When I was there it was closed for the virus, but I was able to get a few pictures of the equipment by shooting through the fence on manual focus.
I will need to get back to this museum when it is operating normally and get a look at there very nice collection. From what I could see through the fence, it was impressive.
Lastspikemike As for developing a talent for photography I suggest it is not possible. If you know a talented photographer, amateur or professional, you quickly come to realize it is not a learned skill.
Photography is a skill that can be learned. I audited three photography classes at the University Of Florida when I was in Middle School, and learned all the basics back in the 35mm slide film days.
In High School I constructed a pinhole lense with a 15mm focal length following an article in an old Model Railroader. It worked perfectly, but using an entire 24 exposure roll of slide film to get one shot was not in my High School budget for long. I submitted two pictures to Trackside Photos, but none were published.
Fun Fact About Kevin: The only thing I have ever had published in Model Railroader was a letter I wrote to Student Fare in the 1980s about how I earn extra money for model railroading by winning photography contests. They did not publish my photo I sent with the letter.
It was a stunning image of a rusty 1958 Plymouth Fury that I won a pretty hefty cash prize for. The car was sitting in an abandoned junk yard in Zolfo Springs, Florida, and I waited hours for the light to be perfect. I had a star filter on the lens and one gleam from the rusty chrome bumper made the shot incredible.
I wonder if Rick Selby still has the photograph. I would love to have that picture back. All my copies, and the negative, disappeared years ago.
I have read dozens of books on photography of landscapes, subjects, and humans. Reading books by masters will teach you what makes a great photograph. This is a lot like art appreciation. Once you know why a masterpiece is special, all art looks different to your eye.
Most of the pictures I post in here are just snapshots from travels. To get a masterful image you need a perfect subject, which is hard to find, and perfect light, which you need to wait for. Rarely does all this happen when I am just out driving around, but it does happen.
If you really want a great photograph, you need to either be very lucky, or very patient. Then you need the skill to know how to set the image, and bracket the shot.
This shot took two hours, over 200 exposures, and tested the patience of my wife waiting in the car, but I had to capture it.
York1 TF, that's pretty much what I do, too. When I wake up, I get up. I've never been able to lay there and go back to sleep.
TF, that's pretty much what I do, too. When I wake up, I get up. I've never been able to lay there and go back to sleep.
Good morning .
Kevin .... I like the muesem photos. I wonder what is the PRR Atlas Car. ????? .... I like your pictures of old barns. I think we model railroaders can study them for ideas on how to weather buildings.
Ulrich .... I like the video you posted yesterday in response to my question about being in the UK. Thank you. Also, I like the church photos. Ou little country chirch here is nothing like that.
In addition to all of the medical appointments I'm having for various issues, I am having major dental work being done. Today, I go to the oral surgeon for tooth extraction and bone grafting. Preparing for dental implants. .... Dang. I did not need all of this stuff when I was young. .... Next week, two more medical appointments.
Everybody ..... Have a great day.
I am beat!
I spent hours and hours on developing a small (if not tiny) house design to be built in a more conventional way. I have drawn the floor plans with all measurements necessary for a builder to give me a quote on the completed shell, i.e. incl. doors and windows. I proudly presented my work to my beloved wife and what did I get - well, not the caring words I expected. Every child gets words of encouragement, but husbands never! I alway praise Petra when she has cooked up a nice meal, even if it´s nothing fancy.
Oh, well - marital bliss!
Today´s video on British trains shows "Steam at Speed"!
For some reason, we have a lot of old buildings here that are literally falling apart. No one is in them, but if there were more people here these would be collapse hazards for either kids or vagrants trespassing inside. I guess they don't have laws against that sort of thing here.
The weather will eventually bring them down. Then they'll just be an unsightly pile of rubble.
Afternoon everyone.
Not much going on in my neck of the woods. Another Hot Humid day.
Kevin, I am enjoying the pictures. I too took photography classes and my degree is in Video and Film production. I still have B&W lab stuff I can set up to develop my own, I used to buy bulk B&W and roll my own film.
So how did I end up IT at a hospital? There are only 12 jobs in TV and film and those that have them rotate no one quits.
moelarrycurly4 I still have B&W lab stuff I can set up to develop my own, I used to buy bulk B&W and roll my own film.
In my "Dream House" I insisted that a dark room be included in the plan. Since this room was being built unfinished, the builder suggested I incude a floor closet flange for a toilet and not remove the test plug and just tile over it. That way when the house was sold the "dark room" would become a "half bath" that was worth more.
I did as he suggested. My dark room was in the garage with no acces to the house. We decided to make it a full bath so I could shower before I came into the house after work. I had a very sweaty/smelly job when the house was built.
I ended up with the weirdest bathroom ever with a counter, sink, shower, but no toilet.
I loved doing my own black & white developing. Having complete control over each step of the developing process was fantastic. Also being able to control exactly what went from the negative to the print with the enlarger was a huge advantage.
Now we can do it all with a computer.
Heartland Division CB&Q I wonder what is the PRR Atlas Car. ?
Garry: I enlarged the information plate from the museum as much as I could. I believe this is what it says:
"PRR #2 This 45 ton side arm car pusher locomotive (electric) was built around 1928 by the Atlas Car Company in Cleveland, Ohio. This unit was used at the Lower Lake Docks (PRR Coal Docks) in Sandusky, Ohio. It was donated by NS Corporation in 1982."
Good morning from the West Coast where it is another spectacular day.
Usually, the Province is burning down by this point of the summer, not this year. Some days there are no fires burning in the Province at all this year.
Track fiddlerI like the picture of the piers in the forest Brent. Did you take that pic? Curious how there's still a clearing there. It makes me wonder if a forest fire took the bridge and that's all that's left or if it was an abandoned bridge project.
TF, those bridge piers are at the loops at Glacier Park. Long abandoned after the Mt McDonald and Connaught tunnels were built. You can walk the old line for miles and miles seeing all the old snow sheds, bridges and other remnants from the original line built in the 1800s. All maintained by Parks Canada.
The Stoney Creek Bridge is in the area as well.
Ghost from the past as well, left where they fell.
Kevin, that barn photo is stunning, it almost looks 3D jumping off the page at you.
My Daughter has taken lots of photography courses and it has improved her work immensely. She has natural artistic talent in many venues but there is no substitute for education to make you even better. She has also done a lot of work and courses in the film area and her team came second in the North American Zoomfest. That is a competition where your team is given a storyline and you have to film, edit and present in 48 hours. Those kids did not sleep a wink for about 50 hours. I think she did it three times.
MLC, With my kid in the movie industry, it has been an eye-opening experience for our family. The who works where, when and how often was interesting, to say the least. He had a chance to move into bit parts but that puts you into a different category altogether and work becomes less frequent. He can make a nice 6 figure income just doing extra work and can get more work than he can handle if he chooses to do so. The movie industry is back in full production here and they are screaming for people at all levels of production.
Ed, I also like the good folks at Rapido and chat with the bunch of them on FB sometimes. I will keep buying their products as long as they stand behind them the way they do. My two Hudsons both went in twice and they paid the shipping. They have run like tops since I got them back and I could not be happier. I have two ten wheelers on order but I think we are a year away from actually having them on the layout.
I can't lay in bed when I wake up and tend to get up right away. I would go around the clock when I worked and when I travelled I could be up for a couple of days easily. I think I was up for 53 hours straight on one trip. Not sure how I would do now in my old age. The body can go a long time without sleep and eating if it is in good shape at the start of the abuse.
I think I will have a deadbeat day today as I am feeling run down.
The old line near the East entrance of the Connaught Tunnel.
Howdy!
SeeYou190This shot took two hours, over 200 exposures, and tested the patience of my wife waiting in the car, but I had to capture it.
Bunch of excellent photos being posted here! I have photography as kinda a second hobby. Have not really studied it but have had some training and advise from a local Pro who is a friend and was on my Boy Scout Troop committee way back when. I figure if you take enough photos and take the time to learn some things, every once in a while you may get lucky. This photo took me a couple hours and about 50 shots to eventually get. I call it "The Preditor" Had to use a very fast shutter speed and play with the F-stop to get the focus and brightness just right. This was the result...
Can you find the "Preditor"?
Certain conditions are fun to explore, like what I got at dusk at Camp Whitman out on Seneca Lake with a powerboat pulling the "Banana Boat" with some campers on it.
One of my favorites is a photo I happened to get of a Juvenile Bald Eagle in a tree behind my church about a decade ago...
Nice Shots Ray!
howmusCan you find the "Preditor"?
Ray, is it the bee or wasp in the upper left quadrant?
Your dusk shot of the boat on the lake is incredible.
SeeYou190Ray, is it the bee or wasp in the upper left quadrant?
Yep it is a Yellow Jacket on the wing..... If you click on the photo it should enlarge (you probably already know that) and you can see the blur of the wings...
Thanks! The Banana Boat was one of those shots I didn't know how good it came out until I got it on the computer back in the Main Lodge at camp..... Again, I think the secret is having some idea about what you are doing with the camera and being in the right place at the right time and just plain luck!
One time that absolutely made my day was when I took a bunch of layout photos over to the Professional Photographers business to have somebody frame the photo for me before taking them to enter in a contest at a NMRA Region Convention. The photographer brought the photos out to me, and asked where I took the ones of the Steam loco? I told him down cellar. He said NO! Where did you originally take those photos? He was convinced they were of the real thing somewhere.... Made my day, it did!
Kevin what is that Atlas car?
A friend of mine, with numerous medical problems; we call people like her train wrecks. She has not left her home in 4 months. She asked me if she should buy a contraption, that looks like a helmet, that extends below your breasts and shoulder blades.
It is made by a start up company, there are no credible reviews and it's $300 and you have to preorder it in hopes it will be available in August.
Tried to post yesterday and it the post button, said servier could not be found? Oh Well nothing inporant.
Have a BBQ Grill question for you folks. How long do your burners last? Char Broil grill is about 5 years old. I had to replaces the burners when it was 2 years old and the burners need to be replaced again. Is this normal? Burners are $20.00 each and it has 4 burners.
I store it outside and I do not cover it, would that help make the burners last longer? Stainless cover still looks good.
cudakenMy 5 year old Char Broil gill is about 5 years old.
It would pretty much have to be that old.
Can't help you, because I grill with real charcoal on my Big Green Egg. Kamodos used to be cheaper but no more.
However, as we are in the diner, we don't talk nearly enough about barbecue and grilling. My wife has been getting steaks at Trader Joe's lately. They are excellent. Some of the filets are so thick, I have had to use the reverse sear method. You cook at a lower temp until it's 130 degrees. The cookbooks tell you to put it in a hot iron skillet, but you can crank the Egg up to 700 degrees if you open the vents. You have to let it rest though.
Toby gets to lick the juice that seeps out of the steak during the rest.
BigDaddyKevin what is that Atlas car?
Henry: I posted an answer to Garry a few posts up where I just typed out what was on the museum placard for the piece of equipment.
Sorry I don't know more. I was excited to see it. I have never seen anything like it before. My wife thought I went nuts.
You ace photographers now have some competition!
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53445772?fbclid=IwAR0EGLaRW8lopYLvASaI39MDfiZMwlSJfIL166VFy7BnVg7G5SF1zqKMf84
I am a terrible photographer, but I did take this pic and have been asked a few times if it could be used, even for a calender.
That's the extent of my photography skill luck.
And now the moment you have all been waiting for.............
The finished product. 1938 Zenith 7-s-232 also known as the "Zenith Walton"
moelarrycurly4The finished product. 1938 Zenith 7-s-232 also known as the "Zenith Walton"
MLC: That looks very good. That is impressive work.
Kevin I overlooked it because it was blurry. Side Arm pusher? I can't make out what the yellow thing is to the right of the right wheel.
I took 3 photography courses in college and they were my favorite courses. I have never mastered photoshop. I still have my Nikormat, macro wide angle and telephoto lenses. I too had my own dark room. They might buy me dinner if I sold them on ebay.
One of my woman classmates was a constant fixture in the photography professors's office. If you make any assumptions from that, they are the same as I had. It was a time of bralessness and while she was an advocate, she did not have the necessary connective tissue strength.
MLC my grandmother and great aunt had old radios like that.
A friend of mine, EE degree, left the aerospace industry to open an electronics repair shop. He got a call from someone who needed a Fender, I dunno, say a 9090 amp repaired. He said they didn't make such a model. The guy on the phone said he had one, my friend said I can fix it.
Turned out they made 2 and he got the schematics from a retired Fender employee.
He did the electronic work and sent the cabinet to someone who restores vintage aircraft. They guy picked it up, and was so impressed, he gave him a $1000 tip and 2 weekend passes to an adult entertainent venue in Nevada. I didn't know there were weekend passes for such places, and lifetime backstage passes for Willie Nelson! The guy was Willie's gopher.
BigDaddy I overlooked it because it was blurry. Side Arm pusher? I can't make out what the yellow thing is to the right of the right wheel.
I shot that picture from a pretty good distance through a fence with a standard lens. I am surprised it turned out even partially legible!
It is such a bizarre piece of equipment.
Ken, I have used gas grills for decades and the burners probably last 5 years or so. I do cover mine and keep it covered in the winter, when not in use. I think that helps, but it's not a solution that makes burners last forever.
Burners are easy to change, though.
cudakenHave a BBQ Grill question for you folks. How long do your burners last? My 5 year old Char Broil gill is about 5 years old. I had to replaces the burners when it was 2 years old and the burners need to be replaced again. Is this normal?
Howdy.
Henry ... I see you were also curious about the "Atlas car" Kevin posted.
Kevin. ... It looks like it should say "Tyco car" instead . LOL
Brent ... I like the picture of the BNSF locomotive on the trestle.
Here's a look at the Cleveland, PRR Whiskey Island Hulett ore unloaders with one of the "mules" between rows of hoppers where they would spot empties and shove out loads much more efficiently than a switcher crew could:
Hulett_Delano_43 by Edmund, on Flickr
— and a little closer look:
Hulett_Delano_43_mule1 by Edmund, on Flickr
There were arms on either side that would engage the end sill at the poling pocket. In later years the PRR G39 series of ore cars had pushar pads where the arm would engage.
Here's a look in later years: (go to about 9:30)
Good Luck, Ed
Rain day-Bridge day. A perfect day for modeling.
I've enjoyed all the pics here. Especially the Barn ones Kevin. I've always been partial to those. I have quite a few barn shots on my old disks.
I remember the Tiger Lilly with the bee Ray. I guess I must like that one to remember it so well.
Nice sunset Bear. Peaceful
The Waltons radio turned out great MLC. Now I just wish I could hear it
My contribution
A bridge of course
I found it interesting how only the bridge deck shadows, ...Things that make you go Hmmm.
Have a good day all
I feel like having a burger with all the works, please!
The weather guessers said this is going to be grey day. Wrong, it´s actualy quite nice. We had the little herd of does paying us a visit this morning. There is nothing more peaceful to observe while having your morning coffee than to watch some does nibbling on the fresh green!
I finished the drawings and now will send them out for quotes on the shell, including windows, the door, and the roof. All other work I´d like to contract to local people, which will save quite a penny.
It´s a tiny and simple house, but still offers more than twice the space of a container house. It will have to be built on a tight budget, not above $115 per sq.ft. This means a no frill exterior, no frill interior, just the basics.
I think this is my last attempt at finding a way to finally live in our own place again. If that fails, I will have to bite the bullet and look for a cheap rental accommodation - somwhere between Calcutta and Cairo!
Well, back to our tour of Great Britain!
Today´s video features "Masters Of The Mainline"!
Masters Of The Mainline 2013, features some favourite shots of year, which have been carefully selected and put together to show Mainline Steam at it's very best. If your after engines working hard, or engines at speed and engines climbing steep inclines coupled with lots of whistles, you have come to the right video. The video has compiled over 40 scenes of steam on the mainline, while the footage captures 32 steam tours, incorporating 14 steam locomotives with 12 different classes of engines, taking on the British Railway Network in a elegant, but powerful fashion. This video is dedicated to all the volunteers and tour operators & engineers who spend countless hours keeping Mainline Steam at the forefront of modern day British rail travel, while facing the ever daunting prospect of steam slipping from the mainline for good. Hope you enjoy the compilation!
Engines featured.
I'll have a regular and some blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and butter please Flo. Not much to report from this end. Trailer is reassembled with new floor and edging, loaded and ready to leave Monday for Wisconsin. All week it has been w**k, dinner, nap, bed and not even the tv on.
Great pictures being posted here. The boxcab shoving in the poling pockets was a great idea. No coupling/uncoupling needed though I assume they had the car brakes off? Pushing offset from the cars had to be better with more visibility as to what was going on at least in front of the pusher.
Ulrich - Do they have modular builders in your area? That is a popular method here and the homes are fairly reasonable and widely used for summer/vacation homes. Still need a crane and some way to move the oversized load from factory to home site but it could be worth a look. On the containers if you have access to the high cube type with 10 foot ceilings (2.5 meters?) cutting standard window door and passage apertures is not a big deal structurally. You probably don't have as many variations on containers as we do here but normally they come in 20, 40, 45 and 53 foot lengths. I saw very few 45 and 53 foot containers overseas and most of them were unloaded into smaller versions to facilitate delivery (this was both in Oz and NZ). My 2c. Tidy up today in the shop now that we have both trailers loaded to go. Ciao, J.R.
GMTRacingUlrich - Do they have modular builders in your area? That is a popular method here and the homes are fairly reasonable
That´s what I intend to go for! HiCubes are available here, but not the 45´ or 53´containers.
Good morning! I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee.
Great looking radio, MLC! You're a real craftsman.
It was hot and sweaty work walking the trail this morning, even at 5:30 a.m.
It's going to be very hot and humid today. It will be near 100° F air temperature, with a dewpoint around 75%. While I don't count it much, the "feels like" temperature will be around 110°. While that may be a normal summer day in Phoenix or Florida, for us that is miserable.
Great pictures, everyone. Is that the Hoover Dam bridge, TF? Nice photo of the train on the bridge, Brent. Bear, sunsets like that are rare to catch on film.
Have a good Saturday.
JaBearHere’s what I consider is my “Arty Shot.”
Bear: Great shot. When I was travelling in June/July the Sahara Dust Cloud made it to Florida, and created some beautiful sunsets over here on the West Coast. I missed all of it.
York1Bear, sunsets like that are rare to catch on film.
Indeed, indeed!
Howzat for sunsets?
Here are some pictures from the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park just South of Cleveland, Ohio.
This is a new National Park, and is very much still a work-in-progress. Taking pictures was difficult because the trees form a canopy over everything and the lighting was terrible. I did not have a tripod with me, so long exposure shots were out of the question.
The hiking trails were all loops with one-way movement for social distancing. This made it very hard to get lost. The trails were all well laid out and easy to hike.
There is a scenic railroad in the park, but it was not operating when we were there.
Something worth watching!
Good Day,
Nice day here. About 75F and a bit cloudy with good chance of showers. I don't feel very ambitious.
I'm surprised at the comments about grill burners only lasting 5 years. I've had mine for 20 years and have never replaced the burners nor do they look like needing replacement. Mind you we haven't used it much in the last 5 years or so. I store mine outside under a cover and don't use it in winter.
I'm taking my new Hudson over to the brass guru next week for a lubrication and install of a control decoder. He has 75 brass steamers and 30 diesels. Looking forward to seeing them. Most are CP. I don't think he has one plastic loco.
I did run trains for a little while yesterday. I needed the diversion as it was a very tense day in our house but ended ok.
Kevin, nice photos. I'm no photographer but have had the odd lucky shot from time to time. Most of my photos were taken on trips, mostly when in Africa. I rarely get the camera out otherwise.
Hopefully I can get the privacy screen we bought for the back yard assembled tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. We lost several trees that blocked the view of the neighbour behind us in a storm last fall. My wife has a real need for privacy and can't stand the thought of being overlooked.
We don't go out much at all as my wife has a real fear of getting covid. The home routine is boring. I mentioned a leak in a skylight the other day. Well we have had a couple of driving thunderstorms since and no leaking yet there was in a light rain the other day. Must be something to do with the direction of the rain. Time for a trip up there but I doubt I'll see anything obvious. I had a deck leak in our sailboat for years that I never really was able to trace. I caulked every deck fitting near it but still there was a small drip when it rained. It dripped right over the bunk where I slept. Sailboat decks are made with a balsa or plywood core between the deck and inner lining so water can travel quite a long way. The curved deck areas have strips of balsa giving a lot of routes for water to travel. I do miss that boat at times. Nothing like the feeling of a sailboat close hauled on a tack. Sort of magical a 3 ton boat plowing through the waves with only the wind for power.
Well soon time for lunch. Bought some nice shaved roast beef that is great in a sandwich.
SeeYou190Here are some pictures from the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park just South of Cleveland, Ohio.
Kevin, my wife grew up in Cleveland, and we plan to go back to see some of the sights in the next year or two. The national park is another reason to go. Nice pictures.
SeeYou190There is a scenic railroad in the park, but it was not operating when we were there.
I'm a bit familiar with the scenic railroad:
4070 in Brecksville, OH by Edmund, on Flickr
4070_at Jaite by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_2398_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
CVSR probably has the largest collection of operating California Zephyr Budd cars anywhere in the US.
Sometimes the Nickel Plate 765 will run in the Valley:
IMG_5232 by Edmund, on Flickr
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk a ice cube for a snack. Folks it is hot today!
Why am I working on Saturday again! I was there for 5 hours and never had a customer!
I knew I should have went in Friday when the A/C person was there! But, No, Jerry the was there and he has no clue to what went on! He told me "both units where working when the repair person came". I know for a fact one was out, the mens bathroom was hot. Normaly the coolest part of the store! Today the mens room was cooler so 2 are working now. Paul asked me "Has he hit is head again"? Neither Paul or I could get a straight answer out of Jerry the .
Mike I do not BBQ much anymore. When I first bough the house I grilled say 4 too 5 times a week. Just got burned out on it. Last year I think I may have grilled 4 times and this year 5 times. My first Char-Broil last 15 years, maybe one new flame bar. Second one lasted around 13 years and two set of burners. This is my cheapest Char-Broil grill, I paid only $120.00 or so on a fall close out from Sears. Stkk has the heavy cast iron grill plates I like.
To hot to sit outside tonight, Dirk will be disapointed.
Later, Ken and Drik say Woof, Woof.
Sure like those bridges Brent. That first one looks like something out of a story book.
Hi John, You are correct. The bridge I posted is the Hoover Dam Bridge. I've been known to break the rules now and then. The sign said no stopping and a high dollar amount for the fine. I stopped under that bridge anyway. It was the best view and the only way I could get a picture out my window.
Love the National Park photos Kevin. Had to stop and look at that beautiful arch bridge for a while.
Liked the Scenic Railroad pictures Ed. A shame it was closed when you were there Kevin. Certainly understandable though.
Way too hot today. I downloaded a compass app to my Iphone and just got back from looking for the comet. I took photos, which showed stars I could not see with my naked eye, but no comet.
I was locked out of the forum for about 40 minutes. That's about the time I took pictures of the sky.
Hot and sticky all day. Cool air coming in from the West. The White Cloud was going one way and the gray cloud was going the other way as they were building before dark. I haven't seen it too often but the White Cloud was rolling like a wave.
We're gonna get it!
Track fiddlerI haven't seen it too often but the White Cloud was rolling like a wave.
I wouldn't want to be flying through that in a Cessna 150!
Nice pictures!
CNCharlieHopefully I can get the privacy screen we bought for the back yard assembled tomorrow as long as it doesn't rain. We lost several trees that blocked the view of the neighbour behind us in a storm last fall. My wife has a real need for privacy and can't stand the thought of being overlooked.
My wife is the same. The new windows for the master bedroom have bathroom style obscured glass so she never needs to worry that someone could see in.
I wanted to get a perimeter of Eureka Palms planted this year to get some backyard privacy for her, but that is not happening in 2020. The price of ornamental trees is through the roof right now.
York1Kevin, my wife grew up in Cleveland, and we plan to go back to see some of the sights in the next year or two. The national park is another reason to go. Nice pictures.
It is a very pretty area. I'll bet in Autumn it is gorgeous. I am planning to return to Ohio in October. I don't know if that is good Autumn Colour time or not.
The Covid thing had the park 95% empty. That was quite a bonus.
BigDaddyWay too hot today.
No kidding! We had a high of only 89 degrees today, which was quite a bit cooler than a lot of the country. We were even not as hot as about half of North Dakota! What is happening?
Track fiddler The bridge I posted is the Hoover Dam Bridge. I've been known to break the rules now and then. The sign said no stopping and a high dollar amount for the fine. I stopped under that bridge anyway. It was the best view and the only way I could get a picture out my window.
The Hoover Dam Bridge is nearly impossible to photograph from anywhere you are legally allowed to stand. A good picture would require a hike up from the other side, or maybe a drone.
This is best I could do. It stinks.
I missed my big Sunday breakfast this morning, being too busy working on the documentation to be sent to builders for quotes. I came across a rather ingenious modular system, which will act as the basis for my design and the drawings for the builders. I don´t know what will come out of it - at least it keeps me busy and out of mischief.
Following WWII and the nationalization of the various different railways serving Great Britain and subsequent merging in 1947, the newly formed British Railways was faced with replacing an ageing and worn out fleet of steam engines, often dating from years prior to the grouping in 1923, some even before 1900. The British Transport Council and British Railways had different ideas on modernizing the railway network. BR wanted to electrify much of the mainlines and built a small fleet of modern steam engines, while BTC had plans to electrify only a few main lines and dieselize the other lines. BR and BTC didn not come to an agreement and BR just went ahead and commissioned the development of a new breed of steam engines, the "Standard Classes". Some of those engines, although powerful and as economical as a steam engine ever could have been, saw only a few years of service before being dispatched to the knacker.
The following video gives an insight view into "The Last Stand of British Steam"
One of the coolest mornings so far lately. I've been enjoying it out on my porch drinking coffee since 5:30.
I haven't seen either one of my daughters since the pandemic began. My oldest daughter called me a few days ago. Both of them enjoyed Agate hunting in gravel pits when they were kids. She said she wanted to meet at the one in Lakeville so we can visit outside and look for agates.
My other daughter and I will meet after her thyroid appointment on Monday for a nice long walk together. I hope she doesn't have polyps on her thyroid. The problem runs on her mother's side and if they find polyps it will have to be surgically removed.
Not too many good Sunset shots in Imgur but I'll post the two I have.
Ice fishing on Prior Lake last winter.
The calm before the storm late last summer.
Thanks for sharing the BB code on Imgur with me Henry Works like a champion.
Some impressive photos being posted.
I'll have an extra strong coffee in a Union Pacific mug, please.
Making good progress on tearing down the old layout. Will be starting the new one soon.
Last of my dogs, Kanati a Great Pyrenees passed on yesterday. He was a lovable boy who was always happy to see me.and will be missed.
Hope everyone is doing well. Started another round of chemo, so room for improvement here. Cheers! Rob
It´s hot and humid, but no sunshine visible. I feel wasted, after hours of torturing the computer with those house plans. At last, I am finished and now have the basis for some serious number crunching.
Here are the plans!
I will just relax the rest of the day!
Sunny and about 70F right now. Expecting strong NW winds later so won't get very warm.
Hopefully I can get that privacy screen together today but that wind is a concern.
Rob, sorry to hear about your dog passing. I remember that you have had Great Pyrennes for many years. I seem to recall that they were outdoors dogs. Good Luck with the chemo. Keep us posted.
Perhaps I will tackle the driveway weeds today. We have a long paving stone driveway and my wife won't let me use chemicals so I have to get on a rolling bench and srcape the weeds out of all the spaces between the paving stones. There are about 5k of them. It usually takes several days as my back can only take a few hours at a time.
Lacking in motivation to do much of anything lately.
I need to get an oil change done on the car soon. I will also replace the battery as it is 5 years old now. I don't wait until there is a problem and 5 years is a good lifespan for car batteries in our climate and the short trips I take. They tend to fail when it hits -30. I get it done at the dealership as their prices are ok and changing it isn't as simple as the old cars. In fact if you open the hood you can't even see it.
Have a nice day,
Last Sunday I shared some Churches. This Sunday, I will share a few of another favorite subject of mine, Railroad Depots.
The third picture is in West Virginia of an old Depot was converted into their City Hall.
Great pictures, Kevin!
This is our train station. Each day, nearly 500 trains pass through this station...
The stripes on the platforms mark the safety zones, which you should not be standing in when trains pass through the station at 125mph.
I have been shoving some furniture around - only on the computer...
A tight fit, but cozy!
Hot here already this morning. Not much to report on. I am working on more radio projects and more and more keep lining up . I may work mostly inside today.
I weeded my driveway with the weed eater yesterday while both cars were out. Boy it looks better.
to the basement
cudaken I do not BBQ much anymore.
Tried my hand at home brewing beer for the first time today. My wife bought me a starter kit for my birthday. I'll know how I did in about 4 weeks. Hopefully I didn't muck it up.
Cheers.
My condolences to you, Rob, on the passing of your fond companion Kanati. We sure form a close-knit bond with our animal friends.
Storms are rolling through my neck-o'-the woods. At 6 PM it is dark enough to turn on the street lights, IF we had any street lights. (I think there is one in front of the town hall). Temperatures dropped from mid 90s to mid 70s in less than an hour!
Here's an interesting look at replacing some complicated track-work:
I hope this finds you all well this evening —
Ulrich, where will you be building, I think I missed it.
Rob sorry about the loss of your dog and good luck with the chemo.
Mike welcome to homebrewing. I am fortunate to live 3 miles from a homebrew store. The original owners sold it to open a brewpub just last year. I guess that didn't work out.
Cleanliness and sterility are important in homebrewing. I've had a couple batches that while they tasted OK, were gushers. The head is 80% of the glass. I started homebrewing in the late 70's.
I thought a brewpub would be a money maker. Someone opened one in Baltimore and I thought the market was saturated, and gave up on the idea. Oh well, I probably would have drank up all the profits.
I think it was 97 today and very humid. The grass is 50% brown.
There was a dog fight at my neighbors. No dogs were injured, nor was any blood drawn. My neighbors daughter was dog sitting a little phuphu dog and decided it would get along with her parents golden retriever, who plays rough. They did not get along.There was only growling, but the daughter and mother sounded like one or both of them (people not the dogs) were getting eaten alive. More wildlife issue, my cousin who owns a winery in Napa heard the sprinkler, except it wasn't a sprinker, it was an annoyed rattlesnake. He saw it in time. My wife has a friend on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, who found a copperhead in their kayak.
Rob I am sorry to read about Kanati. I still miss all of my 4 legged friends.
Watched the Movie A Dog Journey today with Dirk and Sue. It was a very good but sort of depressing story if you are a dog lover. I several times during the movie, it was very touching.
Lets see if I did this right.
Evenin' Folks!
Just catching up on the posts.... Rob, so sorry to hear about your dog. Even when you expect that the end is near, it doesn't stop the pain of losing a trusted friend!
I guess I will post some photos taken from a ride on the Finger Lakes Railway back a few years ago. These are not of the train, but the view from the train in the Finger Lakes of NYS. Enjoy!
As you can see they were taken in late fall. They are all from the line going over the North end of Seneca Lake by the Railraod.
Sorry to hear about your dog Rob. I've been there, it's a tough one. Also my thoughts go out to you and wish you the best.
I have a thing for Railroad Depots too Kevin. I liked your pics. Those buildings are Classics, it isn't like they're building them anymore.
I'll see your Depots and raise you one
Owatonna Minnesota, one of my favorites.
I liked the lakes and the wetland picture Ray.
I had fun at the Gravel Pit today with my daughter looking for agates.
Some gravel pit pics
Look at all those rocks, you'ld think we find some in there. Actually I think we did. The ponds water was green like the water in Nevada. The other two ponds didn't have green water.......Hmmm Even stumbled across some wild flowers. These things looked better than some I've seen in people's gardens. It was such a beautiful day today even the weeds looked good at the Gravel Pit. We did find some agates. Nothing to get too excited about or post a picture of. You know it was almost the same as when she was 12 years old, only difference is now she's 26 but I'm older too so it was just the same. Afterwards I took her to El Loro, a fine Mexican restaurant and we had lunch on the patio. It was good to see her and tomorrow I get to see my other daughter. TF P.S. Why is my text all blue. Did I do something wrong using the BB code? I've never had blue text here before.
Look at all those rocks, you'ld think we find some in there. Actually I think we did. The ponds water was green like the water in Nevada. The other two ponds didn't have green water.......Hmmm
Even stumbled across some wild flowers. These things looked better than some I've seen in people's gardens.
It was such a beautiful day today even the weeds looked good at the Gravel Pit.
We did find some agates. Nothing to get too excited about or post a picture of. You know it was almost the same as when she was 12 years old, only difference is now she's 26 but I'm older too so it was just the same.
Afterwards I took her to El Loro, a fine Mexican restaurant and we had lunch on the patio. It was good to see her and tomorrow I get to see my other daughter.
P.S. Why is my text all blue. Did I do something wrong using the BB code? I've never had blue text here before.
Rob .... I'm very sorry to hear about your dog passing away.
Ulrich ... I like your station. .... Wow ! 500 trains a day ! I'm amazed you could get a picture of the station without a train with that manu of them.
I see lots of nice pictures in here. RR stations. Sunsets. Beautitful scenery. Nice.
We spent much of the day boating on the lake followed by swimming.
Cheers !
CNCharliePerhaps I will tackle the driveway weeds today. We have a long paving stone driveway and my wife won't let me use chemicals so I have to get on a rolling bench and srcape the weeds out of all the spaces between the paving stones. There are about 5k of them. It usually takes several days as my back can only take a few hours at a time.
Hi CN Charlie,
I have a propane torch with a long nozzle on it that is designed to kill weeds quickly and easily. You can use it from a standing position. If the weeds are on the driveway I just burn them away. It takes a long time for them to come back (weeks). If the weeds are on the lawn, all you do is cook the seed heads and they can't reproduce. It is quick enough that it doesn't hurt the surrounding grass.
This what it is like:
The one in the illustration has a small head for spot weeding. There are larger heads available for doing broader swathes.
Note that they should not be used on Poison Ivy or the like because the smoke contains the oils that cause the rash. Breathing the smoke can cause severe lung problems.
Rob,
Condolences on the loss of your friend. We do get attached----
CederstrandLast of my dogs, Kanati a Great Pyrenees passed on yesterday. He was a lovable boy who was always happy to see me.and will be missed.
Hi Rob,
Sorry for your loss. Our dog Jake is still constantly in our memories even though it has been 15 years since he passed.
Rob: sorry for the loss of your furry friend.
TF : I would love to have that depot as a house.
Not much going on today, Been working on more Radios.
This is the top part of a 1938 Zenith I am working on for me ( Mrs MLC bought it at a yardsale for $5)
It was missing a big chunk of veneer on one side so I decided to replace all the veneer on the right side.
Here is the new veneer after glue and it is not trimmed yet.
Here it is trimmed and I have started to match the color with the left side.
I have replaced some missing veneer on the bottom part ( not seen in these photos) that I need to trim and refinish.
The "guts" already work so when I get done I will have to just stick them in.
MLC: That is amazing work. I can build structural things out of wood, but what you are doing is way beyond my skill set.
Here is an Ohio barn losing the fight with the surrounding nature.
Heartland Division CB&QUlrich ... I like your station. .... Wow ! 500 trains a day ! I'm amazed you could get a picture of the station without a train with that manu of them.
Must have been a Sunday, when the picture was taken. Sunday sees a lot less train services, in both commuter and express trains, and no freight trains. As we live within earshot of this line - I can actually see the trains when the leaves are gone - I am just glad that our trains are not as noisy, hooting their horns and ringing the bell all the time.
Rob - I am sorry reading about your losing Kanati.
Henry - we are looking for a piece of property somewhere in the northeast of Germany, as prices are rock-bottom in that area. It´s really a remote region, lots of nature and very few people, much to my liking!
I had to rework the plans once more. The original plan was too tight a fit, so I added 1 metre to the house. Still a small place with a footprint of a little over 500 sq.ft.
Today, I will begin to do some serious number crunching to establish the budget for this built. I do hope we will have enough money to go for it.
British steam engines were, compared to what roamed the rails in North America and rode the metals on the European continent, always a little smallish and lightfooted. Not considering the huge articulateds that ran in the US, other European countries relied on Decapods to handle the brunt of their freight services. In Britain, this was the domain for Mikados, which looked right at home in pulling a string of those typical short wheel-based goods vans. It was not until after WWII, when the standard class 9F 2-10-0 hitb the rails. Rather late, than none of these powerful engines saw more than ten years of service.
Today´s video introduces one of the popular British built Mikados, Sir William Staniers LMS class 8F.
Edit: I just did my math on the house, using a calculator provided by the builder. Simply steted, the house costs twice as much as I had anticipated, as we have to hire help to do the job. If I were younger and without my health issues, I´d be able to cut out a big chunk of the cost.
But I am not. So here is another dream that has to be buried. I am afraid I don´t have many left.
moelarrycurly4Here it is trimmed and I have started to match the color with the left side.
Hi MLC,
Your refinishing skills are amazing! I haven't got the patience to do that quality of work.
I just refinished our pine dining room table. It looks like crap compared to your work, but at least it looks better than it did. I had used a rub-on varathane when I refinished it several years ago and it never really got hard. The result over time was that the surface of the table turned into a grey, unsightly mess. This time I used spar varathane which has hardened nicely. Where I screwed up was in not finishing the sanding by hand, and not using a sealer before re-staining it. Oh well, let's just say it has 'character', for whatever that's worth.
Cheers!!
Time for a little lesson on British steam engine classification. In 1923, all, but a few railways were grouped to form was known as the Great Western Railway (GWR), the Southern Railway (SR), The London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) and the London North Eastern RAilway (LNER). Each of these conglomerates introduced their own numbering scheme, which lasted until 1948, when the railways in Britain were nationalized and merged to form Bristish Railways (BR). BR had the difficult task to "re-invent" the wheel, which they didn´t but just adoped the classification of the former LMS.
The classification was made up of a number (representing the power output - 0 being low power and 9 high power) and a letter (representing the type of work the locomotive was intended for), e.g. 4F. Over the years there were some modifications to the system, but the basics remained the same.
The principal downside with this method of classification was that it did not distinguish between particular types of locomotive, so many very different types would have been classified '4F' for instance.
The power ranges are as follows:
Passenger engines:
Freight engines:
Engines designed for mixed serviced had the prefix MT and basically followed the power classification of passenger engines. Tank engines had a T as a suffix.
One of the big drawbacks of the system is mixing of various types and makes of the engines, i.e a 3F could be an ex GWR, LMS, NER or SR engine.
Why make things easy when there is a complicated way to solve an issue.
Edit: This is my post # 2,500. I think in my previous forum life I made it up to 9,500 posts, so now I am over 12,000 posts, yet still nowhere near the post count of our dear late friend Jeffrey aka Running Bear aka The Spray Can Rembrandt.
Been practicing the when I wake up I get up program for the last month or so. 3:30's a little ridicules though. Oh well, I'll go with it.
Thanks for the power range classifications Ulrich. That must have took some time. All the over the pond videos as well, ...Always Enjoyed!
Going down south a ways to visit my other daughter today. It'll be good to see her too. I have a couple small jobs in the building to take care of first. Got to keep the railroad fund healthy you know.
That would be cool to make a Depot into a house MLC. It's interesting to see what buildings people covert into homes. I go by this old stone one in Northfield I really like. I don't know what the house used to be but it speaks to me and I've always liked it. I go out of my way to drive by it, perhaps I'm waiting for a Realty sign to be stuck in the front yard one day. It's made of the same Stone as the Old Mill ruins a couple blocks away.
Have a good day everyone
I am being a post hog today - have to keep my mind occupied not to lose my sanity!
Did you know, that Exxon Mobile operates a 75 mile network of narrow gauge lines in the north German oilfield. The railroad started its life hauling peat and now transports hot water needed for cleaning drills and pumps to a number of oil wells and drills. The gauge is just short of 3ft. (900mm).
Today? I think you may have been Post-hog for quite some time now I heard it's contagious. Maybe I have recovered and you got it now
Well, time to grab my Plumbing bag and bucket.
Everybody have a great day
PH
I just posted in the thread about Neil B having Covid 19. Hope he gets better.
This morning I spent a few minutes operating trains. I have a freight train ready to go to my town of Blackhawk with cars for the meat packing plant and for the brewery.
SeeYou190Here is an Ohio barn losing the fight with the surrounding nature.
I wouldn't say it is losing the fight, I would say it is becoming one with nature.
Hah! I am being a post hog again!
We have a few days left on our tour throughout Great Britain, so lets see some more spectacular steam action!
And a nice toy for the boys still playing with trains!
Its coming a Toad strangler here.
A large toad strangler.
gulley washer
a sod saoker
Sheep drowner.
RideOnRoad SeeYou190 Here is an Ohio barn losing the fight with the surrounding nature. I wouldn't say it is losing the fight, I would say it is becoming one with nature.
SeeYou190 Here is an Ohio barn losing the fight with the surrounding nature.
East Broad Top:
Ghost Trains 149 by Todd Dillon, on Flickr
Narrow Gauge Jungle by 95wombat, on Flickr
There are certainly some great photos being posted.
Track fiddlerNice sunset Bear. Peaceful
Actually, Mr. TF, it's sunrise, and I haven't seen one quite like it since.
I'm not sure of the time frame, but this one was taken some (?) minutes earlier, the sequence being ...
Evenin' Folks,
Janie, I could use a diet Ginger Ale please..... Had enough caleries for today. Did just finish my 5k for the day, but the next couple of days are iffy at best for me to get any running in. Calling for some nasty, think severe, storms possible. So, I will likely get done some of the other stuff that has been sitting here waiting to get finished like the next issue of the Lake Shores Limited ( the newsletter for the local NMRA Division). They want it to be ready to publish by Friday so I have some work to get done...
Ed, I think those cars have been sitting there for a while... LOL At least judging by the size of the tree growing in the track.
Very nice sunrise photos there, Bear!
The "Biker Chick" I am dating (Well bicyclist) called this morning and we are planning on riding bikes on the Erie Canal Bike Path on Friday. That trail was originally the roadbed for the Rochester & Eastern Trolley Line that went all the way from Rochester to Geneva NY way back in the day. There is even a Trolley Station still in existance along the path. That has been repurposed to another business, but still looks like the station did in many ways around the turn of the 1900's. Just outside of Geneva there is the last remaining catenary pole from the line in the front yard of a house. I'll have to see if I can find the photo I have of it...
Stay safe and don't do anything stupid out there! It is a dangerous world!!!
Howdy ...
Ed .... Those EBT pictures must be of a branch line.
Here is a sunset this evening.
I took the picture from our house about 10 minutes ago. Actually, that is the sky after the sun went down.
Rob, I missed the post about your dog. I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences. They are family.
Got a call from the nursing home. My mother is acting more confused than usual and they are testing her urine for infection.
"They found strange things in her Depends"
Me: "Like what?" Thinking the obvious
"Socks and masks, she has no idea why they are there"
Can't say I would have guessed that. Urinary tract infections in the elderly can do that.
gully washers finally ended. They just popped up out of no where this after noon and suddenly flash flood warnings.
i went for about 1/2 bike ride it was as nuch as I could do I am out of shape. I will try longer on next ride, If not too hot I may ride to work one day this week.
OOPs time to feed the guinea pigs they are rattling the cage.
Heartland Division CB&QI just posted in the thread about Neil B having Covid 19.
Garry is it the diners Mr B? I hope not, he has all ready been through a lot in the last few years.
Pretty boring day at work. I was OK with that, no head bang trying to figuer out what Jerry the did.
Train's are running petty well tonight. Broke out the B&O I1sa and for a change it's not being a pain in the caboose. I need to learn how to power my turnout frogs. If I am running at speed it stalls, the starts up again. I know I can get a better Stay A Live cap, but I have to pull the decoder out and send it to BLI.
Later Ken and Dirk say's Woof, Woof.
Ken .. It is Neil Besougloff , former MR editor, who has the virus. Prayers for him.
Dianne and I finally went out to see Comet Neowise. It took us forever to find it even though we knew where we should be looking. The problem was that we were looking for a very bright, well defined object like the photographs of the comet depict. That is not how the comet appears to the naked eye. The photographs are time exposures, usually around 3 seconds. Your eyes only see the amount of light that the comet is reflecting in the instant which makes the actual appearance quite a bit fainter. It is about the same brightness as the surrounding stars, but once you spot the tail there is no mistaking it.
Anyhow, we did manage to spot it. For those of you who would like to see it, look for the Big Dipper. The comet is below the two stars that form the right side of the 'cup', about half way down to the horizon. The tail points straight up in a shallow 'V'.
When Comet Hale-Bopp (sp?) crossed the sky in 1997 we took the kids out to see it. It was much clearer and easier to see. We were observing it from a Conservation Area after hours. The police drove up to find out what we were up to. It wasn't long before they were sharing our binoculars. They had never heard about it. They said we could stay as long as we wanted.
Dave it is still not dark here but I will go out and have a look see for the comet in a while.
It was a scortcher day today and I floated around in the pool with my two kids for a couple of hours, it was wonderful to just sit and talk with them. Hardly see my son these days as he is working so much. His temporary position that started sitting in on advisory sessions with the Feds on this covid thing has now turned into sitting in with Government and UN officials and he prepared a couple of reports for them on data that they did not even ask for and they were so impressed he now has a staff of three assigned to him. He took down all the hockey posters in his bedroom as that is where he works from and thought a more conservative background would be better. He continues with his hockey writing and has had three more job offers from that. He is also rewritting and updating exams for University level finance students to take as the regulations change constantly so they need to be kept current.
He needs to go back to Ottawa for some one on one meetings, I am glad this virus is mostly under control here so he should be safe.
Rob, sorry to hear about your dog. My old dog is still hanging on and seems happy but is very weak and it won't be long I don't think. The wife did a blood draw and it was just the most horrible blood you would want to see, it looked more like cool aid as you could see through it. She ran a full panel and the results made one wonder how the dog was still alive.
Went and bought some guitar strings today, $51.00 for two sets. The times they are changing. I have had my two guitars for 50 years. I wonder what a new set cost back then? I change them quite often, every month or two, but my tiny brain doesn't remember them being that expensive a couple of months ago.
Henry, my Mother-in-laws brain stops working with all her bladder infections as well. My wife makes her a home made tumeric concoction that keeps her pretty sharp most of the time. It is quite noticable when she misses a couple of days.
Dave I have one of those weed torches as well, it's from Lee Valley. It works well if you do a weekly patrol and don't let things get away from you. Burning fosil fuel is better than pouring chemicals into the groundwater I guess. My driveway is concrete and 126' long as well there are the sidewalks and patios and a quick blast with the torch where the greenery is growing out of the cracks works.
Seeing all these great photos everyone is posting makes me realize how overdue I am for some Rocky Mountain time. I need some quiet hikes in the mountains to recharge.
Lastspike, is that the HMCS Victory in your avatar? I went on that, what a memory. My cousin commanded some of the Royal Navys better known ships and I use to stay with him when I went to England. I got the VIP tour of the Portsmouth Navy Yard. Including a couple of submarines. We would go to a pub just off base and the floor beams were worn down about 8 inches over the centuries. It was an officers hangout and I sat in a seat in the corner where Captains like Cook and Vancouver had tipped a few.
Speaking of England I just read that British Airways is retiring their 747s years early due to the covid 19 issue. Man I had lots of great flights over the pole to Heathrow on BA 747s, a lot of fond memories. A couple really stand out including a nine hour flight back to Vancouver where I really hit it off with this drop dead gorgeous girl. The middle seat was empty and the flight crew kept walking by dropping 300ml bottles of wine on the seat between us. There is more to the story but we will leave it there. I often wonder how many days I have spent on 747s. They are the best.
Winnipeg
It´s quite nice outside, not too hot, not too cold, not too dry and not too wet, not too windy and not too bright, but not too dark, either.
Is it a beautiful day? Well, not really -at least not for me. I fell into a deep black hole after finding out that there seems to be no way for us to live the life we want to have. I don´t know how many bubbles have burst recently, but I know for sure there will not be any bubble bursting in the future - I simply give up dreaming.
Tinplate ToddlerI don´t know how many bubbles have burst recently, but I know for sure there will not any bubble bursting in thefuture - I simply give up dreaming.
Please take a couple of days to recoup.
Look where the throttle is:
Century_life13 by Edmund, on Flickr
Then see where the needle is:
Century_life20 by Edmund, on Flickr
Yes sir! The Century is on time tonight.
Century_life28 by Edmund, on Flickr
Mr. Sandman Musta gave me extra sleep time this morning to make up for yesterday's early bird special
I liked the old black and whites Ed. Looks like the steam engineer's gave that railroad engineer an ape hanger
I didn't know bladder infections affected the brain. The few times I've had one, Judy's cranberry juice remedy has always worked to wash it away. Not the sugar cocktail, the 100% stuff you mix 50/50 with water and tastes like battery acid. I'm sure a very serious one takes a little more remedy than that. I hope your mother gets better soon Henry.
I haven't changed my bass guitar strings since I bought it Dave. I do notice I'm having to tune it more frequently and it doesn't stay tuned for long. I suppose the strings are stretched out and it's time to buy new ones.
There are 120 decks on the building I live in. The first floor decks are cement but I have 80 Decks that need rotten boards replaced at my leisure. These decks were built with 1 by 12 Cedar skirt boards. A very popular poor design. With fall leaf debris getting trapped between the seam, the water had nowhere to go over the years and rotted the ends out. I always built my decks with the decking ran wild over the edge, then snapped a line to cut.
I always knew 95% of the Cedar comes from Canada. But I didn't know the lumber yards are out of stock.
Canada has the coronavirus thing under control as the US doesn't. Shipping Cedar to the US is on hold. This is the story I have heard anyway. Regardless of the reason, this does put a damper on my future job security here Oh well, I may have to find something else to do. There always seems to be a sporadic flow of inside work.
There's a wall cloud of storms approaching this morning. Judy and I love storms. Not the kind that are destructive of course. Just a good friendly summer storm to be enjoyed. We are hopeful it doesn't split and go around the city like it frequently does.
Have a great day today guys
Ulrich, saying this may cause you to stomp off in a huff again, but I'm sick of having to tell you this. I will NOT have you posting ethnic slurs in my Forum. Don't do it again.
Steven Otte Ulrich, saying this may cause you to stomp off in a huff again, but I'm sick of having to tell you this. I will NOT have you posting ethnic slurs in my Forum. Don't do it again.
I am sick and tired of being bullied by someone like you! Delete my acoount!
Nice day here, sunny and warm but could get showers this afternoon.
I see Ulrich has left us again.
Well yesterday we finally got that privacy screen put together and set up. I think it looks good and it does give us some privacy for our patio. Next up is a new fence and a couple of new trees.
Today I will be tackling those driveway weeds again. That propane weed roaster looks good but I don't think it would be ideal for our driveway as it has about 5,000 paving stones in it. The dirt collects between the stones and then the weeds grow. I scrape out the dirt with a screwdriver. A labourious process but it works.
TF, I don't think the inavailability of cedar is due to the border issue as it is open for commerce. Perhaps the mills aren't running much due to covid. Cedar sure is expensive though. Our fence certainly won't made with it. We had an exterior wall siding replaced 20 years ago and the tongue and groove cedar cost $900 wholesale for close knots. Clear was double that.
More coffee is in order. I got up at 10 to 6 to put out the feeders and stayed up. We have to take them in every night as a racoon visits every night. My wife saw it and was surprised at how large it was.
Track fiddlerMr. Sandman Musta gave me extra sleep time this morning to make up for yesterday's early bird specia
Me too...
I slept like a rock last night. Went to bed about 3:00 AM and slept until 11:30!
I feel great. I only got a couple hours sleep the night before.
More trains from Ohio:
cudaken Garry is it the diners Mr B? I hope not, he has all ready been through a lot in the last few years.
No, it's not me. In fact, I actually got a negative Covid-19 test just a couple of weeks ago.
Please, everyone, we are all angry over this mess and the various ways our governments have botched up the response, but when you're feeling this way, take a step back and remove your mask so you can take a few deep breaths.
I miss smiles. The people at the butcher shop and a couple of other places have started wearing plastic face shields. I'm not sure what value those have for stopping viruses, but my guess is they won't get Kadee coupler springs flying into their eyes. And, they can smile at us customers.
hon30critterDianne and I finally went out to see Comet Neowise. It took us forever to find it even though we knew where we should be looking. The problem was that we were looking for a very bright, well defined object like the photographs of the comet depict. That is not how the comet appears to the naked eye. The photographs are time exposures, usually around 3 seconds. Your eyes only see the amount of light that the comet is reflecting in the instant which makes the actual appearance quite a bit fainter. It is about the same brightness as the surrounding stars, but once you spot the tail there is no mistaking it. . .
We, too, went out to see the comet and also struggled to see it. The trick for us was to find it using our peripheral vision. Rods are more active in peripheral vision than in a direct view.
CNCharlieI see Ulrich has left us again.
Sigh. Dejavu all over again.
MisterBeasleytake a step back and remove your mask so you can take a few deep breaths.
I'm not allowed to do that. Everytime I try a mirror breaks.
MisterBeasleyI miss smiles
I miss seeing people's smiling faces too. It really bothers me when I am talking to someone, and I am smiling, but they do not know I am.
It feels like some happiness is missing from conversations now.
Good morning, I have been weed eating the dog run for the last couple of hours, so it was time for my third cuppa.
Charlie, here is a pic of my old house off Google, it had a lot of paving stones and once a year I used a pressure washer to blast the dirt and weeds out, it didn't take long. I just had a small electric one back then. Moving to the country required a much bigger one.
I went out at 2330hrs last night to try and see the comet, however, the sky was still light enough to the NW that the Big Dipper was hard to see never mind the comet. If I stay up later I will be sure to have another look.
The cedar shortages in the U.S. have more to do with trade issues than covid. Canadas softwood market has turned to Asia and to a lesser extent Europe. It is not complicated to understand why the change. We get plenty of ships like these car carriers coming into the Port of Vancouver with cars from Asia and they are filled with lumber for the return trip.
Ulrich has left us again, I feel bad for him as nothing will sideline you faster than health issues, I am speaking from experience. I was lucky to have many safety nets in place so my standard of living did not suffer in the least.
My wife also is unable to work as she developed serious neurological issues. It hit her out of nowhere right in the middle of delicate surgery, fortunately, there was another surgeon at the hospital at the time and was able to finish up. She had a good disability policy as well so we are in good shape. I do worry about her though as I see a slow but steady decline in her health.
It is funny that smiles should be mentioned, I was at Home Depot yesterday and as I walked out the girl at the door said thanks for the smile. I said how do you know I was smiling under my mask? She said I can see it in your eyes. Must be those big wrinkles.
Most everyone had a mask on yesterday even though we have the virus under control here, there are only 2 people in the ICU in the whole Province. Makes me not worry much about the kid having to go to Ottawa.
Well, I think I'll take a break from the weed eater and ride the Deere for an hour and then go back to weed eating.
1947
I see I have tops, cold beer in a Vancouver Canuck mug right out of the freezer for all. It is in the mid-30s here today so I will need a few myself.
Nothing RR related, but in 1949, the 3 network television stations built a triple antenna tower on a hill (TV Hill) in Baltimore. Because of changes in the bands they transmit on, they are replacing the 3 antenna by helicopter right now. 3pm eastern
https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2020/07/21/watch-live-antenna-removed-from-wjzs-candelabra-tower/
Tinplate Toddler I am sick and tired of being bullied by someone like you! Delete my acoount!
Done.
Steven OtteDone.
Again?
Evenin"...
Brent... Right! LOL
So they're shipping all the cedar out by the big boat load now. I suppose it's all about the dollar Brent. Funny how one has the wrong story in the morning and ends up with the right story by the evening.
I'm sorry to hear about the health issues your wife is having. She has been added to Judy and my prayers.
BATMAN I was at Home Depot yesterday and as I walked out the girl at the door said thanks for the smile. I said how do you know I was smiling under my mask? She said I can see it in your eyes.
I was at Home Depot yesterday and as I walked out the girl at the door said thanks for the smile. I said how do you know I was smiling under my mask? She said I can see it in your eyes.
I was going to say something about this but you beat me to it. I can still see them, ...I can tell. You can only see the genuine Smiles now. A person's eyes only glow or light up from a real smile.
Man the postal service is slow these days. I sent two renewal cards into Model Railroader over two weeks ago and haven't got the bill yet. It was the renewal cards, buy one year subscription and get a second one for someone else for free. I thought my brother would enjoy Model Railroader and Classic Trains.
I got off the phone with customer service a while ago. They got one card and the other one must be on its way. While I had the gal on the phone I asked her to check why my messaging isn't working on the Forum. She was able to get it to work with her computer. I told her I use a smartphone and she tried it with hers and was not able to get it to work. She's going to pass it on to one of the techs and told me she would get back to me.
This gal was such a friendly customer service person. It's always so refreshing when you can tell someone likes their job. I asked if I could take a survey and give her a good review. I guess they don't have those there so I Thanked her kindly.
Taco night tonight
Track fiddlerTaco night tonight
It is taco night here too! They will be done in about twenty minutes.
They were good Kevin. Must have been, ...I ate 5 but I saved two for later.
And dang it. I was bidding on a Bachmann 0-4-0 Baltimore & Ohio Dockside Switcher I had when I was a little kid. The bid was at 40 and I waited till the last 5 Seconds to pull the ripcord at $80.
I was surprised I lost. Someone must have wanted it more than I did but I doubt it.
Bummer, it was in excellent condition too
Tacos were also very good over here.
I bought two electric chainsaws today. A 14" conventional and an 8" pole saw with a 12' reach.
They are wonderful! No more mixing fuel, pumping priming bulbs, messing with the chokes, or dealing with old fuel. This is amazing. I just pull the trigger and cut the trees.
Wow... why did I wait so long?
SeeYou190I bought two electric chainsaws today. A 14" conventional and an 8" pole saw with a 12' reach.
I bought a Black & Decker pole saw maybe ten years ago. It was handy for trimming limbs but really didn't have much "oomph".
Then I decided to see what replacement batteries I could get for it and Amazon had some NIMh batteries for $20 each. These replaced the old NiCd batteries.
Wow, what a difference! Back in business
SeeYou190They are wonderful! No more mixing fuel, pumping priming bulbs, messing with the chokes, or dealing with old fuel. This is amazing. I just pull the trigger and cut the trees.
You're lucky. I bought one last week and couldn't get it to work. Took it back and it started right up. The clerk said there might be a problem with my extension cord.
I said "what cord?"
maxmanYou're lucky. I bought one last week and couldn't get it to work. Took it back and it started right up. The clerk said there might be a problem with my extension cord. I said "what cord?"
Ulrich has quit again. I have done my best in the past to support him but I'm not sure how much more I should or can do. I enjoy his contributions but I'm disappointed that he has such a hard time working within the forum rules.
hon30critter Ulrich has quit again. I have done my best in the past to support him but I'm not sure how much more I should or can do. I enjoy his contributions but I'm disappointed that he has such a hard time working within the forum rules. Dave
Dave .... You said that very well, and my feelings are similar to yours. I'm sad to see something like this happening. I think each of the Diners is a friend, and I do not wish to lose any friends.
It would be a good idea for each forum member to review the rules and abide by them. Let's be respectful of our host, Kalmbach, and Steve O in particular.
Heartland Division CB&QLet's be respectful of our host, Kalmbach, and Steve O in particular.
maxmanYou're lucky. I bought one last week and couldn't get it to work. Took it back and it started right up.
Mine are the Ryobi 40 Volt models. Both have brushless motors, for whatever good that actually does.
I am going to add their leaf blower and hedge trimmer tools to the collection if these are reliable and I am still happy after several weeks.
The Milwaukee and E-Go models are more powerful, but mine are not needed for heavy work. I still have the Poulan 18" 2-stroke chainsaw if I need to deal with something big.
It was another early one today. Judy is still sleeping as she's been working hard and probably needs it, so I'm being quiet as a mouse.
They have been getting waves of people that are disrespectful at the hotel. They come to party with their friends and there's nothing wrong with that within moderation. The groups that have been coming there are loud and obnoxious and trash the rooms making her job harder. This has been going on for quite some time and has been getting worse. Many times they are asked to leave and frequently the police need to be involved.
Her boss said it has something to do with the extra $600 from the unemployment stimulus. That is ending at the end of this month and along with her coworkers, they are hoping this problem ends with it. It's a nice hotel in a nice neighborhood and everyone just wants things back to normal.
Last week she told me about her hockey kids as she calls them. She said her Canada hockey kids are so polite and respectful that it's a joy to have them there. In the same conversation she told me the other groups of hockey kids are not the same. She said they are loud and disruptive. They pass tennis balls with their sticks up and down the halls off the walls. They are told to quit and as soon as no one's around they come out and do it again. I just laughed, ...it's funny but it's not! I told her, Children are a reflection of their parents and when they grow up, they still are.
Well, I'm going out to my buddy Ervs today to paint my truck topper. I got it all prepped days ago. Preparation is 90% of the job. I got the whole thing scrubbed with TSP and a brawl pad so the paint sticks good. Now the fun. I have some rust areas to take care of before paint. I really enjoy auto body work.
Make it a great day guys
Good Morning:
Sunrise from my back yard last fall —
Sunrise_9-9-19 by Edmund, on Flickr
Nature can be wonderful
I never tire of the way the Brits show the pride in their railways.
Years later, in 1995, the signal simulator was donated to the National Railway Museum in York:
I hope everyone is well these days —
SeeYou190Mine are the Ryobi 40 Volt models. Both have brushless motors, for whatever good that actually does.
Batteries were not the problem with mine. I have an electric model. I guess you missed the part where I said "what cord?"
I just walked in the house from doing 1.6 miles running.... That is half of what I try to do every day. The weather is cloudy outside now but the weather guesers are calling for some torrential downpours start failrly soon! I may not get the second half done today.
maxman SeeYou190 Batteries were not the problem with mine. I have an electric model. I guess you missed the part where I said "what cord?"
SeeYou190
I wondered about yours needing to be plugged in to use... I had a corded electric snowblower several years ago. Piece of crap that was a pain to drag the cord around as you tried to clear the driveway. Now all my outdoor tools are battery powered. I am using EGO tools (56v). Major power and nothing to drag around. they also are easier to change out the battery than to get out the gas can... Then realize it was empty and have to drive over to the gas sation and fill, then come back and fill the tank, put away the gas can, etc. That was especially a pain in winter and I was trying to clean out the driveway so I could drive somewhere else.
Have a good one and stay safe out there!
howmusI wondered about yours needing to be plugged in to use..
I actually haven't used the thing yet. It was supposed to be a joke.
Maybe I should have told about the gas operated chain saw my neighbor rented. He was having trouble using it. He told me it took him 4 hours to cut through a 2 inch branch. So he took it back to the rental place. Counter guy started it right up. My neighbor said "Wait a minute. What's that sound?"
Obviously if we were light bulbs my neighbors and I would be on the low wattage shelf.
Track fiddlerThey have been getting waves of people that are disrespectful at the hotel. They come to party with their friends and there's nothing wrong with that within moderation. The groups that have been coming there are loud and obnoxious and trash the rooms making her job harder.
I left all the hotel experiences out of my trip reports this month.
The hotel situation is terrible right now. I only stay at Hilton hotels because I still have over 500,000 Diamond points left over from when I was working.
There are very few of the regular business travelers right now, so an entirely different group of people are staying in hotels, and they are ruining the hotels.
Many of the rooms I stayed in were damaged and smelled like tobacco or marijuana smoke. The people at the counter seemed to get some jollies by making the clerk have a hard time. Disrespect is not a strong enough word for some of what I saw.
The noise in the hotels was ridiculous.
Some hotels were accepting state issued vouchers for homeless people to get a roof over their head for the night. Times must be bad when Hilton hotels are taking these vouchers.
At a couple of the hotels I did not feel safe.
I feel badly for your wife.
maxman I have an electric model. I guess you missed the part where I said "what cord?"
I completely misinterpretted your post.
I thought you were saying that the person at the store thought your battery operated tools needed an extension cord.
Sorry... it makes sense now.
<-- me right now.
Heartland Division CB&Q It would be a good idea for each forum member to review the rules and abide by them. Let's be respectful of our host, Kalmbach, and Steve O in particular.
At the same time, we must be aware that the Freedom of Speech we enjoy in the US isn't universal. In particular, some countries in Europe do not allow the same freedoms, and their governments can be pretty heavy-handed towards those who speak verifiable truth if it goes against their version of Political Correctness.
Kalmbach Media is committed to providing a Forum where all users feel welcomed and safe to express themselves.
Bigoted speech that could make groups of people feel unwelcome or unsafe is therefore not permitted.
Ulrich was well aware of this rule, as he has been reminded after breaking it numerous times over the years.
By the way, if anyone reading this wants to get permanently banned from the Forums, the magic words are "delete my account."
Thank you Steven!
Steven OtteBigoted speech that could make groups of people feel unwelcome or unsafe is therefore not permitted. Ulrich was well aware of this rule, as he has been reminded after breaking it numerous times over the years.
There are exceptions to Freedom of speech and other percieved freedoms. Found on Wikipedia.
"Exceptions to free speech in the United States refers to categories of speech that are not protected by the First Amendment. According to the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Constitution protects free speech while allowing for limitations on certain categories of speech.[1]
Categories of speech that are given lesser or no protection by the First Amendment (and therefore may be restricted) include obscenity, fraud, child pornography, speech integral to illegal conduct, speech that incites imminent lawless action, speech that violates intellectual property law, true threats, and commercial speech such as advertising"
Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of the other guys nose, so to speak. You can't knowingly cause harm to someone else.
I, personally, am very glad you are here, Steven, and you do a great job keeping this place a fun and welcoming place for us to be! Racisim, Misogynism, and Zenophobia in any form have no place here!
Hi All,
This is sad. YGW axed himself from the forum, and now Ulrich. I'm sure there have been others. I'm happy to be able to participate here because through this, I've come into contact with people with a common interest that I never would have encountered any other way, and I've learned a great deal, too. I for one, am grateful for the opportunities here.
Top of the page. Libations are on me!
Steve O ... Thank you for explaining things.
..
Meanwhile, Back in the UK ......
Ed .... Thanks for the very interesting videos of the old model railroad used for instruction of signals. ... Your sunrise is pretty.
Here are a few pictures I took at the British Railway Museum in York, England in 2003. The museum has very large amount of interesting stuff. My handful of low quality photos does adequately illustrate the fantastic old railway equipment on display.
About 1800, wagons of coal were pulled on rails with horses on treadmills for power.
Richard Trevithick invented the first operational steam locomotive called "Penydarren" . The museum has a very old replica of his locomotive.
It was being rebuilt so it could run to celebrate the 200th annivesary of the locomotive in 2004. I was one year early to see that.
One of the museum employees kindly took me to the shop where it was being rebuilt. ... (Next 2 pictures)
He took me to another shop where the Rocket was being cleaned and polished. Notice the stack is hinged to move the locomotive through doorways.
The huge public display included The Mallard which set speed records for steam locomotives.
Below is one of several locomotives from the early 1800's.
My last picture is I believe a passenger locomotive from the late 1800's .
I hope these pictures are of interest to you Diners.
up831YGW axed himself from the forum
I missed that at the time. I was worried something bad happened to him.
It was heart breaking to watch Ulrich pump himself up about a new way to escape, only to hear that there was some insurmountable problem days or weeks later, like the time he was going to buy a house with another person. If you are going to do that, you should make absolutely sure you, your wife and that person are compatible with everything.
I hope he finds what he is looking for.
The GF has owned and managed beach condos here in Delaware. I am very glad I got out of the rental business without any of the grief described here and elsewhere.
Adults are required to sign for these short-term rentals, but the common scenario is adult approval but immature teens actually staying and trashing the units. It would help if the management companies would come down hard on the approving adults she this happens. I guess they just take what the insurance companies offer and let the burden fall on the owners, most of whom are individuals with little clout.
Garry: Thank you for sharing the pictures of the Train Museum in York.
I doubt I will ever travel overseas again, so this is just one other thing I will never see in person.
I didn't know horses used treadmills for motive power. Of course the B&O got it's start with horses.
SeeYou190I doubt I will ever travel overseas again, so this is just one other thing I will never see in person.
My passport expires this month, and I will renew, but I think I agree with you. My first trip was to Paris, the second London and I thought "man we should do this every year" however my wife was pregnant with my second son on the last trip and that really limited our flexibility. Canada has been my only foreign travel since.Now: I don't feel like sitting in a cramped seat (covid or no covid) for 7 hours, whose shape bears no resemblance to my back or caboose. I also have concerns about medical care. If I need an appendectomy, they can take care of it, but if I need heart surgery, will I go on a 6 month waiting list?
I forget the name of the hotel in Paris, but Lindberg stayed there. There was an interior court yard and no air conditioning. There was nothing like the everyday east coast humidity, so we slept with the windows open.
Someone had too much French wine and was loudly sick. In a heavily French accent, someone else shouted "What is the problem?" That line still makes me smile.
We have our passports and did a trip to Istanbul, Botswana and Zimbabwe last year. It expect that will be the last trip for many years. We did enjoy trvelling and it gave us a lot of great memories and experiences. Also many thousands of photos.
TF, I have a B&0 Dockside that I have owned since Nov/59. It is the one produced by Rivorossi and it still runs quite well. The headlight still works too. I rarely use it as it is DC and there isn't any space for a decoder. It will hit about a scale 150 mph.
I took my new loco in for a tune-up and decoder install. It has a thing called coasting drive which means that the drivers will rotate when you push it.
Well time for tea,
CNCharlieIt has a thing called coasting drive which means that the drivers will rotate when you push it.
And it will also roll backwards downhill if you aren't careful.
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk the left overs from the Food Fight!
I missed what started the food fight. If someone could PM what the food fight was about I be thankful.This not the first time Ulrich asked to have is account delated, think the last time was 3 years ago and he was well over 10,000 post.
YGW Name was Jerry and he and I spoke on the phone a few times. He shoot him self in the foot. He was warned 3 times be for he was baned for ever. I wonder how the Hobby Barn turned out?
If I spoke about what I don't like about what going on in the USA I would be band. But that is not what the dinner is for or about. It is places to unwind and relax.
Spent the day doing yard work, the kind of things that I do on an annual basis. I burned through 5 litres of gas in the Stihl weed eater today doing the once a year stuff.
I think my travelling days are winding down, no complaints though I have seen many places. I think the South Pacific will still be on the list for the winter months. I want to get to Tinian and Saipan, Cook Islands and Easter Island if that can be done. Easter Island is a toughy sometimes so I am not holding my breath on that one. New Zealand I really want at least one more visit to as well as back to Australia. Europe, Africa, Asia and South America are for a younger me. Hawaii is the old standby and is an easy hop from Vancouver we do on the spur of the moment when the winter catches up to us. We will grab one of those last-minute leave tomorrow flights as we are always ready to go. Get the car at the airport and a condo or hotel when we get there. About ten years ago a good deal came up on Christmas day to Hawaii that was leaving December 27th. The four of us were on the plane and stayed for two weeks. The place was deserted the second week we were there, loved it.
We have a few friends that head to Arizona in their RVs just after Christmas every year but they have pulled the plug as the last two years (covid aside) they said things had changed down South so we will not be doing that as we had planned.
I feel bad for Ulrich as this forum was obviously one of his outlets to escape from his troubles. It may have been those troubles that caused his racist lash outs like the one on page two of this months diner. Nobody is born with hate in their heart, it is irrational thinking and it is treatable with therapy. The only thing that has made me take extended breaks from the forum have been racist, bigoted comments. Of course, maybe that was the plan and they were just trying to get rid of me.
Ray, you are a fair-weather runner? I worked my whole life out in the weather and did not mind it at all. It beats sitting at a desk any day of the week. I remember I had been at it for about 20 hours straight once in a major snowstorm. We had just finished loading a 747 freighter and I had to take the manifest up to the flight deck (two floors up) I was so frozen and covered with snow going up the ladder was a non-starter so I took the elevator. The pilot took my photo the minute the door opened through the cockpit door, they said they saw me coming. I still have the pic around here somewhere. I looked like a snowman.
TF, thanks for the thoughts about my wife. The condition hit her ten years ago and she went off work immediately, there has been a steady decline. I got the call on my way home from work and took her right to the hospital and they gave her an MRI and Catscan and we were on our way home within 90 minutes.
We had two visitors last Friday that had not been here before and had not met my wife. It was a dog breeder visit. When they met my wife their jaws dropped as one of them is a big Meryl Streep fan. My wife looks just like Meryl Streep, so much so she gets approached all the time. Anyway, they posted a pic on FB they took of my wife along with this one of Meryl Streep saying she finally got to meet Meryl Streep (it was all tongue in cheek) This was the pic they posted of Meryl and one of my wife, they really do look identical. I'd post the wife pic but she would kill me.
2100hrs, time for a movie.
Some of you may remember that my wife Dianne suffered a nasty concussion after a fall last October. I have two developements to report.
One is that she is almost totally recovered although she still has to pace herself. She still gets headaches and isn't always feeling the greatest but she is way, way better than she was last fall and winter.
The other is that our claim has been settled and we are comfortable with the amount. We could have held out for more but there are significant risks to doing that, so we accepted their offer. No, the money will not be spent on new locomotives, but we are due for a new front door.
Dave that is good news about your wife, I bet you are breathing a sigh of relief.
Garry, I forgot to mention that your photos are great and if you have more please post them. I have been to the museum of industry, I think it was in Manchester though I stand to be corrected.
I guess I will not be watching a movie tonight as I have been chatting with my cousin on FB. She got Covid while going through Seatac airport in January and is still feeling the effects. She has a beautiful house right on the ocean on Vancouver Island and I get there as often as I can. We grab a coffee in a thermos and go out in the Kayaks for a couple of hours early before breakfast. It is not uncommon to see Orca up close, but today a pod of Humpback Whales came by right in front of their place while they were out. They had to paddle like crazy to get out of the way as Humpbacks are so big and tend not to notice little kayaks. Orca, on the other hand, are always careful around us and we never worry about them. Here is a pic she took today.
BATMANDave that is good news about your wife, I bet you are breathing a sigh of relief.
The whole issue claim wise was never a source of stress really. We knew we had a solid claim. However, it is nice to have it out of the way and to be able to get on with our lives.
I am supremely jealous of you guys on the west coast! I know you can get some pretty nasty weather sometimes but to be able to live in such beautiful surroundings and to see nature at its best is incredible. Dianne has a sister in North Vancouver who swears that nothing will ever bring her back to Ontario.
Oh well, I can't complain. I'll just have to make do with the bird watching and feeding the chipmunks, a couple of whom are now brave enough to eat out of my hand!
Nothing wrong with Ontario, we had property at Ottermere lake. The only way in was by train (the campers special) it was beautiful there. All things being equal the big difference is the fact there are no bugs flying around out here. You can sit out in the yard all night an there is nothing to bite you. My relatives from Winnipeg are always so jealous.
BigDaddyNow: I don't feel like sitting in a cramped seat (covid or no covid) for 7 hours, whose shape bears no resemblance to my back or caboose.
Exactly... I am 6'7" and 300 pounds. I am not intended to ever get on another airplane again.
SeeYou190I am 6'7" and 300 pounds. I am not intended to ever get on another airplane again. -Kevin
I'm 5" shorter but my weight is the same. My biggest problem with airline seats is that my hip bones are wider than the space between the arm rests. I have to stick one side of my butt down inside one of the armrests and then hope that I can squeeze the other side into place.
What also annoys me is that if I end up in an aisle seat I am constantly being bumped into by the crew or passengers because of the width of my shoulders. I end up twisted to one side for most of the flight in order to get my shoulder out of the aisle. I had one flight a few years ago where I swear that the flight attendant was deliberately banging into me every time she went by. That wears thin after a few hours, but what can you do?
My wife and I try to fly with WestJet because they offer the option of not having the middle seat in a row of three seats occupied. That gives us an empty seat between us and makes the flight much more relaxing. It's not that much more expensive, and the service is really good too.
I am just a little guy compared to you two. 5'11" 170lbs. My wife always takes the middle seat but snuggles up to me which is always okay in my book.
CNCharlie TF, I have a B&0 Dockside that I have owned since Nov/59. It is the one produced by Rivorossi and it still runs quite well. The headlight still works too. I rarely use it as it is DC and there isn't any space for a decoder. It will hit about a scale 150 mph.
Italian roast coffee, please and thank you.
Have sold off enough vintage N stock on that bay site to purchase one of those fancy new HO Gas Turbine locos. Think it is scheduled for delivery today. Perhaps in about a month I'll have track down on the new layout so I can run it and other new acquisitions. Will still be selling off more vintage N scale to purchase new HO stuff. The plan is working well so far.
Have a fantastic day all. Cheers! Rob
TF I've seen that happen to others, I don't know enough about HTML to know how it happens. I tried two ways to make it happen, but neither did that.
What if I type my message right after the .jpg and before the (/IMG)?
BigDaddy TF I've seen that happen to others, I don't know enough about HTML to know how it happens. I tried two ways to make it happen, but neither did that. What if I type my message on the same line as the picture link? What if I type my message right after the .jpg and before the (/IMG)?
What if I type my message on the same line as the picture link?
Because he is using the "Linked BB code" and not just "BB code"
The Linked code provides a link back to imgur
link code So If I type in the linked code this happens I am typing inbetween the image cide and the URL tag
Track fiddler CNCharlie TF, I have a B&0 Dockside that I have owned since Nov/59. It is the one produced by Rivorossi and it still runs quite well. The headlight still works too. I rarely use it as it is DC and there isn't any space for a decoder. It will hit about a scale 150 mph. Good morning Charlie. Yep. That's what I remember about my Dockside. It flew down the rails like a whip. At age 12 when I had it, what type of adolescent doesn't like speed. I only had four locomotives back then. A Seaboard Coast UB36B Spirit of 76, Great Northern F7, Burlington Northern GP-40 and the Baltimore & Ohio Dockside. The Dockside was the fastest but was the only locomotive that I never damaged. Maybe because it was so small I had respect for that one and thought I had to slow down around the curves. Brent, That's cool your wife looks like Meryl Streep. It's kinda like you're married to a movie star I wonder if she likes Meryl Streep movies? Well I got my truck topper painted yesterday. I don't have alike before and after pictures. My phone somehow deleted over a thousand pictures and I hadn't moved them to a cloud. I never thought white looks good with gold. Black and gold is the way to go. I painted it all flat black first and it looked too bland. So I went and got more paint and painted the doors flat metallic gun steel gray Between the topper, the wheel lips, and the rockers, I have quite a few days working in the driveway. But it's good to have my old work truck not looking like a piece of junk anymore. The Drivetrain has been well taken care of. I don't like truck payments. Everyone have a great day TF Does anyone know how to avoid getting blue text from using the BBcode option on Imgure? Or is that just the way it is?
Don't use the LINKEDBBCODE, just copy the BBCODE
use the one i circled not teh one below
Thanks MLC, Henry
Just stopped in for a water and a sandwich. It's getting hot out there in the sun. We had two really nice cool days in a row but the hot, humid, sticky is coming back. 100° by this weekend. Hotter than the Ace of ♤'s
I wonder why i type teh instead of the all the time have done it for years.
moelarrycurly4I wonder why i type teh instead of the all the time have done it for years
Not as bad as trying to spell it with a "D", as in "park de car". I also have the same issue with "those", as in "does kids".
Good afternoon .
moelarrycurly4 I wonder why i type teh instead of the all the time have done it for years.
MLC .... I do teh same thing.
Kevin .... You are welcome regarding my posting the museum photos.
Based on your comment and other, it looks like the Diners liked my post. The very fist steam locomotive was the Penydarren of over 200 years ago.
Everybody..... Have a goood afternoon.
I do that occasionally, too. It may be because "e" is the most commonly used letter in English, so our fingers have learned to type it so fast that it happens before our other hand can get to the "h."
My biggest bugaboo, though, especially when typing fast, is that I don't release the shift key fast enough and capitalize the first two letters of a word.
It also bugs me to no end, because I don't know why it happens, that I can't type the word "should" without inserting a J. "Shoujld." No problem typing "could," though. <shrug>
STeve O .... I also type with teh first two letters of word capitalized . MY fingers are as clumsy as teh rest of my body. LOL
I catch the teh, but when I want to type your or they, I type you and the.
Their and they're are typed there. Two and too are typed to, and I know the difference
Good evening, folks
In regards to misspellings, one common one I see frequently is the substitution of quite for quiet.
It is quite quiet in this room lately.
I see more frequent "auto-fill" texting mistakes, too. Sometimes this involves specialized words we use in modeling or railroading. Most spell-checkers don't recognize coupler and may replace it with clapper or some such similarity
I hope everyone is getting along well —
Hey! Top - O - the page! Have we had any traditional fish and chips yet? For best enjoyment they should be wrapped in a page from the Times (with lead-based ink? ).
Fish_and_chips_Blackpool by Edmund, on Flickr
I have to go edit any post I do every time. My fingers are too big for the little key pad on my phone. It's just quicker to voice things when there's too much to type and edit the mistakes.
I miss the corrections sometimes. The most common mistakes are the wrong word that rhymes with the right word. You can proofread something and miss that too as your mind fills in the right word reading the wrong work. The worst one that happens all the time is foam and phone.
P.S. Fish and chips sounds good. You know, ...Arthur Treacher's used to do a pretty good job but I would drive around the block so I don't even have to look at Long John Silver's. Yuk
Cloudy here and perhaps there will be a shower.
TF, truck is looking good!
Maxman, yes I'm aware of the rolling issue with coasting drive but my layout doesn't have any grades so no problem.
As far as seat size goes on planes, I never had a problem as I'm only 5'7" and 140lbs so the seat isn't a problem. Not so for my wife though, her knees go right up to the back of the seat in front as she is tall and has very long thighs. She also has a bad back and has to sit with her feet up. An exit row is ok but there is nothing like business class for space especially on Turkish Airlines. I put my feet straight out and couldn't reach the seat in front. Food was amazing too as was the price, not much more than economy on other airlines. Only problem though is that going to Europe with them means you have to go via Istanbul which makes the trip a lot longer.
Did another grocery pickup today. It seems to me that prices on some things have gone up a lot or we are just buying more.
Time for dinner,
Good evening, everyone.
We just got back from Breckenridge, CO, where my daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren got together. We missed one daughter who is expecting and was advised by her doctor to stay home.
My wife and I are in two weeks self-quarantine since we were in a crowded area, and a family member present who had the virus.
Here is a picture of the new normal -- helmets, oars, and facemasks. We went whitewater rafting -- I had great fun watching the grandkids hang on for dear life through the rapids. Not dangerous if you follow the rules, but plenty of excitement.
Yes, I am in the picture. Yes, I survived a wild ride.
We are now officially tired, and at our age, it will probably be a few days before we are rested up.
If I remember, I'll try to tell of my adventure this week of driving through the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,100 feet (3,401 m) elevation on Interstate 70. I have driven through the tunnel many times, but this time was different.
Sorry for some events that occurred in the diner while I was gone. I love this thread, and feel like it's part of my extended family. Even though I have never met anyone here, I feel like I know friends here.
I'm very happy to come here to avoid the junk on many other sites. Thanks, Kalmbach!
Flo, give the gang and I a and Dirk his dog treat.
Dirk is up to something? He has been behaving him self for the last 3 weeks?
Nice Surprise today in the mail. Recived a $563.27 refund from my Mortgage company. It was needed, this month I have been running short in funds.
Glad you folks where talking about Buring Weeds. One section around the pool has been driving me nuts. Gravel has dirt in it and the weed and gas go nuts. Weed killer, well not has good as it use to be but safer. So I am going to give this a try.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lincoln-Electric-Torch-Kit/4742120
I wonder how long a 20 pound propane tank will last? Guessing not long.
Later Ken and Dirk says "Can I have some Chicken Daddy? Woof, Woof."
York1We just got back from Breckenridge, CO
I only skied there once. My son was supposed to go there this spring and had to cancel because of the virus. When I was there, people in the lift line were talking about someone who lost control and skied backwards into picnic tables.
I enjoyed Breckinridge Brewery, I wore that t-shirt out last year and had to throw it away.My wife made chicken marsalla tonight, which is usually very good. It had no marasalla flavor and the Purdue boneless chicken breast was tough to the point of being almost crunchy. I told her what I thought and now it's my fault for not doing more meal planning and cooking.
cudaken Glad you folks where talking about Buring Weeds. One section around the pool has been driving me nuts. Gravel has dirt in it and the weed and gas go nuts. Weed killer, well not has good as it use to be but safer. So I am going to give this a try. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lincoln-Electric-Torch-Kit/4742120 I wonder how long a 2 pound propane tank will last? Guessing not long.
Hi Ken,
The way I read the specs on that weed burner, it says that it will work with 20 lb., 50 lb. or 100 lb. tanks. The tank connector is not correct for 2 lb. tanks, and it doesn't say anything about using small tanks. You sure as heck don't want to have to haul a 20 lb. tank around to use it. There are lots of models that use the small cylinders and work very well. A small bottle of gas lasts a long time on mine, but I'm not using it for hours at a time. It's actually a pretty quick process.
Ken, a torch like that is what paving crews use. You will burn down the neighbourhood with that one. Not to mention you will go broke with the amount of propane it will use.
This is what you want. A small bottle you use with your plumbing torch last quite a while.
https://www.amazon.ca/Mag-Torch-MT-450-Garden-Torch/dp/B001DSKEP4/ref=asc_df_B001DSKEP4/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292923635229&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10862268512712582005&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9001504&hvtargid=pla-492967335728&psc=1
Even with this one, use it after a good rain or things will go South on you real fast.
Went to Costco with he wife today and 99.9% had a mask on. Have not been to Costco in a long time and probably won't go til Christmas now.
Bought a new tile saw at the auction for a steal and picked that up as well.
Found a bag of Oreo cookies on the counter and could not behave myself. Sugar is very bad for anyone with chronic pain like my Arthritis so I will be on the pain train tomorrow. It will be like a bad hangover and I will learn my lesson and avoid sugar again for a long time.
I make the same type Os you guys do, however it is a result of a sticky keyboard. A good cleaning fixes it right up.
TF, good job on the truck! I am impressed.
Track fiddler Brent, That's cool your wife looks like Meryl Streep. It's kinda like you're married to a movie star I wonder if she likes Meryl Streep movies?
Having a wife that looks just like Meryl Streep has had some funny moments, especially when we are at airports or down in Las Vegas. My wife gets the short end of the stick though because I look nothing like Robert Redford. I stay in top shape to try and make up for that shortfall and that seems to do the trick. Out Of Africa is my favourite Meryl Streep movie.
Time for a movie.
gmpullmanMost spell-checkers don't recognize coupler and may replace it with clapper or some such similarit
Did someone say clapper?
maxmanDid someone say clapper?
Hilarious!! I love how hard they have to work to keep their faces straight!
Thanks maxman!
BATMANEven with this one, use it after a good rain or things will go South on you real fast.
I haven't managed to set the neighbourhood on fire (yet), but don't use it around dry leaves or grass unless you want to do a fire dance trying to stomp them out! Best to have the hose handy.
Steven OtteMy biggest bugaboo, though, especially when typing fast, is that I don't release the shift key fast enough and capitalize the first two letters of a word.
I do that a lot also. My biggest mispelling is I just simply cannot type "SENSOR", I always type "SESNOR" instead. In my working days when I was writing Field Incident Reports our system did not have a spell checker, I used the word "sensor" a lot, and it was embarrasing. Once a report was submitted into the Information Management System it could not be edited.
Track fiddler..Arthur Treacher's used to do a pretty good job but I would drive around the block so I don't even have to look at Long John Silver's. Yuk
My wife and I ate nothing but drive-through on out trip earlier this month. This included two Long John Silver's locations.
The one in Indiana was really good. The second one we stopped at I think was in South Carolina on the way back, and it was not good at all.
It's going to be a hot one today and for the rest of the weekend. It seems everything is in heat index or wind chill anymore. Back in the day they'd give you the actual temperature and leave the rest up to your imagination. After fading in and out of the news this morning to get the weather I only know what the heat index is of 105° but don't know what the actual temperature is going to be
I found some cedar yesterday at Scherer Brothers Lumber in Hopkins. They are one of the few full service lumber yards left. Although they said their supply is depleting as several deliveries did not show up.
4 - 2x6x8's were $96.00. I think Oak is cheaper these days. It's been awhile since I've been to a full-service lumber yard. The guy picked through the pile sighting down the boards and put them on top of my truck for me. No wonder that wood was so expensive there but I ain't paying for it after reimbursement.
It's nice a couple of decent sized inside jobs came in at my building. I don't like working outside in the heat anymore.
Well the $27 I spent at eBay yesterday is spit in the Hat. Finally after 3 years of starting my layout I made a rather large purchase from three different N scale suppliers. Internet shopping and purchasing is obviously saturated. I was not able to get all the items I need from one supplier.
Kevin, If you found a good Long John Silver's you should go buy a lottery ticket I never did find a good one and quit trying after about the third try, ...Mush
Thanks for the compliments on my truck
Track fiddlerKevin, If you found a good Long John Silver's you should go buy a lottery ticket
I can count the times I've been to a "fast food" joint in the past ten years on one hand.
But — I do recall having a halfway decent fish dinner at Arthur Treacher's a few times. Are they even still in business?
Maxman, thanks for that Clapper skit with Herrrrres Johnny.
There was a fellow in Cleveland, (not Claude Cooper) that was burning weeds with a torch last fall. After the fire department left the street was minus two garages and three houses!
Good morning, everyone.
Just finished my morning walk, and I am sweating. It was very warm and humid at 6:00 a.m.
After about a week, we came home from Breckenridge a day early. The high altitude bothered my wife, and she didn't really acclimate
The lodge sits at over 10,000 feet (3048 m), with the lifts going up to 12,840 feet (3914 m).
Now it's back to normal. I'm outside, hating cutting my grass.
gmpullman. . .Hey! Top - O - the page! Have we had any traditional fish and chips yet? . . .
Dang that looks good. That's what always happens with fish and chips--they look great, they taste awesome, and about an hour after eating them I am thinking to myself, "Why did I do that?!" The grease weighs heavy on me.
Today is a "sweet and sour" day for me. The sweet: I am like a small child with my nose pressed against the window watching for the FedEx truck. We decided to invest in some mid-grade recording equipment. Both of us play the piano and have decided to make some quality recordings to leave behind for our children and grandchildren as a legacy of sorts.
The sour: This morning I noticed that the motorcycle is blowing oil. I had it in a couple of weeks ago to get new pipes installed and a Stage 1 upgrade. It looks like the dealer may not have tightened everything back down all the way. It will be going in on Monday to get fixed.
Good afternoon All,
hot humid day here. I am freezing in my office. I am working in this engine today during lunch.
It is a Williams O scale from the Museum It burned out the control board, bought a new control board which burned out. could nto figure out where short was so , motors are good. I have placed a bridge rectifier in it and it will only travel one direction from now on.
POST HOG
Gotta get gas on the way home ( From Garry's layout)
POST HOG 2
gmpullmanI can count the times I've been to a "fast food" joint in the past ten years on one hand
Prior to our recent trip, I do not think I have had fast food in months.
With the Covid concerns, drive-through seemed more responsible.
Burger King really had the "no-touch" system working very well. Better than anyone else from what I saw.
Dave I missed typed, I was trying to say 20 pound bottle not 2 pound.
Brent The small weed burner would take for ever. Section I want to burn is 8' X 40', all gravel that has been over ran by weeds. Far as buring down the house? Really kind to like that to happen.
1 It get rid of all my wifes junk!
2 Get a new roof!
3 It would fix the floor joist!
Getting rid of her junk would be the best part! I was looking at phots from Christmas 2005 and it looked like real people lived in it. You could sit on the couch with out moving stuff, my command chair (reminds me of Captain Kirk Chair) did not have anything on it. Now it looks like a horders house and none of the stuff is mine!
MLC's a Post-Hog
My oldest brother had that Illinois Central in HO when we were kids. Always liked that one.
gmpullman
I don't think they are Ed. I don't know about Nationwide but the last one around here closed up many years ago. I don't know what happened to them as they did a pretty good job and it was more healthy than a greasy old Burger.
I too stay away from fast food joints. Once in a blue moon we might go grab a Big Mac or something. It's like splurging for a treat that's bad for you now.
I don't have any fish in the house. I may have to do a grocery run before its time this weekend. We're still pretty stocked up on food around here but now I want some fish
A hot one here today. The humidex is 109F! It is supposed to cool down a bit tomorrow which is a good thing as I don't like this heat and humidity. I couldn't live in the southern U.S.
Lastspikemike, if you want a CP correct Sante Fe you will have to buy brass. Van Hobbies did import a model of CP's Sa2 in the early '80s. Brasstrains just sold one with a nice paint job for $325. I bought my K5a Hudson from them and they were good to deal with. Only thing with a brass Sante Fe is that it will need very broad curves as they have a rigid frame certainly 28" or more. My Hudson barely makes it around 22" at a fairly slow speed.
We did a bbq tonight. Just burgers but what burgers. The patties were made with prime rib and were better than some steak I've had. I washed it down with a glass of Merlot from Ontario.
Not much else going on here. Hopefully I will get my new Hudson back soon. The fellow doing the work has a cottage so he isn't home all the time and he told me he has several projects on the go for customers from B.C. and Ontario. Not surprised given his skill. I still feel guilty spending what I did on that loco. I have decided to sell off a few other N scale pieces and a BLI SW900. I am tempted to sell off all the N scale stuff but am reluctant to do so as I put a lot of effort into my little door layout. I guess 3 locos and 25 pieces of rolling stock isn't too extravagent.
Well have a nice evening,
Evenin'Folks!
Well, Ken, just be careful with that weed burner. Before you start make sure your insurance is paid up!!!
I think tomorrow I may be a little bit sore or at least know I hjave some muscles talking to me.... My Lady Firend and I went for a short bike ride alomg the old Erie Canal Trail from Fairport, NY West past Pittford, NY. The canal gets very windy around there but is nice and level basically. At lunch after the ride she checked the distnce on Google.... We rode somewhere between 26 and 28 miles depending how Google calulated our starting and ending points (The ride was out and back). Did it in about 2 hours. Not bad for a pair of old folks in our mid 70's.
Most of the trail is on the roadbed of the Rochester and Eastern Trolley Line that ended up right here in Geneva where I live. No the Canal doesn't come near Geneva.....
Hope all of you are safe and had or are having a great day!
KEN!, Be carefull with the weed burner!! Hear?
Nifty toy museum in Ohio that occupies an old school building.
Note the little yellow caboose on the front steps near the entrance.
well the williams engine does have a bad motor that is drawing too much current. the 35 amp recitfier I put in it got a bit warm.
The lionel gp9 needed some motor tlc and had a stuck motor brush . The other lionel gp9 needed a lube job. So I got 2 out of the three museum engines up and going.
I found we had boucoups of yellow jacket nests on the house. One had over 50 on it. they are gone now. I have to sweep up the carnage tomorrow.
now for more snacks.
Good evening ...
Maxman ... Your Dragnet video is hilarious!
MLC. ... Thanks for posting a picture of my gas station. As everybody can see, it is one of my buildings where I did not have enough space for it, but I placed it there anyhow. I recall the gas station was fun to build.
Ray ... That sounds like a good bike ride.
John York 1.... Glad to hear about your good times in CO.
TF ... How are you doing with the Zephyr you purchased?
Everybody.... Have a nice evening.
It was a decent day today but did very little other than have a good workout. Burned about 1200 calories off on the bike and spent most of the rest of the day with my old dog. I went to do some pushups while I was down on the floor with him and something popped in my shoulder. I have already had one surgery on that shoulder, so I hope it is something minor. I will take it easy for a few days. Situps only.
When the wife and I are on the road she finds deli's to eat at on her phone that have rave reviews and we go there as they will have fresh healthy ingredients that have not been soaked in chemicals. I can't remember the last time we ate at a chain restaurant, we will also go to a better hotel and eat there as the food is so much better. I went to a Dennys about three years ago with a hockey team I was with down in Seattle. I could see in the kitchen from where I was sitting and watched a guy dump a fifty-pound bag of hashbrowns onto the counter. No doubt with lots of chemicals added to keep them fresh. Not exactly appetizing.
Ken, I would forget about the flame thrower, it is asking for trouble.
I keep getting invited to go on a bike ride with this road group. I need to get the Supercourse shipshape but that will be a $500.00 bill and I am not sure how I will hold up with my Arthritis. I prefer to ride alone anyway as I really like to motor and have a workout. I guess I am antisocial. When I mountain bike I enjoy doing that with friends but for some reason when I am on the road bike I like to be by myself. It is amazing how many miles you can peel off once you really get going. I use to do 50 miles just to unwind after work.
There are three movies or TV shows being filmed in the park where we go walk. One is some space thing with lots of big props. Might be Lost In Space as they are always around here. One was Batgirl as we saw her in her costume. They have a lot of catching up to do after being shut down.
Off on a train stood a lonely goat heard HO DA LADY HO DA LADY HO HO HO
I hope posting this pic doesn't violate forum rules showing hobo's.
Today was the tenth day of our quarantine since we returned from our trip to Ohio, Michigan, and back.
So far there are no signs that we picked up anything along the way.
Heartland Division CB&Q TF ... How are you doing with the Zephyr you purchased?
Great Garry! That Silver Streak passenger set is so unlike any thing else I have as far as locomotives and rolling stock. I've only seen it run back and forth on two pieces of flex track though. I have my PECO track and turnouts ordered and on their way, so that'll change soon.
I liked your Gas Station on MLC's layout. What a nice gift! Does he pay you a franchise royalty percent?
Brent, The goats cracked me up. I wouldn't want to walk through that deep snow either is the understatement of the year Are you sure Canadian Pacific is not affiliated with Great Northern in any way?
Kevin, Glad to hear you and the wife's health is good and you didn't catch anything on your trip
Have a great Saturday everyone
Good Saturday morning, everyone.
Kevin, I hope we are in the same shape after some days. We are just beginning our quarantine. We stayed in the same rooms with at least one person we know had the virus, and we were in some large crowds. We ate at restaurants with outdoor areas, but we used gas stations and public bathrooms. Time will tell if all the mask-wearing and gallons of hand sanitizers worked.
I think today will be another stay-inside, do-nothing day. When working, that sounded like heaven, but now it seems like a jail sentence.
Have a good, healthy day everyone.
Edit: Top of the page -- a cold Bloody Mary on a nice quarantine Saturday for everyone.
TF ..... I'm glad you like the Zephyr. By any chance have you been to the Illinois RR Museum where they have the only surviving Burlington E5 locomotive? They use it to pull their Nebraska Zephyr train. ... Also, the gas station is here on my layout. MLC and Kevin visited here a few montha ago.
MLC ... After seeing your photo, I looked at my gas station, and saw I did have room to move it farther from the road. It may have been out of position for a very long time.
Brent ..... We can CP gets a lot of snow in the winter. That looks like the train is emerging from one of the spiral tunnels.
Everybody ..... Have a nice day.
Good morning Garry
I haven't been to the Illinois RR Museum. Should have, ...Judy and I would go to the Windy City every early sping just for something fun to do years ago. One time we took Amtrak down there for darn near free. They had round trip train ticket coupons on Wheaties cereal boxes.
The ride down was much more enjoyable. We enjoyed the observation car most the way down but it was a little overrun with a loud and obnoxious younger crowd on the way back.
Apparently I had gas station reversal confusion this morning What's funny is I had it turned the right way when I first posted and then went back in and made corrections to the wrong way What's that saying? "You should never second-guess yourself"
I'm going to make it a point to visit the Illinois RR Museum next time I'm down there. Always have enjoyed a good RR Museum.
Good afternoon, thunderstorms north of us caused flooding in Baltimore the last two days. One wizard who videoed a full size transit bus with water just below the side windows and said "There is no telling how deep the water is" As the bus wasn't floating down the street, I think we know exactly how deep the water is.
Taking the legs off the modular layout today. I still hate packing.
Heartland Division CB&QMLC and Kevin visited here a few months ago
One of the best days ever! Started out with a relaxing drive to Kentucky, then a great homestyle breakfast at a local restaurant with good conversation.
We toured two beautiful HO scale home layouts. Garry's layout is a true masterpiece, and that is not typical Kevin-style-hyperbole, it is a factual observation.
When I left Garry's home, the sunlight and sky were perfect and I captured some amazing pictures of the area around his Kentucky home. Kentucky is just staggering in the beauty all around.
I ate dinner at a good barbeque place called Triplets, and I don't care what anyone says, good barbeque is the best way to end a great day.
The drive back to Tennessee was easy.
My wife did not mind spending the day without me. We had been travelling together for a couple of weeks, so she took a car ride to a park in Nashville and had a peaceful day reading outdoors in the perfect weather.
York1Time will tell if all the mask-wearing and gallons of hand sanitizers worked.
We started our trip without hand sanitizer. It was impossible to find down here.
When I stopped in the first Menard's of our trip, in Merillville, Indiana, they had plenty of hand sanitizer in stock, AND N-95 Masks, and ... disinfectant wipes!
JACKPOT!
A couple of beautiful homes. One in Michigan and one in Ohio.
The rain is really coming down here right now. I looked at the live radar, and it is just Cape Coral getting heavy rain, the rest of the area is only a light rain.
Yes Kevin that was a good day, and the breakfast was good there at the "greasy spoon". I keep trying to make excuses to go back to it but with the current conditions I can wait.
I got the black IC engine fixed. I found where insulation had scraped off of the hot wire on one truck and was causing a dead short on that side. I replaced the control board with a 1 kv 35 amp bridge recitifier.( junk box find) It will only go forward direction but that was all we need at the museum anyway. So now I have three engines repaired. now to get track power separated and a control panel so we can run multiple trains.
Back to work on radios before the next on call week and the next wave of radios.
So far the cv has had minimal impact on our hospital.
Kevin : those are neat old house photos.
Brent: me thinks the goats are photoshopped on.
"......and now back to Gangbusters and the case of the carnival caper...."
Kevin .... Oh, you went to Triplets afterwards. We should have done with you. Good food. As you can see it is connected to Harper House which has fantastic prime rib on Friday and Saturday nights. ..... I like the house photos you took on your trip.
MLC ... It would be good to have another get together. The virus has kept us from doing things.
Some of you might recall the eye surgery I was going to have in the winter was postponed. Next, it was delayed becasue of the virus shut down. ... It is now scheduled for this Monday for one eye and the following Monday for the other eye. It will be done in Nashville. It certainly is needed after waiting this long.
Evening
Always liked the Victorians Kevin, ...Nice pics. Sounds like you three had a really good time, that's always good to hear.
Well, I sure am refreshed for a Saturday after a nice long couch nap. I swear I need to make some nice long audio recordings of Golf for my night sleep.
A Golf game in the background never fails for a good Saturday or Sunday afternoon nap on the couch. It's almost as good as Nap Car.
I wish you well with your eye surgerys Garry
These are some views of the Age Of Steam Roundhouse that I just luckily stumbled into while driving through rural Ohio.
It was closed when I was there, but I was able to get a few pictures through the fence. Again... Oh how I wish I had my 300mm lens with me.
I will make sure I see this while it is open when I loop back through Ohio in October.
Kevin are you taking pictures of Atlantic Central's home?
Garry almost a piece of cake. I remember nothing, which I regret, because my uncle was a world famous cataract surgeon. While any surgery has risks, it's benefit is huge and the risk is really low.
In packing I looked at a few random boxes of slides. I will be excited to unpack and really take a look at what I have. I remember going to Cumberland MD and there was a yard full of old B&O GP7-9's
I got the latest Walther's catalog in the mail today.
Even though I buy very little lately, it is still exciting.
It reminds me of when I was a kid, and the Monkey Wards or Sears toy catalog came out before Christmas. I looked at every page and dreamed of being rich.
I hope paper catalogs don't completely go away.
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Dirk his dog treat.
Trains are being mean to me tonight. PRR GG1 is picking like Roy Clark! PRR 1sa and B&O F7's are running great!
Flame Thrower Front. Yep I bought it! I have yet to use it, and when I do I will have the garden house at hand. The area I bought it for is 40 feet from the house plus the house is all brick. I have to work at it to catch the house on fire.
Done with the BBQ and time to sit out with Dirk.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof Daddy, can I have the rib bones?
At least it cooled off a little bit outside. Until tomorrow at Ken's place
Ken, Have fun with your Pyroglyphic De-weeding program tomorrow. Wish I could come join you with some of these leftover Roman Candles
I saw an article yesterday where some "expert" claimed we have pieces of alien space hardware. Given the quality of news today, who knows.
I walked down to the waterfront and my nextdoor neighbor's kid, 20 something, was carrying a totally unconscious girl from his boat. He borrowed a neighbors golf cart and he and his 4 or 5 friends loaded this woman in the front seat of the golf cart, where her head bent backward, further than I would trust mine to bend.
They pushed her head forward and she almost fell out of the golf cart. We then had a discussion about alcohol toxicity, drug over doses and aspiration. I have had more than my share of alcohol, but I've never been that drunk.
cudaken Flame Thrower Front. Yep I bought it!
Good evening ....
BigDaddy Garry almost a piece of cake. I remember nothing, which I regret, because my uncle was a world famous cataract surgeon. While any surgery has risks, it's benefit is huge and the risk is really low.
Henry .... Thanks for saying that. My eye surgery will be at Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, TN. I have other medical issues cared for at Vanderbilt, too. Their doctors and other medical professionals are top notch.
TF .... Are you spaved out this evening or what ?
This evening, I was running trains. An SD9 is serving local customers on a branch line.
Everybody .... Have a good night.
Good Sunday Morning —
Here's an interesting look at a railway overpass replacement in time-lapse:
Kind of looks like the way we do it on the model railroad. Build the whole thing and slide it under the right-of-way, or "permanent-way" in the UK. The railway line was only shut down a little over three days on Christmas Holiday. What they don't mention is that it took another six years to get the highway portion straightened out.
Here's another look at a "pre-fab" assembly done in Osberstown, Ireland on the Cork-Dublin line. Kit-style.
Fascinating to see the load-compensated counterweight trolleyed around as the lift is needed.
I've seen a few similar bridge replacements done like this in North America as well. Neat to watch!
Heartland Division CB&Q BigDaddy Garry almost a piece of cake. I remember nothing, which I regret, because my uncle was a world famous cataract surgeon. While any surgery has risks, it's benefit is huge and the risk is really low. Henry .... Thanks for saying that. My eye surgery will be at Vanderbilt Eye Institute in Nashville, TN. I have other medical issues cared for at Vanderbilt, too. Their doctors and other medical professionals are top notch. TF .... Are you spaved out this evening or what ?
A little bit. I was bored last night surfing extraterrestrial and UFO sites on the internet. I find that stuff interesting. Most people don't believe that kind of thing unless they have seen something for themselves.
And it's funny Garry, I thaught I was going to add a new word to my vocabulary, (spaved) until I realized C is right next to V on the keypad
I have to go along with Henry on your eye surgery. My Grandfather had laser surgery done to remove his cataracts in the late 70s. It was a piece of cake procedure back then and Technology sure has come a long way since I don't know exactly what procedure you're having but they're all state-of-the-art.
No worries mate!
Ken, I can I appreciate your plan of getting rid of the weeds in the brick cracks is an easy one. Them weeds are tough though. I tried what you're doing with a propane torch with Mapp gas. Whenever the weed Roots stay intact they just come right back quickly.
I used weed killer the second time around and waited a few days until they turned brown. Then took the propane torch to them. That worked for quite a while.
Post Hog! Morning post Hog!
Ed, ... I really enjoyed the time lapse photography of the underpass. I always liked time lapse photography as it keeps your attention. No boring narrator flapping his jaws as you can see what's going on for yourself.
I watched on megastructures once how they moved a giant truss bridge that way. I especially found it interesting how they put those black slabs on the ends so the bottoms of Abutment supports don't give in towards the center.
Interesting, Thanks!
I'll be watching the other one while I finish my coffee this morning.
Track fiddler I especially found it interesting how they put those black slabs on the ends so the bottoms of Abutment supports don't give in towards the center.
I noticed those, TF, they looked like giant dominoes. Are they some kind of composite? Like Trex or maybe scrap tires?
I like watching the pile driver. They wasted no time getting those rammed in Somebody did their homework on those jobs!
Yes, It makes one appreciate today's engineering Ed. Some of the things you see are just plain Common Sense after you see them. Perhaps Common Sense was many of the things missed years ago. I would imagine many of today's building tactics they learned from past mistakes that were overlooked. Structures in the past that didn't stand the test of time and now they see why. I always liked the common phrase in construction. "Hindsight is the best site"
I'm very curious what those large Domino slabs were made of as well? Interesting stuff!
Great videos Ed ! Thanks!
Hot and humid in SE. WI. yesterday and today. Big storms going on in the north. I'll be going back up there the first week in August.
Now that half of the garage is living space, I need to build a 12'x16' shed/3 season shop.
Have great Sunday!
mbinsewi Now that half of the garage is living space, I need to build a 12'x16' shed/3 season shop.
I may have missed something Mike. The garage living space isn't your occasional dog house is it? Just kidding.
That 12 by16 shed sounds like a fun project. Are you going to tackle it?
I watched the second time-lapse video Ed. I have to say again I really enjoy those.
I have to admit they kind of lost me on the sub grade slab they buried. I can only speculate which is a guessing game that it's some type of buffer to better minimize the movement of lift and settling that they know they know is inevitable. (Below frost line slab Maybe) Just a guess, ... Very curious for the reasoning though.
Thanks Ed, Enjoyed!
Track fiddler The garage living space isn't your occasional dog house is it?
My wife used to threaten to make me go live in the garage.
Now that the garage is tiled, painted, cleaned, and comfortable, she does not make that threat anymore.
Good one Kevin.
Some men are well prepared From what I've seen, after all your hard work on your man cave I would spend the night out there in a minute, ... I bet you would too. Do you think she may possibly know that?
Have you surfed eBay for any futon shopping?
Good morning ...
TF .... LOL . Between my clumsy fingers and my vision problems, my typing is challenging.
Kevin and TF ..... Kevins's garage apaprently is a Man Cave. .... When my wife thretens to send me downstairs, I don't worry. The model railroad and the workshop are there.
Track fiddlerThe garage living space isn't your occasional dog house is it? Just kidding.
I turned half of a 24'x24' garage on our property in the north woods ( 20 miles west of Minocqua, WI. Pike Lake Chain) into living quarters. It's now a "gar-lodge" kinda thing.
I'll have to load some pictures, tuned out pretty cool.
Now I'am going to build a 12'x16' shed/3 season shop to house many of things that USED to be in the garage.
Yea, I'll build this myself, as I did the original garage.
Cool!
Make sure you take pictures Mike. I will be curious to see those down the road I've always liked projects like that.
Have a great Sunday everyone. Don't forget to pig-out at least once today That's what Sunday is for
Hey everyone, long time no see.
Sorry for the disappearing act from the forums, but life has just been draining me.
I was supposed to be working the Greenberg train show this weekend, but our PA leaders decided train shows aren't safe- but shopping in Walmart is? Same with restaurants.... only 25% capacity in any indoor space?!? I'm doing what I can to support my local businesses, take out a lot. But at least Monongahela seems to be going against the national trend. Instead of businesses shutting down for good, we have have open since March: a bakery, a consignment shop, another restaurant, a horse rider emporium,etc. So we're holding our own against the "shut down and go out" trend.
I got an exercise bike a few weeks ago to try and lose 100 lbs- I'm currently burning 300 calories a day, and averaging 15 miles in an hour, so I guess I am in better shape than I thought I was- Just need to shape up.
I received two NMRA evaluations yesterday- the Golden Spike award, and the AP Volunteer certificate. I passed both, now just to get the remaining paperwork signed off on, mailed and wait for the paper from national. One AP down, several more to go.
I have been watching the constant work at the East Broad Top Railroad and am amazed and figuraitvely crying tears of joy. So much has been done since February 2020! 1,000 ties replaced in the yard alone, five switches rebuilt, buildings stablized and the belt system operational again, passenger cars being worked on and TWO steam locomotives being restored to operational status! They have even gotten so much work done, they are still (pardon the pun) on track to run equipment for paying tourists in August! One of the bright points in an otherwise dingy 2020 imo. 2021 sure looks bright for the EBT
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Good
Eveing
Diners
Jimmy_BraumHey everyone, long time no see. Sorry for the disappearing act from the forums, but life has just been draining me.
Good to hear from you Jimmy.
It seems Ken is wanting the title of Post Hog.
Welcome back, Jimmy. I'm glad to hear you're doing well.
It's going to rain tonight, which always makes it a good day in farm country.
Our garage was full of stuff, so I built a shed in the backyard, moved the stuff from the garage to the shed, and had a clean garage. Within two years, my wife had the garage filled with more stuff. Now we have a basement full of stuff, a shed full of stuff, and a garage full of stuff.
Have a good Sunday evening, everyone.
Hi Jimmy
Sounds like you've been busy as a young man should
Post Hog! Post Hog!
Ken is a Post Hog!
Hi John If there is a hollow spot or a void outside, nature will fill it. I have found through the years, storage space is no different. The more space one makes, the more stuff accumulates to fill it
If this pandemic ever clears, it sounds like you are the perfect candidate for a big garage sale
I like the shed you built. It's got character
OK, that is how to be Post Hog!
It has been hot and today I tried to buy a bigger Window A/C for the bedroom. Seems there is none to be had in the $300.00 to $400.00 range near me. Home Depot had a 7500 BTU unit that is $499.00 and offred to sell it to me for $399.00 but it weight is 70 pounds. Now, I can lift 70 pounds with no problem. But installing a winow A/C by my self is another thing. Problem is closing the window while holding the A/C unit.
Have not played with the flame thrower yet. Just to hot. Bear like the Beartoon!
Kevin Liked the photos of the houses. Far as living in the garage. My old house I could. Had a rest room, running water and central A/C. Plus it held 3 Mopars, Desk and Couch.
Running some old friends. My Bachmann DCC with sound F7's. I have forgotten how well the run and pull. They are pulling 22 cars with not a hitch.
BBQ tasted great!
Time to sit out with Dirk.
Later, Ken and Dirk says Daddy is a post hog, Woof, Woof
Sadly, we may include Neil Besougloff on the RIP track.
Jimmy_Braum I received two NMRA evaluations yesterday- the Golden Spike award, and the AP Volunteer certificate. I passed both
Congratulations Jimmy! Well done!
Thanks for the update on the EBT. I haven't looked at their site for quite some time so I wasn't aware that there was so much progress being made.
Heartland Division CB&QSadly, we may include Neil Besougloff on the RIP track.
That's really too bad. Thanks for letting us know.
Hello again
Jimmy ... Good to see you. Thanks for the update on yourself. Feel free to post more often but not like Ken did. LOL
Ken ... LOL you post hog.
Everybody... I will bein Nashville TN for eye surgery tomorrow and the next day for follow up. ... So I will not be a post hog.
Garry, I know everything will go smooth for you tomorrow so we'll see you when you see us with your new peepers
Or peeper, I think you said you're doing one at a time, so you'll look like this for a while
Nighty Night Railfans, I'm gonna hit the rack
Jimmy_Braum I have been watching the constant work at the East Broad Top Railroad and am amazed and figuraitvely crying tears of joy.
August sounds ambitious. I wonder what they will use for motive power?
https://tinyurl.com/y5uqdxv7
It has been a long day.
I managed to get all the stucco around the front entryway primed with Kilz-2. Tomorrow I will puit on a coat of paint.
Painting stucco is a royal pain.
We are trying the colour we chose for the house in this one area first to see if we like it before we have 20 gallons of it mixed.
Wow guys, it's almost August!! Where do you want to go next month?
Thankfully the Diner is free of Covid-19 so we can go wherever and do whatever we want! I'm trying hard to think of a location but so far my mind is blank (nothing new there!). Let's hear your suggestions. I would particularly encourage those members who don't post all that often to give us some ideas, and maybe even step up to the plate and host the Diner!
hon30critterWow guys, it's almost August!! Where do you want to go next month?
hon30critterThanks for the update on the EBT. I haven't looked at their site for quite some time so I wasn't aware that there was so much progress being made.
There may be some prophesy in your reply, Dave?
East Broad Top, March 1971 by Edmund, on Flickr
Heartland Division CB&Qsadly, we may include Neil Besougloff on the RIP track.
Definitely!!
Oh, I want one of these
Sure wish the operator would have dressed the part. Just aint' right.
I used to work the manual band clutch clam shell bucket when we would coal the 4070. After a while I got pretty good at it. You had to be an octopus to pull all the levers and work your feet, too. Loads of fun, though (for a couple of hours, anyway)
Heartland Division CB&Q sadly, we may include Neil Besougloff on the RIP track. Definitely!
Heartland Division CB&Q sadly, we may include Neil Besougloff on the RIP track.
Definitely!
Yes, quite deservedly.
It looked like that steam shovel operator liked to go round and round. He'd be almost there, then stop and go the other way.
I never was very good at operating Machinery with a lot of levers Ed. I guess I didn't have that kind of coordination. It would take a long time in the seat before I'd somewhat get the hang of it but never completely did.
I used to work with my friend Mike removing snow from parking lots up here in Minnesota. In this particular heavy snow storm one of the guys didn't show up and Mike put me in the front end loader to remove the excessive piles of snow up over the curb.
He told me you're going to feel like a God operating this thing but trust me, you can get it stuck so don't get too crazy. Man that thing was fun, you wouldn't even have to pay me to operate it. After I somewhat started to get the hang of it, I did get my superiority complex and got the thing stuck.
I didn't want him to come back and catch me in my greenhorn state. So I shoveled frantically one side at a time as it would lean over a bit and then go shovel the other side. I did get it unstuck before he returned, sopping wet with sweat. I didn't get it stuck again that night.
It's funny how far back a memory can serve you. My Grandmother used to read me a story book when I was a little guy that had a red steam shovel like the one you posted. I don't remember the steam shovels name though. Another one of those books was the Little Engine That Could. I remember how old those books looked. They were probably the books that were read to my uncle Stewart when he was little.
It was sad to hear about Neil yesterday. I'm sure he will be missed.
Well time to make some coffee. Go juice I call it.
Track fiddlerMy Grandmother used to read me a story book when I was a little guy that had a red steam shovel like the one you posted.
Yep, that was one of my favorites, too.
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel!
https://www.rmichelson.com/illustration/virginia-lee-burton-2/mike-mulligan-and-his-steam-shovel/
On MY best seller list!
Thanks Ed
Mike Mulligan, ...Irish. That makes sense my Grandmother had those books. My Grandmother was so pure Irish she could wear red in lieu of green. Her name was Edith but my Grandfather the Scotsman always called her Irish. That was one of my most favorite books of many. I appreciated your post with the history behind it of which I never knew before
There seems to be a lot of Mike's this morning.
Hi Mike, I envy you get to build that 12 x16 shed. It's always a more enjoyable experience building something for yourself than for money. I wish I could.
This is the last garage I was building for my friend Chuck's brother. It had a pull down stair access to the loft above.
Chuck's brother was a building scientist. It was going to get windy the day after the trusses were set so he wanted an angled support apparatus in the backyard as a precaution. You can see it through the back windows. I knew it wasn't necessary but he paid me extra so I didn't argue.
I always put the OSB so the seams were'nt on the roof truss seam as a deterrent from a storm blowing off the roof. Chuck's brother liked that.
Judy took the pictures at the end of the day of me fiddling with my ladders. She's kind of a tomboy and liked to help me with my jobs sometimes.
Captain Kangaroo used to read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Stovel every so often when I was a little kid in the 50s. That and Make Way for Ducklings and The Little Red Lighthouse were my favorites.
I'm going out to walk, even though the rain hasn't quit.
I haven't been in the Diner too long. What states or provinces have not been done?
I remember Captain Kangaroo John. Dancing Bear and Mr. Green Jeans.
Well, not a lot of chit-chat going on around here.
My daughter called this morning. I'm going to head down south to Faribault, go for a nice long walk and buy her a patio lunch.
It's a beautiful day after another hot humid heat streak. High of 80 and low humidity today, ...Nice
Have a good one guys
Track fiddlerI remember Captain Kangaroo John. Dancing Bear and Mr. Green Jeans.
Yep! And I still remember how to make a Paper Plate Clock.....
gmpullman You had to be an octopus to pull all the levers and work your feet, too. Loads of fun, though (for a couple of hours, anyway)
Watching a skilled operator manipulate a Lima 2400-B Dragline was better than any circus act. It was something I knew I could never do.
Track fiddler Mike put me in the front end loader to remove the excessive piles of snow up over the curb.
I am no good at running front end loaders. I can crash them into the material pile, and raise the bucket, but the bucket is never more than 50% full. Working the bucket through a pile of gravel to get it full requires a lot of finesse to do it right.
My favorite thing to operate are those 6 wheel drive articulated off road dump trucks. I don't think you can get one stuck, and they are a blast.
The seller has dropped the price of this car to $14,000.00! A genuine 428 big block muscle car for under 15 grand? I guess that collector market is plummeting.
I paid $600.00 for mine in 1983. I got around $1,000.00 for it from the insurance company when it was totalled in 1987.
I am soooooooooooooooooooo tempted now.
I guess Garry has had his surgery by now and trust all went well. I'm guessing it was cataract and if so they usually are just fine. A good friend had it done a short while ago and it meant no computer for a week or so.
Kevin, I think you owe it to yourself to buy that car. If you don't, you will always regret it as I imagine such cars don't come around often. I've never seen one. I have a soft spot for '66 cars. My Dad had a '66 LTD that had a 390 and it was quite quick. He sold it eventually and we know it went for about 300k miles.
Nice day here so I think I will go wash the car.
Kevin, I won't give you any advice. Neat car, though!
I imagine Garry will have much better sight in several days. My brother had it done and said he hasn't seen that well in years.
A branch of the old Kansas City and Omaha Railroad, later part of the CB&Q, came through our town. This old station originally sat beside the tracks, but was moved back about a hundred yards. It's now a storage building for a contractor. The tracks were taken out about 25 years ago.
I thought it was neat for the square that held a clock above the door. No one I know knows what became of it.
I too remember Captain Kangaro. Thanks for refreshing my memory on Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel. That was a good story. There was also one on a snow plow that was good too.
How about The Horse in Striped Pajamas and Flatfoot Flugie and the Floy Doy. There was another song about ..all you hungry children, now eat it up. Don't remember the title of that one.
There was Bunny Rabbit, Grandfather Clock, of course, Mr. Greenjeans and all the animals he brought to see. One of his frequent guests was a guy called the Banana Man, who had a coat with lots of pockets and he would fill up three or four large crates with stuff he'd pull out of his pockets.
The best was when he would have this gigantic Lionel O-guage layout set up on the set and run trains. Well, it seemed gigantic at the time.
Great stuff for a child back then. I'll leave you with this.
Look there Daddy, do you see
there's a horse, in striped pajamas
No, that's not what it is, at all
Thats an animal, people call a zebra
I see, but it still looks like a horse in striped pajamas,
To me!
I spent about three hours one day photographing this one small town in Ohio.
This is exactly what I want the city of Centerville to look like on my layout. I have found my inspiration.
Bob Keeshan, the TV personality who played Captain Kangaroo, was also the first Clarabel the Clown on Howdy Doody.
When I was a very little kid, I actually was in the Peanut Gallery on Howdy Doody.
If you're still looking for suggestions of where to park the Diner next month, may I suggest we honor former editor Neil Besougloff with a visit to the land of his retirement, Mexico. There's a lot of railroading south of the border, and as an added benefit, I don't remember the Diner ever going there.
Steven Otte If you're still looking for suggestions of where to park the Diner next month, may I suggest we honor former editor Neil Besougloff with a visit to the land of his retirement, Mexico. There's a lot of railroading south of the border, and as an added benefit, I don't remember the Diner ever going there.
I was thinking the same thing and often thought we should go to Mexico.
Rail map of Mexico.
https://www.openrailwaymap.org/?lang=en&lat=53.083301544189&lon=9.6000003814697&zoom=10&style=standard
Mexico sounds good to me.
lleva el restarante al mexico.
muchos ferrocarilles
y frito pie......
All right, MLC, I ran your post through Google translator, and this what came out:
"take the restaurant to mexico.
many railways
and fried foot"
I'm OK with the many railways, but I'll pass on the fried foot.
York1and fried foot"
Much of the time Google translate is pretty lame, but I get something different:
Fried feet is Pies Fritos, not pronounced like apple pie, but pea-ace
Apropos of nothing, except the recent expensive hobby post, these are prices for the 1969 World Series
Maximizing storage in my garage.
I built a special shelf to house my small hardware drawers. These drawers are industrial parts bins, and very heavy duty. I had to keep these. We used these for brass fittings at work before we switched suppliers.
Beneath the drawers I plan to put the garbage can and recycling bin. I also wanted the plastic sawhorses to hang on the wall there.
I attached two by fours to the wall, and painted them to match, to hold the hanging tool hooks.
I added hooks to hold the garden/yard tools that would not fit on the other side of the garage. Hanging these tools allowed for me to get rid of a tool rack that devoured six square feet of floor space.
Tools are also easier to access like this.
The refuse cans, ladders, and work platforms all fit exactly as I planned.
Success!
BigDaddyApropos of nothing, except the recent expensive hobby post, these are prices for the 1969 World Series
— and a look at the Buffalo YMCA 1968 menu for railroad employees. I've had some excellent meals here
Penn-Central_Menu_Buffalo68 by Edmund, on Flickr
Humm, now I'm getting hungry! Enjoy —
gmpullmanOh, I want one of these
I made one. The tracks are a bit modern but the rest isn't too bad:
Steven Ottemay I suggest we honor former editor Neil Besougloff with a visit to the land of his retirement, Mexico. There's a lot of railroading south of the border, and as an added benefit, I don't remember the Diner ever going there.
Mexico seems to be a popular choice. I had thought of going there too. Let's do it!
Next question is 'who wants to open the diner?'. I will volunteer to start it, but I know nothing about Mexico railroading. I'll have to do some reading. If there is someone with significant knowledge maybe they could offer to do a post on Mexico railroading history to accompany the opening posts.
Vamonos!! Salut!!
At Breckenridge last week, we just had a phone camera, but the comet was very clear and visible.
I know the photo makes it difficult to see, which is too bad, because it was impressive to the naked eye. The comet is towards the bottom of the photo, between the two middle trees.
About the time we took this photo, a moose walked by about twenty yards away.
Dianne and I just spent some serious coin today! We ordered a new front door and a new patio door. Both are original to the house (in other words they are 42 years old!), and while they still work well they are showing their age. There must be 15 coats of paint on the front door, and the patio door requires constant lubrication. The screen is torn too.
The front door will be red with a 3/4 light and matching sidelight. The rest of the house is done in sandalwood so the door will stand out!
Installed doors are not cheap! By the time you add in all the extras like paint, capping and hardware the price is a bit scary. We could do it much cheaper if we went with a local contractor but that is a crap shoot. The odds on getting messed up are too great to even consider. We are going with a larger company that has an 88% overall satisfaction rating, and perhaps more importantly, has a good reputation for solving problems quickly. Incidentally, we looked at Home Depot but their own website shows that 28% of the reviews are 3 out of 5 or less, and based on the comments it was obvious that they aren't very good at addressing problems.
Getting the doors replaced is actually the last thing on the list of major improvements for the house. Everything else has been done. From now on it will only be routine maintenance. The roof will be the next major expense but's 20 years down the road. We may not even be here.
Now all we have to do is wait about 8 weeks. That's like telling a kid that Christmas is in two months!
Work was normal, just fixing mistake Jerry the made and fixing them. I was under the weather Saturday so I called off.
Dirk has messed up his foot again ny chewing on it. All the vet has told us to use is over the counter stuff so his feet does not react to grass. Off to the vet we go again.
TF That sure is a good looking garage from what I can see. I sure wished you lived with in driving range of my house.
Later, Ken and Drk says woof, woof.
Tarta frito
hon30critterInstalled doors are not cheap! By the time you add in all the extras like paint, capping and hardware the price is a bit scary. We could do it much cheaper if we went with a local contractor but that is a crap shoot. The odds on getting messed up are too great to even consider.
My new lanai doors and kitchen window are sitting in my garage waiting to be installed.
The crap shoot is serious.
I had a major company install the three windows on the north side of the house. A post about how unsatisfied I am with that experience would take hours to type.
The lanai door and kitchen window are being handled by a local contractor... they will not even add me to the schedule even though the parts have been delivered. I have no idea how long the door will be sitting in the garage.
The new front window, yet to be delivered, is being handled by a third contractor. That window is delayed at the factory again. I knew the front window would be a a probelm because an engineer and architect had to be involved.
Still, this all started in March, and nothing is done yet. I am over $10,000.00 out of pocket with another $5,000.00 or so still yet to be paid for windows and doors, and it is all dragging on.
I hope you have better luck.
moelarrycurly4Tarta frito
You mean as opposed to 'fried foot'. Sounds much better!
Buenos dias
Si vamos todas a Mexico y tendremos mucho grande tacos el martes
Senor Violinista De Pista
Posdata Salsa extra cliente en mis pies de cerdo por favor
You want extra hot salsa on your feet.
Frito pies de cerdo si
Janie I'll have a bowl of organic bran flakes with a bunch of blueberries on top. Oh, need a pot of dark roast, fair traded, organic coffee to get me awake this morning as well. Thanks!
York1I know the photo makes it difficult to see, which is too bad, because it was impressive to the naked eye.
Hope you don't mind York1, but I played a bit in Photoshop with your photo. Hope you like the result!
Gonna be another hot one here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS with a high around 85°F
Have a great, but safe day out there!!!
Thanks, Ray. It's too bad we didn't have a good camera and tripod with us. I think we could have gotten a good shot in that clear air at 10,000 feet.
TF, I'll skip the salsa on the pig feet. Just get me a regular taco.
Edit: Top of the page. I'll pay for everyone to join me this morning with bacon, eggs, bacon, bacon, coffee, and bacon.
Posta Cerdo Posta Cerdo
Puliendo mi Espanol para Mexico
Puedo ser el interpreter para nosotro alla abajo
York1Edit: Top of the page. I'll pay for everyone to join me this morning with bacon, eggs, bacon, bacon, coffee, and bacon.
ah you said credo instead of cerdo in your first post , which means feet a creed.
No fried feet for me, thanks, Flo. I'll take the Hardy Railroader's Breakfast.
Yesterday morning I felt great. Today I feel terrible.
I am taking my wife to an eye-doctor appointment today. She has a big problem with her left eye and is feeling nervous about it.
I am going to start working on the Lanai Ceiling next. I bought a drywall crane and am going to try and tackle this task myself.
Hello again,
Just got my first 1.6 mile run in this morning. Probably will do the second half this evening when it gets cooler again. Only about 78°F out there at the moment so it wasn't too bad running.
York1I'll pay for everyone to join me this morning with bacon, eggs, bacon, bacon, coffee, and bacon.
What??? No Spam!!!
"Waitress: Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam; spam bacon sausage and spam; spam egg spam spam bacon and spam; spam sausage spam spam bacon spam tomato and spam;"
"Wonderful Spam, Wonderfull Spam!!!"
York1 I'll pay for everyone to join me this morning with bacon, eggs, bacon, bacon, coffee, and bacon.
I have not had bacon in weeks... this just occurred to me. We had BLTs the second or third week of lock-down back in March. Other than that there has been no bacon.
I should get some.
I'll take the standard Breakfast Brunch. I don't really like pig feet with extra salsa, just a strange sense of humor.
Love the old stone and brick, hilly Rivertowns you posted a while back Kevin. And I'm due for a BLT myself.
Enjoyed visiting my daughter in Faribault Minnesota yesterday. After lunch we walked the whole hilly Town taking pictures
Faribault Minnesota.
It's a Crying Shame they painted the whole thing, the bricks can't breathe. Just the painted sign in the middle would be fine
The River Stone buildings
You can see where the egress windows used to be before the street and sidewalk came
Just love this little church
The Brick ones
It is said there's a ghost on the third floor of this building and not a nice one. I believe it. It was a very large antique store before a Distillery. A mirror fell off the shelf and busted over my daughters head about 5 years ago. She was not hurt or cut.
Coke, Coca-Cola
The Mills
The 14 ton weight limit Bridge
My daughter said last week an Amazon truck topped out on this bridge destroying the cargo cube. The bridge is still fine. Ain't the first time
The Depot
The Victorians
Most well over a 100 years old. The Old Buildings in the Old Town's sure pass the test of time. It must be that the brick/stone Masons and Carpenters cared about what they did. Thier Work outlasted thier lifetime.
Nice pictures! It would be nice to be able to scratchbuild some of those for my layout.
My wife just made an unpleasant discovery in the back yard. A rat has moved in under our garden shed. I don't want to put out rat poison because that will also likely kill the chipmunks, so we are going to buy a live trap. If that doesn't work, I'll hire an exterminator.
Track fiddlerThe 14 ton weight limit Bridge My daughter said last week an Amazon truck topped out on this bridge destroying the cargo cube. The bridge is still fine. Ain't the first time
When I get bored I like to peek in at 11 foot 8 inches and see what's new:
I imagine this bridge has ended a few truck driving careers pretty quickly.
This one actually caught a fire engine! Now that had to be an expensive repair. (1:09)
Just when you thought you were having a bad day
Entertaining Ed
Beckoning me for a new found vacation spot.
I sure hope those rental truck guys got the extra insurance that was offered. I wonder what was in the last truck that caught on fire. Too bad the guys going the wrong way realized they were going the wrong way. In this situation the wrong way was the right way
I could watch those four hours
P.S. I'm going to move down there and make a living becoming an aluminum scrapper. I'll go to the bridge every day and camp out and say, "I'm so sorry that happened to you, let me help you clean up this mess"
TF: That is a beautiful little church picture you posted.
Ed: Down here in Florida we do not have very many bridges with low clearance heights. Our biggest problem is drivers not folding the stick of an excavator correctly when they load it on a low-boy so it is higher than 14 feet.
Excavators on trailers hit bridges almost every month down here.
Back in Massachusetts, they did a repaving job on the heavily-travelled Route 128, four lanes each way. Shortly thereafter, a truck collided with a bridge. As it turned out, they had not milled down the original roadway, and the new pavement when added to the old reduced the clearance of the bridge below the posted value. It took a while, but they cut out part of the bridge to increase the height. I'm not sure if they ever milled the pavement down before adding another layer.
The changed the clearance to 12' 4" at the 11ft 8 bridge
Just returned home from Nashville. ... Yesterday's eye surgery went exceptionally well, and I am very pleased with results so far. Other eye is next week's surgery. Thanks for the well wishes from each of you.
Steve O. ... Mexico is a great idea. I did not know Neil retired there. Former Diner, Ed Murphy, retired there, and passed away a few years ago. He is honored on the RIP Track.
I recall meeting Neil when Jim Hediger hosted me as I visited MR offices in 2012. I met one other editor, Steve Otte ! (I'll be surprised if Steve O remembers me.) .... I visited during normal lunch hour, but Neil and Steve were both hard at work while most employees were on lunch break. Decicated editors !
Ed ... Intersting videos of trucks and low clearance bridges.
This photo is for you:
Note the name and slogan on the trailer and also the name on the blue tow truck.
That's a great scene, Garry!
York1 That's a great scene, Garry!
John York 1 ... Thank you ...
Hockey's back!
This was a neat Church in West Virginia. It looked like it was built right into the side of the mountain. Look at those stairs leading up to the door!
That is a cool Church Kevin.
There's that Riverstone again. I see they used convex mortar joints.
This church I seen yesterday is not very becoming in appearance but it's still at church Possibly just a Lutheran School, the banners said both.
There's so many beautiful churches in Faribault. I will have another picture day with my daughter again soon.
Over all a very good day!
1. Had a late coustomer. While it was pain because the wanted to take there bedding home with them. It was $1989.00 sale, that had 3 twin sets, full set and queen set, frame and head board. Got out a tad late but made a extra $30.00.
2. Daughter scored us a free Window A/C. I tried to but a 8000 BTU unit for the bedroom Sunday and there was none to be had local. Saw the unit my daugher got for free and it looks like a 10,000 to 12,000 BTU unit. Hope to get it installed this weekend with the help of my SIL.
3. If I am reading the letter right, it looks like my house payment just went down $85.45. That is a big help with paying off the credit card's!
4. Credit score is up to 746! Next Credit Karma when up dated should be 747. At one point in my life I was at 820 and the score was so good, it delaid closing on the house? They thought it had been hacked? The life went to heck, lost a job I had for 15 years and my credit score went to the ash pitt.
Later, Ken and Dirk say's I Love You Daddy, Woof, Woof!
“Be like the bird who, pausing in her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing she hath wings.” -Victor Hugo.
Another beautiful day. The high in the mid 80's and low humidity making for what's left of an enjoyable Summer.
Glad to hear your surgery went well Garry. I liked your modeling of the bridge/cargo cube disaster. I knew the Bear would get a hold of that one Thanks and Thanks for the Thanks Bear, it's time-consuming posting a boat load of pictures from a phone.
Well, just finished a 4 day weekend and found plenty to keep myself busy. Made some progress on my foam bridge piers and abutments among other things.
Have a job to do in the building that ought to keep me busy for the rest of the week, plaster and paint rehabbing a condo. The carpets being replaced so I can slop all I want. Normal wear and tear leaves a little bit to be desired from the last tenant being there for 10 years. I like plastering and painting. It's an easy-going relaxing job.
We need a little getaway here soon as vacation has been on the back burner since the pandemic started. I can't wait forever. I need to just try to be safe and go on with my life. I don't think this thing is going away anytime too soon.
A little 3-4 day get-a-way in Duluth is sounding like a plan here in the near future. I have always liked visiting Duluth and never get tired of it. Beautiful scenery and lots of railroad activity among it is always enjoyable.
Have a good one today guys
Good morning. It's dark outside, with thunderstorms predicted to start soon.
When I worked, I thought staying home, with nothing to do, sounded like heaven.
Now that we've been exposed to the virus and we are on home quarantine, staying home with nothing to do is like being in jail.
Two more days in the UK. I'm looking forward to seeing Mexico again. I was there two years ago and loved it.
Bear ... thanks for commenting regarding my surgery went well. Also LOL for the Bear Toon .
John York 1. ... I should have told you not to show my photo to Bear
TF ... Thanks for commenting about my picture and my surgery going well.
Can we pop across the Channel to Belgium while we're on this side of the pond?
Poetry-in-motion
Here she is again on her maiden run 21 July, 2011.
Kind of a pity those red driver centers didn't catch on in North America. I can think of a few domestic locomotives over here that would have benefited from such a look
Anyone hear from LION lately?
York1Now that we've been exposed to the virus and we are on home quarantine, staying home with nothing to do is like being in jail.
Today is the 15th day of our Quarantine since returning from our Midwest trip. We are both OK.
I am still enjoying being at home, but this is what I planned to do, so maybe that effects my outlook.
Working on painting today, then I am tearing down the ceiling in the Lanai.
Wow... quiet day in the diner.
The ceiling is down over the Lanai. It came down easy. I think it was about to fall.
The National Weather Service says there will be a Tropical Cyclone over my house this weekend. It is not expected to strengthen beyond Tropical Storm.
My hurricane impact windows are still in the garage. Great.
A little excitement in our neck of the woods today. A derailment, fire, and bridge collapse over Tempe Town Lake. Luckily no one was injured and the collapsed section was over land, not the lake.
Eveing Diners.
Flo, give the gang and I a and Dirk a dog treat.
Kevin It was quite at work as well. Which I was fine with after Tuesday late coustomer.
Garry Sorry I forgot to give you the on the orperation. Spell Check Needed.
Later Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof daddy.
Here is the link to the derailment in Tempe.
One of the bridge sections collapsed, and a bunch of lumber loads burned up.
i would imagine the heat was pretty intense.
https://youtu.be/hqpd5fCLsRI
Kevin may have a tropical storm coming this weekend, but I think we could all use a Hurricane. (And if you're worried it's too early to drink, hey, it's got orange juice in it! It's practically breakfast in a glass!)
Steven Otte Kevin may have a tropical storm coming this weekend, but I think we could all use a Hurricane. (And if you're worried it's too early to drink, hey, it's got orange juice in it! It's practically breakfast in a glass!)
This is a hurricane, all three gallons of it:
Hurricanes are too healthy for me. I can't wait to get to Mexico and have one of these for breakfast:
We are now on day 7 of our quarantine.
The good news is that our granddaughter was, so far, the only one to have it. We read that for some reason, the virus does not easily pass from children to adults, so we may be safe. Another 8 days, and we can breathe a little easier.
I've washed my hands before I typed this, so don't worry about catching the virus from me through the Internet.
I'm trying to make the best of being incarcerated. Yesterday, Forbidden Planet was on TV, and today I'm watching The Leopard Man.
It would seem that this forced vacation would be great for layout work, but for some reason, I can't get motivated. Yesterday, I just ran trains and watched them. I do miss church and men's group each week.
Garry, I think I mentioned my brother had cataract surgery several years ago. He wore glasses his whole life until the surgery, and now he doesn't need glasses anymore. I don't know enough about it if that is common or not. Hope your next eye does as well as the first one.
Another day of thunderstorms. We don't mind. Farmers call these million dollar rains. Another week of not having to turn on expensive irrigation systems.
Steven OtteKevin may have a tropical storm coming this weekend, but I think we could all use a Hurricane.
Thanks Steve!
Today I will be working on trimming back all the trees for the coming storm.
I hope all my neighbors will do the same.
I tore three of the screens on the Lanai yesterday taking down the ceiling, so that horse has left the barn.
Kevin, do any of the construction guys give you a reason they can't get the windows in? Are they that busy?
knock, knock.... Hello! Anybody here?
Guess not. Oh well.........
Ray .... Hello !
Ken ... Thanks for thinking of me an my cataract surgery.
John York 1 .... I already put my eyeglasses aside. The one "new eye" is so good I can get by without the other one. I'm very happy so far with it. In a week, I will have two "new eyes".
Steve O .... Thanks for the hurricane drink. I was feeling a little punchy, and that will do nicely.
Everybody ..... Regarding August Diner location, I like Steve O's idea of Mexico where Neil Besougloff was retired. This is a good way to honor him. ... Do we have an agreement to go to Mexico in August ? ...... Also, I think we agreed to include Neil on the RIP Track.
Mexico sounds good. I have loved my trips there.
Dirk Vet Visit. Well that took 1.5 hours. Seems he has a bacterial infection on the problem paw. Dr Davis trimed back a flap on one of his pads. Dirk is on 3 weeks of antibiotic. Woman that brought him out was telling me what a Good Dog he was while he was the clinic? He is pretty good with people when my Wife is not a round. Hum
Weather It does not know what it wants to do. Should I rain, or should I be nice?
Wife wants to sit out with Dirk so later.
Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof.
morning all,
rainy day here. Yestreday we had about 2 inches in 20 minutes and we got flooded at work in places. I large wave came rushing in our front lobby.
In other news, one of our providers had caught the viri (from some social setting not healthcare work related) 2 Weeks ago he was in bad shape on a vent. Today they are discharging him from the hospital. So that is good news here. Heading to my Southern command for a few days to check on things and get out of town.
I forgot to push submit on this post earlier
Took the car in for an oil change and new battery. I did get a shock though and it was how much the cost of a battery has increased. I replaced it 5 years ago and it cost $195 but today it was $420! Most of the increase was the dealership jacking up the labour rate. The cost of an oil change has gone up too by about $50 since last December. Turns out I need to get a tie rod end replaced but may see if there are alternative shops that are more reasonable.
Had a fellow drop by today for another estimate on the back fence. We are looking at early October. We could delay it until next year but not much further as it really needs to be done.
Garry, glad to hear the new peeper is working well. So far I don't have any signs of needing that done and I do have my eyes checked every 6 months for my glaucoma.
When I was waiting for my car I looked at some on the lot( they have 7 dealerships in one place) and was amazed at the price of new cars and especially trucks. I plan on driving my current car for at least another 5 years when it would be 15 years old. Mind you it does run as well as it did when new with no sqeaks, rattles or wear marks on any surface. Truthfully I've spent very little on repairs so far so can't complain.
Well time for tea and tellie,
Heartland Division CB&QRegarding August Diner location, I like Steve O's idea of Mexico where Neil Besougloff was retired. This is a good way to honor him. ... Do we have an agreement to go to Mexico in August ? ...... Also, I think we agreed to include Neil on the RIP Track.
Hi Garry,
I don't think there have been any objections to Mexico, and several people have expressed their agreement, so I think I can go out on a limb and say "Mexico it is!!". I have earmarked a translation website so we can have some fun with that.
I will volunteer to move the Diner unless someone else wants to do it. I'll post it at about midnight on Friday.
York1Kevin, do any of the construction guys give you a reason they can't get the windows in? Are they that busy?
No. The contractor for the rear door and kitchen window says I am "in line" and they will call me when I am about a week from installation.
I think supply chain problems are messing everything up. The local news has had reports on some jobs held up by lack of PPE, pressure treated lumber, special pieces made in China, etc.
CNCharlieMost of the increase was the dealership jacking up the labour rate. The cost of an oil change has gone up too by about $50 since last December. Turns out I need to get a tie rod end replaced but may see if there are alternative shops that are more reasonable.
You are going to see labor rates hit the $200.00/hour level probably within two or three years. Around here $150.00/hour seems to be the ceiling. I think once one dealer breaks through, they all will.
Most qualified dealership technicians are well in the six figure income level now.
Mr. Sandman gave me an early one. I'll take a coffee black please. Me without go-juice is like a motor without fuel.
I was getting all excited about all my track arriving as I was planning to start laying it as soon as I'm finished with the job I'm on. Obviously I need all of the track to start. The internet is so saturated with shoppers I had to get my order in three separate purchases.
My Unifrog turnout order showed up from one internet source incomplete. I only received the Left ones. I received a note in the package the Right turnouts are on back order and will be shipped as soon as available.
I'm not okay with that. They should have told me they were out of stock at the time of ordering. I realize right turnouts are sold more than left so I understand but that's not the point.
Trainworld had them but doesn't take PayPal. I would have used another method of payment if I knew this other source was out of them. Furthermore I don't appreciate a vendor taking payment from PayPal that doesn't deliver the goods. How long do I have to wait for these things was not disclosed. I may have to cancel the order on my phone call if time of delivery is uncertain.
After three years from the start of my layout to the start of laying track, it's about time l live up to my name and start some Track Fiddling around here
Have a good day gentlemen
Morning All,
TF, that is frustrating and in my opinion, a little unethical. I would certainly pry for resolution.
Pounding the coffee here myself. Not sure why I'm so tired this morning, but I sure am. At least it's Friday. No big plans for the weekend, so maybe some model railroad time.
One of my daughter's friends came by the house last night in obvious distress. Both parents (they are separated) kicked her out Tuesday night with no phone, car, or family to turn to at least partly because she wants to pursue a culinary career?! She turned 18 a couple months ago, but is just going into her senior year of high school. Have some acquaintences who are school counselors with ideas & connections. A few hours later she was moving back to her dad's house. Mom still refuses to help her as she wouldn't give up her culinary desires. Incredible. At least Dad came a little to his senses. Sure hope it works out for her.
Later guys!
That is a plain shame Mike. Unfortunately common in some families. We are all individuals with our own mind and interests. Every human being should be allowed to make their own decisions whether anyone else agrees or not.
Live and Let Live is my motto. Ones opinion is warranted but should not be enforced.
Furthermore, look at all the highly successful Chefs in the world. One would think a parent would have alot of faith in the daughter they raised. If that's what one of my daughters wanted to do, I would completely support and believe in them.
'mornin'
Friday already! END of July already. Yep, it's true. The older you get the faster it goes!
Stopped into my local closeout store to see what I could find and lo, what should jump out at me but this!
Dial_0ft by Edmund, on Flickr
Right away I see the bright red CP loco and Beaver emblem, so what gives?
Dial_0fd by Edmund, on Flickr
I hoped it would be scented of Diesel fuel and brake shoe smoke, but alas — it smells like pine cones dipped in cinnamon
Dial_0a by Edmund, on Flickr
Squeeze on to a wet body sponge or POUF? Anybody got a pouf I can borrow I wondered how this stuff wound up in a closeout store (not exactly a closeout price! I usually don't spend more than a buck on shampoo).
I noticed a little sticker on the back. (just below the "Show Your Canadian Pride")
Dial_00 by Edmund, on Flickr
Oh, yeah! THAT was a great marketing strategy!
Water Level RouteMom still refuses to help her as she wouldn't give up her culinary desires. Incredible. At least Dad came a little to his senses. Sure hope it works out for her.
Too bad there isn't a screening process for parents A young person needs all the support and encouragement they can get. I gave my kids guidance, the best I could, but the choices and decisions were entirely up to them. They seem to have done OK.
See you in Sunny Mexico. From what I gather most of the railroading is run by UP, BNSF, Kansas City Southern and, yes, Canadian Pacific!
Still, the food will be great!
Ed-
Good luck this winter smelling like a Walking Forest. Try to stay away from squirrels
Not to mention that creepy insect you have up there called the pine borer
Oh, ...And I'm easy, Mexico is just fine with me, ...Si!
See you all tomorrow in Mexico Amigos!
Track fiddlerNot to mention that creepy insect you have up there called the pine borer
WE have "up here?"
https://extension.umn.edu/forest-pests-and-diseases/managing-pine-bark-beetle-damage
I haven't personally encountered any of those but we DO have the Emerald Ash Borer.
Oh, there's another thirsty predator around here known as the full beer keg borer.
You gotta watch your bung when he's around
Good morning. One last full English breakfast before we move south, please.
I quit worrying about (and buying) shampoo about 40 years ago. Not that I have anything against shampoo -- it just seems like a waste of money. Plain soap works just as well on the bare skin on my head as it does on my arms.
I had to deal with some disfunctional families. 99% of the parents were good -- working at being the best parents possible. That other 1% made me lose my hair.
I know one word in Spanish -- si. Outside of that, I'll have to dial up Google translate.
gmpullman WE have "up here?" I haven't personally encountered any of those but we DO have the Emerald Ash Borer. Oh, there's another thirsty predator around here known as the full beer keg borer. You gotta watch your bung when he's around
I may stand corrected on the pine borer after reading the University of Minnesota report. I just figured since you have many pines trees, you would have them too. I guess the one I am familiar with is the sawyer pine borer.
Yep, we got em. Many of times working the docks in Voyageurs National Park I'd have one of those creepy things land on my arm. The first time I encountered one was at Birch Grove Resort when my friend Jeff yelled "Pine Borer!!!" and swooped it off my arm.
I was only bit by one once. It felt like being pinched with a needle nose plier and did draw a little blood.
We have an emerald ash borer problem here as well. You can get a big fine for transporting firewood across county lines.
As far as the keg borer goes, I've heard they have a problem with those everywhere. Nobody seems to even worry about those around here anymore as they seem to be relatively harmless
LastspikemikeWhile you are correct that soap will clean your hair shampoo will work better.
I didn't say that soap would clean my hair. I said I don't have any hair to clean.
York1 I didn't say that soap would clean my hair. I said I don't have any hair to clean.
Nice come back John!
Personally I prefer Irish Spring, "Manly yes but I like it too"
Now we have the Winter soap, the Spring soap, what the heck am I going to do for the Fall soap?
Track fiddler Personally I prefer Irish Spring, "Manly yes but I like it too" Now we have the Winter soap, the Spring soap, what the heck am I going to do for the Fall soap?
Step on it in the shower!
I'm usually offering delicious breakfast here in the Diner, but since we're talking soap today, maybe I'll combine the two.
Scrub-a-dub-dub!
Sorry but I have no soap pictures to post today. (Said, Garry, holding no bars.)
Ed ... The Dial liquid soap with CP loco is remarkable.
Dave .... Thanks for your willingness to start the August Diner. Should be enjoyable in Mexico.
Everybody .... Have a nice day.
All right, Steven. You did it! You posted something I have never seen before, so I had to look it up. Bacon soap!
The seller describes it: "It's a sunny Sunday morning and you wake to the sweet smell of bacon wafting from the ... bathroom?"
As much as I love bacon, I'm not sure people sitting near me in church are going to understand why I smell like that sitting in the pew!
Painting break
The guys from Lowe's are here to measure up for carpet. I took my social distancing down the hall back to my place for an early sandwich
Bacon soap Steve? I have heard they have bacon chewing gum, bacon ice cream, bacon everything. But soap?
Good, ...Now I can lather up in the morning and not only be a Post Hog but smell like one too
I woke up sore today.
Not working on the house at all today... it is shopping day. I need to go to Home Depot, Bank, Post Office, Publix, and .... WAL-Mart. Boooo!
We have not been out of the house in 16 days. I hope to get enough supplies to last another two weeks. It is crazy down here in Florida.
I have lists for all. This will be a chore.
Mornin all.
It has been a hot few days here and I have been floating around in the pool a lot more than usual.
Spent the day cutting tile yesterday as we made a little progress on the trainroom bathroom, I'll be glad to see the last of that job.
We have been getting quotes to get the house painted as I hate painting with a passion, it is the only thing I will hire some else to do. We are at around $9000.00 for the job. We are also getting new windows as it is time for many reasons and that is in the $40,000.00 range. We had been putting some of these things off as we were planning to move to Vancouver Island, however, we seem to have too many obligations here for the time being. We decided to put $200,000.00 into the house and stay awhile longer. New floors and Kitchen are also on the list.
I did a favour for someone a couple of weeks ago on a delicate matter and received four bottles via Loomis courier yesterday for helping them out. Usually, I get PWRS gift certificates, however, for some reason I guess they figured I needed a drink as helping them out was a little intense for a couple of days. Anyway, they know what I like.
It will be good to give Mexico a try again, I have been there several times over the years but the last time was probably 30 years ago. Never was a big fan of the place for some reason. I have been to many third world countries and there is just something about Mexico that does not appeal to me for some reason.
We have had a lot of kids come to stay with us over the years when trouble was brewing at home. Kids need to find their own path and parents need to be there to support them. They are not possessions or trophies to be displayed. I can say that most of the troubles these kids have had, stem from the parent's attitude towards them.
Looks like I am going to get back to the hockey rink to help an upstart Sledge Hockey group get going. These are a group of wounded warriors and other disabled people. The kid is a Hockey Canada certified coach and will be running the show until they get organized. The kid has helped troubled youth get into hockey as a way to help turn their lives around and we have helped out with the disabled sports programs through the years. We are awash in corporate money for hockey for all levels and have amazing facilities everywhere we turn, not sure how long I will be involved but I am looking forward to getting back at it.
It is unbelievable how many doors all his volunteering has opened for him career-wise. He was on one of the big media shows for an hour this week talking about the NHL playoffs, it is weird to hear your own kid on a broadcast.
I have to change the quick connects on the pressure washer hose, I am guessing it got run over by his truck when I lent it to the FIL.
Wife is going shopping with the kid as he needs a couple of new suites for all his jobs. He bugged out of Ottawa so fast when the covid thing hit, he left his good suite there. He will be going back soon and can get it then. I will stay home and trim the hedges today, I hate shopping for just about anything.
The other day I was doing a few easy push-ups as I always do and my shoulder went pop. It is the shoulder I already had surgery on a few years ago. I'll give it some time to heal up before I get too concerned. Then on Wednesday morning I woke up and climbed out of bed and my knee went pop just getting out of bed! Getting old really sucks. My knee is bad from plummeting down Whistler mountain as fast as I possibly could all those years. I am on slow-mo bike riding for a couple of weeks. If I stop altogether I'll seize up like a rusty old tin man. Good thing I have all that booze to see me through these tough times.
Best get at it.
Afternoon folks!
I'm taking a break from some badly needed cleaning here at the house. Have about 2 weeks to get everything ship shape!! Why, you ask? Well.... On the 13th. of August, I will be brave and introduce my local family )Son, DIL, and Grandaugters to the lady i have been dating for over a year now... And her to them. My Lady Friend is an immaculate housekeeper, my son and his family are borderline hoarders, and I am a slob. I don't like a messy house, but I am just not good at cleaning... So I have started now to have enough time to make sure everything is in order when she is here. We will be having a Family Picnic that evening over at the State Park on Seneca Lake. That will give us a chance to not be crowded together (social Distanced) and make sure everyone is comfortable during the picnic.
So... Mehicho next month? OK by me as long as I don't have to eat any of what they consider to be food! They seem to put smaetters on everything. Tomatilos I don't mind, but tomatoes are my least favorite thing. Pukey frankly (old family buggaboo likey. I have been told I ate them when I was very young, no problem. But at some point I bit into one that was rotten or had a worm in it!!!) Yech!!!! I do like the cultural and musical stuff from Mexico! Should be interesting.
BATMANWe have had a lot of kids come to stay with us over the years when trouble was brewing at home. Kids need to find their own path and parents need to be there to support them. They are not possessions or trophies to be displayed. I can say that most of the troubles these kids have had, stem from the parent's attitude towards them.
That is one of the reasons I hold you folks in very high esteem! Sounds like you have raised a fine young man too! Someday I should take a vacation over your way!?!
BATMANI have to change the quick connects on the pressure washer hose, I am guessing it got run over by his truck when I lent it to the FIL.
I have bought several "quick Connects" and have never had one that doesn't leak like a sieve!
Well, back to cleaning the dump I live in!
Water Level RouteMom still refuses to help her as she wouldn't give up her culinary desires.
Culinary desires at 18, living at home? I would defintely give her the option of buying her own food a Whole Foods and cooking it herself. I thought you were going to hint at some lurid details.
Steven bacon soap the dog would never leave my thigh
Brent Love rum but never acquired a taste for spiced rum. Of course if I'm out of my rum, I will drink the Captain I keep here for my son.Saw my new house yesterday and the yard was nicely graded with top soil for sod and seed on Tuesday. In the afternoon it poured buckets and I now have a miny grand canyon. More topsoil, more money.
I can remember my Grandma making soap from mutton lard, and my Mum using it to do the laundry, the soap placed in a muslin bag sitting in the water in the centre post agitator washing machine. Monday was always Washing Day.
“An income tax form is like a laundry list - either way you lose your shirt.”-Fred Allen.
Thoughts and best Wishes to All that need them. Stay Safe.
EDIT!!!! Top of the Page!!! Better have a last feed of 'greasies" (though a good Fish and Chip Shop, like my local one, can keep the oil to a minimum), before we head off to Mexico.
Wow, it took over five hours to run all my errands today.
We are all set for another two weeks of isolation. I spent over $1,000.00 at Home Depot, but I should have enough to get everything done on the Lanai.
The tropical storm is turning away from us. There must have been 20 people at Home Depot returning generators and chainsaws.
I decided to install three ceiling fans out back on the lanai. I hope to use it a lot more once it is complete.
My purple Crape Myrtles never did bloom this year. Once they waited all the way until mid-August, so there is still some hope.
Bear: I already had Chinese food for dinner, but your picture makes me wish I would have opted for Pete's Fish And Chips instead.
Flo, give the gang a I some Fried Feet, a and Dirk a dog treat.
Wether is very strange today. It got down to 68 degress at 4:00 PM? But very humid at 97% so you are cold and sticky at the same time. That sucks.
For some reason my right shoulder and elbow hurts today? I have not lifted anything heavy or anything hard? Guess it is because I am getting old.
Later Ken and Dirk says Woof, Woof.
Is this the last post before the diner moves to Mexico?
2115hrs on the West Coast.
I guess it was not.
Tomorrow will be a very busy day working on the Lanai. I hope to get at least three of the ceiling sections of drywall hung. This is going to ba an adventure.
Goodbye to the UK... on towards the land South Of The Border!
Two sets of pushers heading back down so the boys can ride together and shoot the breeze.
BATMAN2115hrs on the West Coast.
Already 1746 hours , 1st of August here!!
Ooops,
Laid down for a nap after supper and didn't wake up until 2:00 am.
I'll start the trip to Mexico right now!
Sorry,