Good evening everybody.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Tonight we are having Paulaner Oktoberfest for everyone... Enjoy!
Today we had our first local farmer selling watermelons in the parking lot. $3.00 for a "medium" sized melon seemed like a bargain to me.
I just finished slicing it up. What a great bounty of watermelon chunks.
Trains I Have Seen On Vacation #15
I started making a new CosPlay prop for my daughter tonight. She is getting ready for MegaCon in Orlando.
This is similar to the last spear I made her, but I am going to attempt to make this one lighter and more "airy" than the previous one.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Minus one hundred fifty-three years:
UP_CP-5-10-1869 by Edmund, on Flickr
On vacation leaving Cleveland on the Capitol headed to D.C. then on to Columbia, North Carolina to see my son's graduation from boot camp at Fort Jackson:
Amtrak_Capitol_CLE by Edmund, on Flickr
I had to hustle to get the photo then get back on the train, quickstep!
The Canadian Pacific is a Beautiful Place:
Dawn at Canal Flats by Mike Danneman, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning Diners. A coffee on the go please, Janie.
A tough day ahead. Dawn is not feeling 100% so just a quick visit.
One for John and Henry. P&O cruise ship 'IONA' at sunny Olden, Norway.
Iona in Olden 3rd May 22 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Railway in Dubai.
SAM_0922 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Jumeirah Beach Tram
SAM_0923 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Dave, one of my bucket list items was to ride the Rocky Mountaineer. As I get older by the minute, it seems that may be one item that may not get fulfilled. I have so many other things on the list ahead of it that I don't think I have enough time.
David, that's a nice-looking ship. By the date, I assume that's the ship you took on the Norway vacation?
Kevin, I'll pass on the beer, but I'll have some of that watermelon. That must be one of the perks of living in Florida -- we don't get watermelons here until late in the summer.
Ed, that's a neat photo of your Amtrak train. How long ago was that?
Bear, I love the old travel photos.
It is primary election day in our state. While there's quite a few people who now vote by mail, my wife and I have always voted on election day. In all the years we've been married, I don't believe we've ever missed an election.
My parents were fun voters. My mother was a rock-hard conservative, and my father was a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. They always joked after voting that they completely canceled out each other's vote.
I hope all the diner patrons have a good healthy day today.
This is from 1978 on the last Southern Crescent run on Southern Railway. We took it from Atlanta to New Orleans. With the Rio Grande Zephyr, it was one of the last of the long distance privately-run passenger trains in the U.S.
York1 John
I asked my doctor if I gave up delicious food and all alcohol, would I live longer? He said, "No, but it will seem longer."
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
BroadwayLion I didn't know we had our own Navy!
I last rode the Staten Island Ferry in 1973 when the fare was a nickel!
York1I last rode the Staten Island Ferry in 1973 when the fare was a nickel!
I rode it in 1966 and I think the fare was a nickel then as well. Had a fancy hot dog on board and I seem to recall that was the princely sum of 25¢
Prepare to repel boarders!!!
EL_Pocono by Edmund, on Flickr
A direct hit — she's takin' on water:
Lansdowne_listing by Edmund, on Flickr
The ferry fare has gone up to $0.00 and has been there for years beyond count.
But they take no cars since 9-11-2001
But as part of the maritime system, you will find dogs crawling up your leg sniffing for banned stuff, drugs but mostly bombs.
BroadwayLionThe ferry fare has gone up to $0.00
Does this mean that they used to pay you to ride?
York1 David, that's a nice-looking ship. By the date, I assume that's the ship you took on the Norway vacation?
Yes, John. P&O (Part of Carnival Corporation.) cruise ship Iona, 184,089 grt.
We were just glad to be cruising the high seas again. Norway is one of our favourite places.
The GF and I rode the Staten Island Ferry about 5 or 6 years ago. I was still in Massachusetts and she was still in Virginia. We met in NYC after each traveling by Amtrak. One day we took the ferry for a quick round trip just to do it. We also went to the 9/11 Memorial.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good Morning Diners. Brunhilda, a coffee and some cinnamon raisin toast please.
Well, I placed a pre-order for the new HO scale Bachmann Hudson coming out. Makes me a little nervous as I'm guessing it will be similar to my other Bachmann steamers and need some attention to become a solid puller, but I don't have a Hudson on my roster at all, and that's just not right. While I would have preferred a BLI, the ones on Ebay as of late have either had issues, or been grossly overpriced.
Another busy day ahead, so I better get moving. Have a great day everyone!
Mike
Good day Diners. A Chicken Salad please, Zoe.
Mike I hope the Hudson is a good buy.
A favourite of mine, 'The Molli Train' in Eastern Germany.
Sorry about the quality of the pictures. The camera was discarded shortly after.
SAM_0585 by David Harrison, on Flickr
SAM_0588 by David Harrison, on Flickr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUb1BI-Tbh0&ab_channel=C57128
Thoughts & Peace to All who Require
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and coffee, please. And don't let Brother Lion anywhere near me with his breakfast -- I want my meat and eggs cooked before they get to the table.
Well, it's time. I have to go out and cut the grass again. All that rain last week had a bad effect on my lawn -- it made it grow.
Thankfully, it will be in the mid-90s temps today, so it will be a good day to stay inside after the lawn is cut. I should be able to have some fun with the layout.
Have a great day, everyone.
The diner waitresses are not having a good day with earning tips.
Charley and other bird watchers -- normally we have one or two orioles at our feeder. Today, we had six males at the feeder at the same time!
My wife who is the bird expert said she also saw a darker male, which is a different kind of oriole. I can't remember the name.
I think I need a good camera.
Orchard Oriole; ranges mostly overlap.
John
We had a decent sized flock of egrets here this morning. Because of this storm, it's cold and windy and the water level is way up in the marsh behind the house. The egrets we're waiting out the high tide so they could wade and hunt.
Good Evening,
John, we had an oriole in the yard yesterday and today. We put out the dish of grape jelly and half an orange so hopefully he will bring friends. We had a magnificent male grosbeak too. A few warblers have arrived and a kinglet.
Got the car filled with gas yesterday and it cost $113. First time ever over $100. Good thing we drive so little.
Today we picked up a lot of the flowers my wife likes to plant.
No progress on the fence replacement. The contractor is a small operator who sent me a contract that I won't sign until I have re-drafted it. In my work life I was in charge of all legal matters with our dealers and have worked on more cotracts than I care to remember. If the fence guy won't agree to the changes he won't be doing my fence.
Expecting more rain tomorrow.
Lion, nice photos of warthogs. Have seen many in Africa. A favourite food of lions. Not renown for intelligence as will sometimes run towards lions instead of away when panicked.
CN Charlie
Hi everyone.
We are having an absolutely beautiful evening here today. The air is in the high 60s, there is a gentle breeze, and almost no humidity.
I have been outside enjoying this perfection. It is wonderful.
All the weather guys have to say is that it is less than three weeks to the beginning of Hurricane Season. These guys can't report good news for anything. If I was a weatherman I would be saying "this is amazing... get outdoors and make the most of this", but that is not what is being said. Oh well.
I am getting a lot of pressure at work to either become a Department Head or join the management team. No-thank-you to both of those.
A company in Pembroke Pines reached out to me yesterday to try to get me come run their training programs. I read the job description they sent. I thought, this is too much work for one person to do. Then it occured to me I did all of that for four years. No-thank-you again.
The World Is A Beautiful Place
Until tomorrow...
SeeYou190I am getting a lot of pressure at work to either become a Department Head or join the management team. No-thank-you to both of those. A company in Pembroke Pines reached out to me yesterday to try to get me come run their training programs. I read the job description they sent. I thought, this is too much work for one person to do. Then it occured to me I did all of that for four years. No-thank-you again.
Hi Kevin,
I think you have made the right decisions. You are pretty much out of the rat race. I suggest that you keep it that way!
Working the floor in a place like Home Depot is, for the most part, a lot of fun. You get to make people happy and help them solve their problems, and often save them from making costly mistakes. Yes, there are the occassional idiots, but they just give you something to talk about when you go for a break. After I quit Sears Canada I worked at Home Depot for a while. I would have stayed longer but my back said 'no way!'.
Getting back into management or even a senior training position at this point in your life would be folly IMHO! You don't need the money or the frustration and stress. It's time to sit back and enjoy life. That's what you worked your butt off for for so long. The fact that people want you to take those positions tells you just how good a job you have done in the past.
Can you tell that I'm blissfully retired?!?
Sorry if I sound like I am lecturing you.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good morning Diners. A full English and a pot of tea please, Janie.
I am with you Dave regardiing keeping away from the 'rat race'. Doing things I like to do is fine by me.
Palma to Soller wooden train and Soller Tramway. Majorca
SAM_1104 by David Harrison, on Flickr
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CMdgYPXyZU&ab_channel=markjobling70