How about a cold bottle of Dark Porter from Anchor Brewing?
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
I had an interesting day. I finally had some time to work on the house, and it did not rain, and there was a cool breeze all day long.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
My 2017 Highlander has some awareness of the edge of the road and danger close vehicles in front of me. No where near self driving. However if you googlcame Tesla kills dog, just today a dog ran out in the street and the self driving car did not see it.
That said, I was at a traffic light, one lane turning left, two going straight. I was in the far right lane and the car to my left ignored my horn and into my lane. That probably wouldn't happen with a self driving car.
More importantly I discovered bear do do, no, wait, what is Brad Pitt's term? A bear grumpy in my flower bed! They also caught a bear in Washington DC today.
https://tinyurl.com/25ywd38c
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Good evening
Ever see a ripple or two in steel like this
Me neither, unless you and me are a hundred years or better
Nothing better than a good coffee table, as I'm glad to be back home again
TF
Track fiddlerEver see a ripple or two in steel like this
FF16 #9499-A Jan 7 1955 photo 1 011 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
"Oh, that'll rub out —"
and it DID!
FF16 #9499-A Jan 7 1955 photo 3 1 019 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr
For the modeler who says "I've got enough F units. Who needs more F units"...
CNW F-units at Oelwein Iowa June 1975 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
BATMANNot embracing improvement in safety systems is for those that choose to not be informed on the hows and why's things change.
Hi Brent,
I certainly believe that a lot of the new safety systems are worthwhile, but others I'm not quite comfortable with. For example, I'd rather not have something moving the steering wheel for me.
I drive very cautiously. I haven't had to slam on the brakes more than a few times during 53 years of driving because I always keep a big enough space between me and the car ahead. If the traffic slows down suddenly ahead of me, I can slow down more gradually and give the guy behind me a chance to avoid rear ending me. I never change lanes abruptly. I check my mirrors and look over my shoulder and put the turn signal on well before moving out of my lane. When I do move over I do it very slowly in order to give anyone who might be trying to move into the same space from two lanes over a chance to avoid a collision. I always watch for cross traffic at intersections and, if a car is approaching quickly, I have my foot over the brake pedal. I deliberately focus on giving my full attention to the road whenever I am behind the wheel. If I find myself thinking about something else like model railroading, I shut those thoughts off immediately.
I will use the blind spot monitors. I will use the backup camera and the side approach monitors. I may even use the emergency braking system although I will be sorely disappointed with myself if it ever kicks in.
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 everyone. Chloe, I feel terrible this morning. Just two untoasted pieces of wheat bread and a glass of milk please.
I was renting cars frequently when all the safety devices became widely installed.
Rarely, they could be irritating. I remember having a Chrysler SUV one time that would not let me back up towards a block wall. I think all those problems have been corrected for a long time now.
I came to love all the added features, and they made driving less stressful.
My favorite feature of all-time was on a Lexus. It would "caravan" to the car in front of you in bumper-to-bumper traffic. You did not have to do anything. It would follow that car unless it changed lanes or went over 25 MPH.
Sitting in stop-and-go traffic and needing to do absolutely nothing was such a stress reliever.
Another of my favorites was automatically adjusting cruise control. Where if I had the cruise set to 70, but I was approaching a car going 68, it would just slow down and not tailgate the car in front of me. That was very much less-stressful.
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
It's a dark morning outside, but if past history repeats, no rain will fall. I've given up on radar weather. Last night was the last straw. On the radar, we had dark green and some orange over us. That's supposed to indicate rain or heavy rain. Not a drop fell. My wife said the radar indicates rain even if it's up above and evaporates before it gets to the ground. I tried to tell her that's not what I consider rain, but that argument ended the way every argument for 45 years has ended. I was wrong.
Railroad signals in the most part are mysteries for me. I understand red or green, but beyond that, I'm out of luck. I guess I'm not interested enough to read and learn what everything meant or means today.
I am amazed at the videos I've seen of switch systems. Even Lion's switch system on his layout is a complete mystery to me.
Have a great Saturday.
Washington, DC:
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."
maxman No ---Spontaneous Tesla Combustion
No ---Spontaneous Tesla Combustion
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/12/08/its-extremely-rare-for-teslas-to-spontaneously-catch-on-fire/
At BSA National Camp School we were taught why BSA Banned the use of gasoline stoves. One cup of gasoline mixed with air has enough explosive power to lift a one ton weight one mile straight up in the air. We were shown video of what happens when just a tablespoon of the stuff is mixed with air and then ignited. Huge fireball!!! Your sitting on top of how many gallons?
Battery fires do have to be extinguished differently than gas fires, but more and more fire companies now have the materials and know how to handle them.
Battery fires are not limited to Teslas BTW, several other auto companies have much worse records for them. Largely happens while charging. I'll keep my Tesla!
Much of what I know about the subject I learned from my son who is considered one of the top 3 knowledgable people in the world on Battery technology. He is now in the UK and is (among other things) an advisor to the PM and Parliament on the subject of battery power. He also teaches about 50 Doctoral candidates about the entire subject. I'll stick with his advise......
Remember, Life is dangerous! None of us will get out of this world alive!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
howmus maxman No ---Spontaneous Tesla Combustion https://cleantechnica.com/2021/12/08/its-extremely-rare-for-teslas-to-spontaneously-catch-on-fire/ At BSA National Camp School we were taught why BSA Banned the use of gasoline stoves. One cup of gasoline mixed with air has enough explosive power to lift a one ton weight one mile straight up in the air. We were shown video of what happens when just a tablespoon of the stuff is mixed with air and then ignited. Huge fireball!!! Your sitting on top of how many gallons? Battery fires do have to be extinguished differently than gas fires, but more and more fire companies now have the materials and know how to handle them. Battery fires are not limited to Teslas BTW, several other auto companies have much worse records for them. Largely happens while charging. I'll keep my Tesla! Much of what I know about the subject I learned from my son who is considered one of the top 3 knowledgable people in the world on Battery technology. He is now in the UK and is (among other things) an advisor to the PM and Parliament on the subject of battery power. He also teaches about 50 Doctoral candidates about the entire subject. I'll stick with his advise...... Remember, Life is dangerous! None of us will get out of this world alive! 73
lol,lol. I threw out the bait and it was snapped up.
Earth girls are easy.
maxmanlol,lol. I threw out the bait and it was snapped up. Earth girls are easy.
I kinda figured that was what it was.... But.... I do like to talk about the technology! . (you noticed I didn't respond until this morning!)
Be Blessed!
FYI.... The T-shirt I'm wearing today was given to me by my DiL... Describes me quite well actually. Says:
WARNING
I'm Retired.
I know everything.
And have plenty of time to talk.
Approach with Caution!
Mornin' again! Speaking of polluters.... Here are some of my favorite ones at work!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sNlhWfi4vw
These are out at the Rochester and Genesse Valley RR Museum where I am a member. A couple weekends ago they were busy doing some switching to get ready for this season's opening. At the end of the clip you can see LV 211 being moved (deadhead). I used to watch her switch cars way back when I taught in Waverly, NY in "The Valley". The Lehigh Valley Sayre, PA Yard was just a couple miles from where I lived. Nice she got preserved and still can run.
Enjoy!
gmpullman Track fiddler Ever see a ripple or two in steel like this FF16 #9499-A Jan 7 1955 photo 1 011 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr "Oh, that'll rub out —" and it DID! FF16 #9499-A Jan 7 1955 photo 3 1 019 by John W. Barriger III National Railroad Library, on Flickr For the modeler who says "I've got enough F units. Who needs more F units"... CNW F-units at Oelwein Iowa June 1975 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr
Track fiddler Ever see a ripple or two in steel like this
, Certainly see you've kept your sense of humor...You're Killing me!
They musta used Mirror Glaze on it. Gotta tin of that stuff around here somewhere, and seem to remember it used to work wonders on the Pony Car back in the day...
And a Good Call, after just checking this morning, could use a few more of those Chicago F units over here myself......
My wife and I had Chinese take-out for lunch today. This was my fortune cookie:
"If you always look into the sun you will never see any shadows"
I guess that is true, you won't see much of anything else either. I am not even sure what they were going for with that one. I didn't think one could make it through peer review like that. It seems like very bad advice.
SeeYou190"If you always look into the sun you will never see any shadows"
Very True!!!
You will be blind instead!
Evening
Well, the food supply chain was left to deplete on purpose before our two week vacation. Have always hated grocery shopping, but do like the food, so we went today
There's a deal in our homestead over here. Everything is paid for by me, except Judy buys the groceries. But for some reason, this deal comes with stipulations, as I'm feeling the short end of the stick sometimes
We got to the cookie section, and she said, "Only one package of cookies this time"! Even though feeling that that wasn't fair, decided to grab the big party pack of Lemon Oreos, cuz Kevin turned me on to those, and they're quite tasty...
A bit later by the bread and bakery section, she caught me red-handed, throwing a big family pack of Nutty Bars into the cart. She said, only one package of cookies
Told Her!, These Are Not Cookies!, They Are Nutty Bars!, and so much better than cookies. She let that one slide, as apparently, she wanted a few of those herself
Shopping with my wife reminds me too much like shopping with my Mom back in the day, l'm still getting scolded
SeeYou190 My wife and I had Chinese take-out for lunch today. This was my fortune cookie: "If you always look into the sun you will never see any shadows" I guess that is true, you won't see much of anything else either. I am not even sure what they were going for with that one. I didn't think one could make it through peer review like that. It seems like very bad advice. -Kevin
Regarding our new Honda Odyssey, we have made the decision to have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires replaced with Michelin Crossclimate 2s. I had asked for the van to be equiped with Michelins during our first discussion with the salesperson but apparently the request was ignored.
When we went to pick up the car I asked about the Michelins and was told by the salesperson that the Bridgestones were a superior tire to the Michelin, so I did some research. The Bridgestones have decent ratings under normal driving conditions but several reviews noted that they tend to understeer badly when they reach their modest traction limit, and then they can suddenly switch to radical oversteer. I needn't say how dangerous that could be in an avoidance manouever. Their traction was also somewhat uneven in wet conditions. The Michelins exhibited good handling right to their limits and the understeer was moderate and controllable under all driving conditions.
The Bridgestones also have a higher rolling resistance which negatively affects gas mileage and makes the engine constantly have to work harder.
I will try to get the dealership to give me a credit for the Bridgestones. They did that for us when we bought our 2014 Odyssey.
Track fiddlerThe big party pack of Lemon Oreos, cuz Kevin turned me on to those.
Oh man, now I need a pack of those for myself.
Way back in the day, Winn Dixie sold a store brand peanut butter sandwich cookie that was better than Nutter Butters. I would love a time machine to get some of those again.
SeeYou190Way back in the day, Winn Dixie sold a store brand peanut butter sandwich cookie that was better than Nutter Butters.
My wife would occasionally bring home some of the Aldi brand peanut butter bars and I'd sometimes treat myself to one. I was curious as to how they measured up flavor-wise to the traditional Nutty Buddie so I bought a box of those maybe a year or so back.
I actually like the Aldi creation a little better. Seems like there's actual peanut butter in them and they aren't quite as sickeningly sweet which is a plus for me.
https://www.aldi.us/en/products/snacks/cookies-sweets/detail/ps/p/bakers-treat-peanut-butter-wafers/
I'm far from being a 'health nut' but I very much dislike things that are excessively sweet. I laugh at how some products are claimed to be 'heart-healthy' (honey-nut Cherrios?) and the next ingredient after enriched processed flour is high-fructose corn syrup
CNW commuter train Chicago IL 1981 by Mark LLanuza, on Flickr
Good morning, everyone. It's donut day!
Just a few minutes to post this morning. It thundered quite a bit, but no rain.
I just found out the former president of my school board died. He was a great guy -- a farmer who could have led any school board to make a school excellent. Another older woman I knew from church also died yesterday, so it looks like two more funerals this week.
hon30critterI had asked for the van to be equiped with Michelins during our first discussion
Years ago, I bought my first set of Michelins when I changed tires. I was amazed at how much better the car drove the first time. They lasted forever. The latest ones I got about four weeks ago on the Expedition. The older Michelins on that car were over 70,000 miles. They were still in such good shape the tire guy gave me $60 trade-in for each tire. I'm not a tire expert, but I would put Michelins above any other tires I've ever used.
TF -- Nutty bars are the best. I still have two Nutty bars a day for my dessert. Of course, I also have a bowl ice cream each night, but that is survival food, not dessert.
We're heading out the door. I hope everyone has a great Sunday!
Spencer, North Carolina?
Good morning everyone. Chloe, I am not feelng hungry this morning, but I will have a cup of coffee to go with the conversation.
gmpullmanI actually like the Aldi creation a little better.
I have found three things at Aldi that I prefer over other brands:
1) Bacon Bits
2) Braunschweiger
3) Toasted Coconut Macaroons
Good stuff!
gmpullmanMy wife would occasionally bring home some of the Aldi brand peanut butter bars and I'd sometimes treat myself to one. I was curious as to how they measured up flavor-wise to the traditional Nutty Buddie so I bought a box of those maybe a year or so back. I actually like the Aldi creation a little better. Seems like there's actual peanut butter in them and they aren't quite as sickeningly sweet which is a plus for me. https://www.aldi.us/en/products/snacks/cookies-sweets/detail/ps/p/bakers-treat-peanut-butter-wafers/ I'm far from being a 'health nut' but I very much dislike things that are excessively sweet. I laugh at how some products are claimed to be 'heart-healthy' (honey-nut Cherrios?) and the next ingredient after enriched processed flour is high-fructose corn syrup
I'm not sure, but I think that they may have managed to eliminate most of the high fructose stuff from children's cereals. I don't see it listed on the Strawberry Special K I eat, and according to the 'net there isn't any in the Honey Nut stuff.
Concerning Aldi, after listening to all the hype about what a wonderful money saving experience it was, I finally set foot into one for the first time yesterday.
Not impressed. I did buy a loaf of bread because we needed some. If you're concerned about the high fructose stuff, you don't want to read the nutrition label on the bread loaf. "Contains bio-engineered food ingredients."
What the heck is that?
hon30critterRegarding our new Honda Odyssey, we have made the decision to have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires replaced with Michelin Crossclimate 2s
Can't say anything about tires. Did some net searching and came up with a bunch of different opinions.
However, if your new Odyssey comes with what Honda calls "auto idle stop", let us know your opinion of that:
https://tiremeetsroad.com/2022/04/30/honda-acura-owners-permanently-disable-auto-start-stop/
maxman hon30critter Regarding our new Honda Odyssey, we have made the decision to have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires replaced with Michelin Crossclimate 2s Can't say anything about tires. Did some net searching and came up with a bunch of different opinions. However, if your new Odyssey comes with what Honda calls "auto idle stop", let us know your opinion of that: https://tiremeetsroad.com/2022/04/30/honda-acura-owners-permanently-disable-auto-start-stop/ Hi maxman, We haven't run the van in heavy traffic other than the day we picked it up, and I had manually turned the system off for that trip. Dianne susequently made one trip where she was stopped at a light for a few seconds and she didn't sense the engine stopping. We will have to drive the van a few more times before I can give you a definitive answer, but I won't likely use the system. We had a rental car a couple of years ago that had the idle stop function. I found it to be sluggish off the line and I didn't like the idea of there being a delay if I had to get out of the way of an errant car. I taught my kids that they were still driving even when they were stopped. Don't take your hands off the wheel and don't take your eyes off the road! Cheers!! Dave
hon30critter Regarding our new Honda Odyssey, we have made the decision to have the OEM Bridgestone Turanza tires replaced with Michelin Crossclimate 2s
Hi maxman,
We haven't run the van in heavy traffic other than the day we picked it up, and I had manually turned the system off for that trip. Dianne susequently made one trip where she was stopped at a light for a few seconds and she didn't sense the engine stopping.
We will have to drive the van a few more times before I can give you a definitive answer, but I won't likely use the system. We had a rental car a couple of years ago that had the idle stop function. I found it to be sluggish off the line and I didn't like the idea of there being a delay if I had to get out of the way of an errant car.
I taught my kids that they were still driving even when they were stopped. Don't take your hands off the wheel and don't take your eyes off the road!
hon30critter ...but I won't likely use the system.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning everyone. Chloe, please bring me a toasted english muffin with peanut butter and jelly to start this day.
maxmanConcerning Aldi, after listening to all the hype about what a wonderful money saving experience it was, I finally set foot into one for the first time yesterday. Not impressed.
My wife grew up in Indiana, and always talked about this magical grocery store called Aldi. They had the best of everything and she loved it.
Then... about ten years ago one opened down here.
After 25 years of shopping at Publix, she realized Aldi was awful.
Unfortunately, since Publix began expanding outside of Florida, they are no longer the gem they were for my entire life. Still the best grocery store option, but not THE BEST like they were.
Good Morning Diners. Chloe, black coffee and a piece of coffee cake please.
SeeYou190this magical grocery store called Aldi
SeeYou190Publix...Still the best grocery store option, but not THE BEST like they were
Depsite the rain drops, I burned through all the lumber I had for my firewood shelter project. That's good, as it worked out pretty much exactly like I had planned. I knew I was going to have to grab some measurements once I hit a certain spot to figure out what more I needed to finish it and that's right where I am. Borrowing my buddy's wood splitter at the end of the week. With any luck, I'll have some pictures of the whole project completed this weekend.
Cheers guys!
Mike
We don't have a real choice in grocery stores. We have one true grocery store, which carries everything we want or need.
Water Level RouteDepsite the rain drops, I burned through all the lumber I had for my firewood shelter project. That's good, as it worked out pretty much exactly like I had planned.
That sounds like a great project. I built one about 20 years ago that still serves us well. It used to be quite a bit larger, but I've since removed some rotted sections. We don't go through nearly the firewood we used to. I gave away my chain saw and my splitter, and I buy firewood from our town's tree service.
Last year, our convenience store-gas station started selling small bundles of firewood (four or five pieces) for $6.00. At that price, my normal winter fires would cost me a fortune.
Monday. For 45 years I didn't like that word. Now, it's the same as any other day in retirement! Have a great one.
Baltimore?
Good morning
She needs a new door skin after getting her cleaned up this Spring. There's lots of salt up here during the cold season
No Sir!, that's not happening on my watch. Ain't no Mustang, but my truck don't deserve this kind of abuse either.
Figured the Pony Car got new door skins restored 45 years ago, so might as well take care of the Ram now too.
Not too bad for 20 years, and I'll update you when Her door feels a whole lot better
I actually have an awesome treat for everybody today. I found these in the grocery store last night. My life has been changed. These Little Debbie Peanut Butter Creeme Pies are AMAZING!
I do not know if they are a new item,or something I just never noticed, but I sure am glad I tried them out.
Track fiddlerNo Sir!, that's not happening on my watch. Ain't no Mustang, but my truck don't deserve this abuse either.
My trucks have never received any cosmetic maintenance, or even a bath for that matter!
Even when new, they were treated like beaters.