The big storm came and went - leaving 1.217" of rain behind. There might be a little more rain coming, but nothing terrible.
We certainly needed the rain. And could use more.
Back in the sixties, we regularly vacationed at my aunt's cottage here (we lived in MI). Usually, during the dog days of summer, being gone for two weeks wasn't a big deal - the lawn would be a little shaggy when we got back, but no jungle.
One year, however, it apparently rained every morning while we were gone, but cleared up by 10 or so with plenty of sunshine to follow. You can guess the results with the lawn...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Wednesday the lawn was looking brown in spots and we hadn't had rain for almost 3 weeks.
Rained yesterday during the day and overnight besides - the brown spot almost immediately turned green.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Balt - isn't that beautiful!
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
Carl,
I checked out the jewelery store. The battery they have is not for my 1967 watch. I would need to have the watch modified at a cost of $200.00 to accept that battery. Cheaper to keep my Timex running.
Norm
Well, doesn't she look familiar?!?!?!
And yes, I have run the old girl. The ALCO S1 behind her I haven't run, yet. You ought to see the woodworking inside the cab, though.... Very nice.
For those keeping score, 1508 is an F7, nee Alaska Railroad (in which colors she ran when she first arrived on the Adirondack Scenic).
I've been inside an Alco switcher's cab, and noticed the tongue-and-groove wood that lined the cab (roof was all, I think). In the case of the unit I was in, though, it had been covered in "institutional green."
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
morning
Stacey bought a new phone for home.Seems we need a plug for it.Need to play post office or "bill" might get upset.Going to go see what CSX can run today as well.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
Just stepped-in from the smoker. Everything outside is "smoked" courtesy of the fires on the pacific coast. Looked like dirty fog yesterday in Denver.
Meanwhile, up north in Ft. Collins, BNSF almost interupted a major bicycle race. (Lack of planning by the race promoters, again. The concept that freight trains are extra's and don't rigidly follow a schedule is still news to them )
Mr. Squirrel is pushing his luck. May have to resort to "the persuader" in order to save the vegetable garden. New scottie now goes on-duty next spring.
MC, it's worse than winter here on the Wasatch Front. At least, in the winter, there is little wood smoke in the air, but this stuff that has come from the west is full of it. The ring of mountains around the Crossroads of the West does not help in the least.
I am improving slowly, what with the visits to the torture chamber downstairs. The physical therapists know their stuff, and are doing all they can to help me.
One day last week, another older inmate and I were taken to visit a working farm that invites people to come and see some of how it is done--and a little bit of how it was done. There is one building with ancient farm machinery in it, and I was able to explain most of it to the others on the expedition. I wish there had been a scythe or two, along with a sickle or two, but those are not machinery. I expect a scythe would have been a total mystery to my companions. I was never able to get the hang of using one, but I have seen at least one in use. A crosscut saw is something else which they may never have seen; I learned how to run one (along with a pipe threader) when I was nine years old.
Johnny
evening
mother nature sent us some rain.CSX today had a tie gang and other MOW crews working. Q 324 only had to wait for 2 trains before departing the yard.Tomorrow it's back to work.
CShaveRR I've been inside an Alco switcher's cab, and noticed the tongue-and-groove wood that lined the cab (roof was all, I think). In the case of the unit I was in, though, it had been covered in "institutional green."
This one's all varnished...
No casualties during the local triathlon today. Ran a cross-band repeater at my truck for part of the race - until the battery died. The local ARES team was running a repeater on a band I don't have a radio for (yet), so I set up the repeater to "translate" from the radio I do have to the main repeater. Actually worked pretty well...
Several of the firemen were thoroughly impressed that we were talking all over the place with hand-held radios, since that doesn't always work well on our current fire radio system.
A few days "off." Plenty to do, but no deadlines...
Smoke? We've got it out here. (Less than a hundred miles from the fires but on the other side of the mountains.) The main line of my imagineered railroad across the Cascades suffered major damage despite lots of work by firemen and the road's fire suppression train...
Evergreen State...
Some years ago there were wildfires burning in northern Quebec. An odd weather pattern brought the smoke all the way down into northern and central New York state. There were several "smoke in the area" reports as a result.
I was in the Syracuse area and noticed the "off" color of the sunlight.
In North Florida a decade or more ago, there was a draught and multiple wildfires. Depending on the direction of the wind you could see and smell the smoke, or if it blew the other direction all was normal.
When I traveled down to Daytona later in the year - there were whole communities a couple of hundered yards from I-95 that I had never known existed, but were now visible account the fires having destroyed the wooded areas that blocked them from view.
work busy.Ns had a stack train waiting to go west.Chores to do.
I have been lying low ("lay low" is what I do; "lying low" is what I've been doing) for a while. I've had one file of freight-car information that's been gving me no end of problems. A friend sent some nice ancestry information for a lot of these cars, and somehow, while incorporating that into my files, I corrupted something. Every time I would open the file it would take longer and longer to load--until it got to about 48 hours! Meantime, seeing the handwriting on the screen, I began transferring sections of the file into a new one, and reduced the old one to 15 pages or so before decidng to just toss it out. I was able to retrieve most of the information from other sources (including a backup I happened to have, only slightly outdated), so when I get done it will be better than ever...over 50,000 words (180 pages) and counting! If any of the anonymous posters here is named Anderson, it's your turn to lie low! (The Andersons--AEX, etc., is the file that's been killing me here.)Tomorrow, though (at Pat's suggestion), I'll be getting out of the house for another train-watching time in Elmhurst. She has to go there for a purchase at a music shop, and she'll leave me there to ride the train home when I'm ready.First, though, I have to get a test...Pat's test for a genetic mutation turned up negative, so it's now my turn. Odds are very much in favor of my being positive for this mutation, which turned out to be present in Linda's cancer (negative for both parents, in this case, is extremely rare). Once the results are known, we let my nieces and nephews know, so they can be on the lookout (they would be well advised to start cancer screening early!). I have to do nothing beyond the test, except continue regular checkups. Same for my sisters--they don't need to be tested, since they are not too likely to be giving birth any more...if they are miraculously destined to become mothers again the miracle will include a healthy infant!
chores done outside today.some sprinkles too.NS had a NORX coal train waiting to go west.Going to Matt's school for open house tomorrow night.Friday and Saturday helping family.Might get to see some RJ corman.
Did see some RJ corman on Friday.it was coming back from Coldwater.We also saw an eastbound on the nkp ns line and a crane in the siding at Latty.Going to rest and relax.Good to be home.
Saw an old SOO locomotive with CEFX under the cab window - but still in original paint.
And coal may be declining, but in about 3 hours, we only saw one freight and all the rest of about 9-10 trains were coal - mt and full. Somebody is getting ready for cold weather!
Today I had a stranger in my otherwise all UP engine consist. A GMTX 2119 lease engine being moved from one UP point to another. It was rather odd, to me anyway, that my paperwork showed it to be used for power along with the lead engine. We had 7 engines total, 6 usable and one past due it's FRA inspection, but only allowed to use two for fuel conservation. It was odd, because it didn't have dynamics and the UP loves using dynamics whenever possible.
That it wasn't equipped with dynos got me thinking. Now anyone who has paid attention knows I'm a Rock Island fan. I checked the FRA Blue Card and noted it's 1976 build date. After I got in, I searched for a GMTX roster and you guessed it. It was an ex-RI GP38-2 from their first order of 56 delivered in 1976. RI 4309 to be exact. It's still in blue and white, but a bit different then it's original paint.
True to it's heritage, it didn't work. It fired up OK, but I couldn't get it to load. I ended up shutting it back down and firing up one of the other UP engines.
Jeff
work busy.Matt started school on a 2 hr delay.Triple h's are here.Ns train had to stop in the siding this morning.With the fog those signals were hard to see.Chores to do.
It was fairly dry yesterday - not much humity. When I opened the back door this morning, I knew today would be different. At least the temperature hasn't been oppressive...
The humidity started kicking in yesterday, as told by a number of doors. The rather oppressive heat (upper 80's to 90) should start today. Also, we seem to be getting a resurgence of rabbits in our neighborhood over the last few months. The dogs (two chihuahuas) are not too thrilled about this prospect.
warm day.Ns local was working uptown when I left work.Time to get cleaned up.
Anybody else concerned about the Fox Lake manhunt photos with cops lying down or standing on the ballast shoulder in the foul zone.
Line shut down & commuters bussed.
I hate it when I can't get to sleep. On the other hand, I have gotten a few things done...
Still warm and muggy.Ns was clear when I left work.Watched last nights city council meeting.City upset with CSX about notice given about working on crossings.Also how the city has to work with county and state posting detour signs too.Have an opening meeting tonight for Matt's confirmation class.It is just two people at our church this year.Other chores and errands to do too.
First post read on FB this morning was notice that a business in Milford, MI that was owned by a HS classmate burned to the ground early this morning. It was a "party store," which usually includes liquor (which may have helped the fire). They also had a deli, did pizza, chicken, what-have-you, and were located right across the road from a very large park.
They'd been in business for 40 years. Hopefully they'll rebuild.
Just got a new handheld for my ham radio activities. Something else to learn!
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