The pot of coffee is always on [even after 2 years have passed]. Come on in. Sweet ice tea too.

[lander31]

Hi All;
It looks like a another hot day up near 90.
I asked a friend to come over this afternoon and help me out with the wiring on the track. I am thinking about order the VHS tape on DCS from OGR and try educate my self.

Take Care All
Terry

[ChiefEagles]

Morning. We need tha train. I think it is the HOT AIR in DC [will not call any names] that keeps pushing the fronts back and north of NC. Lander31, it will be an education. I saw it and went DCS first. Now to get the time to build the layout and installing it is easy. OK all you slugg cooks, enjoy. Think I'll have country ham biscuits for breakfast. [8D] Jim, got grass to mow [no neighbor in bikini to watch]. Guess I'll request that Dr. John help me pray for rain. Spankybird, you'll love DCL [I love Road Runner] and then maybe I can get you on the phone. [:p] Buckeye survived the lion but sure is busy. All have a great day and God bless all.

[FJ and G]

Something tragic happened to my former bosse's boss's wife (please, no need for condolences; I didn't really know her). Also, something slightly humorous. Tragic-comedy, if you will.

Did you ever have a synchronicity moment; you know, a weird coincidence happen?

At my last job w/Sea Power magazine, we had a magazine issue devoted to Submarines. Two of the contributing writers were rear admirals on active duty in the Navy and both of their names were Patrick Stillman (or Stillwell?). The only difference was that one's middle initial was E and the other F.

Well, anyway, the other day another coincidence happened. The former bosse's bosse's wife Mary died (her story would take several pages because she's been having heart attacks and cancer since 1955 and is a medical miracle!). But, her time finally came.

My former coworker sent out the news and then gave notice about the funeral home and the church service.

The church service address he gave was St. Ignatius Church in the Oxon Hills area of Maryland.

Well dear folks, yesterday, he sent out an urgent email to everyone that it was the wrong church. You see there's another St. Ignatius Church in the same area!

Can you imagine what would have happened if another Mary had died and another service was held the same day in the other church, by mistake, and when the casket was opened at both churches, the surprised look at seeing the wrong body?!

Sounds like something for a movie script, I say.

Dave Vergun

[ChiefEagles]

Like I said, hot air in DC. [;)] Thanks Garrison Keeler. Have a good day. [:)]

[Dr. John]

Dave,

About five years ago, I conducted a funeral for an elderly church member. We had the chapel service at a funeral home here in Mobile. The graveside service was about 100 miles away in Waynesborough, MS. SInce this was a long drive, I hitched a ride with the funeral director in the hearse. Because of the long distance, there was no procession. Everyone was to meet at the cemetary at 12:30 PM.

Well, the funeral director and I, along with the casket, arrived at about ten after 12. We waited in the heat and humidity of a July afternoon in Mississippi. And we waited. . . . and waited . . . By 1:00 PM, we were getting concerned. We knew that about 30 or 40 people were supposed to be at the graveside service. Both the funeral director and I were beginning to suffer the effects of the heat and were wilting rapidly. Finally,at a quarter til 2, cars begin to flow into the cemetary. It seems the family went to the WRONG CEMETARY! They had wondered where WE were! They finally realized their mistake and came to where we were. The service went okay until it was time for the family to leave. As they began to move toward their cars, there was a loud SPROING! and the casket plummeted to the bottom of the grave with a jarring THUD. Thankfully, the family did not notice. I looked at the funeral director and he just shook his head. The spring that allows the casket to be lowered slowly had broken. The cemetary crew took over and we left.

As we were heading back to Mobile, we decided to stop for a late lunch. We pulled into a Western Sizzler, went inside and ordered lunch. We were seated, enjoying the air conditioning, when the restaurant manager approached us.

"Excuse me. Is that your hearse out front?" he asked.

"Yes." the director replied.

"Would you mind parking it in back? It's making the other customers nervous!"

. . . Just a normal day in the life of a humble Alabama preacher. [:D]

(And it's all true!)

[FJ and G]

Very good stories, Dr. John,

I have a few others but I'll make them real short.

1. Don't cut in on a funeral procession of cars in the South. I did once in Arkansas (they were moving so slowly and I was late for an appointment). I got chased down and barely escaped with my life. Funerals in the South are serious business.

2. A Marine friend of mine shipped the ashes of his uncle Fred across country via UPS box. A leak in the box developed and half of uncle Fred was lost enroute and once home, the other half of Fred dribbled up the driveway and on the living room floor. He could tell the story a lot better than I and elaborate and give dramatic body gestures when telling it.

dav

[ChiefEagles]

Good stories guys. [still hot air in the DC area, more like Alexandra [:)]]

[ChiefEagles]

Thanks Dr. John. Had thundershower. Next I'll specify an inch or more. We got 1 tenth. The big rain went just southeast of us. One good thing. They are having hail and bad lightning. Send me some more. [:)] Thank you God.

[Dr. John]

Chief,

I sure can't take any credit . . . I've been praying for rain down here in Mobile for over a week. We've had rain in every surrounding county, but not here.

One more funeral story, and it's rain (though not train) related. This happened to a pastor friend of mine, who is now retired. The names are changed to protect the clumsy.

Bro. D was walking to the graveside in front of the pall bearers, when a steady drizzle turned into a torrential down pour. They made haste to get the casket and family members under the tarp that covered the grave site. As many of you know, red clay is common down here in lower Alabama and it is VERY SLIPPERY when wet.

Well, Bro. D notices that some of the pall bearers are struggling on the slippery clay, so he reaches to help them place the casket on the support straps over the grave, when he loses his balance - and falls in the grave! This startled the pall bearers, who also began to slip and slide, dropped the casket on the straps (which held!).

Bro. D had some difficulty coming out of the ground because of the slippery clay, but finally came out with some help. He stood up, brushed as much clay and dirt as he could from his suit, straightened his glasses, opened his now damp Bible, and led the service. He still laughs about that - he's a wonderful man and served as a warm and caring pastor for over 40 years.

I am very careful where I walk when I conduct a funeral in the rain!

Good evening, all!

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Off to Bass Pro Shops in Hampton Va. sometime this afternoon. Driving. Back Sunday night. Can not believe the price of gasoline. All have a good day and God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

T-MINUS 3 DAYS AND COUNTING

until we get DSL at home.

It’s a start to a great day in NE Ohio, 65 deg going to 85. Sorry Chief, they say we are going to have more rain this evening, maybe even T-storms.

Dr. John, I like the last story about falling into the grave. A similar thing happened to my brother-in-law at his uncles funeral. This was winter time with snow on the ground. My brother-in-law has a large family of 5 brothers and 3 sisters. One of his brothers slipped and fell into the grave. When he stood up, his sister said, “ If he see his shadow, does that mean we get six more week of winter”. It’s good to see that they could have a sense of humor, even at a sad time.

All have a great day

tom

[Buckeye Riveter]

Spanky, you will love DSL at home.

[spankybird]

Buckeye, the big question is, ‘Will my wife find the end of the internet[?]”


tom

[FJ and G]

It was a rather surprise ending to a rather long story.

Last night, BB the beagle, and I went for a walk in the countryside near my house. She and I both spotted the rabbit at the same time so I unleashed her and off she went, howling up a storm, tail wildly rotating. Chasing a rabbit is to a beagle, what running toy trains is to a Spankybird.

Rabbits usually run a short distance and hunker down or find a hole to hide out in. But this rabbit just kept going and going, kinda like the energizer bunny!

Never before had BB encountered such an energetic bunny. Back and forth she went, trying to catch the rabbit in the waist-high grass and thick underbrush. This went on for about 10 minutes and her howls became more distant, so I had to track thru the brush, falling down once and getting cuts from branches and thorns. I finally caught up to her as it was getting dark now.

I could see something in her mouth in the dusky light. And, she was walking erect, tail held high in triumph. Had she finally caught a rabbit?

As she pranced closer I could finally see her prize catch clutched between her teeth.

A box turtle.

Dav

[ChiefEagles]

Dave, you must be running bluetailed rabbits. The cottontails would run in a circle. I would wait for my pack of beagles to run them back within sight of the place they were jumped from. Bang. One more rabbit for the pan. Now a bluetail would run a ways and then try to slip back thorugh the pack or run in a hollow tree [he already knew was there]. I've seen them run from the dogs and lay down in the water with only their noses sticking up. I was a longtime rabbit hunter with as many as 16 beagles before the move to the "city". Chased a rabbit and never could see him after the initial jump [even the guys that hunted with me]. I would always jump him in a graveyard near the house. This got to be such a thing that immediately my hunting buddies would say, "There goes the Graveyard Rabbit." Chased one one day and never could out witt the rascal. Had several open ambush points that I could clearly see and shoot from. When I got there, he was already gone and all I'd see were the beagles howling on the trail with noses down. Finally after about 5 large circles, I set up on one good clear ambush point way before the rabbit [usually right ahead of the pack] should have gotten there. And to my surprise, the rabbit was not a rabbit, it was a fox.

[Dr. John]

Dave, great story about BB! [:D] I had a Beagle as a kid so I know about the rabbit fixation.

Thought I'd share a wedding story and get off of funerals.

About 10 years ago, I was asked to perform an outdoor wedding. Outdoor weddings always make me nervous, since the weather along the Gulf coast is so unpredictable.

Well, the rehearsal went off without a hitch. The day of the wedding was beautiful - cool, clear skies, low humidity, no wind to speak of.

One change was made after the rehearsal, however. A plastic runner was added between the rows of chairs, to keep the wedding party off the grass.
As the first bridesmaid came forward, her high heels went through the plastic, nearly causing her to stumble. With some effort, she freed herself, only to punture the plastic with her next step. In frustration, she removed her high heels and walked barefooted the rest of the way. The next bridesmaid did likewise.

When the bride began to come forward, she looked up to see all of the bridesmaids holding their shoes and standing in their bare feet. The groomsmen, not to be out done, had also removed their shoes AND their socks. The bride first looked startled, then she began to giggle. By the time she met the groom and they turned to me to repeat their vows, she was laughing to the point of tears. We managed to get through the vows, although she started laughing to the point where she started snorting, which set off most of the people gathered. I was trying to maintain some "ministerial dignity", but I was starting to laugh too. Anyone passing by would have thought we were crazy.

The couple is still happily married. I have to admit, that was about my favorite wedding.

Good morning, all!

By the way, Chief, what did you do with the fox?

[ChiefEagles]

I did not put him in a box. After a load of 7 1/2 12 gage on improved cylinder, burried him. [:D]

[FJ and G]

Great stories, guys! Didn't know you all had beagles.

Seems everyone I met these days HAD a beagle as a kid. Unfortunately, they seem to have fallen out of favor for those little sqeeky barking hairdo'd designer dogs these days.

The place where I've seen the most rabbits ever is at the Reading Railroad Yard, in Reading Pennsylvania back in 1970. I still have pictures of the old Reading and those very colorful locomotives. In some of the pictures, you can see rabbits. That would have been a great spot for me and BB. She chasing rabbits and me chasing trains.

Lionel used a lot of dogs in its old posters. The dogs would seem really interested in the Lionel trains, along with the smiling boy and his sister.

In real life, however, the dog probably wouldn't be all that interested in the trains. I have 3 love birds (a type of small parrot). Don't ask me why there are 3 becasue it would take a long time to tell.

One time they got loose from their cage and flew upstairs to my layout. They picked up all of the people and stuck them in 2 gondola cars. I never could figure out why they did that but it was very interesting.

I don't have any wedding stories, as both times, I was married overseas in Korea and Japan, and there was no ceremony; just stamping papers at American embassy.

I can tell you some interesting divorce stories, however.

dav

[lander31]

Good Morning
Going to be another hot day here in North FL. Chief we could use some rain here also. The stories were great to read.
Thanks All
Terry

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by FJ and G


2. A Marine friend of mine shipped the ashes of his uncle Fred across country via UPS box. A leak in the box developed and half of uncle Fred was lost enroute and once home, the other half of Fred dribbled up the driveway and on the living room floor. He could tell the story a lot better than I and elaborate and give dramatic body gestures when telling it.

This story reminded me of an event that occured in the town of Fort Qu'Appel, Saskatchewan last year. At the cemetery there, a guy was with a backhoe digging a grave. However, he dug it in the wrong spot! There was an urn with someone's ashes burried where he did dig and since they were only put there recently, there was no permanent marker in place. The temporary one must have blown away. After the mistake was discovered, a big search was made, but no one could find any remains of the person's ashes. When I first heard about this, they were going to be sending some special radar equipment or something to try and find them. I never heard any updates from this story.

[ChiefEagles]

Pretty good. Like finding a "needle in a haystack". Think that would be worse. Before I hit the road. I would like to leave one questions. Dave is exempt but Elliot is not as Big Girl has taken over there [;)].
Medicine Cabinets:
Why are not medicine cabinets named makeup and contact eye accessories cabinets? I just noticed that I only have a can of shaving jell and a razor in ours. There is a shared tube of toothpaste and a few over the counter drugs for pains. Pam has gone to the beach and ours is empty. Why is it these females take more than twice the space us males do????

Off to Hampton BPS I go. Probably no computer so keep things in a row ans on the right "track". God bless all.

[dougdagrump]

The medicine cabinet is a minor issue, how about the closet. In our walkin closet I put in an organizer, the result : I ended up up with a four foot hanger rod vs 12 feet, zero drawers vs five, zero cubbies vs three. Thank goodness retirement doesn't require a large wardrobe.[(-D]

[Buckeye Riveter]

You guys are going to be jealous today! Yesterday, while in southern Ohio I got to see the boyhood home of the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers. His house is located on Roy Roger's Road, just a little ways from Trigger Road. [:D][:D][:D]

Thunder and lightning all night. Sleep is a premium when the ground is shaking. At least we don't shovel it.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

T MINUS 30 HOURS AND COUNTING TO DSL

We have very bad T-storms in NE Ohio last night also. I woke the whole family up. God blessed us and we are all OK up here.

To day is a mental health day, so I am taking my wife to the Station for lunch. We will think of you Buckeye. This time I am taking my camera.

Have a great day all

tom

[FJ and G]

Weather: about 75, overcast, pleasant.

Latest Circada Report: NO SIGHTINGS. Appears to be a hoax and those little buggers really are NOT coming out after 17 years.

Likelier scenario is that so much construction in the area killed them all during their looong hibernation.

Animal report: no Snakehead sightings. But did spot a mallard (duck) that landed on a ledge in front of my window.

Toy train report: considering a Malcolm Furlow-type whimsical layout

Women report: lots of good looking ones near my work in olde Towne Alexandria; mostly wearing rings or otherwise "belonging" to someone

About sums it up.

dav

[Jim Duda]

Speaking of cameras, check out the article in the New York Times if you get it - apparently you will have to have a special permit to take pictures of trains and their operations in NYC because of increased terrorist threats. Is this the harbinger that Railfanning may be in jeopardy...???

JD

[Jim Duda]

QUOTE: Women report: lots of good looking ones near my work in olde Towne Alexandria; mostly wearing rings or otherwise "belonging" to someone

My mom always told me that there are a lot of women that belong to someone...until they meet someone better...

JD

[dougdagrump]

With some of the wild weather everyone's had this spring makes me glad we live in an area where the primary concern is the occassional earthquake as opposed to severe t'storms and tornadoes. Although having grownup in the midwest we do miss the thunder and lightening sometimes. When we travel some people find it difficult to understand our enjoyment when we encounter t'storms at our destination, one of our favorite spots is Fl.[:)]

[spankybird]

This is going to be a short stay on the forum as we have again had very bad T-storms come thru Ohio. A lot of flooding on the West side and the far East side even had some funnel clouds.

We are OK and the basement is still very dry. I hope all of my fellow model train buddies in Ohio and PA are ok.

tom

[MartyE]

Rolled through Pitt about 2 hours ago or so. We were fine. Seemed to peter out here.