RE:Coffee Pot #5 May 2012 6 years [April 1 is Anniv.] and going strong and its for all to chat. Plenty of coffee and sweet ice tea for all. Come and join us and chat. GRITS for the Yankees.

[sir james I]

It's 77 now, went to 91 today. We had BLTs for supper and lemon ice cream for desert. I guess you could say I just tweeked things today, did nothing special. Banilla is waiting and I'm running a little late..S.J.

[Brutus]

Hey Banks!  Have a great weekend!  Same for all you guys

BOC 

Thanks for the prayers guys, we are doing pretty well.  Char sees the ENT next Tuesday.

RIJACK - "You da man!"  Good on ya, mate (Aussie accent).

Doug M - I'm gonna pick out a couple illustrations I think you could use and see about scanning them.  Congrats to B on the new car

Picked up some fasttrack straights, a new lockon section, and some bumpers tonight at the LHS.  They didn't have the switches I wanted, and they were a little pricey too.  I'll check around for what I want and better prices for those.  I'm making a "portable" carpet central so I can run my machines a lot more often!

TARDIS is warmed up on the pad.  RT already beamed up, but plenty of room for more.

[traindaddy1]

Devils 2  Rangers 0   After one period. At this point, looks like NJ might just do it.

Interstate 4 was shut down part of today because of smoke from a brush fire.   What a traffic jam!

Hope you all have a safe holiday.

[dwiemer]

Good evening.  Jack, that is a noble endeavor you are on.  You may want to keep that list of folks that purchase the photos for any future projects.

Chief, have a great weekend.

I had a case earlier, then had to come home to babysit our kids and two others while their mom and my wife are heading out for girls night.  Her husband is in the Army and is expected home later in the weekend.  We may watch the kids again to let them have a date night.

Got the latest CTT in the mail today, so long as the kids play nice, I will get some good train reading in.

Ray, glad things worked out.  Best sleep I ever had was after a procedure, the meds did me well!

Hope each of you has a great weekend and please remember the special reason for the holiday.

God bless,

Dennis

[rtraincollector]

Evening all. Well today has been an interesting day to say the least. I went into work and went to the ER to see if they could figure out what was making my back on the right side so tender to the touch. Well the great doctor ( I use this term very very loosely) must not of understand what I was saying was the problem as he gave me this cream to put on it. it says to apply small amount to affected area. So I'm glad I decided to come home and let the wife put it on me. well she put it on me and I thought some one put hot coals on my back in that area well after about an hour it seemed to go away about 3 hrs after being applied wife asked me to take her to store to get something when i got in the truck I thought the coals were back got home calmed down about the 4 1/2 hr point I decided to move the drop front desk to beside the bed on my side so I could put laptop there and put the hope chest thats there in the room where it was being stored. well that little bit got me sweating a little and dang if the coals weren't on my back again ( this was 4 1/2 hrs after being applied mind you) geese going to try and take a shower later to see if I can get the rest out of my skin. ( cool shower per doctors advice ) Well anyway i got reading the box and it says its for temporary relief of minor aches and pains of muscle and joints associated with arthritis,simple back aches, strains and sprains. Not a word about where you have rash like on your skin.

Now I have missed a half day of work and was ready to take tomorrow off but instead now I need to goto the ER again tomorrow and tell them what has happened and see if they can suggest another idea to take care of this.

Well did run my trains some today. either forgot or never paid attention to but my PB-1 which has railsounds train sounds in it actually has crew talk in it. I didn't think they had it back then but I guess they did I know my NYC GP-9 which has railsounds doesn't but its from 1995 and the Pb is from 1998 I think. It doesn't say anything about crew talk on the box. so happy about that anyway. 

Time for dinner talk to you all later 

[blownout cylinder]

Good Evening

mmmmm...my formatting must be messed up here....

We ended up getting to 83F with heat index reading at 95F...by Tuesday our heat index is supposed to be around 108F.....

Today was actually a lazy day..they spent a bunch of time working on my ICD and sent me home all fixed up...with new meds

As for mall parking vehicles I ended up getting an old chev cavalier...now NO ONE comes near it...

[blownout cylinder]

LawsonFarmsRR

 

dougdagrump:

 

Evenin' All.

Pat, Have you checked on your herd lately? Why do I ask?

Police say roving cows chased off Mass. backyard beer drinkers, lapped up their brews. 

 

 

 

Dougnota - I trained the herd well. They go out, find the beer, drink there fill, and return home with some for their owner. Haven't  had to buy beer in a long time. Laz - can I sell you a few beer gathering cows? By the way, their milk tastes great!

Pat

PFFFFTT...
Now the LA Times reported that police had to lasso a 1,500 lb bull in someone else's backyard in Fresno CA....

[laz 57]

Hi GUYZ,

  I was off today, personal day, so down to 6 more dayz to go!!!!!

Took my MINNIE dog for a good 3 mile walk early this morning then a 2 mile run just now, she is pooped.  Sandwitched in between did the grass, purged thr filters for the ponds, pulled weeds, weed wacked, and watered the yarden flowers.  Had a good day.

PAT, if them there cows came to my backyard during one of our many nites o fires.  We'd be eaten steaks and also drinkin OL MILs.

CHIEF, hope da plan for the WRECK TANGLE is going good.  What type o track you gonna put down?  Fasttrack or going to some other brand?

KEV, nice truck.  Mine I got in a HAIL SALE.  Truck looks like a golf ball all dimpled up, but runs great for a 2003 F150 with only 51k on it.

Stay frosty,

laz57

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Nice job on the ladders Kev.

 

Of today's two projects, to install DCC decoders in the GP35 and U25C the GP35 is done (Digitrax DH120). The U25C will have to wait as the Digitrax DH123 is DOA. I thought the problem may the harness so I put the DH120 on it and the Zephyr read it fine. Put the DH123 back on and  Zipp, Zilch, Nada, d na. It's like there's nothing there. So that's the end of that idea for now.

[cnw1995]

Aloha ! TGIF and happy long-weekend. My deepest thanks to the many of you who served. SJ, glad it went well. Brutus, good news about your dad! Ray, glad it's over for you too. Speaking of Kia, I just came back with a nice used one for the daughter's use to get to work: a sensible sedan with not even 12K miles on it. 

[KRM]

Today’s project.

Cool in the basement train room so a good place to hide out today.

Added ladders to the homemade fuel storage tanks. Steps scale out right at 1’ apart.

Fifedog, I sent you a PM 

[KRM]

RockIsland52

KEV......a Kia gets scraped, scratched, dented, and bashed too.  I detest driviing a vehicle that looks like it went through the wars, especially when someone else's carelessness caused it......and then they skip.   When I hit 100K miles and/or 6 years on a vehicle, I like it to look and run close to what it was when it was new (or new to me).  I drive them longer than most, 10-12 years, before moving on to the next one.  My Dad instilled in me these things......by putting me at a young age in charge of doing all of the washing, inside/outside cleaning, and waxing.  His attitude?  "Dog vomits in the car and slobbers all over the windows?  No problem.....Jack, go clean it up like it didn't happen."

Jack

I am with you Jack.

I can’t stand to be seen in a wreck on wheels. I have kept the Dakota in what I think is nice shape considering I use it as a truck, a lot. Hauls the cargo as needed.

I am at a crossroad with her now. She is starting to get the one problem you can’t ever win from. RUST.    I have told myself I will just let it rust and keep driving it   but I find myself looking at the new Chevys a lot.

Still not bad for 165K and 11.5 years.

[ChiefEagles]

GONE!!!

[LawsonFarmsRR]

dougdagrump

Evenin' All.

Pat, Have you checked on your herd lately? Why do I ask?

Police say roving cows chased off Mass. backyard beer drinkers, lapped up their brews. 

 

Dougnota - I trained the herd well. They go out, find the beer, drink there fill, and return home with some for their owner. Haven't  had to buy beer in a long time. Laz - can I sell you a few beer gathering cows? By the way, their milk tastes great!

Pat

[SPMan]

Just typed a long post and deleted the whole thing accidentally so I'm not going to do it again.  Here's the abbreiviated version:

Colonosopy yesterday went OK.  New medicine prescribed but with side effects. "Bummer".  Lowers your immunity.

Jack, thanks for the prayers.  I can use all I can get.

Chief, good work on the box.  Have a good weekend at the lake.

later,

Ray

 

[Anonymous]

John,

               I have a feeling that if I would have left the plugs in the Mustang until 100K, it would've been snap, crackle, and pop x8.  Three separating at 45K was bad enough.

Jack,

          I'd move if I were you.

Spent the morning driving around trying to find a new rechargeable NiMH battery for the PS1 Turbine.  Found an Energizer rated at 175mAh, which is better than MTH's 120mAh for the same $10.

I would've gone with a BCR, but I don't want the engine sitting for a minute while the BCR charges.  With the way the smoke unit consumes fluid, it would be a recipe for disaster.

[RockIsland52]

KEV......a Kia gets scraped, scratched, dented, and bashed too.  I detest driving a vehicle that looks like it went through the wars, especially when someone else's carelessness caused it......and then they skip.   When I hit 100K miles and/or 6 years on a vehicle, I like it to look and run close to what it was when it was new (or new to me).  I drive them longer than most, 10-12 years, before moving on to the next one.  My Dad instilled in me these things......by putting me at a young age in charge of doing all of the washing, inside/outside cleaning, and waxing.  His attitude?  "Dog vomits in the car and slobbers all over the windows?  No problem.....Jack, go clean it up like it didn't happen."

Jack

[RockIsland52]

Fife........I think of you and your family every time I work on this event.  I pray He/She forever keeps you out of harm's way and protects you.  .  You are the good person, serving and protecting others. .

Jack

[KRM]

RIJack, Good to see your back to killing your keyboard.

Sounds like a great event in store for all. Great work for a good cause. 

As for the SRX, trade it for a KIA and you worries will go away.

 

[fifedog]

RockIsland - You, as I like to put it, are good people.  Good luck with the event.

[RockIsland52]

A quick sip to let youse guyz know I am alive and saying some prayers for our walking wounded.  Blownout, SJ, and Jeff, Brutus' Dad and Char, SP Ray, and any others I have missed.

and to the members of our armed forces this Memorial Day weekend, past and present, who have given us the ultimate gift, the freedoms we enjoy.

It has been a whirlwind week with a couple of days in Maine, the wife's trip to CA., and the honey do list I was given on her departure.  

Got the carpets steam cleaned, 2 major trips to/fro the dry cleaners as the wifey retires the Winter wardrobe for another 6 months, repair a kitchen shelf that nearly collapsed which would have wiped out half our daily use stuff, reschedule Doc appointments for the wifey, start passport update process, measured and replace broken glass on our coffee server (grandchildren are the usual suspects), haircut, find and book accommodations for a road trip this Summer to Canada, finish packing away Christmas decorations (!!!), got the SRX fixed and serviced, got final instructions/heads up from nephew on my sister's upcoming visit.

I can't believe it......someone hit the front fascia on my SRX while parked (again, third time hit in the past 12 months) and the second time the jerk skipped.  Helen Keller parking?  No matter where I park and how careful I am by choosing spots way out away from the masses, it is like there is a bulls-eye on my car.   Paint on front fascia was all spider-webbed, looked like Mrs. Chief's Wiley doo-doo, license plate bracket mangled.  So I stopped overthinking it, dropped it off at my favorite auto body shop, and had it refinished.  That makes about $1,400 in out-of-pocket insurance deductibles I have had to pay in the past 12 months with folks hitting my (parked) vehicles and then driving off, leaving me holding the bag.  It is as if no one respects other people's property, making it difficult for those of us who like to have nice things and to keep them nice.  On the plus side, the auto body shop (who loves me now) made the car look better than before I was hit. I am anal about my cars.  JimmyT, are you reading this?

WARNING.  STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE PUT TO SLEEP!!!! 

If you recall from my previous ramblings, last month the Police Chief from Greenland NH (just 40 miles North of me) was shot as were four other officers, serving (another) drug and weapons warrants to a felon at a residence.  All of the officers were wearing vests, but the suspect got lucky or was very accurate.  The Chief died from the wounds he received while pulling his wounded fellow officers to safety, a week short of his retirement,  We train Maximus with a Sgt.and the #2 in command at Chief Maloney's police department in Greenland.  Pam and I didn't know Chief Maloney.  But this incident affected me, left me with a mix of anger, sadness, dark thoughts, cynicism, and a  feeling of helplessness.  

Our dog trainers decided to throw a fundraiser for the Chief Michael Maloney Memorial Trust.  They would contribute all of their slightly elevated training fees for the day Trust.  One fellow student then stepped up, graciously and selflessly volunteered to organize the whole event.  she asked Pam and I if we would help her.  Of couse we said yes. 

Another student then volunteered to host the event at his family's  large property.  It is located near Hilton Point and Great Bay on the Pascataqua River in Dover NH.  Another student volunteered to hook up with a friend/caterer to provide the food for the event.  The idea is to charge attendees flat rate per person for the food, cover the caterers' food costs, while the caterer donates his time and equipment.  Then to donate the food profits to the Trust fund.  We were rolling.  Obedience training.  Food. Raffles.  Protection training with the selected, pre-approved students (like Pam/Maximus), and an audience.  For the latter, I should become a beer vendor ($3 per, no?)   But I will be busy videotaping the Protection class.  Will have to delegate. 

Then we set about communications.  How to get the word out to fellow students, current and former.  Some of the ideas: using the trainer's business FaceBook, the business' website, and the trainer's Yahoo forum blog, to reach the student masses.  At our first communications meeting I said "That's a very solid start to reach the masses but not necessarily to get them to participate. Not quite good enough. More folks get involved, participating and contributing, with the more personal and direct approach."   So I also put myself on the communication committee.   " How?"   "Email, and one-on-one."   "But we don't have a student  email listing, nor does the trainer."   "We will have one.  Let me worry about it.  I will build one, get help from other students, and we'll get the emails out."  

I am an information packrat.  Never know when (if ever) you will need information from the past.  I was able to assemble a student email address listing  (including their dog(s)' names!!!!!)  from previous involvements helping to organize our dog trainers' Christmas parties.  :-).  Then I hornswaggled hooked up with two other students and asked them if they would help me get the word out, one-on-one, via email.   We split the email  list three ways and agreed upon some general but consistent verbage.  A personal, one-on-one email appeal went out to each current and former student, supplementing the FaceBook, website, and Yahoo group tools.  All bases covered.  Comprehensive approach. 

SHOCK!!!!  it worked!!!  People DO care.  People DO want to get involved.  People DO want to help.  They just need a nudge, to be asked.  Sometimes this stuff works better on a more personal, one-on-one level.  Given the opportunity and the means, people will jump in and show their true colors. 

To date we have 80 confirmed attendees for the June 3 event while the "non-respondents" have not yet escaped my evil web, follow up time!  Nor have the "maybe" fence sitter folks.  UNCLE JACK WANTS YOU!!! 

People are now getting excited, feeling involved, feeling empowered.  They are actually asking how they too can help in some small way, as they are able, to pull this all together.  Water, ice, non-alcoholic beverages, dog poo patrol, photography, chairs, a raffle item, set-up assistance, break down assistance, cups, plates, napkins, plasticware, parking assistance, the list goes on.  Many hands make light work.  Every little bit helps.  We now have a groundswell and momentum.  And a comprehensive list we are publishing of who is bringing what.  The list is growing quickly.

This has all helped me screw my brain back on straight from my initial feelings of cynicism and helplessness.  I know in my heart that we are surrounded by wonderful people, caring people, and my faith in people has been restored.  Sometimes it takes an event like this to reaafirm for me that goodness. 

This event will not bring Chief Michael Maloney back.  Nor will it raise a zillion dollars for his Memorial Trust fund..  We could never repay this ultimate sacrifice he made.  But in a humble way it will show his family, his friends, his police department, and the community, that complete strangers care about who Mike Maloney was and what he did, for us and for others.  He will never be forgotten.

By the way (Dennis), guess who is now heading up the photography committee?  Yup, me.  I plan to conscript 2 helpers with their cameras to take on-the fly, spontaneous, un-posed photos for posting on the trainers' website, their FaceBook page, and on their blog. 

Me?  I  plan to set up the RI52 Outdoor Photography Studio with more formal photos of folks, their dogs, and their family members, using the bay and the river as an unobstructed backdrop,  For these I'll charge a flat $5 per photo or $10 for 3, money going to the Trust.  Then photoshop and email the original digital files to my victims of charity "customers."    What did Rocky Balboa in Rocky III say to Hulk Hogan after their charity brawl? "Gee.  Charity really hurts." 

Later, gang.

Jack

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Hudson#685

Jeffrey, What is that guy's problem?

Other than having some kind of fantasy that I somehow lifted a loco from his collection I have no idea.

[MichRR714]

Chief box looks great!

 

Hope everyone has a nice Holiday Weekend!

[Hudson#685]

Lunch time:

Congrats to all the Grads.

Laz, The count down continues. 189 for me.

Jim Probe, 100,000 is the norm for sparkplugs.

SJ, Glad to hear all is going well. I will try to be on the Tardis and bring the Lemon Ice Cream.

Brutus, Great News on your Dad and Char.

Jeffrey, What is that guy's problem?

Fife, Enjoy the yachet. I will try to uncover mine this weekend.

Chief, The box is coming great.

Ray, Up for some BBQing?

Anyone heard from Traindood?

Enjoy the weekend and Holiday.

John

[Banks]

Hello all,

Sunny breezy and warm here

TGIF!!!!! and a three day weekend t' boot

Lot's o stuff needs done. Monday I'll definitely attend Memorial Day services at the cemetery and have a picnic be it large or small. It is predicted to be hot & humid.

BOC 

Fife, any news from CSX?

Chief   Looks good

Back t the grind

Prayers for those in need, And and extra one for those who have fallen

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 79° and partly cloudy. The high will 92°.

Today if I have no interruptions I'll be installing DCC decoders in the Athearn/Proto GP35 and the Rivarossi/Athearn U25C.

Yesterday I had intended to clean up the layout a bit after I mowed my parents yard. But I got invited to lunch afterward and my father is the insistent type. So I stayed and helped with the preparation of chili dogs. The way he makes them how could I resist. By the time I got home I didn't feel like doing anything. So the cleanup will have to be done today.

I haven't heard anymore from the bonehead who fancies himself the legal owner of the second loco in the F unit trio. I can't see why he'd want to. It's just something I built one piece at a time from a collection of junk parts, kinda like Johnny Cash's Cadillac. It doesn't even look as good as the one in the photo below.

[Stourbridge Lion]

TGIF CTTFans!!!!!!!

It's currently 50F and windy and they say we will get up to our season norm on low 70's later today.  Weekend forecast looks good but will be working on the Honey Do task list for most of it. 

Let's not forget those this coming holiday is all about; they will be in my thoughts...

[sir james I]

It's 78 now, going into the 80s. Looks like a hot weekend with just a chance of showers each day. Dam# this font change. Granny will be leaving soon to watch a couple of the little darlings. But I had a good breakfast of corn beef hash w/an egg on top, plus some fresh fruit. I guess that makes it good and bad...S.J.

[KRM]

Hi Guys from the North Bluff.

Sunny and going to be another hot one today.

A lot of wind yesterday and I have limbs all over to pick up.

Wifey’s last day of work today = my last day of freedom.

My Lawyer friend left a message that our updated wills are done so I got to set a time to go sign them and pick them up.

Got a wedding tomorrow then not much planed for the weekend. I will stay off the roads.

SJ glad the first cut went well hope the next one does too.

BOC

Chief Have fun at the lake

The rest of you have a great holiday weekend with friends and family.

[fifedog]

Mornin' boys.  TGIF!  Sticky and 72 here in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Gonna be downright summer like all weekend long.  Good for yatchet.  Good for pool opening.

dbaker - I'm a little concerned with the aisle widths...  Would be kinda funny if Mrs Chief has to dispatch a rescue box for a rescue from a box...