It is still a little before noon, but it is my day off, so I am having a brew, you can enjoy one as well.
Today we are having a bottle of Baltimore Blonde from Guiness.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Lat night while I was stripping the table top I was weraring my respirator. I lost me sense of smell with Covid, and I have no idea if it was sealing all the way or not.
This morning I feel a bit odd. I hope I did not inhale any of that stuff.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Back in the 70s at the Observatory when we decided to replace the workspaces around the antenna console, the best deal came from a coffin manufacturer. Our metal shop made the legs out of about 4x4 I-beams. The tables were laminated, very heavy and rock solid. Probably still there.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hon30critterWhat are you going to finish the desk with?
Mt plan is to use a stain called "Traditional American" which looks a bit weathered and grayish. Then I will coat it with satin polyurethane.
NorthBritAnybody over the pond want any rain? We are fed up with it here. Every day and night it has rained since Ian.
We have only had one day of rain since Hurricane Ian. Now since a cold front went through, our rainy season should be over.
Back to irrigating the landscaping.
BroadwayLion They look very much like your work table, they were made from retired bowling alleys and so are very heavy.
There was a roller skating rink in North Fort Myers called The Palace that all three of my daughters spent their teenage years in.
It recently closed and is now an auto body shop.
I bought my oldest daughter a dining room table made from the floor. She met her husband there.
That table is massively heavy. Now that they live in a Queen Anne Victorian with a huge dining room, I wish I would have bought them a bigger one.
richhotrainThat is very interesting. I am going to guess that the reason for applying against the grain to even out the surface of the wood.
Strange, I have never heard of staining against the grain before.
Hi Everyone,
Brunhilda, coffee with cream, please.
Kevin: FWIW, the bench looks fine in natural finish, but your call.
since we have a couple of days left in the fall colors category, heres a picture taken at a Schaumburg train show. They had lots of modular layouts. Here is a fall pic. I have no idea who the modeler is, but I liked the scene.
Model fall colors by Jim S, on Flickr
And a couple of pics taken at the gardens in Queen Elizabeth Park in Vancouver, BC.
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC -2 by Jim S, on Flickr
Queen Elizabeth Park, Vancouver, BC by Jim S, on Flickr
The gardens there are beautiful. Enjoy!
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Weardale Railway today 28th October 22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7110DSnAZk&ab_channel=TheTouristLine
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
SeeYou190Tomorrow I will do some sanding and make it ready to stain properly.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
SeeYou190I have no idea if it was sealing all the way or not
Long but good day today. Got a bunch of stuff done around the house this morning as I had an eye appointment in the afternoon. They have to dilate my pupils every year and it always gives me a headache for hours afterward, not to mention the sensitivity to light. Bonus, I got the final paperwork on the car in the mail today, went to the secretary of state, and got everything finalized, including getting the new plate for the car. Glad this whole fiasco is behind us now. Long story short (the part you haven't heard), the dealer misplaced the title on the car I traded in and we were both convinced I brought it home, and I assumed shredded it as I recall shredding something "previously important" that day. Turns out they found the title in other papers and everything is done. PITA.
Busy weekend ahead too, but should be fun. Hope everyone has an enjoyable one as well!
Mike
Good evening, everyone. I'll have some ice cream, Chloe.
The World Series has started off with a bunch of runs. Houston is up 5-3 in the fourth inning. It sure would be fun to be in the stadium.
One of my bucket list items that will almost certainly never get accomplished is to attend a World Series game. It's too far down the list and I'm too old to realistically think I should do it. My father-in-law attended the Cleveland Indians World Series games in the 1940s.
The neighbor's house got a new roof today. Everyone on the street got a new roof this summer, and the neighbor was the last one. Several of the houses still need new siding and some new windows because of hail damage, but there is a big waiting list for those items.
Italian trains are something that I know nothing about. About the only train I associate with Italy is from the movie, "Von Ryan's Express". I loved that movie.
Have a good Friday evening, everyone.
York1 John
The World Is A Beautiful Place
I watched the newest (#6) Jurrasic Park movie on DVD tonight. I did not enjoy it at all. It had too many throw-backs to the first movie and the plot was way too convoluted. Jurrasic Locusts?
Good morning Diners. A large cffee on the go please, Brunhilda.
It is raining again. ----------
Von Ryan's Express. The film is better than the book imo.
Two of our grandchildren have their birthday teaparty at our house today. With the other three joining in - CHAOS!!!
Good Saturday morning. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
It's time for me to head outside and pick up more leaves. I love all my trees except for the next six weeks.
When we moved here 30 years ago, there were no trees on the property. We came here from Louisiana where trees were abundant, so we planted trees, and planted, and planted. Now I pay the price for a two-month period in the fall each year.
When we moved here, our neighborhood was full of young kids. For Halloween, we used to have large numbers of kids show up for trick or treat. Now the neighborhood is filled mostly with people our age, so the numbers we get on Halloween night are low. We will still get some.
One of the joys is that we will get some kids that are children of former students. It's funny, but sometimes it will be former students who I had to deal with a lot. I think it's because I got to know them when they were sent to my office. Back then, I was never sure how they would ever grow up, but now I see that they are pretty nice adults!
I hope everyone has a good Saturday.
My community here in Delaware is not technically an adult community, but there are basically no young children here in the winter, so we don't do Halloween. The towns and several local businesses do Halloween festivities for the kids.
We had fun a couple of years when our daughter was young. The local Air Force base had a well-organized, very safe Halloween each year. We got in because my daughter's friend's Dad worked there. It was funny when our minivan full of parents and kids showed up at the gate and the guard shuffled out to tell us it was only for active and reserve Air Force. After he saw the appropriate ID, he snapped to attention with a "Yes Sir, Colonel!" and let us right in.
And the trucks driving around with armed young men were real, just to make sure.
We do pumpkin lanterns. A tradition here. We have just made four with two of our grandchildren.
Chicken Korma with Pilau Rice. A Yoghurt Surprise to follow.
When I moved to Cape Coral in 1982, it was almost all retirees. I was one of only a handful of teens.
Now it is nearly all young couples with kids.
They local saying is "Cape Coral, we went from from Nearly-Deads to Newlyweds."
I got it backward, but we have a lot of trick-or-treaters now.
More every year.
OK, Chloe, I'll have some of the eggs, bacon, sausages, and grits that Lion offered.
Bear, that's pretty neat 'moody' music to start a Sunday morning. I didn't listen to the whole thing yet, but what I heard is nice.
Kevin, when I retired, I planned to visit as many national parks as I could. One of these times, I will try to hit Florida's Dry Tortugas Natl. Park to see Fort Jefferson. I wondered if you've ever been there?
David, fun with grandchildren. I haven't carved a pumpkin since my own kids were younger. Halloween isn't a time of year that we visit the grandchildren, so I haven't had that fun in along time.
Mister B, your trip to the Air Force base reminds me of when I played golf with a doctor from my church. We played at the Naval base where he was an officer. We got a lot of notice when we pulled into the gates.
Well, we're off to church, then donuts, then a nice Sunday afternoon with nothing on the calendar. I'm looking forward to a long, relaxing day.
York1 David, fun with grandchildren. I haven't carved a pumpkin since my own kids were younger. Halloween isn't a time of year that we visit the grandchildren, so I haven't had that fun in along time.
John. We do not go overboard at Halloween, but Dawn has her traditions that just grow on you.
No matter whether the children are here or not, a little Halloween tinsel, a pumpkin lantern and 'Ghost' are out on show.
Ghost is seen around the house, here and there.
IMG_2457 by David Harrison, on Flickr
Last week I renewed my acquaintance with the Huey,
Hi Bear!
Helicopters have always amazed me, and I am quite jealous that you actually get to work on them. Sometimes I wish I had chosen a different career path, but I'm very happy with the way things have worked out! Her name is Dianne by the way.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
York1 I planned to visit as many national parks as I could. One of these time, I will try to hit Florida's Dry Tortugas Natl. Park to see Fort Jefferson. I wondered if you've ever been there?
I have the same goal.
Unfortunately, Dry Tortugas is almost completely underwater, so to see the real beauty you need a SCUBA license.
Thus, I have never been to Dry Tortugas. I have also never been to Biscayne.
Of all the National Parks I have visited, Everglades and Rocky Mountain were the two that could have been skipped.
This was a good way to start the day.
The best National Park I've been to is Acadia at Bar Harbor in Maine. It was privately owned by the Rockefellers, who spent millions in the early 20th century to carve out trails, build magnificent stone bridges and create a network of carriage trails and hiking/biking paths that exists to this day. If they built this park now, it would be all asphalt with RV parks everwhere, but for now the quiet of a motorless park prevails. Even cell phone service was spotty to nonexistent when I was there last.
Back in the day, the well-to-do would ride the train from NYC to Ellsworth, Maine, on the mainland just this side of the island where Bar Harbor sits. From there, it was a carriage ride to a technology-free zone for a vacation.
I've ridden the short excursion train from Ellsworth, all that's left of the line that used to get there from New York.
The Rockefellers gave the entire huge park to the people of the United States.
Kevin, since I used to live at the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, I always liked it but my wife did not like the drive with non guardrail roads with 1,000 foot dropoffs.
Mr B, we used to go all the time to Ellsworth AFB and Fort Richardson to play golf. Also had a free air show at Ellsworth every year that they charge $30 minimum at Cleveland.
Rick Jesionowski
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Good evening Diners. A glass of tonic water please, Janie.
Just 'popping in'. Had a busy day with the grandchildren at 'Millie's Magical Secret Garden'. It is a place where kids can run around, climb and general tire themselves out.
Now they are hungry.
Sausage and Mushroom Pasta has been requested.
dti406 Mr B, we used to go all the time to Ellsworth AFB and Fort Richardson to play golf. Also had a free air show at Ellsworth every year that they charge $30 minimum at Cleveland. Rick Jesionowski
In Massachusetts I lived within a couple of miles of Hanscom AFB. We had the air show, usually every other year, right over our house. It was always free, even if you went on base.
One dreary cloudy day, when hardly anyone went, I rode my bike to the base and they let me actually ride between the exhibits. After getting permission, of course, I rode my bike up the ramp and around inside a C5. How many people can say they biked inside an airplane?
MisterBeasley dti406 Mr B, we used to go all the time to Ellsworth AFB and Fort Richardson to play golf. Also had a free air show at Ellsworth every year that they charge $30 minimum at Cleveland. Rick Jesionowski In Massachusetts I lived within a couple of miles of Hanscom AFB. We had the air show, usually every other year, right over our house. It was always free, even if you went on base. One dreary cloudy day, when hardly anyone went, I rode my bike to the base and they let me actually ride between the exhibits. After getting permission, of course, I rode my bike up the ramp and around inside a C5. How many people can say they biked inside an airplane?
There was a B1b parked on the tarmac surrounded by a rope barrier with two armed guards and a notice that if you went past the rope barrier they had permission to shoot, same with the AWACS that was parked a few spots away. Did not take a bike but we walked into the C5a and I have a picture of my kids in the bomb bay of a B52.
The neatest thing was the takeoff of the F15's, they went down the runway a bit and then rotated and blasted straight up until they were a dot in the sky, quite impressive.
I hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend.
If no one is available to open the November Diner in Italy I could take up the task if there were no objections. I've never been to Italy but I know my dad went there as a guest of the U.S. Govt. back in '42-'44. They even gave him a day at the beach, called Anzio if I recall. I'll use Google Street maps to get us there.
Flying Leaves by Craig Sanders, on Flickr
Tank Cars and Autumn Foliage by Craig Sanders, on Flickr
Tanks, Ed
We watched anothr couple of wildlife nature shows last night. These were about animal and bird young and how they grew up and were cared for.
Both of our cats sat there and stared at the TV. They are both rescue cats we got as kittens, so they probably had some "wild time" with their birth moms before being rounded up and civilized. We're glad they're happy, safe indoor cats now. I think the cats are, too.