Elliots Trackside Diner IV, Under New Management!

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeff, does that TYCO MANTUA have a metal or plastic body? I've been pretty impressed with some of the older locomotives on how they still run rather well considering their age.  I have a few Mantua metal body locomotives and they still out pull some of my newer locomotives.  The 1970's Rivirossi mallet and challenger I have run flawlessly.

Plastic body and sideframes, cast metal trucks and brass wheels.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Afternoon Gang: Just a quick one as Mary Ann wants to rest and watch TV with me. It's nice to be wanted for something other then work.

I have to go down and get the pump running again. I picked up another 50 ft of hose so I could move it to a deeper part of the pit.

We are getting some clouds from the storm but are not expecting any rain. I'm hopping that we may get some rain blown down from the Northwest. We really do need it.

See you all later.

[LSWrr]

Jeff, yea I can understand wanting to get rid of the brass wheel set.  You could try some of that metal preservitive on them.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Here's another chop, cut, rebuild. A Mantua F7 body on a Proto 2000 FA1 chassis. It was a shotgun wedding. The truck and weight supports inside the body had to be cut out. On the P2K chassis the front coupler pocket had to be removed and the headlight fixture had the be removed. The corners on the front of the frame had to be ground off (1/8" each side) to allow the body to fit. Naturally it runs like a dream. Here's a photo of it looking like million bucks, if you can get over the trucks that is.

[Cederstrand]

refill, please & thanks.

Prepared the build site (moved my scrap lumber, fencing, siding and stuff down to one of the sheds) so the foundation folks can do their thing. Our contractor just got a big construction job in Atlanta, so I'm hoping it won't cause any delay with ours.

Those little cow related (N) Preiser sets arrived yesterday and are real cute. Picked up a (HO) "W.S. Hobos" set for the wife last night on the-bay. I hope she doesn't already have them.

Wife is pestering me to have a follow-up full body CT scan and also have my ankles fixed. I'm not at all interested in pursuing either right now. I prefer to enjoy life for a while without any bad news. Maybe next year!

She also took her mom to see a new Doc and this one sounds like a sharp fella. The kind who deals with elderly folks who have been on too many pain meds for too long and never pursued actual treatment for what causes the pain. Real potential for improving her quality of life.

Rob

[Hoople]

Hoople:  Actually, that Tomato-stripe was a spare, I've got a set of them, too.  Mine are from Rivarossi, a long time ago.  Not enough to build the Sunset Limited, but enough to mix in whenever I decide to run one of those SP 'circus' trains that they used to run when they mixed and matched their paint schemes.  Somehow I ended up with 3 baggage cars.

 

Mine are some of the walthers. Vista dome, 10-6 sleeper, 48 seat diner, 64 seat coach. I also have a newer rivarossi full length coach, in the daylight scheme. It has an interior and lights, to boot. Yes I model Southern Pacific. (That is, if it were in colorado with UP and D&RGW)

[twhite]

Hoople:  Actually, that Tomato-stripe was a spare, I've got a set of them, too.  Mine are from Rivarossi, a long time ago.  Not enough to build the Sunset Limited, but enough to mix in whenever I decide to run one of those SP 'circus' trains that they used to run when they mixed and matched their paint schemes.  Somehow I ended up with 3 baggage cars.

 

Mine are some of the walthers. Vista dome, 10-6 sleeper, 48 seat diner, 64 seat coach. I also have a newer rivarossi full length coach, in the daylight scheme. It has an interior and lights, to boot. Yes I model Southern Pacific. (That is, if it were in colorado with UP and D&RGW)

Hoople: 

And I model Rio Grande in the California Sierra Nevada.  Aint the hobby FUN??   Of course, all my Tree-Hugging friends tell me that California would NEVER have allowed coal-burning locomotives in the heavily forested Sierra Nevada, it's just UNHEARD of!!  I just shrug and tell them that I have Secret Government Spark Arrestors on all of my locomotives, but I can't tell them what they are, because I don't want the Nazi spies to find out.  They just blink.  I just keep running my locos.  With the tenders piled high with Utah coal.  Lordy, it's fun!

Tom

 

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Zoe, how about a salmon steak, please?

Yes, please, and a cup of coffee, also. Thanks!

Let's see, Tom's getting plastered (oh, that's right, just his buttes), Lee's cats are about to run away from home and head for Tom's (once they get Spooky and Lowell's email tipping them off on the royal treatment there). What other interesting things are happening, Diners?  

Garry, I was more like suprising myself at finding I had more lumber than I thought. Still haven't  started putting together the benchwork and framing on the first of the expansion sections. Might be getting a start on that this weekend if our weather is dry enough to use my deck (it's like my work counter for cutting pieces and drilling holes, etc.).

Jerry might be worn out for the next couple of days, from the sounds of it - a party tonight, followed by riding herd on a couple of the granddaughters for a couple/few days. Better be sure to take your vitamins and eat your Wheaties, Jerry!

So Tom, how are you (I mean, Lowell and you) getting along with the vet's assistant?... Good to hear about Lowell's progress, too. At the rate Lowell's going through the baby food, maybe you should invest in Gerber Foods stock. Watch out if he and Spooky decide to have a wild party after you've gone to bed some night - you may wake up to find empty baby food jars scattered all over the house, and this under the dining room table:

 

I guess on your forest service tower, you could paint an orange stripe or two on the thing to make it stand out...

Rob, (not that I'm saying you're old or anything, but) maybe you could have your MIL & FIL's new doctor check your hurting ankles and other body parts, to see what's ailin' you! (Just a thought, not wanting to get hit or anything...).  

Jeff, if you hadn't told me about those trucks, I wouldn't have known any different about them. But I'm not an expert diesel detail spotter, either. That diesel looks great to me (but I am partial to Santa Fe ones...)!

Tom, just read your note on the supersecret spark arrestors - you are having waaayyy too much fun with this hobby!

Paul, hope you get a little rain, whether as spin-off from Dolly or as a gift from Sue, Hoople and Tom. How've your eyes been doing (the newly remodeled one and the earlier one)?

This afternoon was one of those exercises in frustration. Went out about 3 p.m. to assess a person at one of our county jails, and yep, the guy could've been suicidal (or else a pretty good actor; some are that good). So, I get my stuff written up, call and line up a hospital bed for him in one of the fine establishments in our side of the state, and I get calling the judges' office to see about faxing the forms over for the court order. Find out one judge is on vacation in Florida until next week, another has been in court all day (and still is at 4-ish in the afternoon), and the other two I can't reach (have left their offices). Which means, it could be a bit before they get home - sometimes they stop for dinner out before heading home . A while later, I reach one judge, and he asks what charges the inmate has. I tell him, and he says for me to let the guy stay there in the jail. (Which means the order is dead as the proverbial doornail). ] So I get a copy of my assessment made for the jail (just in case), phone the hospital to tell them the guy will not be coming after all, and it's about three hours after I left work (plus my drive home). Sheesh! Some days... Glad tomorrow is Friday (and my outpatient clients day).

I think I'll be having dessert now, Chloe.

and a refill on my coffee, please. Thanks.

 

Blessings,

Jim in Cape Girardeau 

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening Diners!

 Say Tom, I read the menu at your place to Jamie and Pippa and I see that they are busy packing bags and have asked for plane tickets to California. Expect 2 Westies  and baggage in about 2 days. I told them Lowell was a cat but for that menu Pippa said, " Whatever". 

Rob, great to hear that the new house is about to start and I hear that you could be falling victim to the "might as well" syndrome. I know it well from renos we have done but don't give in, resist tempation as believe me it can get shockingly expense. Far cheaper to buy the odd Big Boy, Challenger or whatever else tickles your fancy. And yes the Arcam CD player is truly amazing and I have the amp all set up for trial. The store let me take it on approval to try out so I expect they think it won't be coming back. I have lined up someone to buy my old amp so tonight is decision time. It is truly a great deal and I'm a sucker for something on sale. I nearly ordered a Spectrum 2-10-2 as Kleins had the CN version on sale at a great price until I checked myself as I already have an IHC 2-10-2 and I have a very small layout--what was I thinking?

It was nice and warm today and humid too so thanks to whomever sent it up our way. Being hot and humid I suspect Jeff, so thanks Jeff. By the way Jeff, I am really looking forward to see what you do with that baggage car. I expect it will be something great as you usually do.

I'm sending off my 1924 American Flyer O guage train set to a store in Toronto that will sell it for me. It was my father's and is in the original box but I don't really have an attachment to it so it would be better to let some collector have it that will appreciate it and of course I then can buy another loco for my layout--do I hear a Pacific calling?

Well time to go so good night for now,

CN Charlie

[pcarrell]

I was on my way home from school this evening and I saw something just a little out of the ordinary for around here.  The sun was almost gone, so I'm sorry for the picture quality, but here's what I found.......

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/IMG_0009-1.jpg

Interesting, huh?  It's here for the race in Indianapolis this weekend.  Right now though, it's parked about 5 miles from my house.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Tom: Remember this?

 

It's turned into this:

[grayfox1119]

Good evening, haven't been online too much as the weather has been real wild here in the northeast. A tornado south of us yesterday, and one bad one north of us this afternoon in central east New Hampshire, one grandmother dead when her home was demolished, her husband and baby grandson survived and are in a hospital. Trees and power lines down everywhere, 6000 without power. Flooding rains all over the place, but the front is FINALLY moving off the coastline tonight.

 We had over 4" of rain total since Tuesday night, and the ground was already saturated due to May, June and early July rainfall. I have tomato plants now that are as tall as me, 5'-9", and when the sun comes out tomorrow, the grass and weeds will be that high also.

CNCHARLIE: So you want some of this weather? You can have it !!! This heat, extreme humidity, severe thunder storms every hour of the day for three days, flooding rains and tornados just plain sucks. This is abnormal for these parts.

I know that Ed headed into central Mexico two days ago, so he is away from the hurricane. As for Paul, he certainly received the rains, but not any damaging winds.

I'm off to bed, much to do tomorrow,

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Good evening..........

CN Charlie......... regarding the old American Flyer set, I have a good friend who is a huge American Flyer collector.  If you would like for me to check if he would be interested, let me know. It might help to cut out the middle man.

Dick ....... Duck the tornadoes. the ycan be nasty.

Jeff ...... Your progress is impressive with the baggage car.

Everybody .........again thanks for the thoughts and concerns about the problem with the intruder. Evidently, the neighbor man heard all the screaming and can to the rescue just in time. Whew. Police arrived fast, too.

[Flashwave]

Morning, Just getrting around to sharing, buyt Dad is up. As in, off the ventilator, and able to sit up with help. W aren't out of the woods yet, but we're clsoer. The sedation drugs are still in his body, (o boy are they still in there) but he's talking, ie, we can understand 50% of what he's saying, and usually aware of who each person is. the4 downside is that the 2 weeks in the roto bed has pretty well shopt all of his muscle tone, and he's easily overmedicated, so we'll be doing this "whad he say?" "I dunno. Sounded like tongues". His eyes are still yellow, as is one hand. Frusterating reminders of what's looming over our heads. But progress is still good. And that's the good and the bad.

And now for something completely different, here's a rough of 4449 paying tribute to a patient railway helping to provide the exursion service she and her cousins need.

Doing this for fun, so I;m not concerned about the edges. May do her in real later though.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang:

Flash it's good to hear that your dad is improving. It's going to be a long road but you can handle it.

JimCG the eyes are doing fine. I'm doing eye drops 4 times a day when I can remember. Next week one of the drops goes to twice a day the others stay at 4.

Jeff that's a great job on the baggage car. You really do work fast.

We had a brief shower here this afternoon. It wasn't even enough to settle the dust. I was down on the UP checking that the contractor that was taking down the old power and comunication lines had picked up the wire like he said and of course he didn't. That stuff will really get wound up in a brush hog mower and can be a real paon to get out. There are about 6 lines of copper and 2 of aluminum. I guess I'll have to pul them out and roll them up. If I do it's mine.

Not much else except that a kitten that was abandoned died. It was doing real well this morning but this afternoon it just went. That was the last one of 3 that my grandfaughter was taking care of. The little one was a real fighter I just can't figure out what happened. Tom Give Lowell a little extra from me OK?

Well Mary Ann is in bed and I'm going to head that way.

Good Night All

[wetidlerjr]

Good Morning from Tipton IN !

[inch53]

Mornin, an irish coffee please Zoe, it be a cool n damp start to the day.

Mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain and isolated T-Storms will be around today. The higher chances for rain will be to the southwest of Terre Haute into southeastern Illinois. Temperatures for everyone will climb into the mid 80's with south winds. Partly cloudy skies with chances for scattered rain and T-Storms continue tonight and last through the weekend with temperatures warming up into the upper 80's near 90° by Sunday.

Looks like JIM n GARRY might get some too according to the radar.

J.R.,  the last couple times I've posted any rail pics are on page-165, and last time was of Garry's n them layouts on Page-175. Those were off the digital and I've still got a few off the film camera to post yet.

GARRY,  glad everyone's ok after their encounter and the kid was caught. Hope he gets a long stay at the cross bar hotel.

PC,  good blimp shot lucky. We see come through here every once in awhile following I-70. If you ever see one fly, it's easy to understand why their called air ships. Were those MOW pics on CSX's Indy- Columbus line? I'd heard they were going to do some improvements out that way.

DICK,  glad that storm is moving out finally. It was part of the front that came through here on Mon, and did a lot of damage north n east of us.

Best get ta some chores, don't figure I'll get much done outside. Thoughts for all those in need, n hope ya'll has a gooden.

[Cederstrand]

 in a SANTA FE mug, please & thanks.

***Philip, real nice shot of the Goodyear. Stuck it on the desktop for the day.

***Jeffrey, that car looks different somehow.

***Dick, good to hear you fared well through the storm.

***Flashwave, at least there is imporvement. Must be challenging for all involved though.  

Healing thoughts to those in need.

Rob

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

It's 75 and cloudy out here in the Sportsman's Paradise. It's expected to clear a little to mostly cloudy as the high climbs into the upper 90's with a small chance of rain.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I worked on two projects and helped fix an air conditioner. Project #1 was mounting a Mantua F7 body on a Proto 2000 FA1 chassis. That was a shotgun wedding if ever there was one, but after a bit of surgery on both they're now together, for better or for worse. Project #2 was my abandoned baggage car. It took a total of almost ten hours.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      7/25/2008

Heat Index:  80°F
Humidity:  94%
Dew Point:  73°F

So Far Today
High:  76°F
Low:  75°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  3mph SSE

Today  High: 98    Partly sunny with isolated showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the upper 90s. Light and variable winds becoming southwest around 10 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Tonight  Low: 75    Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 70s. South winds around 10 mph in the evening becoming light and variable.

[LSWrr]

Good morning,

Tom, I was chatting with a friend of mine, she has the same problem with one of her cats:

"I have taken Scout to the vet the past 3 days for IV's (fluids).  The vet had given me B12 to add to his fluids and I think it messed him up so they are trying to flush his kidneys and get his stats up. You can tell your friend that if he gives his kitty 1/4 of REGULAR Pepcid it helps with upset stomachs...which could be why his kitty isn't eating regularly. It has helped Scout...he eats about everything. Scout doesn't care to much for the renal cat food but I add a little bit of "exquisite cat" canned food in for flavor and he seems fine with it.  I also give him a little bit of chicken (I buy rotisserie chicken) to keep his calorie intake up. Its a lot of work and you have to keep a close eye on the kitties.  I get to talk to the vet when I leave here to pick up Scout to see if the IV's helped at all.  VERY stressful."

ROB, go get the CT scan. 1. It will benefit you in the long run. 2. The Mrs is always right, I'm sure if you ask her she will agree with me, LOL.

Jeff, nice job on the baggage car, although I thought the giant tire rub mark on the proto was very interesting.  I wonder what made that mark.

I managed to clear coat all 45 hoppers and swapped out 82 couplers last night.  This weekend I'll work on weathering and post some pictures on my web site.

Lee

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeff, nice job on the baggage car, although I thought the giant tire rub mark on the proto was very interesting.  I wonder what made that mark.

Would you believe a small tree? Bugs got it this last spring so it will never leaf out again. If you load the photo in Windows Picture and Fax viewer and zoom in on that part of the car you can just see the tree.

[pcarrell]

PC,  ........Were those MOW pics on CSX's Indy- Columbus line? I'd heard they were going to do some improvements out that way.

Yeah, it's the line coming out the northeast side of Indy and following alongside SR 67/36 on into Anderson.

[Flashwave]

Oh, because I've alreasdy been down that road with dad,

 

Rob:GO GET THE CT SCAN NOW!!!

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Rob says:  "Wife is pestering me to have a follow-up full body CT scan and also have my ankles fixed. I'm not at all interested in pursuing either right now. I prefer to enjoy life for a while without any bad news. Maybe next year!"

I say....... Real men are not afraid of medical tests. If there is "bad news" it will be corrected with "good news" from today's modern medical treatments.

Zoe: ....From now until further notice...........All of Rob's coffee is to be served in "CT Scan" mugs!

[twhite]

Morning all.  Another fairly hot day here in SunnyCal--no smoke, the fires are pretty much under control.  No Delta Breeze either, so it's predicted to be about 97 again, today.  However the threat of triple digits seems to have gone away, since there's a low in the Gulf of Alaska that's supposed to dip down over the weekend. 

So far, except for the smoke, it's been a fairly mild summer here in Cal--at least in this part. 

Lowell has his usual morning appointment in about a half-hour.  I'm mixing his baby-food with low-phospate cat food as the Vet suggested, and he's wolfing it down like crazy.  Believe it or not, I actually felt muscle in a spot where three days ago it seemed like skin and bone, so he may be putting some weight back on.  I notice he's not drinking near as much water as he has been--or flooding the kitty box--so he seems to be stabilizing. 

Jeff:  Wow, my friend, you didn't waste ANY time on that baggage car--looks really GOOD!  Oh, PS--those wheels are 36" NWSL in case you want to trade them out on another passenger car--they really track SMOOTH. 

Rob:  I'm with Garry and Flash--hie thyself to a doctor and get a CT scan, buddy.  That's how I found out that I had a 'floating' rib a couple of years ago, and we were able to get it re-anchored so that it didn't 'float' around and puncture a lung.  So DO IT!! 

Flash:  Hope your dad hangs in there and continues to improve.  Have you contacted Legal Aid about the financial arrangements?  I know it was pretty scary there for a while, at least from your post. 

Well, nothing much new around here.  After I get Lowell back from the Vet's, going to go out and work some more on the layout.  Funny thing--I was out running a brass Balboa SP 2-10-2 that I bought second hand a couple of years ago, and I was reminded of a thread we had going on 'weathering' locomotives, and how I stated that I didn't like to weather mine into 'rolling junkyards'.  Well, the guy I bought the 2-10-2 from did just exactly THAT!  Nice job, but now I'm wondering if I should strip it down and re-do it.  The loco runs beautifully, but it sure LOOKS as if it's on its last legs--at least to me.  I'll have to think about it. 

Well, got to load Lowell up and head off. 

Best to all, prayers to those in need. 

Tom

 

 

[LSWrr]

Twhite, did you see my comment about the cat?

Rob, did you get the CT scan yet? 

Twhite, I've been thinking about weathering some of my locomotives, not real bad, but just enough to show they work in the coal business and not passenger service. Do you have any recommendations?

Lee

[last mountain & eastern hogger]

Good afternoon Crew,

It is great to see all these smiling faces,  Chloe when you pass the galley, see if you can line up a BLT or Club for me and a root beer float.  Please & Thanks.

JEFF,    For goodness sake don't park that old rust bucket anywhere close to the new trailer sites in your park.  I don't want to have to look out on that eyesore when were down there visiting. and I don't want anything blocking our view of that old steamer.. 

ROB,   you would be best to follow the wife's advice.  If you don't you'll probably be in for hot tongue and cold shoulder . Might even win some brownie points for further MRR purchases. You know the old adage, "He who hesitates",  well at least gets left behind or something.  Take the other advice from Larry, the Cable Guy and "Get-R-Done".

Tom, CNCharlie, Rob and others , Those pets sure have attentive owners and it is paying off. It looks like all of their health is improving. But there is not much we can do about old age other than to keep them comfortable and content.  We have had to lay to rest many faithful companions over the years and it never gets easier. Each one is special and has given many hundreds of hours of pleasure, entertainment, companionship and fun. How can you not miss them or take it lightly when their time has come.  I wouldn't want to be without them.

Here is a story that surely will touch a few people.  It is long but a very good read.

The Old Man and the Dog

By Catherine Moore

 

"Watch out! You nearly broad sided that car!" My father yelled at me.

"Can't you do anything right?"
Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly
man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my
throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.

"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving." My voice
was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.

Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad
in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.
Dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of
distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil.

What could I do about him?

Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon. He had enjoyed being
outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of
nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed
often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested
to his prowess.

The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a
heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside
alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased
him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had
done as a younger man.

Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An
ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to
keep blood and oxygen flowing. At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an
operating room. He was lucky; he survived.

But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He
obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of
help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors
thinned, then finally stopped altogether Dad was left alone.

My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small
farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him
adjust. Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It
seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I
became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on
Dick. We began to bicker and argue. Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor
and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling
appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God
to soothe Dad's troubled mind. But the months wore on and God was
silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.

The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each
of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my
problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered. In vain. Just
when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just
read something that might help you! Let me go get the article." I
listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a
nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic
depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were
given responsibility for a dog.

I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a
questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of
disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each
contained five to seven dogs. Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black
dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me. I studied each one
but rejected one after the other for various reasons too big, too small,
too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far
corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat
down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was
a caricature of the breed. Years had etched his face and muzzle with
shades of gray. His hipbones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it
was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they
beheld me unwaveringly.

I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked,
then shook his head in puzzlement.

"He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate.
We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him.
That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up
tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.

As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror. "You mean you're
going to kill him?"

"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy. We don't have room for
every unclaimed dog."

I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision.
"I'll take him," I said.

I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached
the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car
when Dad shuffled onto the front porch.

"Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.

Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I
would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen
than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm
scornfully and turned back toward the house.

Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded
into my temples.

"You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!" Dad ignored me. "Did
you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his
hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate.

We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer
pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in
front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw.

Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw confusion
replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad
was on his knees hugging the animal.

It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the
pointer Cheyenne. Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They
spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments
on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even
started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and
Cheyenne lying quietly at his feet.

Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad's
bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one
night I was startled to feel Cheyenne's cold nose burrowing through our
bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke
Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed,
his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the
night.

Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne
lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he
had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I
silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's
peace of mind.

The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks
like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews
reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and
Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It
was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life. And then
the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers."

"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.

For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not
seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right
article...

Cheyenne's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter. .his calm
acceptance and complete devotion to my father. . .and the proximity of
their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my
prayers after all.
Life is too short for drama & petty things, so laugh hard,
love truly and forgive quickly.
Live While You Are Alive.
Tell the people you love that you love them, at every
opportunity.
Forgive now those who made you cry. You might not get a
second time. 

Have a great day all and keep smiling,

Johnboy out................... 

 

[Cox 47]

Afternoon All.....Its cloudy and cool here today....I'll have a pork burger,onion rings and a Diet Coke please...Thank you.....We went down to Robinson for the birthday party last nite and we brought 2 of the  Grand Daughters home with us for a week...I took them out on my power chair this morning and hit a couple of yard sales they picked up all kind of goodies for a couple of bucks!! They are natural shoppers!....Crossed the Indiana RR tracks last night and I had my camera but didn't see anything but tracks...

Jeff...Nice job so far on Baggage Car....Are you going to leave it on its trucks?

Rob...For goodness sakes don't put it of as they said like Larry the cable Guy says "geter done!"

All you pet owners with pets that have been having trouble glad to hear that they are getting better....

You all have a good one...Jerry

 

 

 

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeff...Nice job so far on Baggage Car....Are you going to leave it on its trucks?

Oh yeah, just like the 1:1 baggage car I modeled it after.

[Guilford Guy]

Hi Guys! New Video Up!

A Tribute to the Southern Pacific
Tribute to the Southern Pacific Featuring the Daylights, Snow Fighting, Tehachapi, Cab Forwards, FM Train Masters, U50C's, and Much Much More! Enjoy~!