Elliot's Trackside Diner V, at the diamonds

[Cox 47]

Good Morning all...Its clear and 52 here this morning...I'll have coffee and a sweet roll please..Thank you...Its been a long night spent most of it in power chair..Hope I'll be able to get service man for my lift chair early this morning...You all have a good one...Jerry

[Cox 47]

Looks like I'm buying...Order up and enjoy I'll be in the kitchen helping clean up....Jerry

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I'll have the bacon and eggs.

[LSWrr]

Good morning, 

Today: A slight chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 72. East wind between 7 and 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 59. East wind between 8 and 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Lee

[pcarrell]

Morning all!

Oh, and I forgot to say to C&O 2-6-6-6

Oh well, time to get started on the day!

[Fergmiester]

Good Morning All

Well John... and I suspect Lee and anyone else who has been on the "Briny Ocean Tossed" will attest to this; It's not only the standing but any position you find yourself in. Sleep is interupted repeatedly especially when you take an unexpected roll or put the bow under. Just pounds you to the core! Though the Scientist were having a hoot! Thought it was all great fun they did until I told a couple of them about the realities of Stability and Rogue waves and some of my experiences. Up until that point they were happy as we looked calm and proffessional and unphased by the realities of it all. Ignorance is truly bliss. Nothing like surfing on the back side of a 40 foot wave. Saying that I will miss the Hudson as there isn't a better sea boat in the Fleet.

C&O Kile: There is a small following of C&O fans here with C&O Terry and myself. Though I am freelance I have several C&O engines (Allegheny, Texas, Mountains and a Kanawha) saw a nice Greenbrier on e-bay the other day but figured I would bankrupt the "Corporation" and "We" mustn't trouble the CFO!

Terry: Glad you survived and had no problems.

Well everyone I have unexpected chores today as a Hurricane has formed off in the Atlantic and is presently predicted to make landfall in Nova Scotia Sunday... Good day to be in the basement I'd say!

Later All

Fergie

[SilverSpike]

Been busy with writing my Part II article on 3rd Plan It and not much time to surf the net, and still in mourning too, thanks for all your support!

A quick and brief review for now....

Garry

Are you ready for more bike travel?

Yup,and I am going to head out next Tue after work towards Apex,NC for the steam meet. I will take as many back roads as possible so that I can enjoy the trip better than on the freeway and away from all of the crazies. Ryan,Monique,and maybe Ben will be there Sat and if all goes well,I am going to try to make it to Ryan's Thur evening to see his layout first hand. Six days to roll off,but who's counting.

Looking forward to the visit Duke and less than a week from now too! Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is still in the works for Saturday afternoon at the meet. Here are a few pics from the past two years meets....

Duke giving us the run down on the yard tracks, locos and rolling stock, Oct 2007

Southern steam in action, Oct 2006

 

[C&O Fan]

Morning All

C&O Kile:" border="0" width="55" height="36" />

Just a few photos of the minor street flooding in Houston during Ike

makes my driveway look like a lanch ramp

Always wanted to own water front property

 

[Cederstrand]

in a SOUTHERN mug, please & thanks.

Have really enjoyed all the progress photos that have been posted lately. Keep 'em coming!

And those large scale riding trains sure look like fun. Must make for some serious maintenance though. 

Wonder if Terry's truck transforms into a boat when he backs out of the driveway?

Have a good day, all. Rob

[LSWrr]

Wow Terry, that's a bunch of water

Fergie, I've had to sleep on the mess deck before due to the seas.

Jeff, the locomotive looks good!

Lee

[jeffrey-wimberly]

It seems my young friend David (Trainmaster) sustained an injury a few days ago. He broke one finger on his right hand and dislocated another finger while playing basketball. He says he'll be OK but likes it that his mother is writing his homework for him.

[Cox 47]

Update on my lift chair..service man came says 1 of the 2 motors is fried...He went back to shop  and has one in a new chair that He is taking out and will be back and put it in..Says they have shipped 2 new motors and they sould be here by Monday but hopefully the patch job will hold till then...Jerry

[LSWrr]

Jerry sounds like they should have given you the new chair.

Jeff, sent you a PM

[Fergmiester]

Afternoon All

Lee: Can't say I've slept on the deck just been tossed there from the bunk! I've also wedged pillows on the outboard side to keep me in the bunk... We must be nutz!

As far as Jerry's chair... They average between $2500-3500 on the simple ones and if you want one with a 90 degree turn in it add another (ready for this...) $10,000.

Jerry hope this works well for ya!

 

Later All

Fergie

[Packers#1]

Garry, I think our team will win the rest of our games, lol.

Kile, you still gotta email me that sketch. I can get it done this weekend, but then I won't have time next week, so I'll have to wait till the weekend after that.

[JimRCGMO]

Evening, Chloe. I'll have a RBF (ahem!... uh, Garry...) since I didn't get in today. And also a cheesburger with the goodies (hold the peppers, though), cheesey fries and a dill pickle spear, please. Thanks!

to the Diner (belatedly), Kile! And have a root beer float on me, please.

Short version of today - noon meeting, people came in at times so I didn't get away to lunch, and the last assessment of the day was rather exhausting. And, I'm the backup on-call tonight for a co-worker until midnight, so a calm and silent night will be very nice. Tomorrow is laundry, squeezing in a haircut in the morning, and a friend's wedding at 2 p.m. [whew]

Actually, I probably need to get ready to head for home (and go to bed early, just in case...)

 

Blessings and a great weekend for you all,

Jim in Cape Girardeau

[pcarrell]

Jim, you sound like me!  Meetings this morning, meetings this afternoon, on call 24/7, a funeral, basketball practice and teaching tommorow, teaching and dinner with the P's Sunday, and back to work Monday to do it all over again!  I need a weekend from my weekend!  I'm thinkin' that we ought to both grab our respective wives and run for the hills!

[CNCharlie]

Good Evening Diners!

Well that was frustrating. I just finished typing my post and it all disappeared before I could hit post. I guess it was too long.

Hurrah! I finally got the boat pulled out on Wednesday! We managed to pull 4 boats that day which is about all you can do in a day. It is a time consuming and tiring process that takes at least 3 people to do and it is better with 4 or 5. The reason for so much manpower is that the crane is stationary and has power to lift only so once the boat comes out on the slings, you have to use muscle power to swing it around and positinon it on the trailer. My boat is one of the smaller ones and it is 3 tons so you can imagine their is a lot of grunting and (sorry Phil) cursing.

Tom, glad to hear Lowell is hanging in there. Baby food must have magic properties as our Jamie is now on it at least for a food topping. You're so right about the cost. Here a jar of beef or chicken is $1.39 but he sure does like it! Really gets the old boy excited about meal times. We had him at the vets again today as he may have an ear infection or an abcessed tooth and he has to go in on Monday to get it fully checked. No wonder our vet has a new Beemer.

Garry, really like your 928. They sound great too especially if you a manual transmission and let's face it, sound is important. Have fun with that great looking car!

Terry, Glad you made it through Ike ok but it looks like you live on a canal and not a street!

Well, I better sign off as I want to listen to the rest of the debate.

CN Charlie

[twhite]

Evening all.  Another 'sunny' day out here in SunnyCal, the weatherperson on KCRA is still waxing profound over our Indian Summer weather (low 90's).  The Indians I know sure wouldn't be 'waxing' of this stuff--they're waiting for Fall--like the rest of us. 

Just picked up the Farmer's Almanac, they're predicting a really COLD winter out here in SunnyCal.  They didn't say whether it would be wet or dry, though.  Wet would be nice, as in Sierra Snowpack and full reservoirs that we can ship to that other portion of the state south of the Tehachipi's to keep their swimming pools full this summer.  Do you know that 70% of the water in California is generated here in the northern part of the state and 70% of the population lives in the LA Basin?  Gives you pause, it does, LOL! 

Well, knee has been stiff as a board the past couple of days, surgeon says to 'walk it off'.  I'd love to, if I could find something to hold onto, LOL.  As he told me, I'm 69 almost (this December) not 26 and I take longer to heal.  At least he didn't get the numbers reversed and tell me I'm 86, for cryin' out loud. 

Lowell is doing very well--two jars of Gerbers plus whatever he can scrounge from Spooky during the day.  Kid's turned into a real EATING machine.  Evidently the one kidney's still working pretty well, and darned if he doesn't have a little more muscle tone, lately.  Still sleeps on my pillow and washes my eyebrows during the night.  He's such a sweet little fellow, I'm bound and determined to keep him as long as I can--but NOT past terminal suffering.  So far, so good. 

However, the Farmer's Almanac might just be right, both cats are EXPLODING with their winter coats.  Have to brush Spooky daily right now.  I usuall end up with enough to build another cat.  Even outdoor Gizmo is bulking up--she's looking more like a cougar everyday.  Dang, hope she doesn't GROW into one--I mean, how could I explain that to the owners of missing neighborhood dogs, LOL?

Not much new on the MR, hard to stand for more than 10 minutes at a time.  Dr. says that will improve.  Yah, WHEN? (GRUMP, GRUMP  ) 

Best to all, prayers to those in need. 

Tom  

 

 

 

[LSWrr]

Fergie, The first boat I was on had a "hurricane strap" in my coffin rack.  I figured out what it was for in a hurry!  I also mastered the art of bringing an extra pillow, you can lay your shoulder on it and roll over until your other shoulder wedges you in the rack.

[Paul W. Beverung]

Evening Gang: Not a whole lot on going on today. I really felt lousy after lunch so I went to bed after taking some Benadryl. I woke up around 4:30 and felt a little better. Right now I'm really feeling crummy again so I'll be heading to bed.

Good Night All

Ya know when I started this post I knew that I'd be starting a new page. Where's PPC when you need him. So have at it gang and remember that I'm sick. Yea I know in the head.

[Cederstrand]

Chamomile tea, please & thanks. 

***CN Charlie, would have enjoyed giving you a hand with those boats. I would then be a wreck the following day, but it would still have been fun.

***Tom, good to hear Lowell continues doing well.

We bought two dump truck loads of topsoil (very cheap) from a major dig going on. Got most of it spread over where the log home was. After spending oodles of time picking up nails, scrap metal, melted plastic bits, glass, etc, there comes a point when a layer of dirt is the best option. Wife will plant grass seed when I've finished.

Good night all. Rob

[wetidlerjr]

 

Good Morning from Tipton IN ! 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning.

It's 62 and clear. Today's high should be in the mid 80's with plenty of sunshine.

Yesterday my internet service was about to drive me crazy. Up one minute, down the next, slow post times, photos loading at a snails pace. Last night it took five minutes to get a two line reply posted. This is an intermittent problem that's been ongoing for the last six months or so. Right now it's working very well so I hope the problem has been corrected. If there was a better broadband ISP in this area I'd go with them but there's not, so I'm stuck with what I have. Fiber-optics are great when the system is working right but have just one little thing go wrong and it's not worth crap.

Today's Weather for:
Sundown, LA  71446-6114      9/27/2008

Wind Chill:  60°F
Humidity:  78%
Dew Point:  53°F

So Far Today
High:  65°F
Low:  60°F
Rain:  0.00"
Rain Rate:  0.00"/h
Gust:  0mph NNE

Today  High: 85    Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 80s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight  Low: 55    Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. Northeast winds around 5 mph in the evening becoming light after midnight.

[der5997]

everyone. I'll have a medium JR Regular please, and a slice of the banana bread with butter, heated, thanks Janie. Have to leave room for Ryan's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for lunch. Thanks Paul: Hope you are feeling better today.

Rob:  You are not alone! You aren't the only pregnant male around, it seems http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/080926/koddities/oddity_pregnant_grandfather

Justification for pack rats!  A couple of years ago I put aside one of those plastic rod things that controls the vanes on a set of Venetian blinds. It would "come in handy some day".  Today is the day.  I need to blacken the rails for the container dock crane before I install them. They are Z scale rail, 26" long. That's quite the trough, if I were to lay them down in Blacken-It ®.  That rod turns out to be hollow, and is 24". The rails fit nicely in there, and the closed end is sealed with some glue, so clamped vertically it's just right for the job.

Jerry: That's really good they were able to get you a replacement motor fairly quickly. Answer to prayer, I'd say, despite the night in the power chair..

Terry: Two weeks is long enough without power. I guess the freezer stuff is toast (or not!)  Still, as you say, it could have been much worse.

Jeff:

to find out why the check engine light won't go off.

...when our old van was like that, and it needed a Motor Vehicle Inspection permit, the local service centre (who can't issue the permit until the light no longer comes on) told us that about half the vehicles that come in have that light on!  Fortunately for us the computers did talk to each other, and it wasn't a major item.

...and found the other tracks again

...can get like that all too easily, can't it? , hope you're connection improves. We're on DSL, which is copper phone line to the hub, and fibre from there.

CN Charlie:

Well that was frustrating. I just finished typing my post and it all disappeared before I could hit post. I guess it was too long.

...bummer! It's one reason I do most of my posts in Word first. (the other is spellcheck!).  That way, if the system toasts my post, I've got the thing on hand to try again.

You're so right about the cost. Here a jar of beef or chicken is $1.39

...don't know about the cost of baby food, haven't looked in a while, but the "Baby Asprin" was mentioned at the diabetes clinic the other day. I said we cut up the 325 mg regular asprin into ¼s, and the dietician said, yes, that's a good plan because the baby asprin costs over $8 per bottle; and that it's a $ store item in the States! What a rip!

CapeJim: Did you squeeze in the hair cut today?

 Tom:

Just picked up the Farmer's Almanac, they're predicting a really COLD winter out here in SunnyCal.  They didn't say whether it would be wet or dry, though. 

...I was surprised to read that the Farmer's Almanac forecast is one factor driving grain and soybean futures right now!  Hope the leg improves rapidly, can't have you cut off from layout time too long!

Lee:

The first boat I was on had a "hurricane strap" in my coffin rack.

...Let's see, an mrr and a coffin...wouldn't have been this chap would it? (been wondering how I could use that one!)

Looks like time's getting round to lunch. TTFN.

 

[Heartland Division CB&Q]

Hello everybody!

Terry: I just saw your water. Wow. I would loan you our kayak, but it might take a while to get it to you.  I heard you had a b'day. Happy late b'day, youngster!

CN Charlei. Yep the 928 has quite a sound to it. We still have a problem with paperwork and it's just sitting in the garage meanwhile. Next, it needs a lot of work.

Tom .... Does Lowell have favorite flavor of Gerbers? I would not like having a cat on my pillow when I'm sleeping, but to each his own. I hope that knee heels soon. I bet the topside creeper is not in use.

Everybody... I mentioned in recent months that a close friend of ours at the church has cancer and was going through chemotherapy. This Tuesday, the 30th, she will have surgery to have her bladder removed. She and her husband are very active in church. It does not sound good at all for her. Also, they now have their first grandchild as of about two weeks. My prayer request is for Diane and her husband Wayne. Thanks.   

 

[Cox 47]

Afternoon All .... Its sunny and 73 here a perfect fall day!....I'll have a Windy City Dawg drag it thru the garden.Onion Rings and a root beer Float please..Thank You...I am feeling much better after a good nights sleep...Service man got chair patched back up with a motor off one they had in stock hopefully it will hold together till monday..They are shipping 2 new motors and a control box..He says they have one other chair like mine out and it was purchased about the same time as mine and they have had to put new motors in it twice...Fergie was pretty close on price this one was $ 2,700....Plan to set in it this afternoon and read the new Model Rail Roader the came yesterday I thumbed thru it looks pretty good..

Paul...Hope your feeling better today...

Jeff...Is your internet service better today?...I was wondering how many engines have you letter for you railroad? What about caboose and passenger MOW ?.....

Tom....Glad to here the cat is better..Farmers Almanac is saying a cold snowy winter here in midwest too...Corn and beans look good here with good prices I saw a thing on Terre haute Indiana TV last night that inspite on flooding early and a dry August apple crop is great...

Garry...Prayers for Diane and Wayne....Have you been out in that new sports car yet..Fall is a great time for cruising..Does it have Sun Roof?

You all have a great saturday afternoon ....Jerry

[Paul W. Beverung]

Afternoon Gang: I had a mesarable night. The allergies will be going on until the first frost comes along. That can't be too soon for me.

Jerry good to hear that the chair got fixed quickly. I think that if it were me doing the repairs I'd replace the chair. Is it still under warranty?

I'm going to cut out and take a nap. Mary Ann is already in bed.

See you all later.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeff...Is your internet service better today?...I was wondering how many engines have you letter for you railroad? What about caboose and passenger MOW ?

I still have 2 locos on the layout (out of 14) that need to be lettered. They will both be lettered for the MGRy. I have only 2 locos lettered for the L&A. It's a light freight operation servicing a branch line with lightweight rail, hence L&A 227, a GP35 which has been modified for the purpose. The other loco is a GP40 the line picked up as a rebuilt wreck. It's used on the heavier part of the line which goes onto the MGRy. Both are in line for decoders, nothing fancy, just the Bachmann standard.

[Cederstrand]

in a SOUTHERN mug, please & thanks.

***Der, that was funny. Bet he was mighty surprised.

Major endeavor/change here on the ol' farm. Wife is taking a break from nursing to pursue writing. Will need to seriously tighten up the belt for a while, but I think it is worth her giving this a serious effort. This is not without outside/professional encouragement. She is VERY tallented in this area. Wish her (& us) luck!

Healing thoughts to those in need.

Rob