Ulrich is usually on hand for new month duties.
Some of you have seen pictures of flooding in Baltimore. The worst flooding was in Ellicott City, formerly known as Ellicott Mills and the site of the 1st segment of the B&O way back in 1830.
Two years ago they had a 1000 year flood, which destroyed the road and sidewalks. The owners rebuild only to get hit with a flood, that was worse, this weekend. 8" of rain in a couple hours from a stationary front.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/05/28/ellicott-city-maryland-flash-floods-leave-1-missing-devastate-town-recovering-from-2016-deluge.html
Last pic is the railroad bridge across Main St.
The rain I was complaining about before Steve went on vacation was 5 or 6" over 5 days. We normally only get 8" of rain during hurricanes. BTW Steve, my next door neighbor's house was built 2' lower than mine. His sump pump was still running most of the time this past Thursday. (mine finished completely Tuesday)
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
NWP SWP. . .Any volunteers? . . .
I think now that Ulrich is back, location selection is his forte.
It is starting to heat up in earnest here in the desert southwest--it is currently 101F. When it clears 105, it is just too hot, and above 110 is horrid. We also had the driest winter on record so the national forests are all closed. The Boy Scout troop in our area is scrambling to try and find an alternative to the traditional scout camp.
I finally recovered enough from laying the flooring and the arrival of the grandkids to get out for a nice 25-mile ride this morning. Luckily it is still cooling off over night--it was a balmy 71F when I left at 6:00am.
Tomorrow is my son's birthday and we are going to an Arizona Diamondbacks game with his family. Good thing Chase Field is enclosed and air conditioned. The way they cool the stadium is rather interesting. They have giant water-based coolers that they freeze at night when electricity is cheap and available, then they run the air through the frozen coolers during the day. This allows them to keep the stadium cool without putting a large demand on the grid during peak hours.
Richard
Morning diners,
Mr. Otte, thanks for the snowball, I'll take a pink lemonade one, thanks!
Where to this month?
What about someplace Canadian?
Maybe someplace mountainous, like Donner, or the Cascades, better to go there now than in the winter!
Any volunteers?
Well good noose (err, news!) is that I don't have drivers ed till next week! I forgot that it's the 6th so next Wednesday, so I will get to go to the op session.
Well I'll be back, later!
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
Good (late) Afternoon!
It is way gtoo hot for me to feel comfortable! The rain we had yesterday didn´t cool the temperatures down, as I had hoped! Today, the all time high for the month of May was reached with a sizzling 33°C, that´s 92°F for you guys over at the other end of the Big Pond and south of the 49th!
Despite the heat, I was busy assembling the buildings from the set of kits I got the other day. 3 out of the 4 buildings are completely done, and # 4 is half way down the road. The layout already has a different "face" to it, luckily in the direction I planned for!
Those Faller kits have turned into quite a challenge for me. I am glad I have a "third hand" to hold things while I glue bits and pieces to it. My right hand is not steady enough any longer, so this exercise is somewhere in between fun and frustration.
Pictures when I am ready ...
Steven - thanks for the cold beverages - can I order three of them? One down the hatch, and the other two to cool my feet down!
TTFN!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Morning All!
Hobby Front: Didn't get to go out to ranch yesterday. Mom decided that it was too wet. (The car doesn't get along with mud very well.)
Did, however, get a few things worked on with the equipment that I have in town. Got some decals fixed on some of the passenger cars. The decals didn't "suck" down properly and I ended using some spare sheet that I had made. (Custom decals that I made when I first did those cars.) Got a little further on the wheel car. (Glued some of the roller bearing details on the wheels.) Made an error on the NP caboose with the ladders. (Got another set ordered.) Also found that I should get some knockoff knuckles replaced and given that a lot of cars use 148s I decided a bulk pack was a good idea. (Just the immediate ones to be replaced amounted to 6 pair.)
Thanks to everybody for not burning the joint down while I was gone. Have a nice cold snow cone as my way of thanks.
Geez, it got hot here all of a sudden. Weather in Wisconsin be like:
WinterwinterwinterwinterwinterwinterwinterwinterSprHAHAjustfoolingwinterwinterwinterSprHAHAgotchaagainSummersummersummer
Anyway, the month is almost over. Where are we heading next?
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
ricktrains4824it had been "repaired" before, and they did a lousy job at it... If I wasn't thinking it was crazy, I would say it looked just like they had placed aluminum foil over the bad spot on the fender, did a paper thin coat of bondo, and painted it and called it done!
That sort of shoddy repair is all too common. I had a work associate a few years ago who decided to open a used car lot. He openly admitted to doing exactly what you describe regularly.
A few years ago I was in the market for a used car. Every used car dealership that I went to had patches on many of their cars that were done poorly. I soon gave up on the used car dealers.
Next time you are buying a used car, carry a small magnet with you. If it won't stick to the fender then you know that you are looking at Bondo.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good evening all.
Zoe - A great big RBF please. Thanks.
Ken - Congrats on the anniversary!
I know what you mean on car issues... I went to fix the (what I thought) surface rust on my rear fender, and as I was sanding it, poked a hole right through it. Here, it had been "repaired" before, and they did a lousy job at it... If I wasn't thinking it was crazy, I would say it looked just like they had placed aluminum foil over the bad spot on the fender, did a paper thin coat of bondo, and painted it and called it done!
Needless to say, the little project is a lot less little now....
Ulrich - I must say, those trains look like FUN! And I really like the looks of the overhead wire, it gives a very nice touch.
Almost makes me want to break out the Lionel set I was given, just to set it up and run.
But, then I would not be making any headway on other projects, and that will not be good right now.
Jimmy - Keep plugging. It seems like a lot of places are not as active as they should be when it comes to getting the right employees.
Case in point, where I am now, they are still looking for more help, but the only place you can find that out, is the stores website or on the door... Had I not been sent there by my old boss for supplies, I would never have even thought of applying there.
My point to that, is, you might need to "think outside the box", and apply at places you wouldn't think about normally.
While I had retail experience, it was never with office supplies and printing. So I was applying places, and getting zero interest. When I went there for needed items for my old boss, I applied, and was interviewed on the spot. Once I cleared the background checks, I was offered a spot.
That was less than 3 months ago. (March 9th was my first day.) So far, all of the "traditional" spots I applied at, have either not contacted me at all, or contacted me just to say "thanks, but no thanks".
So, keep appliying places, but try to think about ones you normally would not think of applying at, as they just might be the right fit you are needing.
Too bad you aren't closer to me, my boss would love to find another someone with retail experience right now. We really need at least two more people, and so far, all of the others who have applied are a "not at this time, but thanks for showing the interest", to a "no, no, no, no, NO!"
Weather - Hot and humid. Dew points around 70, and temps hit 90 today, and forecast is at least 90 tomorrow. Have the downstairs AC in, will be getting the upstairs AC in tomorrow after w*^k.
W*^k - Mixed bag. I was awarded "Employee of the month" for April, and was used as a example in today's meeting on how to greet and talk with customers.
Next minute, I was not doing another task "right", in that, I have only sold 2 since I started there, and everyone's numbers are way down on that as well.
Then, it was that none of us is doing the "store card" often enough.
Problem is, we were getting compared with the Hermitage Pa store. They out perform us on every metric by a country mile, including sales, customer count, and market size. So it's no wonder they destroy us on these two metrics as well.
And then, we all got asked, why it is, that we are not getting many customer survey's, but then pointed out that, myself and one other person, are constantly being mentioned in good survey's... Seems like we are the only two getting customers to take the survey's, unless they are a negative one.
Then, it was brought out how we are getting way too many negative survey's. Yet, three negative ones were about the store OS going down during one customers visit, so nothing was working, yet we did the best we could, it just took too long. (When the entire store crashes, we do everything by hand, including receipts, and pricing. Or, how another store closer to the customer lost their building lease and was forced to close. (How in the world is that our fault?) Or how the customers felt that the price for printer ink was outrageously high, yet we were the cheapest of all stores in the area. (This is a reflection of our customer service how, exactly?)
So, I'm not too sure how to feel tonight about it all.
Trains - Main layout is still "flying in a holding pattern", as other, more pressing things, are being taken care of currently. Hoping to make major progress soon though.
Well, I best be headed off to bed, hope all are well,,and all enjoy the night/tomorrow!
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Evening diners,
Well today was rather uneventful compared to the rest of the weekend but let's not get into that.
Well Wednesday (I think gotta double check my schedule in the morning) I am going to drivers ed! Which should be interesting.
My friend is of to a religious summer camp for the week and is incommunicado for the duration, they are really weird about "fraternizing" as their website calls it between males and females. She only goes because her parents expect her to, she's happy that this is her last year though!
Anyways what I've been up to, well mowed all the grass last week just in time for it to be cut again! Uh, I opened an Instagram account, and am trying to post more often on there and Twitter. Brought the Mitsubishi (AKA the Mule) in to the dealer to get the Takada air bags replaced. Did some yard work, went to church. My dad said he'd help me with buying a push mower for my lawn care business, I've got about 3/4 the money just need a little loan for the last bit, hopefully I'll buy it sometime this or next week. My next few purchases will be some train stiff of course, a new phone, new computer, and maybe a rowing machine to help me get in shape, although I'm in no way fat, nor am I low on muscle but I could be in better shape, at 6'3" 240 (which is "overweight" by the doctors standards) I'm a pretty big guy, I'm wanting to increase my batting speed, I got a new bat recently, a old TPXBBXL Louisville Slugger 34" long and 30 oz., I was using a Little League TPX Louisville that was 32" and 24 oz. The 6 oz. Increase has slowed me down a bit. Uh what else is going on, well anxiety is under control only an occasional attack but the ambient anxiety is much better.
Music, well I have decided that I'm going to give American Idol a shot, I'm going to go audition for season 2, I'm not looking to win, just get my name out there, and if I win well that's just a perk!
Well tomorrow is Tuesday so I'll be going to the club, just realized I'm going to be in Drivers ed Saturday so I'm going to miss the Op Session, aw snap! Oh well next time!
Well that's about it, sorry to go on a bit!
Good evening Diners,
Brunhilda, a cup of sleepy time tea, please.
Just came back from Southwest Michigan to see DIL's brother get married. It was a great time. Lots of food, etc. The in-laws rented a house for the weekend on a bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. There must have been 30 people staying there, all related. It was hot. Not like heat in So Cal or Arizona. This had humidity also. Historically, I've always been able to handle heat better than most where I live, but we were sitting outside in direct sun in our dress clothes. It was even getting to me. I can't imagine how uncomfortable the other people were.
We spent today in St Joseph, MI. Quaint little town. The downtown reminded me ever so slightly of Manhattan Beach, with the quaint shops and how this one shopping street points to the water. That's where the similarity ended, but it was a nice day.
Off to bed.
Hello to everyone, and I hope everyone is OK and safe.
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
Good Evening,
Another sunny day here but showers are forecast for tomorrow. I sure hope that happens as we are experiencing the driest spring in over 40 years. Our water bill will be outrageous but I guess we should be thankful we have the water to use. The quarterly bill for water/sewer is usually about $250 but we have had it as high as $400.
Ken, congrats on the anniversary!
Ray, that is wonderful news regarding your son and his move to England. I must say that I feel more at home there than any other country we have visited. Maybe it is the common Head of State and same political system or maybe it is the influence of my father, who knows. At any rate I hope everything works out well for him. I noticed in one of the photos that they have an Aga range in their kitchen. Friends of ours had one installed and they had to have the floor of their kitchen re-enforced to handle the weight. My wife would love to have a cottage with a thatch roof.
I think we have purchased all the plants we need this year and hopefully can start planting this week after the rain. We lost several old hostas this year, not sure if it was the frost or the early drought but a couple of 20+ year old ones didn't come up.
I mowed the grass in the front for the first time this year. The old gas mower we use in front started on the first pull. And by old I mean well over 30 years. We use an electric in the back but it needs a new battery. It uses a small wet cell used on motorcycles. This will only be the third one in 15 years so that isn't too bad.
Time for tea and tellie. It is so cold in the basement where we have the TV that we have to put on the gas fireplace. I know that sounds crazy in summer but the cold from the A/C just filters downstairs.
CN Charlie
Afternoon Diners
Flo, get the gang and I a and Rick and Steven what they like.
Today was our Wedding Anniversary. Meet Sue when I was 17 and I am now 62 so we have been togather for 45 years and married 40 years! She wanted to go to Golden Corral for some reason? I got off cheap being a Vet, mine meal was free so tab was only $9.93.
She had been wanting to go to Alton ILL for sometime now. She enjoyed the drive along the river and we made a few stops. But it was hot at 96 degrees so no where near what she would have liked to have done.
Only bad thing? On the way home her cars blower motor stopped working so no AC. Great, I wonder what that is going to cost me! I told her all along "Sue we don't want this car!" Engine is in great shape and uses no oil. But I knew there would be other problems. She has only driven the car 3500 miles in two years and so far I have spent $1000.00 in repairs! I knew we should have went MOPAR!
Train Front I am getting close to having the PRR Coach Lake Merritt for a test run. Have the Athearn Coach Wheels fitted and what looks like it needs to be trimed, trimed. Going to test it going around a 18" turn. If that works I will wrok on the couplers.
Dang it is a all Ed Ball Express Night. Mighty B&O, Mighty CB&Q and Bessmer SD 7 with Thundering Tennise Ball's are the only engines making a living this afternoon? Thank You Ed!
Over all not a bad day.
Ken
I hate Rust
Tinplate ToddlerI never thought that I´d welcome rain, but now I do!
.
We have to much. There was over four times the average rainfall in May.
Thankfully the tropical cyclone went North into the panhandle and left us alone.
I have about 2 inches of standing water in my backyard right now, and we are having a light rain.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Today we honor those who have served and those who have fallen, may we never forget!
Well I'll be around later, see ya!
Flo (or whoever's handy), could I get a roast beef and cheddar omlette with a side of blue cheese dressing with a couple of slices of buttered wheat toast and some OJ. Thank you so much.
last mountain & eastern hogger If I wasn't so rushed for time I should stop in and give Ferry Kid a hand on getting set up in town at Miles City as I go by. Sure hope it goes well for you and that you are back up and running sooner that you think.
If I wasn't so rushed for time I should stop in and give Ferry Kid a hand on getting set up in town at Miles City as I go by. Sure hope it goes well for you and that you are back up and running sooner that you think.
Sorry I hadn't noticed this ealier. (And for reference, my parents and I pronounce it as "furry".) Considering I hadn't run anything on the layout for who knows how long, this just might be the encouragement to actually get stuff running again.
Most likely, I be be going out to the ranch again this afternoon and will, hopefully, bring more things back into town. (What exactly I bring I haven't decided. I am torn between the rest of the cabooses and the remainder of the engines. I have a lots of both. It will also depend on how much stuff Mom wants to bring into town.) I think the actual sections will come into town in June. I already had taken a Sunday off and after this I requested the Saturday off as well. (The last I had checked, the Saturday hadn't been approved.) A few of Mom and my friends have offered the use of their SUVs to get the benchwork moved into town. (The sections are too big to fit in a car.)
Good Afternoon!
I never thought that I´d welcome rain, but now I do! After over 4 weeks of dry weather, we are now enjoying a good dose of rain. Motther Nature is thirstily drinking it all up, while we are waiting for the temperatures to go down.
The postman rang today and brought my order of a set of Faller kits. I have foud a few typical southern German small town buildings to complement the depot and the signal tower. The first building out of 4 is now finished. I am sure it´ll make a nice row of town buildings for the layout!
Pictures when all 4 will be done!
Make it a great day!
Hello all. To begin with- Thank you to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for the defense of their country. Speaking of that, you may not all follow or even like NASCAR, but they always do a wonderful job of honoring our armed forces. During pre race last night, they did Amazing grace with a pipe band( Bagpipes included), then a 21 gun salute, then taps. Very Powerful, and very moving. They also had all the cars racing last night in Charlotte, feature the name of a fallen armed services member. With the family of said officer in the pit stall of that driver.
I am presently working on day 5 of 5 in retail for memorial day weekend. For 7.60 an hour. needless to say, I'm doing applications for full time work. I need a change of scenery. Badly.
That cottage above is truly beautiful. I may have missed it, but what is the age and building style on it?
Modeling: Trying out the "Hairspray method" to weather my bridge I'm building, but I messed the process up. I put the paint on before the hairspray...Guess I just need to repaint all the rust I did. Oh well. I also still need to build the concrete footings for it.
Hope all have a wonderful day.
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
Hello, everyone—
Remembering the fallen, from all over the world.
PRR_GI-coach by Edmund, on Flickr
I hope all the folks here are doing well.
Pullman_ad-1943-crop by Edmund, on Flickr
Thanks for the tasty beverage, Ken!
Regards, Ed
Eveing Diners
Flo, the gang and I will have a please and give Ed a Crown Royal with a Chaser. Yes, give Rick and Steven what they like.
Work Was Ash Pitt! Not 1 customer came in? Plus Nancy the owners wife was there! When she has no customers I get her full attention and that is no fun! Boy it was a long, long, long 5 hours!
Heartland Division CB&QTomorrow we honor fallen heros ...
Gary I do every day and glad I was not one my self.
Later Ken
Howdy ...
Just a quick stop in the Diner. .... We have family visiting us here at the lake from Cincinnati ...
Ray ... That look like a cozy little house, and it is in a beautiful setting. .... I suppose the one lane road means you need not worry about driving on the left side. LOL
Tomorrow we honor fallen heros ...
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Afternoon folks!
Tinplate ToddlerRay - who wouldn´t want to live in such a beautiful cottage? Imagine - it was built when the Mayflower sailed to Plymouth Rock! So guess who shall be visiting his son and his spouse in England?
Ah... Yes I will most likely be heading over there for a visit sometime in the next year (or less). Below are some inside photos of the place.... Remember the reason all the rooms are empty is because all their furniture is on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean... They hope it will arrive sometime next week. I think they will be a bit more comfortable when it is all gotten into place.
They can at least take a bath........
And one last one of the road leading to the place.
Hope you all have a good long weekend! Don't forget to remember those who died way too young...........
BTW, the traditional birthplace of Memorial Day is right down the road where my other son and his family live, Waterloo, NY
Oh, Had my Blood pressure taken after church (we employ a Nurse to be around for the Handicapped program that uses our church daily and she is always there on Sunday morning). Figured it would be good to see what effect the excersize program has had on my usual 140/90 or higher readings... It was 120 over 60. After she took it she just sat and stared at me for a minute! I told her I didn't think that was too bad for an old guy..... LOL
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
BigDaddyI am amazed at your work with cantenary wire.
Henry - it´s not much of a job. The "wires" are a single piece of stamped metal which clip onto the mast - that´s all. Other than "real" overhead wires, you have to curve them around the curves, which is not much of a job, either. For those sections, where you can´t use one of the standard wire lengths, there are expandable sections that can be adapted to the length required. For an old hand, a layout of the size of mine can be done in less than a day. I haven´t done it before, so I need more time.
It's Sunday in May before Memorial Day, (that rhymes right there)
What does it mean?
Ladies and Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!
IT'S TIME FOR THE INDIANAPOLIS 500 MILE RACE, THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING! AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY!
I'm routing for Andretti, Kanaan, and Castroneves.
Well I'll be watching the race...
Ulrich, with your challenges, I am amazed at your work with cantenary wire. My recollection is our neighbor, modeled the northeast corridor back in the 50's with GG-1's and cantenary. It was still the 50's then.
Went to bed with a sore back and woke up with it. Not sure what I did, some back pain is normal for me. It's a very humid day but only in the 70's. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day in the US. The are various account of it's beginning, but it was a post Civil War event. It is as much about the "start of summer" as it is remembering. Too bad.
We all think the war of our generation was the worst war. I expect that was always true. The heros are the ones that didn't come home. It doesn't matter what war or what side.
Good Morning!
Flo, time for my big Sunday breakfast! Crisp fried bacon, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, honey, jams, a tall glass of OJ, and lots of coffee, please!
I am melting away - still too hot, still too dry!
No work done on my train set today , just enjoy running my trains.
Yesterday, I ran into two different problems:
# 1 - when I tried to move the engine over the double slip point, the pantographs lost contact and got tangled up in the overhead.
# 2 - my 1935 vintage
replica electric has fixed stamped metal pantographs which will not clear the overhead wires. I could change them to the sprung kind, but would lose the "originality" of the loco. Or I could simply put her back in the box and not run it - retaining her value.
# 1 problem got solved yesterday by stringing another wire over the diverging route of the douple slip switch. I had thought this wouldn´t work, but it does. I need to secure the wire woth a drop of super glue on one of the masts, which now holds 4 sets of wires.
# 2 problem - I will eventually convert the engine to working pantographs, as I bought her to see her run and not to be a shelf queen!
Ray - who wouldn´t want to live in such a beautiful cottage? Imagine - it was built when the Mayflower sailed to Plymouth Rock! So guess who shall be visiting his son and his spouse in England?
Have a happy Sunday!
Wow, it is just about midnight already... boy oh boy did this day shoot by super-fast.
Hope everyone is safe and well tonight... I am off to bed, and worn out.
Ray!
Cudos to your son! He is obviously a very talented person. You have every right to be proud!
I look forward to seeing the inside of the cottage.
Evening Diners
Flo, give the gang and I a please and Rick and Steven what they like.
Work Sucked Only had 5 customers but I was surprised with extra help! They sent the new guy Keith. Short verson Keith is a Big Rail Spike With Ears! I rather work with Nancy than someone that tries to bullie and not give a ash pitt! While he is a little taller than me at 6'4" to my 6"3" I am not one to try to push around. I am not talking about a fight but he tryied to intimidate me, not happing!
Train Front or PRR Coach Wars! Centfaun coach is making the rounds again!
Ed I am sending you a PM.
Later, Ken
Ray, fixed your link, https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkBvFKg
Speaking of old buildings, I saw Secret Rooms of the Tower of London on PBS. The only real secret was one room still has medieval wall paintings. It has been a tourist attaction for centuries. The last execution was during WW2, a spy, or an informant, as they now seem to called. The head warden lives there in a round building, and he commented on the awkwardness of that.
Now that I am watching Chama, they just don't have the bandwidth that some of the better you tube streams have. The reefer and the smoke boxes got some new paint this year.
Afternoon folks...... Not much going on in here today... Everyone must be out enjoying the long weekend, I guess.
I haven't posted in a couple days, but have been sitting in the back by the air conditioning from time to time... Currently 84°F here in the Finger Lakes Region of NYS under cloudy skies with a humidity of around 70%. I have been planting garden for the last few days and hope to finish tonight before dark or the skeeters chase me back inside.
Since I've seen a bit of justifyable bragging about kids in here of late. (Enjoy reading that BTW.) I guess it might be time to do bit of that about my youngest son. He was the one that was the Director of Communications, Public Affairs, and Education at Argonne National Labs near Chicago. He turned in his resignation from there a few weeks back and accepted a new position at a brand New English Company called Farady Institution doing basically the same job there. They are also working on new battery technology and are funded primarily by the British Government.
He writes, "All is good with work. In my first week here, we held a board meeting and also a major launch event of our headquarters. Initially we were expecting the Prime Minister to officiate, then she declined. Then the Secretary of State agreed, but cancelled at the last minute (they have a parliamentary vote on Brexit scheduled for same time). Despite this, we did have a lovely event at any rate with about 150-200 VIPs in attendance (some pictures https://flic.kr/s/aHsmkBvFKg")
If you check out the Photos of the Launch event, My son is first found in the one labelled 039 (run your curser over the photos to see the labels). Matt is the guy in the center of that one with the glasses.
He and his spouse are living in a "cottage" called "Rookswake" out in the countryside.... The house is somewhere between 400 and 600 years old, depending on who you ask. Rather old anyway, but I think will be very comfortable for them. Some photos of the outside (I'll show some of the inside in another post).
The round part of the house is very new being added sometime in the 20th. century and has a large modern living room....
They are waiting for their furniture to arrive from the US by Boat. Should arrive by next week...
He also says, "This past week, I was invited to provide input into the Prime Minister’s forthcoming speech on the UK’s goal of reaching zero carbon emissions from vehicles, and so went to #10 Downing Street (the equivalent to our White House) to meet with senior advisors from government. A thrill for sure and not many get to enter; hopefully this will be a great career for me!"
OK, bragging done, back to planting the garden!