Edit: looks like the grubs on me...
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Before whatever the date on my avatar is, we went to the Finger Lakes. I don't remember the B&B we stayed at, but their thing was to serve a 2 or 3 thousand calorie breakfast.
We enjoyed Suzannne's Restaurant, which was an upscale restauarant in Lodi? She closed the restaurant, but we got email on her cooking classes. She now has a youtube channel and is living in the Low Country (South Carolina) I suppose that is a big change for a New Yorker.
How about carrot cupcakes?
I mentioned in the Covid thread, my neighbor came over in full mask and gloves. He's a realtor and has a lead on someone who wants to move into my neighborhood, a waterfront community. We hadn't intended, nor are ready to put our house on the market, but I'd love to have a contract in the current uncertain economic times.We are building a home in the Shenandoah Valley.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Today was a bad news/good news day.
Some are saying that there is a flattening in the virus expansion curve, but I'm not seeing that in my county. In my township we appear to be holding steady with 6 reported cases. However, countywide we now have 9 deaths and 489 positives out of 3342 tests.
When all this started the cases were increasing by 2 to 3 per day. Then it became 8 to 10, and then 20. The increase between yesterday and today was 70.
"you can stab it with your steely knives but still can't kill the beast".
On the good news side I received an email from my auto insurance company saying that because there were fewer miles being driven due to the virus they were going to refund 15% of my last quarter's premium. Not much, but a lot better than nothing.
I Got That! The computer in the car just didn't understand Bear
Or have enough modern day technology...unfortunately
And thanks for the great dish, desert and a fine shot
TF
hon30critter I hate the way they treat their employees and I hate what they have done to small towns all across North America.
I know they treated my wife very well. She took a part time job one holiday season to earn extra money for Christmas. In five years she was a department manager. Five years after that she was opening new stores in SW Florida. Then she became ovenight manager. My friend Randy works at Walmart in his retirement, and he loves it.
I have no knowledge of what Walmart does to small towns other than what I have read. Within five miles of my house I have two Walmart Super Centers, a Walmart Neighborhood Market, a Super Target, an Aldi, and three Publix Supermarkets.
up831Kevin: I'm guessing with you that those are snake eggs. <SNIP> If its venomous, well you know how to handle it.
Whether it is venemous or not, all snakes get handled the same way. I hate snakes and frogs. Lizards are OK.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 I hate snakes and frogs. Lizards are OK.
I hate snakes and frogs. Lizards are OK.
Now this is going to seem a little off the wall especially at midnight on a Friday in the night in the dark
My Nellie my favorite Springer Spaniel God Rest her soul
When she was just a puppy she had this little stuffed frog toy All her other toys she tore apart to bits and got out the little squeaky thing inside I think she thought it was the prize
Her little stuffed frog was like her baby and she would stuff it in the couch cushions at night and go retrieve it again in the morning and always took care of it
Long story short years later when she grew up We had a beautiful pond in the backyard with waterfalls that Judy and I made together Judy and I always called Nellie's frog toy Hopper
The whole rest of her life Nellie would find a frog in the backyard and pick it up in her mouth and I don't know why but she would drool repulsively like a sieve but she never hurt that frog Judy and I would always say did you find a Hopper Nellie? Then she would carry the Frog to the pond and release it in the water she didn't drop it she stuck her nose in the water opened her mouth and released it
Go figure Still hate frogs Kevin?
TF,
That's a neat story about Nellie.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks Dave
Pets are really something else They are always a member of the family and like one of our children always are hard to let go
Post Hog
And now for something much more cheerful is 4014
It's the 1:13 in St Paul
UP 4014
Much Better
Ya know Dave, ... I've never have been to British Columbia where the Diner is this month. I always have wanted to go there and hopefully will someday.
The farthest I've ever got into Canada was Ontario. It was right next door to us where I grew up 33 miles south. The most I can contribute this month is International Falls next door to the border of Fort Frances, Ontario.
I lived there many years and remember all the CN locomotives and freight cars surrounding Boise Cascade. Amongst them was DWP owned by them.
Us kids were crazy back then. I hope Vinny doesn't dock me for this one. Sometimes bored on a weekend we would go up by Boise Cascade where all the pulpwood log piles were. Kids don't try this at home! The Boxcars strung out so long with the roof racks. Our legs worked well back then and our perceptions were good and that's all I need to say
I miss the Northern Wilderness now that I am in the city. My plan is to get back up there again years in the near future to stay.
Track fiddlerYa know Dave, ... I've never have been to British Columbia where the Diner is this month. I always have wanted to go there and hopefully will someday.
Hi TF,
British Columbia is well worth visiting! I think it would take years to see all of the sites and do all of the activities that they offer. If (when) you decide to go I would make a couple of suggestions:
1. Reserve well in advance, like maybe a year. Things get booked up very quickly.
2. Consider going in the off season, i.e. September - October. During peak tourist season the crowds can be daunting.
3. Consider staying at B&Bs. The last time we were there we found a couple of real gems. PM me if you want the specific places. An alternative is to rent a motor home. BC has many beautiful provincial parks, and Brent can tell you about venturing into the back country if that interests you.
We will go back sometime within the next few years. In fact, if our son wasn't so close to us here in Ontario, I would move to Vancouver Island in an instant.
Good Morning!
It´s a bright and sunny day, but, boy, was it cold last night! temperatures dropped below freezing and when I woke up this morning, everything was iced up nicely. The sun did away with the ice quickly, so Petra and I could enjoy the little herd of deer while enjoying our morning coffee! There is alos lots of "air traffic" around our house, with plenty of birds building nests in the nearby trees. Observing nature going its regular course is very comforting while we humans are being confined to our enclosed and sealed habitats!
As you folks know, I have a taste for everything steam powered. Well, here is a video showing steam lorries trucks in Britain, where steam engines are being celebrated in a number of events and rallyes.
Stay safe!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
Thanks for the info Dave, appreciated. It is nice to know one has a contact and a friend when needed. I'm available if you ever need information about the greater Minnesota area and a friend as well.
Look at the time, I think It's time to hit the rack.
Thanks Dave, rest well and be safe.
Ulrich,
The steam powered lorries are neat to see! It is heartening to know that so many of them have been preserved.
Thanks,
Enjoyed the video, my FIL had a Ford Roosevelt that he had built a steam engine and boiler for, in anticipation for a fuel shortage. That was in 1936-37. It was in his museum, and both the 4cyl. Ford engine, and his steam plant, worked.
herrinchoker
Jan - glad you liked the video! Steam lorries trucks were very popular in Britain until the mid 1930s, when legislature imposed a stiff tax on them, nearly killing this mode of transport overnight. The few that survived into preservation were the ones used in the lumber business, which was exempt from that road tax. I like how immaculate they are kept und the elobarotae paintwork.
Just checking in to say hi. I am still kicking around these parts.
Modelling HO Scale with a focus on the West and Midwest USA
Good morning. Cold and rainy, with snow on the way tonight.
Our cable system recently opened several pay channels for free for two months. One of the channels has all the James Bond movies. I finished Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, and now I'm watching Thunderball. I'm trying to watch them all in order of filming.
I love these movies. Out of all the movie series, next to the Thin Man series, I think I like James Bond the best. There are also some great train scenes from Europe.
alexstanJust checking in to say hi. I am still kicking around these parts.
It's good to still be kicking!
York1 John
Another blurry screen shot from a video -- my daughters in Stanley Park, British Columbia. A very neat, rainy visit. Another trip where I'm not sure if I was along -- I'm not in any pictures. I was the only one who wanted to carry that old video recorder.
Good Morning All,
Ulrich those are some fantastic steam lorries. It seems more vehicles in Europe get put away for decades only to be pulled out of the shed later and restored. Same has been with vintage race cars. So much got cut up and scrapped here that junk yard or barn finds are rare and mostly limited to rural areas. I had a client in NYC that would investigate the parking areas in and around abandoned industrial and office buildings and find some interesting cars lurking covered in dirt in the basements of many of the buildings. Getting them out legally was another story.
Did some more with the layout last night. Cleaning, I found a tube and it turned out to be more of the backround scenes I bought over 8 years ago and forgot about. Saved trying to match what i already had installed and fixed a nagging issue on the back wall of the layout. At least it was nagging to me. Here is before
downtown using existing buildings1 by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
Here is after and I extended the city buildings all the way into the corner but I won't bore you all to tears.
added backround by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
I also dropped the tower and vault beneath it back into place. I did turn the vault 90deg after the pic so the windows look out in the direction the lines run. Not prototypical but I didn't want to scratch build a 3-4" taller tower.
tower with vault by J.R. Mitchell, on Flickr
John - now you know why the selfi stick was invented. You can now be in every shot.
All for now. Ciao, J.R.
A few blurry shots from my one and only visit to B.C. - back in 1978!
More toys for big boys:
Good Morning —
Let's have another look at that Steam Clock, shall we?
I was fortunate to have visited Vancouver back in 1974. Wonderful city! The Gastown steam clock arrived in 1977. Maybe it is time to go back?
Gastown_Steam_Clock by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Mornin' Folks! (Still 4 minutes left before afternoon here in the Finger Lakes....)
Ulrich! Very Cooooooooolllll!!! Thanks for posting that. In my neck of the woods we have the Ontario County Steam Pagent held every August just outside of Canandaigua, NY. The great attraction there is often the "Slow Race" where steam tractors compete to see which can complete the race in the longest time and slowest moving speed. Tyhe rule is that the tractor has be continue making forward progress for the entire race and the last one over the finish line is the winner!!! Haven't been to that in a few years. If they do hold it this summer I should make an effort to attend!
My Tesla Hat and T-shirts just arrived... I did make one trip around the neighborhood already this morning. should do two or three more to today to get my 5 mile walk/run in today. Only did once around yesterday. It was COOOOOOOOLLLLDDDDDD! Brrr. Windy and icky outside so I got my 11,500 steps in mostly walking inside my house. That is a lot of trips around the house, I might add.
Be Blessed and stay safe out there!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
LION is not going to ciumb up here, him might slip and fall, or him might lube oil on the nice fur coat of him.
But what if I put some of these on the layout of LION. Instead of lube oil him could put WAHL OIL in it and the trains could clean up the tracks each time they go around. : )
It comes with a nice wayside box to put the oil in.
Ulrich Thanks very much for posting the steam truck/tractor video. In the early 1900s, my grandfather and great-grandfather drove huge steam tractors similar to the ones shown in the video. They pulled grader/scrapers made by Catepillar (before they got into track drives) and helped build several major roads in the hills and mountains around Los Angeles. They also mass graded much of the area for agriculture before it was all later developed after WWII.
Ed Thanks for another fascinating post, this time about a steam driven clock. Who knew? As you said, it might be worth a trip to Vancouver to check it out!
Tim
Late to the model railroad party but playing catch-up.....
BroadwayLion It comes with a nice wayside box to put the oil in.
I could be wrong Lion but I don't think it would slow the freight cars down very well in the yard if it had too much oil to lubricate the mechanism activated by air clamping the wheels.
We wouldn't want to let them slip through and hit the other cars too hard, one might have a nasty coupler break at that point
Saturday brunch was very good hours ago. Have you ever done the Omelette in the freezer bag thing in boiling water?, it makes the perfect omelette. It's a warm-up for Easter brunch of ham and potato salad made out of Easter eggs tomorrow.
We're in intermission right now, Judy wanted comedy this afternoon. She asked me my pic. Humor is no better than Martin Lawrence and a double feature of Blue Streak and National Security. Martin doesn't even have to say anything, just his facial expressions make you bust a gut.
They were a little dusty but I found them
We're going to be late for the heat of the day by an hour. It's supposed to get up to near 60° in Minnesota today between 3 and 4. I best find my horsey key because tomorrow there is a chance of 4 to 5 inches.
Crazy Minnesota, I knew there would be at least one more.
Track fiddlerCrazy Minnesota, I knew there would be at least one more.
Around here it is not spring unless the daffodils have been snowed on at least three times. Tonight will be the second time
I fired up the new Stihl today and got a start on next winter's firewood
Two pulls and I was ready to go!