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The MAY, 2021 Diner: Touring the US Anthracite Region

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  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, May 24, 2021 12:37 AM

I am getting tired, so off to hit the rack for the night.

Everyone please stay well.

The World Is A Beautiful Place.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by up831 on Monday, May 24, 2021 12:22 AM

Hi Everyone,

Ed: who knew that there could be a barbeque rack mount?!  What won't they think of next.  It all looks very tasty.  Has me salivating, and I didn't even hear a bell!  How long does meat the size of that steak have to cook in there?

We finally got some much needed rain this evening.  Our Irises are blooming.  The flowers and trees budding are one of the reasons why this is my favorite time of year.

Less is more,...more or less!

Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 11:23 PM

hon30critter
We recently discovered a BBQ sauce made with maple syrup and smoked bacon. It is the best sauce we have ever used. Not too sweet, not too tangy. It is made for the Canadian grocery store chain.

Every fiber in my Southern Soul just exploded.

Laugh

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, May 23, 2021 10:10 PM

CNCharlie
Dave, what is the name of that sauce? Is it a President's Choice sauce?

Hi CN Charlie,

Yes, it is a President's Choice product. In addition to being very tasty, it also comes with a small nozzle so it is easy to get the right amount of sauce exactly where you want it. It glazes nicely too.

Our 'Napoleon' grill was a Canadian Tire special offer. It has the Napoleon name on it but hasn't stood up as well as yours. I have had to replace the burners and the valve assembly, and it is starting to rust internally. The price was great! Unfortunately, it was too good to be true. I will buy another Napoleon when the time comes, but it will be bought directly from Napoleon itself. The factory is just up the road.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by CNCharlie on Sunday, May 23, 2021 9:44 PM

Good Evening,

Another cool, cloudy day here. At least we had a decent amount of rain this weekend.

My wife used to turn out some meals worthy of a high end restaurant and took lessons from a chef who worked in a michelin star place in France. Sadly after her father passed in 2008 she rarely cooks at all and then only simple stuff. 

Dave, what is the name of that sauce? Is it a President's Choice sauce? I want to do something on th BBQ this week. I too have a Napoleon grill and it is great. It is 21 years old and I haven't replaced anything on it.

I have my RS3 pulling a freight. I am enjoying the sound decoder I installed in the winter.

Well time for another tea.

CN Charlie

 

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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:52 PM

We used our Bradley electric smoker today to do some ribs and a small beef roast. The ribs were great! We get to check out the beef roast tomorrow.

We used to have a charcoal smoker. It worked great, but it also required regular attention to keep the smoke going. The Bradley smoker uses compressed wood chip pucks that are fed into the smoker automatically every 20 minutes. Bradley offers a wide variety of different pucks. Today the ones we used were infused with Jack Daniels bourbon. The taste was excellent!

We recently discovered a BBQ sauce made with maple syrup and smoked bacon. It is the best sauce we have ever used. Not too sweet, not too tangy. It is made for the Canadian grocery store chain that includes Loblaws and Zehrs, but I'm sure there must be similar sauces in the US.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 5:40 PM

We were going through some old photographs today. I came across this one that I thought was long lost.

This is 14 year old me sitting at my model building desk. That is STRATTON AND GILLETTE layout number 1 in the background.

This is me at 17 with my pride and joy 1966 Mercury.

And this is my oldest daughter at 14 with another of my toys, my 1973 Harley-Davidson FLH.

Finding old photographs sure can be a lot of fun.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by NorthBrit on Sunday, May 23, 2021 11:38 AM

Good evening all.   A coffee please, Janie.

Took a drive to the coast.  Rather busy, so took 'the long way home'. 

 

Dinner  (On a normal cooker Big Smile)  Soup of the Day,   Sunday Dinner, Raspberry Trifle.

 

Stay Safe Everyone.

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 11:12 AM

My neighbor has a meat smoker on his patio.  It sure smells good when he fires it up.

York1 John       

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Sunday, May 23, 2021 10:37 AM

I did get a Weber gas grill a couple of months ago.  The one that I got with the house was a Brand Z, not even as good as a Brand X.

The GF is a kitchen gadget freak.  She has a Ninja Foodie.  It does make good stuff.  The trouble is, between my deprivation diet for diabetes and her narrow preferences in food, we're kind of limited.  I shouldn't eat potatoes or rice or pasta, and she isn't interested in a lot of meats.  Fortunately, it's tourist season and the local fish places are opening up again.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by mbinsewi on Sunday, May 23, 2021 9:37 AM

It's a rainy Sunday morning, gives me a chance to stop in, and say Hello!

That smoker looks great Ed.  Our son does a lot of smoking, and we get many benifits of his talent.  Waiting for a batch of venison sticks.

We don't have the counter space for a lot of gadgets, but, I did get us a small air fryer.  Our daughter amazed us at all the different foods she cooks with it.

We've used for frys, onion rings, vegies, warming up left overs, including pizza  Laugh

I hate using the microwave for anything with protein, just makes it tough and dry.

My appliance of choice is our Weber charcoal grill.

I've been busy catching up with projects around home.  We got rid of our old hot tub, so I'm rebuilding the back porch/deck where the tub used to sit.  It was a round tub, and I built a deck extension of our back porch, surrounding the tub.

With the tub gone, I'm redoing it all with stairs, which will give a straight shot into the back door.  Originally, our back stoop was a bit awkward, as the door opens to the left, the steps to the immediate right.  Coming up the back steps, you stopped at the second step to open the door, then step up to get through the door.

I've also been busy with our place in the north woods.  With the wife retired now, we come and go as we please.

A village wide rummage sale will happen this coming weekend, a chance for us to get rid of 30 + years of accumulating "stuff".  Laugh  Of course, around here, Memorial weekend usually means cooler and wet weather. We'll see what happens.  If the weather looks to crappy, we'll do the sale some other time, and head north. Yes

Have a great Sunday!

Mike.

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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:24 AM

gmpullman
Bethlehem Steel was another great source of traffic for the eastern Pennsylvania roads:

Great videos. Shipping steel from Pennsylvania to California to build the Golden Gate Bridge is quite a long haul.

York1
One thing my wife and I don't do is a lot of cooking.  We basically stick to simple easy meals.  It wasn't always this way; coming from New Orleans, cooking was an all-day affair that we enjoyed.  But for the past several years it seems like we just don't go to the effort.  If we really want something more, we will go out to eat.

It is hard to cook for just my wife and myself. Especially a recipe that has a lot of ingredients. It just does not seem worth the bother. It is so much easier just to go out and have it in a restaurant.

York1
Another thing that I am beginning to consider is to learn more about photography.  Seeing some of Kevin's and other's photos on Weekend Photo Fun, I think that is something I need to learn.  We'll see.

With the improvements in cell phone cameras and easy-to-use photo editing software, I don't think putting the effort into learning photography will be worth it.

A lot fo the pictures I share in "Show Me Something" of store and display layouts were taken with a cell phone, and for the most part they look just fine.

I took my first formal photography class at the University Of Florida when I was ten or eleven years old. Back then, there was so much more to know... and it was so much more expensive.

Track fiddler
She was a card and everyone called her Anna Banana.

One of my daughters had a friend that was another "Anna Banana"! She was a great kid and a ton of fun.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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    March 2017
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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:22 AM

Ana,  That is a good name for a storm.  In junior high school we had a friend named Anna and everybody just loved her.  She was a card and everyone called her Anna Banana and she liked her nickname.  It fit her well as there was never a dull moment when Anna was aroundLaugh

I wish I kept in contact with Anna.  She was the type of person that always put laughter into your lifeYes

 

 

 

TF

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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 8:11 AM

Track fiddler
It's shifting into summer already.  Kevin already has the 90s.

There is absolutely nothing unusual about that. We have the 70/90 days seven-eight months of the year.

We have out first named storm, "Ana", of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.

It is just a sub-tropical system that will die out at sea, still, the weathercasters are just giddy and so excited. We had another named storm before the official beginning of Hurricane season... big deal... that is not unusual. 

hon30critter
We have a rice cooker. I hate it because it always overcooks the rice at the bottom of the pot to the point of being brown and crunchy.

I prefer natural brown rice. My Insta-Pot cooks this kind of rice perfectly and uses half the water of cooking it in a pan. It still takes longer than an hour, but the rice has much better texture.

NorthBrit
No fancy cooking items here, apart from a slow cooker to cook meat.

The only specialized cooking stuff I have are the small knock-off instant pot, electric wok, slow cooker, coffee maker, and hot air popcorn popper. All of these get used frequently.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Ludington, MI
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Posted by Water Level Route on Sunday, May 23, 2021 7:59 AM

gmpullman
I love sipping a brew while stoking the coals and adding Mesquite to the smoker. Smoker_pork by Edmund, on Flickr

Ed, is that picture current?  If so, I'm on my way! Dinner The first home smoked meat I ever had was for my high school graduation.  My dad bought his first smoker just for that occasion.  I've been hooked ever since.  Just last year I finally got rid of that old smoker of my dad's.  Since been replaced by an electric that I really like.  The old wood burner had a lot of memories tied to it, but was a huge pain as it was extremely difficult to regulate.  Digital controls on the electric make it much easier.Yes

Mike

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    March 2017
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Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 23, 2021 7:49 AM

Good morning

Thanks for all the entertaining posts you've been providing this month as you've been a great host EdSmile

Judy was telling me about her friend's little boy over coffee this morning that just turned one year old.  Their friend has a hobby farm and apparently the little boy really likes chickens.  He tells his mom everyday he wants to go to the farm.  

Apparently the chickens have gotten used to him as he always likes to go in the pen.  He calls them buck bucksLaugh  I looked on the internet for cartoon pictures of chickens with antlers but didn't find any.

Reminds me of when my daycare lady Joyce would take us to the bus stop for kindergarten every day.  Every morning she'd put the mail in the mailbox.  Remember those blue ones with the rounded red top.  I told her one day the mailbox always says her-rent.  Joyce just looked at me with a puzzled look on her face as she didn't understand.  Maybe she was mailing the mortgage payment and was overthinking thingsLaugh

Then one day she got it.  The hinges on the door flap were rusty.  When it was opened it made the sound her-rentHuh?

 

Have a great day everyoneWink

 

 

 

TF

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Posted by York1 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 7:16 AM

Good morning, everyone.

It will be a nice day outside today.  One of the teachers I formerly worked with is retiring, so we will go to her reception this afternoon after church.

One thing my wife and I don't do is a lot of cooking.  We basically stick to simple easy meals.  It wasn't always this way; coming from New Orleans, cooking was an all-day affair that we enjoyed.  But for the past several years it seems like we just don't go to the effort.  If we really want something more, we will go out to eat.  That's probably not good, but that is the way things have turned out.

On the railroad front, I'm planning on filling in some more empty parts of the layout.  A while back, David had a challenge for us to work on an area that we had been putting off.  I still have several areas like that.

Another thing that I am beginning to consider is to learn more about photography.  Seeing some of Kevin's and other's photos on Weekend Photo Fun, I think that is something I need to learn.  We'll see.

Ed, more thanks for the photos and videos of the Reading and Pennsylvania.  It's amazing to watch those Golden Gate workmen walking on those beams with no safety harnesses.

Have a good Sunday, everyone.  It's time for me to get out into the sunshine and to quit thinking about things.

York1 John       

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Posted by gmpullman on Sunday, May 23, 2021 5:32 AM

Our insta-pot sat on the counter for maybe five months before Dee Ann decided to try it. Once she did a few different meals in it we've been using it  several times a month.

hon30critter
Dianne bought us an immersion cooker three years ago.

An immersion cooker is a new one on me. Of course I remember those little coil things you could plug in to heat up a cup of water for tea or Sanka.

Never had a rice cooker. Jasmine rice is a favorite. I just make it in a regular sauce pan with a good lid. Now, the smoker! I love sipping a brew while stoking the coals and adding Mesquite to the smoker.

 Smoker_pork by Edmund, on Flickr


 

Bethlehem Steel was another great source of traffic for the eastern Pennsylvania roads:

        

 

One of the products of Bethlehem Steel...

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy Sunday Angel

Cheers, Ed

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Posted by NorthBrit on Sunday, May 23, 2021 4:39 AM

Good morning Diners.  The usual tea and toast please, Brunhilda.

TF   We need some good weather.  This month is the wettest May on record (and there is still a week to go).

No fancy cooking items here, apart from a slow cooker to cook meat.  Just a selection of pans.

I cooked  a Mexican meal last nite.  It went down well. Big Smile

A busy day around the house today.   I might get an hour in the train room.

 

Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Sunday, May 23, 2021 12:45 AM

gmpullman
My son gave us one of those insta-pots two years ago for X-mas and we really enjoy cooking with it. Of course, we old timers remember the pressure-cookers of yore. These are just an updated version of those.

I bought an insta-pot a couple of years ago too. Dianne wanted nothing to do with it! I never even got to open the box! Old fears die hard!

We have a rice cooker. I hate it because it always overcooks the rice at the bottom of the pot to the point of being brown and crunchy. I can do perfect rice in the microwave every time. The rice cooker is marginally quicker but if I get my way it will be going to the curb.

Personally, I think that there are too many gimmick appliances out there that have limited use and take up a lot of space. Our son and DIL wanted to get us an air fryer for our birthdays. We politely declined. We don't eat french fries at home, and how many crispy brown brussel sprouts can you eat in a month? On top of that they are huge and the batch sizes are pitiful! I can do much better with a foil pan on the BBQ or a baking tray in the oven.

Dianne bought us an immersion cooker three years ago. I ordered all the accessories like a cooking rack and weights to keep the bags from floating. We have never used it (although the huge tub has been handy for brining turkey). I can do a buttery soft pork chop on our Napolean grill any day of the week.

We seem to be able to cook just fine with basic tools. We do use our crock pot and smoker.

Dinner

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    March 2017
  • 8,173 posts
Posted by Track fiddler on Sunday, May 23, 2021 12:28 AM

Late night early morning

How are you all fairing, I hope well. It's not so much the early spring anymore here as it's shifting into summer already.  Kevin already has the 90s and it's 88 and humid up here but better to talk about than 20° below zero although I do not like this sticky crap so much.  I really enjoyed the 60s but it was a bit short lived this year.

Jobs in the building tomorrow and off to a late start already tonightIndifferent  Sunday feels the same to me as all the rest of the days of the week anymore and time to hit the rack!

David, your fair-weather friend is just around the corner tomorrow or the next day, I hopeSmile, Wink & Grin

 

 

 

TF

  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, May 23, 2021 12:05 AM

gmpullman
I don't see any models of these arriving on my layout anytime soon 

I am also not a fan.

gmpullman
We had Mexican tonight, too. Mrs. Pullman found some pork butts at 69¢ a pound. We put one in the "digital cooker" (insta-pot) and they were as tender as filet mignon! 

I have never used my insta-pot for anything but rice. I should try it for something new.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by gmpullman on Saturday, May 22, 2021 11:05 PM

Here are some Amtrak cars being delivered:

I don't see any models of these arriving on my layout anytime soon Ick!

I DO like the way they used Central Valley lattice steel beams on their trestle bents, though Yes

Why don't they match the neat looking "Viewliner-Style" like the new baggage cars they got just a little while ago?

 On the Rear by Craig Sanders, on Flickr

I'm just not all that interested in "contemporary" railroading these days, I guess.

We had Mexican tonight, too. Mrs. Pullman found some pork butts at 69¢ a pound. We put one in the "digital cooker" (insta-pot) and they were as tender as filet mignon! Dinner

I'm still nursing my third mojito DrinksSmile

My son gave us one of those insta-pots two years ago for X-mas and we really enjoy cooking with it. Of course, we old timers remember the pressure-cookers of yore. These are just an updated version of those.

Cheers, Ed

 

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Posted by Track fiddler on Saturday, May 22, 2021 10:16 PM

Evening

John,  You worry too much, don't sweat the small stuffSmile, Wink & Grin

 

 

TF

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  • From: Flyover Country
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Posted by York1 on Saturday, May 22, 2021 9:59 PM

Good evening, everyone.  It's been a long day.  Not a particularly good one.

I worry about things.  I tend to blame myself for something, and it kind of casts a dark cloud over my head.  Later, I kick myself for doing and saying something.  Instead of trying to be funny, it would be better if I just didn't go along.

 

SeeYou190
Heartburn is pretty bad. I am going to leave off the hot peppers and hot sauce tonight.

I'm not sure what caused your heartburn.  For me, it is my age.  I used to be able to eat just about anything, but now have to avoid certain spicy foods.  It's too bad because some of those foods were my favorites.

 

I'll try to touch base with everyone tomorrow.  It's probably better if I just go to bed.  Have a good evening.

York1 John       

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, May 22, 2021 9:33 PM

This has been a quiet Saturday in the diner. I hope that means everyone is A-OK.

Just finished my left-over tacos for dinner. Just as yummy on day number two.

The World Is A Beautiful Place.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Saturday, May 22, 2021 8:01 AM

Good morning everyone.

I made my perfect tacos for dinner last night, and I ate way too much.

This morning I am feeling bad, but also good at the same time. There is still plenty left-over for another taco dinner tonight.

I am up very early (for me) today. Heartburn is pretty bad. I am going to leave off the hot peppers and hot sauce tonight.

Yesterday I realized I have been over two weeks from my second Covid-19 vaccination. I thought it was this upcoming Monday, but it was last Monday. I am as immune as I can get. For some reason I am not excited to go out and do anything. Maybe I have become acclimated to being a hermit.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    October 2020
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Posted by NorthBrit on Saturday, May 22, 2021 5:16 AM

Good morning Diners.   The usual tea and toast please, Flo.

A mixed day of thick cloud, rain and little sunshine.

Grandson number 3 visiting this weekend, so see what fun we get up to.

 

Thoughts & Peace to All who Require.

 

David

To the world you are someone.    To someone you are the world

I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, May 21, 2021 6:44 PM

BigDaddy
If it was a bad lecturer, we crunched the peanut shells with our feet.

Laugh

That sounds like great fun!

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted by BigDaddy on Friday, May 21, 2021 5:53 PM

I didn't know people roasted their own coffee.  Sounds like a pain.  Just order some beans from Black Rifle Coffee.

There was a peanut roaster at one of the markets in Baltimore.  Fresh roasted peanuts are way better than cold peanuts.  The roaster looked like this.  We took the peanuts back to class, after lunch break.  If it was a bad lecturer, we crunched the peanut shells with our feet.

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

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