California Is A Beautiful Place
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
Good evening everyone.
As expected, I am very tired tonight. I am going to hit the rack early for sure.
I am making a big pot of Black Beans & Rice right now, and it should be done in 15 minutes. Quick bite to eat, then off to bed.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
BATMAN This talk of security clearances Not only do I hold an Airport Security Card, but I also have to, on a regular basis, pass the “Fit and Proper Person” criteria. Which just goes to prove that Abraham Lincolns quote, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time”, is not, in my case, true!! Cheers, the Bear.
BATMAN This talk of security clearances
I remember meeting aircraft on two separate occasions in the middle of the night just to avoid prying eyes. When the door(s) opened the saying that could be applied to the situation and I remember saying it, would be "REALLY! You just can't make this stuff up". But then I guess that was why I was there and not someone else. I had to remind myself of that.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
BATMANThis talk of security clearances
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
BATMAN My long post just turned to vapour. Having been bitten a long time ago by the idiosyncratic behaviour of the Forum, and only being a moderately slow two fingered typist on a good day, I write my posts on Word and then copy and paste the reply. Even then the Forum ignores my spacing and I have to edit my reply to get the spacings correct. Oh well at least it’s better than nothing, I suppose!
BATMAN My long post just turned to vapour.
This talk of security clearances had me reminiscing about some of the more humourous memories during my 36 years of moving stuff for the feds. I had embarked on a story on my involvement in repatriating the body(s) and/or parts thereof of some missionaries that ran afoul of the local inhabitants in the deepest darkest parts of Borneo. There were no trains involved, so perhaps it is for the best it went, poof.
York1 and then they expect you to eat with the crew!"
and then they expect you to eat with the crew!"
Many years ago Dawn and I travelled on a container cargo boat to the Baltic. That cruise we did eat with the crew.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
NorthBritDawn bought me a book 'The Captain's Table Life & Dining on the Great Ocean Liners' by Sarah Edington. How passenger life aboard ship was.
David, that reminds me of the 1990s show, "Keeping Up Appearances". Onslow and Daisy won a trip on the QE2. Onslow:
"So then, this purser chap came up to the cabin and said we're on the captain's table. And I thought "Blimey!" I mean, you win a competition, you get a luxury cruise, and then they expect you to eat with the crew!"
One of our favorite shows.
York1 John
Kevin, I was very glad to hear the news about your wife!
Ed, I love that photo of the Zephyr running through town!
I'm having a great weekend, I took off Friday to watch the kid play up in Mackinaw. It was a great outdoor venue at a microbrewery. I sat by a fire pit and enjoyed a couple of blueberry wheats. The boys never sounded beter. I rolled into town about 30 minutes early so I stopped and put my toes in the sand and breathed in some Lake Huron air, and thought about TF for a minute.
Yesterday I did a couple little punchlist items on the Camaro and got it out for the first time last night.
They are calling for rain here this afternoon, so today will be spent in the train room.
I'll be sad when this weekend is over.
Good morning everyone.
I made it home from work last night and made dinner just in time to watch Saturday Night Live. I fell asleep as soon as it was over. That was a very early night for me.
As a result, I am up very early (for me) this morning.
Good afternoon, Diners. A large coffee please, Zoe.
Loving the Menu card Ed. I do enjoy looking at Menu cards of the 1920s/1930s. Such class, style and elegance.
Dawn bought me a book 'The Captain's Table Life & Dining on the Great Ocean Liners' by Sarah Edington. How passenger life aboard ship was.
Towards the end there are several menus that were served on liners. The beauty of them is that Sarah and her friends tested the meals. If a meal could be made four 2-4 people 'easily' it is included in the book. Amongst the many ----
Creme Vichyssoise from the menu aboard Queen Mary 7th August 1938.
Noisettes d'Agneau - Reform from the menu aboard Laconia, February 1929.
Almond Slices from the menu aboard Strathmore, 22nd January 1938.
A cocktail afterwards perhaps?
Delightful.
Good Sunday morning. It's donut day.
Another set of storms came through last night, but with very little rain. I have some small branches in the yard to pick up later today.
The Goat Canyon trestle outside of San Diego, CA.
d
Have a great Sunday, diners.
BATMANMy long post just turned to vapour.
While not California, these engines are the same gauge and would run there if needed:
Just a neat video
Cheers, Ed
Good evening diners. Janie, I'll have a slice of cherry pie and a scoop of vanilla please.
I just finished a freight car and caboose inventory on the railroad. I got tired of looking at items on ebay, wondering if I already had the car, then going to the basement and trying to look. Especially difficult is my staging yard where the only numbers you can make out are on trains on the outside track. This will help, and makes a convenient way to track what cars have all metal kadee couplers, and which ones don't. Changing them all over is a goal, but not a front burner one.
Have a good evening everyone.
Mike
BATMANNothing like lamb aged 93 years.
At least the potatoes are new!
Bon Apetit Ed
I'll have the roast 1929 lamb. Nothing like lamb aged 93 years.
Pardon me — coming through!
Thomas Taylor by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Top of the Page! Grab a menu and order carte blanche!
Sunrise in the Diner on Amtrak Train 49 by Craig Sanders, on Flickr
PRR_1929menu by Edmund, on Flickr
Regards, Ed
My long post just turned to vapour.
BroadwayLion In the Navy, we just call them targets.
NorthBritAs a member of The Ocean Liner Society I also get to look around ships. Your posted picture of Crystal Serenity reminded me of looking around the ship at the Port of Tyne, North Shields. The ship behind Crystal Serenity is (I believe) Infinty, now Celebrity Infinity. Not sure of the name of the Holland America ship on the right. Probably Zaandam or Volendam. I would love to know the name of the ship in the second picture? The third picture is of Infinity of Celebrity Cruises. Thanks for posting.
In the Navy, we just call them targets.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Some years ago, I worked on a project that required an extra clearance above what I already had. So, I get investigated again.ThIs time, I was indirectly asked about my train room. Yes, they checked bank records and asked what a particularly large withdrawal was for. Why, for a garage addition with a train room upstairs, of course!
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Good morning. I think I will order the same bacon, eggs,and black coffee that John is having.
I slept for eight hours last night, but I still feel tired. This is one of those rare days where I just feel like going back to bed.
It is gloomy here, maybe that has something to do with it.
Good evening Diners. A large coffee please, Chloe.
Brent. I only shipspot cruise ships. A few years back I used to note the ones I saw in a shipping book. Now I take photographs of them. Much more fun. On our recent cruise I saw a cruise ship at sea. It was midnight and the ship was unknown. After taking the photograph I searched on Shiptracker. It gave me the name of 'Valiant Lady', Virgin Cruises most recent ship.
Another use of Shiptracker gave me the name of Crystal Endevour near Gibraltar.
As a member of The Ocean Liner Society I also get to look around ships. Your posted picture of Crystal Serenity reminded me of looking around the ship at the Port of Tyne, North Shields. The ship behind Crystal Serenity is (I believe) Infinty, now Celebrity Infinity. Not sure of the name of the Holland America ship on the right. Probably Zaandam or Volendam.
I would love to know the name of the ship in the second picture?
The third picture is of Infinity of Celebrity Cruises.
Thanks for posting.
Good morning, diners. It's cloudy and looks like rain. In celebration of the rain, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
Finally a day has arrived with nothing scheduled, and my wife is sleeping late so she doesn't have anything for me to do. This is the way retirement is supposed to be.
This is a good day to start work on my train station. I'm refurbishing and changing a few things on my salvaged station from the last layout. This is probably my favorite building, so it will be nice to get it finished and onto the new layout.
I'm also going to start cleaning out the layout room's closet and build some new shelves. Right now it is a mess.
Here's a photo from their website of the San Diego coaster:
Have a great Saturday, everyone.
SeeYou190This was a feature I just had to have.
Hi Kevin,
All your work is amazing! I am long past the days of my being able to do all that stuff. All I can do now is try to shut up and let my son do the work!
The fact that you have a dedicated games closet says a lot of good things about how well your family gets along!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
This was a feature I just had to have.
I wanted a cabinet for the router and the UBS. These have always been an eyesore no matter where we put them. Now they will be tucked away in a cabinet up above the board game closet.
-Photographs by Kevin Parson
They will be hidden completely out of sight.
I also made some progress on the wall where the home theater system will be set up.
I can't go much further on the living room until I get someone here to fix the HVAC ductboard manifold in the ceiling.
York1Even though it's not the kind of train we normally think of, the cable cars are on rails, so they qualify as California trains. They're a great system for getting street cars up and down the steep hills:
Lets see them in motion
I toured one of the cable car winch houses back in 2003. Fascinating machinery to be sure.
Welcome back to our holiday travelers.
LION, we had two 16" guns at GE off the USS COlorado we used as pressure vessels. Neat Stuff!
GE in July 059 by Edmund, on Flickr
GE in July 057 by Edmund, on Flickr
Probably both scrapped by now.
Making more progress...
Today I put the board games away in the new game closet!
Inching ever so slowly towards the goal...
Sailors consider cats to be good luck on ships!