Good morning, everyone. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and coffee, please.
Another warm day on the plains. The good news is that we have a chance for rain tomorrow. We live in the middle of the top corn producing county in the state, and the 7th highest corn producing county in the entire U.S. Center pivots water every square inch of land, with the result that our humidity spikes high in this weather. We are not as unpleasant as parts of Kevin's state, but it is close.
Water Level RouteJohn, I hope you feel better soon. Not that there is ever a good time to feel ill, it's especially a bummer during warmer weather.
Thanks, Mike. It seems like this morning is already better. I've found that part of old age is that even minor things like colds seem to hang on longer.
up831Back in the early 90s my wife and I went down to Nashville for a weekend because I'd never seen music row or the Opry before. Fun time! On the way home we stopped at a Waffle House on the North end of Nashville after midnight.
SeeYou190They are building a lot of new Waffle House restaurants down here. A new, clean, beautiful Waffle House just does not feel right.
Kevin and Jim, I always love eating at Waffle House. My kind of food. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't share my view, which means we never eat there when we are together.
hon30critterDianne and I will be picking up our brand new 2023 Honda Odyssey EXL on Thursday afternoon! We are very happy!
Dave, that sounds like fun. I know what you mean about all the things in new cars. I don't believe my wife or I have used half of the things we paid for in the Expedition. We still have trouble figuring out the heating-cooling for the back seats. The radio has mysterious screens that we can't figure out. I finally un-Blue-Toothed (is that a word?) the cell phone from the car -- we got tired of trying to figure out all the beeps and messages the truck's screen was giving us when the phone rang. My kids and grandkids would be rolling their eyes at their Luddite parents.
I hope everyone has a great Wednesday.
Baltimore:
Top of the Page! Everyone can join me a Waffle House breakfast:
York1 John
York1Kevin and Jim, I always love eating at Waffle House. My kind of food. Unfortunately, my wife doesn't share my view, which means we never eat there when we are together.
Same here, definitely my kind of food. I only recall eating at one once with my wife, in Perry, Georgia.
My daughters ate lots of Waffle House meals with me.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
York1My kids and grandkids would be rolling their eyes at their Luddite parents.
Hi John,
I find that being a Luddite can be very relaxing, particularly when I'm not having to deal with stupidly designed software.
I rarely get frustrated, but if you want to get me going, just give me some electronic demon (er, sorry. I meant to say 'device') that won't do what it is supposed to do because some software genius has 'improved' the process without taking the older members of our society into account. I have never used the Blue Tooth feature on our 2014 Odyssey, and by the sound of what you have said about it, I doubt that we will use it on the new van either. Dianne is almost always with me when we are on trips so all necessary communications can be done by whomever is in the passenger seat.
I also won't be using the automatic lane departure or 'wandering onto the shoulder' correction systems that partially take over control of the steering. Quite frankly, I believe that applying the brakes with two wheels in the gravel and two wheels on the pavement is a recipe for disaster!!
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Marion, Ohio. One of my favorite of all time RR hangouts back in the day. The semaphores were gone in my time, though.
ERIE_829_Marion-OH by Edmund, on Flickr
B&O nearby:
BnO_720_4-8-2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Definitely before my time:
Kentucky_River_Highbridge2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Highbridge, Kentucky.
Regards, Ed
Good morning Diners. Tea and toast please, Brunhilda.
British Rail Signalling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLF-1WB5Yic&ab_channel=MerlinIsland%26CrabCoveRailway
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
hon30critter I also won't be using the automatic lane departure or 'wandering onto the shoulder' correction systems that partially take over control of the steering. Quite frankly, I believe that applying the brakes with two wheels in the gravel and two wheels on the pavement is a recipe for disaster!! Cheers!! Dave
It doesn't apply the brakes.
If you have lane keep assist, it vibrates the steering wheel, enables some alert on the dash, and steers back into the lane.
If you have lane departure warning, it just does the steering wheel vibrate and alert.
Good morning, diners. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please. Tell the cook to make all the bacon he has and then bring it all to my table.
Another day when nothing is scheduled. That can be dangerous because it gives my wife the idea I'm completely free to help her. For Christmas, I'm giving her a Dewalt driver set with all her own drill and driver bits. Then I'm going to get myself a new set of bits to replace all the ones she's ruined.
David, the video shows me again how complicated switching and signaling systems are. I'm not sure I could have handled those systems.
I hope everyone has a great day.
I'm not sure how well this will be shown or if you can read it:
Just stopping by to smell the roses, these are about 100 metres from the house. My wife has roses all over the property the fragrance of these ones is incredible. The stump is about 8 feet in diametre and the kids use to hang out on the top of it when they were young. Once the kids stopped using the stump as their fortress the boss planted roses around it.
Going to be hot today so will hit the trail now.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Goodday,
A nice day here, about 80F still too warm but better than it was. We have winds from the south so a positive with the heat is we don't have fire smoke.
At a standstill on the gardening front. I'm outside on the patio staring at many plants that need to go in pots but my wife, who is the gardener is struggling with her anxiety and gets overwhelmed. Not sure what will happen. Not a happy time.
Well, enough of my woe, Dave, I can sympathize with all the techno on new cars. The new loaner I had when mine was getting the wiring fixed was crazy. Why can't there be sinple knobs for radio and heater? My car is very old tech with no touch screen at all. I like it that way.
Not sure what will happen for the rest of the day.
CN Charlie
I guess we're lucky this week. There is smoke in Delaware, but we are in South Carolina this week. The GF has bought a rental condo in North Myrtle Beach and we're cleaning out the rubbish the previous owners left. There's also a few repairs to be done.
Hopefully, by the time we get back next week the air will be clear. The worst I've had here is that my shirt smelled like smoke after visiting a good barbecue joint the night before. They should make smoke fluid like that for our model steamers.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hon30critterI also won't be using the automatic lane departure or 'wandering onto the shoulder' correction systems that partially take over control of the steering. Quite frankly, I believe that applying the brakes with two wheels in the gravel and two wheels on the pavement is a recipe for disaster!!
I believe that the purpose of the correction systems is to prevent one from drifting onto the road shoulder in the first place.
One feature that my wife's vehicle has that I think works well is the one that warns you when another vehicle is in a rear blind spot. Many times while backing slowly out of a store parking space that alarm will go off. We stop and look around, see nothing, and wonder why the alarm went off.
And then some other idiot who thinks the lane between the parked cars is Indianapolis goes zipping by.
CNCharlieWhy can't there be sinple knobs for radio and heater?
Ford Expedition:
Temperature control. Three buttons: Blank (Right Side), "R" (Middle), Blank (Left Side). My wife, in the passenger seat, continually tries to adjust the temperature for her side by adjusting the "R", which to her is "Right Side", while it really adusts the rear temperature.
Just adjusting the "R" for the rear is not that easy. There's another button below that one says "Rear". One would guess that that button would control the rear temperature. No, it controls the rear controls, which are located behind the front seat.
OK, if you hit the button that says "Rear", does that mean the back controls work, or are they shut off and the front can control the back temps? The 200 page manual explains it somewhere, but I've forgotten what it said.
None of this affects the rear seat warmers, since those controls are somewhere I don't remember.
All of this is controled by another button called "auto". One would think that with "auto" on, the temps would automatically adjust. To a certain point, that is true. However, if the front windshield fogs a little, you can push the defrost button (not labeled with a word, but a picture of something -- not to be confused with three other defrost buttons, one for the side windows, one for the exterior rearview mirrors, and one for the rear window.) When you press any defrost button, the auto goes off.
When the auto button goes off, the fan button works.
Another button is labeled with a little car icon. This button determines if the inside air will recirculate or bring in fresh air. I don't remember which way the button is for, so I don't touch that one.
Sorry for this long diatribe. There are more heating controls that I haven't even mentioned.
Sometime when I have a day or two, I will tell you about the radio - GPS - camera screen. Running these make the heater controls look like child's play.
Elliston, Virginia:
York1Ford Expedition: Temperature control. Three buttons: Blank (Right Side), "R" (Middle), Blank (Left Side). My wife, in the passenger seat, continually tries to adjust the temperature for her side by adjusting the "R", which to her is "Right Side", while it really adusts the rear temperature. Just adjusting the "R" for the rear is not that easy. There's another button below that one says "Rear". One would guess that that button would control the rear temperature. No, it controls the rear controls, which are located behind the front seat. OK, if you hit the button that says "Rear", does that mean the back controls work, or are they shut off and the front can control the back temps? The 200 page manual explains it somewhere, but I've forgotten what it said. None of this affects the rear seat warmers, since those controls are somewhere I don't remember. All of this is controled by another button called "auto". One would think that with "auto" on, the temps would automatically adjust. To a certain point, that is true. However, if the front windshield fogs a little, you can push the defrost button (not labeled with a word, but a picture of something -- not to be confused with three other defrost buttons, one for the side windows, one for the exterior rearview mirrors, and one for the rear window.) When you press any defrost button, the auto goes off. When the auto button goes off, the fan button works. Another button is labeled with a little car icon. This button determines if the inside air will recirculate or bring in fresh air. I don't remember which way the button is for, so I don't touch that one. Sorry for this long diatribe. There are more heating controls that I haven't even mentioned. Sometime when I have a day or two, I will tell you about the radio - GPS - camera screen. Running these make the heater controls look like child's play.
Sounds to me that this would be a perfect time for someone to invent JMRI for vehicles.
John, in my car there is a control that resembles a person, hit the head and defrost goes on, body and heat goes through dash vents, feet and it is directed through floor vents. I rarely use it, just leave everything on auto. There are 2 dials that control the temp settings for each side of the car, no reference to a manual is needed to figure things out.
On the RR front I have the C Liner heading an express reefer train. I find I am slowly going back in time, I was in 1957, then 1955, now 1954. Have to stop there or will have to repaint all my heavyweight passenger cars. Steam is taking over from diesel. Only the C Liner and 2 switchers left on the diesel roster. Guess I better pull the '59 Ford at the gas station.
This was my morning (top) and afternoon (bottom) views. The afternoon is similar to what it has been for the last month.
That is misleading. The Blue Ridge mountains, 15 miles away, looked like the top picture (which is Massanutten mountain, 2 miles away) for the last month.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
AEP528It doesn't apply the brakes. If you have lane keep assist, it vibrates the steering wheel, enables some alert on the dash, and steers back into the lane.
Hi AEP528,
There are two separate systems in the van. One works exactly as you describe. If you are on a marked road the sensors will will vibrate the steering wheel and flash a warning. If you don't respond, it will steer the car back into the center of the lane.
If I understand the second system correctly, it works when there are no lane markings. If the sensors detect that you may have wandered onto the gravel shoulder the brakes will be applied along with a warning light/alarm. I haven't gone off the road in 69 years of driving (well, maybe a couple of times when I was being rather exuberant in my MGB, but then I was REALLY paying attention!!!).
I will definitely use some of the new features. The blind spot monitoring system is a no brainer, as are the rear cross traffic sensors. However, there are sensors which will tell you if someone is standing or walking in front of the van. Why???
Anyhow, we can debate the merits of the numerous systems ad infinitum. It is all a bit of a mute argument. If you like all the newfangled gadgets then go for it! I prefer to focus on driving the car.
I went to Orlando today to help Baby/Baby Daughter get ready for her move to Washington. It is still a few weeks before she is leaving.
I took down all her shelves, patched the holes in the walls, and threw a quick coat of paint on the walls. The room looks better than when she moved in.
The landlady said she is going to miss her.
She is moving out of that house fully by the end of the month, then she will stay with her Aunt in Orlando for a few days, then spend her last week in Florida down here with us.
It was a great day, but a little sad.
hon30critter However, there are sensors which will tell you if someone is standing or walking in front of the van. Why??? E
However, there are sensors which will tell you if someone is standing or walking in front of the van. Why???
E
Because there might be someone you can’t see easily, like a small child chasing a ball, or Herve Villechaize looking up at the plane.
maxmanBecause there might be someone you can’t see easily, like a small child chasing a ball,
Hi maxman,
The question was a bit rhetorical. You are right in that those situations do occur, but I am very cautious around young children and pedestrians. If there are children, or anyone for that matter, close to the vehicle I will stop and wait until I know that they have seen me and I will wait for them to make the next move.
I think that, in a perfect world, none of us should require all these fancy warning systems. It is up to the driver to drive safely. Of course the reality is much different. The fact is that there are a huge number of horrible drivers on the road and that proves the need for these systems. I'm not arguing against them. I just don't need them. If there is something of concern going on outside of my car, IMHO the last thing that I should be doing is looking at my dash trying to figure out what the warning is about.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning, diners. Friday! Flo, I'll have some hash browns. And over that, put some eggs and bacon. And I'll have black coffee.
SeeYou190I went to Orlando today to help Baby/Baby Daughter get ready for her move to Washington.
This means more very long trips to see your granddaughter. That can be a nice thing, or maybe not. I really don't mind the travel -- it's that it means seeing them less when they live so far away.
Bear, that photo looks like that railroad has a lot of people working in the signal department.
Henry, without the smoke, it looks like you live in a beautiful part of the country. Are you close to the Shenandoah National Park? That's one of the national parks I haven't been to yet, but hope to see in the next couple of years.
I hope everyone has a great Friday.
I believe this is Washington, DC:
hon30critter The question was a bit rhetorical. You are right in that those situations do occur, but I am very cautious around young children and pedestrians. If there are children, or anyone for that matter, close to the vehicle I will stop and wait until I know that they have seen me and I will wait for them to make the next move.
It doesn't matter how good a driver is, they will not see everything around their car by themselves. Don't ever assume that, and if you think you can, you're kidding yourself and putting others in danger.
An object can appear behind you while you are moving your head to check another mirror. You cannot see behind vehicles parked next to you. Use the back up camera and sensors.
I think that, in a perfect world, none of us should require all these fancy warning systems. It is up to the driver to drive safely.
They're safety systems. Are you seriously arguing against their existence?
I just don't need them
Yes, you do. Everyone does.
When an accident is investigated by both the insurance companies and the police accident investigations unit one thing they look at is whether the accident was preventable or not, regardless of who is at fault.
The insurance rate for a vehicle is partially based on what safety systems that vehicle has and if you turn them off and are involved in an accident, regardless of who is at fault, the insurance company may turn around and say your safety systems were turned off and there is no doubt that had they been turned on the accident would have not occurred. You have quite likely put yourself on the hook and voided your coverage.
As for the various systems that maintain lane position, only drivers that are not good drivers tend to hate them. If you are driving in a safe manner you will never know they are on because they won't be correcting your bad driving habits. If you take an off-ramp on the freeway and don't signal your intentions the car will try and keep you on the freeway. If you are a good driver and signal your intentions, that tells not only other drivers your intentions but also the system in your car and it will let you exit smoothly.
Another area of reduced accident rates that lane control has helped is when a driver drifts into oncoming traffic because of distraction. We all see the idiots on their cell phones.
I could go on for a long time on this subject as I do have some experience with it. I have sat in on many accident investigations reviews for the Federal Government. I have tried to improve bad drivers driving habits as part of my job only to report back to the brass that the only thing that person should ever be driving is a desk.
People don't know what they don't know. Stats and insurance rates speak volumes about these safety "gadgets"
BATMANWhen an accident is investigated by both the insurance companies and the police accident investigations unit one thing they look at is whether the accident was preventable or not, regardless of who is at fault. The insurance rate for a vehicle is partially based on what safety systems that vehicle has and if you turn them off and are involved in an accident, regardless of who is at fault, the insurance company may turn around and say your safety systems were turned off and there is no doubt that had they been turned on the accident would have not occurred. You have quite likely put yourself on the hook and voided your coverage. As for the various systems that maintain lane position, only drivers that are not good drivers tend to hate them. If you are driving in a safe manner you will never know they are on because they won't be correcting your bad driving habits. If you take an off-ramp on the freeway and don't signal your intentions the car will try and keep you on the freeway. If you are a good driver and signal your intentions, that tells not only other drivers your intentions but also the system in your car and it will let you exit smoothly. Another area of reduced accident rates that lane control has helped is when a driver drifts into oncoming traffic because of distraction. We all see the idiots on their cell phones.
Yep!!! Well said Brent! I have had a couple times since I got the Tesla that I might have been in a serious accident if it weren't for the safety systems in the car. That said, I have always been a careful driver and (knock on wood) never had a "chargeble" accident. I have had some weird "accidents", mostly from other vehicles doing stupid things, over the years that today's safety systems would have prevented most likely. They don't replace good, safe driving though. They do help, big time!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
hon30critter I think that, in a perfect world, none of us should require all these fancy warning systems. It is up to the driver to drive safely. I'm not arguing against them. I just don't need them. If there is something of concern going on outside of my car, IMHO the last thing that I should be doing is looking at my dash trying to figure out what the warning is about.
I think that, in a perfect world, none of us should require all these fancy warning systems. It is up to the driver to drive safely. I'm not arguing against them. I just don't need them.
If there is something of concern going on outside of my car, IMHO the last thing that I should be doing is looking at my dash trying to figure out what the warning is about.
I usually feel the same way.
But then I read about the pilot who was so sure about what his situation was that he turned off the proximity alarm because he was annoyed by the constant ringing, and promptly flew himself and his jet full of passengers into the side of a mountain.
howmusI have had a couple times since I got the Tesla that I might have been in a serious accident if it weren't for the safety systems in the car.
We have all seen horrific accidents where a car has run a stop light or stop sign and the results have not been good. The automated sensors and braking systems that slam on the brakes faster than any human could possibly do have been saving a lot of lives at intersections. The fraction of a second that the car can beat the human at in hitting the brakes can be all the difference as a car travels a long way in a second or fraction thereof.
As our friends have been getting new vehicles we are hearing more and more stories of how their cars slammed on the brakes and prevented an accident. My wife has had it happen twice to her in the two years we have owned the Toyota.
Not embracing improvement in safety systems is for those that choose to not be informed on the hows and why's things change. I remember when we didn't have seatbelts in the car, now that is a safety system that saves lives.
howmus I have had a couple times since I got the Tesla that I might have been in a serious accident if it weren't for the safety systems in the car.
You haven't encountered the dreaded STC yet, have you?
maxmanYou haven't encountered the dreaded STC yet, have you?
STC??? Stabilty traction Control? If that is what you are refering to, just once. Got the car stuck in a snow bank.... It won't let you spin a tire. Took a lot of shoveling to get the car out and moving....
If that's not what you are talking about, I have no idea...???
BATMANAs our friends have been getting new vehicles we are hearing more and more stories of how their cars slammed on the brakes and prevented an accident. My wife has had it happen twice to her in the two years we have owned the Toyota.
About 6 weeks ago I was taking my oldest granddaughter to work (at McDonalds). Her house is on the back road next to the Seneca Lake Outlet that goes to Keuka Lake. There is a three way intersection at the bridge across the outlet. We were a few hundred feet before the intersection when an idiot in a big 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive pickup truck swung around the corner towards us. He was busy using his cell phone and didn't see he didn't quite go into his lane but floored the truck! He was coming straight at my car! The Tesla automaticaly slamed on the brakes and blew the horn.... If I had turned off the road to the right the car would have gone down a steep ditch embankment and likey would have flipped onto it's roof!
The idiot heard the horn, looked up, and at the last second swerved (almost into the ditch on the other side) back to his lane. Missed my car by all of 13 or 14 inches. Would have been a head on collision! He had to be going well above 40mph when he finally reacted.
My granddaughter and I just sat there and shook. We were still doing that when we arrived at McDonald's. Very glad to have have computer assisted safety. I never could have reacted quick enough to avoid the crash. I still don't like driving through that intersection now!!!
howmusSTC??? Stabilty traction Control? If that is what you are refering to
No ---Spontaneous Tesla Combustion