Hi everyone!
It's getting time to move the Diner again! I can't believe how fast January has gone by. I'm not complaining mind you. The sooner we get to Spring, the better AFAIC.
I can't remember if there were any suggestions last month about where to move the Diner in February. Any ideas?
Please feel free to move the Diner if you want to. If nobody speaks up, I will move it to wherever.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Good Afternoon,
Another balmy day here, about 30F and may hit 40 by Monday.
John, hope you get good news on Monday.
Nothing much new here. The results of my physical are in and all is good.
Need to buy a new printer as the old one won't work with windows 10. I finally fired up the old laptop that we had repaired last summer. It works great and they did get all of the photos successfully tranfered to the new hard drive,, all in order too. There are thousands of photos on it from our trips and also of birds in the backyard.
Maybe I should fire up a loco. The Consolidation hasn't been run for many months so I think the hostler better get busy.
CN Charlie
Since moving to Kansas, we have been following the Chiefs. But not enough to sign up for Peacock. The game was carried on a local radio station, so I listened on the radio, something I like to do. I grew up listening to football games on the radio with my dad on Saturday afternoons, puttering around in our garage. Except now I can putter around in the basement.
John: Hope your wife's results are good.
It's another soggy day on the West Coast which is fine as it builds the snowpack up and gives us plenty of water of the highest quality for about $60.00ca a year.
The wife was gone when I woke up, there was a badly injured dog that came in at the Animal Emergency Hospital, and the attending Dr. had messaged my wife for an opinion. Even though my wife is supposed to be retired, she hopped in the car at 0400hrs and was off to have a look-see in person. When she was working, I would often wake up to find her gone. She would go into the hospital in the middle of the night just to check on a patient and then come back home. Then there were the times the phone would ring and I would get a punch in the arm with a "let's go". I learned how to be an anesthesiologist on the fly if time was of the essence. A badly injured police dog would have the wife working on one end and she would be telling me what to do on the other. Meanwhile, the police officers would be basket cases out in the waiting room.
We have a busy day ahead once the boss gets home so better get at it.
All the best to all.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Good morning. Another icy morning -- just right for a big bacon, eggs, and coffee breakfast. Flo, bring a pot of coffee and leave it at the table.
I finally got started yesterday on the layout street that will run with the streetcar line. I'm making the street out of styrene, which may be a mistake, but it seems to be going OK. The only issue I have is on corners. The streetcar needs to have a minimum radius curve, and the streets will not be wide enough to have the track make a 90° turn and stay on the street. I'm not sure how I will handle it today, but whatever. I've made other non-prototypical things on the layout, so this will probably be the same.
We have an appointment Monday with the surgeon to talk about my wife's biopsy results. We are hoping it's good news. We have both been blessed to have such good health for over 70 years.
I hope we can hear from some of our missing diner friends. The waitresses are getting cranky with the reduced number of tips they're getting.
Have a great Thursday (or Friday).
Guatemala is in the tropics, even though the photo looks like it could have been taken just about anywhere.
Ferrocarriles de Guatemala by John West, on Flickr
York1 John
Good morning Diners. A large coffee please Zoe. Rather quiet I must say.
It is Burns Night tonight.
All invited. Wear your tartan.
Haggis, Neeps 'n' Tatties
Bagpipes a'playing.
Whisky flowing
7pm for 7.30pm
Plenty of room to stay the night. Run a few trains tomorrow.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good morning!4-6-4 170 with Buffalo–Chicago train 5, the Nickel Plate Limited, at Englewood Union Station, 1936.D. W. Yungmeyer
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Vitamin D by Bear, on Flickr
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Good morning from the soggy West Coast. Alexa says the rain will stop in about 90 minutes, so I will be out the door with a mutt then.
It is my Birthday on Monday so the wife bought a roast lamb for six of us to enjoy on Saturday night. That number is now up to fourteen so she has to go buy a second lamb. I wish I could get past a birthday quietly sometimes. It's not so bad though, as people either come with bottles of booze or gift certificates to the train store.
My FIL was brilliant in his chosen lifelong career, however outside of that, dysfunctional best describes the way he lives. He has apparently lost his retirement savings through mismanagement and scams which was up in the $700,000.00 range. he also went way into debt along the way. He is of quite sound mind (such as that is) so no intervention is possible. My BIL managed to talk him out of another bad investment at the last moment, however we don't think he will have the money from his reverse mortgage long as he took a lump sum instead of a monthly payment. He has booked an 8-month around-the-world cruise but is going to Thailand first. My son tried to convince him that the beautiful (facebook) babe he is in love with is a 100% AI-generated creature. He won't believe that either.
The only saving grace is that the government-run (subsidized) senior's homes are quite nice. So when he has lost his last dime he will still be OK.
David, if the world does blow itself to bits, where we are it will be a slow demise from radiation poisoning and starvation. Maybe we should move back to the big city so as not to suffer. I have lived long enough that I am not losing any sleep over my end but my kids still have a lot of living to do.
Being down in New Zealand, Bear will be the last to shut down his layout, so on that note.
Good afternoon Diners. A large whisky wth no ice please, Brunhilda.
Another visit to the Medical Centre for a thorough check-up. Same result as the others previous. Heartbeat bouncing all over the place. Missing a beat or three every other.
Advice: Take things easy, or else.
I have had the same 'advice' since I was born. Only then I was given a month to live. Well, it has been 'a long month' and as far as I am concerned there is many a day left. One day the doctors' will be right, BUT NOT YET.
Other news. Dawn is much better, (which makes me feel good).
Depending what is read or said, here in Europe some countries are preparing for war against Russia. Dawn says the news says 'We haven't to travel far in case of trouble'.
Oh well. If we are to be 'blown to bits' why take it easy?
I am off up to the train room.
An icy good morning.
My trip to the university field house this morning was exciting. I slid right through the first stop sign I came to. A layer of ice on the roads makes for nerve-wracking driving.
I understand the last Kansas City Chiefs' game had double the number of viewers that the first controversial 'streamed' game had. I realize the NFL made a ton of money on the streaming, but they sure had a lot more people watching when it was on network TV. Maybe the NFL could take their faithful viewers into account next time they are offered a streaming game. I won't hold my breath. Money talks.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Ecuador:
Good morning!
Howdy Folks!
BATMANApparently, my 87-year-old FIL has taken out a $800,000.00 reverse mortgage on his house and is at the BMW dealership as I type picking up his brand-new BMW. This can't be good.
Hey! What the heck! Might just as well go out in style..... My choice would a Tesla S Plaid though!!! (That's the one that does 0 to 60 in 1.98 seconds flat....)
Bet you were glad the "puppy" was out for a run with you! I sure would be!!!
73
Ray Seneca Lake, Ontario, and Western R.R. (S.L.O.&W.) in HO
We'll get there sooner or later!
Grabbed a buddy from our dog pool and hit the trail. There was still a bit of snow but the trails were muck. Twice I sank to my shin. It took me 1:22:00 just to go 6.20km, very slow. I often knock off 10km in an hour. With the snow melting a lot of lost articles showed up along the way. I found two lanyards with multiple IDs and pass cards on them and I also found a big fat wallet. The wallet belonged to a local farmer who gives us armloads of vegetables all summer long so I returned that on the way home. He had lost it three days ago in the deep snow and had been through the trail a dozen times looking for it. The lanyards are in the process of being returned. I am trying to contact the people on the ID rather than the institution they belong to, as I am sure someone would be in deep doo-doo if the institution was aware of them having gone missing.
Apparently, my 87-year-old FIL has taken out a $800,000.00 reverse mortgage on his house and is at the BMW dealership as I type picking up his brand-new BMW. This can't be good.
My buddy just turned one on Christmas day. He heard something in the bush and really growled and barked once and we heard a lot of breaking branches. It was either a deer or a bear, my guess was a bear as we can usually see a deer as it bounds away.
Hi Rich,
The kitchen is about 180 sq. ft. That works out to $670.00 Cdn. per sq. ft. based on the $120,000 quote. That puts it at the top end of the price range. The kitchen is not fancy and there aren't any expensive extras.
We have found a cabinet supplier who can do the cabinets for $20,000.00 less. They are well built cabinets. I don't expect the other items like lighting etc. to be much lower in price.
Good morning from the soon-to-be sunny West Coast. I asked Alexa when it will stop raining and she said it will stop raining in 20 minutes. She is so accurate, it blows my mind. She also said the Sun will come out in 90 minutes. I also ask her when will it start raining and again she is always right on.
We had a new kitchen done in 2021 and it was not cheap. You have to remember that Dave is talking Canadian dollars so there is a difference to account for. The prices have just gone crazy since we did our kitchen, we wanted cabinets for our master bathroom project and it was upwards of $20,000.00 for those from the same company. We shopped around and it was the same huge jump in price with all the makers. We will have to bite the bullet.
My wife is an amazing cook and loves her kitchen with all its ovens. We used to have only one oven. I did all the plumbing and electrical, paint, and drywall, so we saved there. I also replaced the sunshine ceiling and put in the pot lights and those UFO lights the wife wanted. I also have put in a new full-glass kitchen door since these photos were taken. We do a half dozen big family dinners a year with some topping 20 people. With all the ovens, the wife has a much easier time.
The house was full of Veterinarians all day yesterday and some had stayed over from when they arrived on Sunday. Hours and hours of shop talk.
Time to hit the trail, it has been a few days, I found it somewhat painful trudging through the snow with my arthritis. I always start to feel like crap if I go for more than a few days without a scoot.
We were down in the lower Latitudes of the Pacific for a good spell before Christmas, and boy do I feel like going back. I must be getting old.
Good morning, diners. Chloe, I'll have bacon, eggs, and black coffee.
Dave, I assumed it was just for the cabinets. I hope you and your kids can find something that is affordable and just what you want.
If you live in a rural area like mine, I imagine you have mailboxes at the street rather than on the house. If so, this is January 23, "National Snowplow Mailbox Hockey Day"! On some streets, every time it snows it's a game to find the pieces of the mailbox. Enjoy!
gmpullmanAlways time for a spot o' tea, don't you agree?
During WWII, my father was in England, then France, then Germany. He always laughed that the English soldiers would be in a battle, but late afternoon they wanted tea. I think he was just having fun with them -- I know he respected them.
I hope everyone has a great day!
I was shocked to see that $120,000 figure...until I Googled it and found this for my area:
In the Chicagoland area, most kitchen remodels cost an average of $195 to $580 per square foot, and more for higher-end projects. These figures reflect the less involved minor kitchen updates ($60,000 to $85,000 total cost) to the complete mid-range kitchen remodel ($85,000 to $115,000 total cost).
A complete dream kitchen remodel in the Chicagoland and northern & western suburban area typically costs $115,000 to $200,000 or more. In a 424 square foot kitchen, that’s a price point of $271 to $472 per square foot, or more.
Ouch!
Rich
Alton Junction
To Brent and everyone else:
I promise to never offer legal advice again on the forums. 'Nuff said.
up831 Dave: $120K for a new kitchen seems high, but is not that unusual. But, from the price quote it sounds like you're having more done than just replacing cabinets. First would be base price of the cabinets. All plywood construction will add around 20% to the base price. Any bells and whistles in the form of things like roll out trays, etc will drive up the price. The very general breakdown is 1/3 for cabnets and countertop, 1/3 for installation, and 1/3 for appliances and accessories,etc. If you're moving walls that will add flooring and more and definitely enhance the price.
There is a lot of other work that has to be done and I appreciate the fact that that type of work is not cheap. What we disputed was mainly the cost of the cabinets themselves. There are a total of 19 cabinets. All except one (the pantry) are very straight forward, and we want a simple Shaker style. The average installed price per cabinet including tax worked out to $2370.00 each ($45,000.00 total). A simple range hood worked out to $3200.00 incl tax. That is for a 'custom' kitchen.
I priced another cabinet supplier, and the installed price including tax worked out to $1300.00 average. Their cabinets are not custom. They are pre-built in 3" increments in size. The total cost including tax is $25,000.00.
Both suppliers use the same construction materials, i.e., plywood cabinets with MDF or solid wood door/drawer fronts, dovetail drawer joints, soft close hinges/drawer slides, etc. etc.
In some cases using pre-built cabinets can waste a lot of space with fillers, but that is not the situation here. If you compare the exact sizes of the custom cabinets to the pre-built units, the sizes vary by less than an inch in most cases.
As far as all the other details go, we are budgeting about the same amount of money.
We have lined up three new contractors, one of which we have worked with before and who's work was superb!
Always time for a spot o' tea, don't you agree?
Blair Kooistra, 1st Prize, Color by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
From Erie, Pennsylvania to Brasil:
FEPASA, Valinhos, Brazil, 1990 by Center for Railroad Photography & Art, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
MisterBeasley Weathermen? The Weather Channel here keeps trying to get me to subscribe for longer-range forecasts, but why? Those ninnys can't get the forecast right for tis evening, why pay them for an extra week of incorrectness?
Weathermen? The Weather Channel here keeps trying to get me to subscribe for longer-range forecasts, but why? Those ninnys can't get the forecast right for tis evening, why pay them for an extra week of incorrectness?
One day they will be correct.
Built in 1937 by General American Car and has carried the number 15797 its entire career. This box car was built to the Association of American Railroads standard design
hon30critter My son Cole, DIL Kaitlin and I made a big decision today. We have been working with a kitchen cabinet company and a contractor to replace Cole and Kaitlin's kitchen. We finally got a quote from them last week and it was astronomical!!! The kitchen is roughly 15' x 12' and there are a total of 19 cabinets required. The only cabinet that will be expensive will be the pantry. The rest are all quite straight forward. All we want is a simple Shaker design. The contractors are asking for more than $120,000.00 Cdn.!! Tomorrow I'm going to tell them to take a hike, in the nicest possible way of course! We are back to square one kitchen wise, but our stress levels just went down big time! Cheers!! Dave Hi Everyone, Dave: $120K for a new kitchen seems high, but is not that unusual. But, from the price quote it sounds like you're having more done than just replacing cabinets. First would be base price of the cabinets. All plywood construction will add around 20% to the base price. Any bells and whistles in the form of things like roll out trays, etc will drive up the price. The very general breakdown is 1/3 for cabnets and countertop, 1/3 for installation, and 1/3 for appliances and accessories,etc. If you're moving walls that will add flooring and more and definitely enhance the price. I hope this has helped.
My son Cole, DIL Kaitlin and I made a big decision today. We have been working with a kitchen cabinet company and a contractor to replace Cole and Kaitlin's kitchen. We finally got a quote from them last week and it was astronomical!!! The kitchen is roughly 15' x 12' and there are a total of 19 cabinets required. The only cabinet that will be expensive will be the pantry. The rest are all quite straight forward. All we want is a simple Shaker design. The contractors are asking for more than $120,000.00 Cdn.!! Tomorrow I'm going to tell them to take a hike, in the nicest possible way of course!
We are back to square one kitchen wise, but our stress levels just went down big time!
Jim (with a nod to Mies Van Der Rohe)
i'm not an expert on much, but I know enough to let the lawyers handle the legal stuff. We got a will after my daughter was born, basically to protect her from the extremist "tax the rich" environment of the government in that era. We weren't rich by any means, but would have been under the government's silly policies. Since every state in the US makes up its own laws, it's a good idea to have an in-state lawyer do a will.
Also, have someone review your will, to make sure the laws haven't made your will somewhat invalid over the years.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Afternoon folks....
richhotrainBrent, I appreciate your reply. The reason that I would ban legal advice is because of the possible financial harm caused by bad advice. When you look at the list of banned topics, those topics can all lead to flaming, name calling and hurt feellings, but not likely financial harm.
Actually, I agree pretty much, Rich, but that is up to our hosts..... I would only comment that everything I have done has been on the advice of my attorney! Anyone looking at similar options, no matter where you live should do the same.
Just put in 4 miles of running this morning over at the fieldhouse, according to fitbit... I have in the last 6.5 years put in 8,260 miles. (Not too worried about something called a "lookback".)
Got to renew my Passport soon as I plan to go over to the UK and visit my son this summer. My two granddaughters are planning to travel with me.
BATMAN richhotrain As an open forum, visible to the general public, a lot of harm can occur from following bad legal advice. I agree, I have had to clean up some real messes where the deceased took advice from their own children and/or other family members and close friends. I can't imagine how ugly it could get if the deceased planned their Estate after getting advice from a MRR forum. I don't agree that the subject should be banned. If reading this thread doesn't reinforce the fact that Estate planning should be done with the help of a professional then it doesn't really matter at that point. People don't know, what they don't know.
richhotrain As an open forum, visible to the general public, a lot of harm can occur from following bad legal advice.
I agree, I have had to clean up some real messes where the deceased took advice from their own children and/or other family members and close friends. I can't imagine how ugly it could get if the deceased planned their Estate after getting advice from a MRR forum.
I don't agree that the subject should be banned. If reading this thread doesn't reinforce the fact that Estate planning should be done with the help of a professional then it doesn't really matter at that point. People don't know, what they don't know.
BATMAN On another forum, they were giving out medical advice. I had to show my wife that one as people were jumping on that bandwagon. She was in disbelief at what she read.
On another forum, they were giving out medical advice. I had to show my wife that one as people were jumping on that bandwagon. She was in disbelief at what she read.
richhotrainAs an open forum, visible to the general public, a lot of harm can occur from following bad legal advice.
On the hobby front, I spent several hours yesterday installing HO-scale lag bolts into the coaling tower I am building. You get good at it after a while, it is kind of like learning a new tune on the guitar or piano.
Had visitors overnight from down South, really nice people but.........
Need to clean the furnace after our cold spell, I am sure it is full of dog hair.
PUUUUUUSH! With a tailwind no less.
Good morning, everyone. Bacon, eggs, and black coffee, please.
The diner has had a lot of weather comments lately. How about weathermen? (weather people?)
This morning, the weather forecast for tonight is possibly ... no precipitation, rain, fog, sleet, snow, freezing rain. I think that weatherman covered just about every possibility for tonight except for a hurricane or tornado. I guess tomorrow we can congratulate him for being 100% correct.
hon30critterThe only cabinet that will be expensive will be the pantry. The rest are all quite straight forward. All we want is a simple Shaker design. The contractors are asking for more than $120,000.00 Cdn.!!
Dave, I'm not sure, but I might have had a stroke when I heard that estimate. Was the cabinet maker driving a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce?
Have a great day, everyone.
Tourists on the Devil's Nose Train by Frank_am_Main, on Flickr