Afternoon All,
Well the rain changed to snow about 7:30 this morning and it's snowing pretty hard now. We have about 6" so far and predictions for up to 12. I sent everyone who hadn't already gone home and plan to head out soon myself though I plan on coming back in tomorrow if possible.
Dick - my mom said after a particularly trying visit when our kids were young that the best part of grandkids was that they eventually went home! The second best thing was I think seeing us run ragged like we used to do to her.
OZ - plenty of good advice already on driving, but one good thing to do if you haven't figured it out yet is to find a large empty lot and practice spinning and regaining control as well as threshold braking (stopping as quickly as possible without sliding or engaging the antilock brakes if you have them.
Der - as long as the glue on the edge of the rock doesn't wick through, the painting techniique you want to try should work. I try to keep my plaster stone as glue free as possible so the water based paints will soak in so I didn't think of that.
Jeff - once you break those new shoes in you can go out dancin' no?
Jim - know what you mean about skipping the shows to concentrate on wha needs doing. Seem to always end up finding something I just can't live without and there goes the budget again.
Car should be warmed up by now so I'll try to call in later this evening. CUL, J.R.
Good afternoon everyone, the snow has started, it is snowing moderately at present but will get heavier as the afternoon progresses.....12+ forecasted for this area.
The little one is about ready for the afternoon snooze, that is Grampas job, I seem to have the technique to getting him down.
SUE: The bused look pretty good right now, don't know what they will look like after this storm though.
DER JOHN: Glad that the mini Vac worked on your keyboard.......have fun with your Grandkids.
CAPE JIM: I am getting PLENTY of exercise, this kids knows no stopping until he sleeps, but that is OK, at least I tire him out so much he doesn't cry when we get him to his nap time. I don't cry at all then, I just collapse for an hour, no trouble sleeping at night either, my head hits the pillow and then the alarm goes off at 6am.
Ryan: Looks like you guys are getting all rain, John and I are getting all snow.
J.R. Has it changed over for you guys yet, it should be snowing like crazy down your way according to the radar.
Later, guys, nap time,
Morning, All. Coffee please.
I have not been around as much because I have been working on our taxes. My appointment is on Monday and I am so great about waiting until the last minute.
I glued down a tunnel portal on Tuesday, so today I will try to get the liquid nails covered with ballast before Larry gets home tonight.
Dick, That is great if the butterfly bushes still have some shape. Ours get soggy and would never hold up through the winter. Also, the snow here is very wet and breaks the bush if I do not prune them in the late fall. I prune them again in late March to keep the flower closer to the ground. Good luck with your project.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
Good Morning, Zoe - I'll have a cup of mocha and one of those twisty donuts that Bill brought in today. Thanks!
Congratulations, OzJim - I see that Dick and DerJohn have already given some good advice about driving (especially since I understand it's a long drive to the next town/petrol station 'down' there). Drive safely and don't do any showing off for friends in the car with you (that's a concern for parents of teenage drivers up our way). You want to keep those insurance rates nice and low (good grades often help keep your rates low, too). Yep, railfanning should be easier for you now.
Paul, good to hear you got someone (else) to help with installing the microwave. I hear that's one secret to a great retirement...
Dick, are you sure you'll be able to make it until your grandson's folks get back? Better watch out about tripping over your tongue (after chasing after the little-but-speedy guy). At least you'll be getting some aerobic exercise that way...
Only 37 F this morning here - supposed to have some clouds today, then some clearing tomorrow (and possibility of rain again by the end of the weekend).
I've decided to forego the trip to the Boeing show tomorrow in St. Louis - combination of transportation glitch, plus reconsidering that I probably will need the money more for other things. But there will be other shows to attend, and I may use a small part of the money to get specific things (like wire) for the layout.
Glad it's Friday! I'm ready for the weekend - alas, it's about eight hours till I get to head home for the day (See, Paul, I avoided using the W word... ).
Hope you folks in the Northeast stay snug and warm inside, with that storm heading your way. Dick, tell the young'un that he has to wait until Sat. afternoon to go make a snowman.
Blessings on your weekend,
Jim in Cape Girardeau
Good morning fellers!
Here is something interesting I came across on my "Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader Calendar":
AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE
In 1929 American novelist Thomas Wolfe told a friend that his next book would take place aboard a train. He planned to call it K-19, after the number of the railroad car in which the characters rode. He never wrote the story, but when he died in 1938, Wolfe's body was shipped home for burial by train. The number of the railroad car in which his body was placed: K-19.
You all have a great day!
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
Good morning everyone: I’ll have a JR Regular, andthose scrambled eggs and bacon Jeff’s suggested for our 100th page, please Janie.
“Treasures of Ancient Egypt” at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia is on the menu for today with the grandkids. Thanks to Dick’s suggestion, and the handy dandy made in China mini-vac I bought for “cleaning the railway” I now have use of the letter “b” again.
On the scenery front, I made up 4 different rock colour washes yesterday, and applied two of them to a number of castings on the layout. In the process I noticed that some of the overflow wicked up into the surrounding sawdust/glue ground cover. That makes me think that the reverse technique may be a solution to the “not getting the ground paint on the rocks” problem. If I approach the rocks carefully and set the loaded brush down on the ground cover about 1/8th inch from the casting, the paint should just wick up to the edge of the rock without overflowing onto it. I’ll give it a go and see if I’m right…..but probably not today.
The business section of the paper yesterday had an article about 8 locomotives built in Illinois (it didn’t say where) being shipped to the UK from Halifax this week. A photo showed a cab each end diesel, but the text said 8 railcars. Go figure. The loco was painted for Freightliner, so probably not passenger service. UKMatt, can you shed any light?
OZJim: Congrats on the highway freedom. Take care now. I see Dick’s concern about the extra gas…Is Alice on the ‘Gan?
From our friend Pat via Kris’ email this morning…
Yoga student: Ella, some friends brought me back some single malt whiskey from Scotland. How long can I keep it? Ella: Why would you want to?
Ella: Why would you want to?
"There are always alternatives, Captain" - Spock.
It's going to be pleasant and somewhat sunny here in west-central Louisiana today.
Today's Weather for: Sundown, LA 71446-6114 3/16/2007
Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23 Wind Chill: 60°FHumidity: 90%Dew Point: 58°F So Far TodayHigh: 61°FLow: 59°FRain: 0.01"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 7mph NNE Today High: 68 Mostly cloudy this morning...becoming partly sunny this afternoon. Highs in the upper 60s. North winds 10 to 20 mph.
Tonight Low: 42 Mostly clear. Colder. Lows in the lower 40s. Northeast winds around 10 mph.
Just some scrambled eggs this morning.
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Good Morning All,
I'll have one of Bills donuts and a regular coffee please. 29F and a light snow falling just now. It rained until just about 5am. This is supposed to be the start of a storm but we'll see. http://cdn.news.aol.com/aolweather_maps/nyc_crad_440x297.45fa7401-001be-02e78-ed960c40 The radar is unclear at this time but most of the state is shut down or on hold now.
Attended my first museum board meeting last night - lots to learn and think about. Not much happeneing on the MRR front this week but hopefully I'll have some time this weekend. Hope y'all have a goodun' and we'll catch you later. ,J.R.
Good morning ! from Indiana.
03-16-07
Bill Tidler Jr.
Near a cornfield in Indiana...
Last call for coffee at the Diner for East coast guys, west coast AK and AU still are good to go.
OZ JIM: Congrats on obtaining your DL!!! Now be careful of several things when you go railfanning:
ALEX: Most LHS carry Sculptamold, and you can also order it directly from Woodland Scenics. WWW.Woodlandscenics.com
SUE: I was checking our butterfly bushes yesterday, and they still have all the brown stems on them, so I am going to harvest some material for trees. Only one thing wrong, we have a foot of snow due tomorrow, so they might be hard to get for a few days. Luckily the deer don't like them, so they are in good shape. A herd of 10 deer walked right past them three days ago.
BOBCAT??? Yup, made the news tonight on TV. A homeowner up in Westford, Ma videoed a big Bobcat in his backyard this afternoon. This is really unique because these cats are very wary, they are very secretive, and are RARELY seen around populated areas. I think that the leash laws enacted a decade ago has much to do with all the wildlife returning to populated areas......more so then urban sprawl.
Well, time to turn-in, the little one will be awake early in the morning, that means another day of chasing the little guy around the house.
Bon Soir mais amis,
Evening Gang:
Duke: My sympathy for you loss. My father was also a WW2 vet and passed away in '82. I still miss him. Hang in there.
Tomorrow John and I are driving up to Oaklahoma City to pick up an order of rail for his 7 1/2 in gauge railroad. His pickup is an 88 and he's been having problems with it so I figured I'd better drive our truck and avoid having to go on a rescure mission.
Mary Ann and I got a friend of ours to take on the job of installing the microwave over the stove. He's going to make a cabnet to go between the one on eather side and fill the space above the microwave. One more job taken care of. I spent the afternoon clearing away some dead trees that were going to fall on our fence. Having the tractor with the loader fitted with the grapple sure made it easy.
Well I guess I should get to bed. John is coming by early so we can get up to OKC and get back.
Jeff that's great news about the shoes. Happy Day.
Good Night All
Hey guys
I've got some good news! I got my drivers licence yesterday!! $165 later and I can now drive myself everywhere!!! very exciting - Now I can go railfanning in places I couldn't previously!
All for now,
OzJim
James, Brisbane Australia
Modelling AT&SF in the 90s
Evening all and nothing for me Chloe,thankyou
This is to say thank you to all and I didn't want to add to what is already going on in the shop,but you are all friends and again,I thank you.
Duke
"Don't take a wooden nickel,because it isn't worth a dime" by my Dad
"There are only 3 things you need out of life:A gentle grade,the wind in your face,and cinders in your hair.....But keep an eye on the water glass!" Jack Evans
newRRdude wrote: Ryan, On page 98 you mentioned SculptaMold, what store would you find that at? (You know, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, local hobby shop?)-Alex
Ryan, On page 98 you mentioned SculptaMold, what store would you find that at? (You know, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, local hobby shop?)
-Alex
Alex,
You can get the stuff at most art supply stores, some LHS have it too! Here is a link to Dick Blick Art supplies:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz331/04/
Hey Guys,
Colby, You'll faint when you see my hairstyle at 6:30 AM tomorrow. Or maybe just fall asleep like before... (get the shaving cream.... FAST!) ......Either way you'll be suprised. See you tomorrow.
Good evening guys and gals.......well we just got the word here from the weather bureau, Northeast storm WARNING for us late tonight and all day F riday into early Saturday morning, 6-10" of snow here, 10-15" just west of us, so we are on a line that could bring even more. Is this what they mean by "MARCH MADNESS????? Ohhhhhhhhh, that is BASKETBALL, well you can't tell the difference now can you !!!
JEFF: WOW, that is a very low reading for Glucose.....I hope you carry candy bars or sugar cubes with you when you drive, or away from home anyhwere where supplies are scarce.
DER JOHN: Get ready John, we have another Nor'easter headed our way, you should see the action begin about Friday night and all day Saturday, maybe into part of Sunday up in NS.
CAPE JIM: Little Sean hates gates. We only have one, so we have to set that up at the top of the stairs. Ohh OH, here he is ...on my lap now.
See you guys later,
grayfox1119 wrote:JEFF: It sure must be a pleasure to have that darn leg brace off.
Yeah it is! I don't walk like Frankenstein anymore, just Herman Munster.
On the way home from work today I knew something was wrong. When I got home I checked my blood sugar level. It was 51. I immediately raided the candy stash.
Good afternoon, Zoe - I'll have a Pepper and a bowl of that broccoli cheese soup please, with a chunk of that little whole wheat loaf.
JPowell wrote:Jim - It's called 'women!'
Jim -
It's called 'women!'
Ah, that's what it is, JP! Sounds like progress to me... (but maybe I forgot - it's been a while) Oh yeah, good luck on your physical next week!
Attaboy, sounds like you not only have been busy - you're planning to be busier, too. Hope the additional lights help you out there.
Hey, Dick, who's ruling the roost over there - you or the toddler? Seriously, would the kid be irreperably harmed by a little time in the cage (er, I mean) gated room? By the time he's old enough to claim psychological damage and want a shrink, you might be gone! (Well, maybe not by then). Kid's going to wear you out, otherwise... You sure you didn't spike grandson's apple juice? I'm sure a lot of parents and grandparents have probably been tempted to think about it, even if they didn't do it...
PC - like your train pics - is that an NW-2? Like that old Geep; those things are like that battery bunny (Keep going, and going...)
JR, good to see those pics of the Marble company - I have that kit, but am thinking of making mine into a cabinet/woodwork company shop. Hadn't thought about being able to run a track through those doors. Thanks for tipping me off to that possibility.
Paul, you've been way too busy - you might lose your ROF card, if you keep it up!
Jeff, hope the new shoes work fine (and maybe you'll be able to get around without the ankle brace? Hey, we can hope.
Got cool last night - with the humidity and the temp drop, it almost felt like winter again today. Only up to 49 (F) out now, and supposed to drop back down to 38 F tonight.
Well, lunch is over and I need to get back to work. See everyone later on!
Blessings,
Duke: Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time.
May your dad rest in peace and knowing that the lord has accepted him with open arms.
I got the email too, I will try to call Duke later this evening.
Another U.S.Army WWII Vet has passed away and that Vet was my Dad. He passed at 1am this morning and I wanted to let a few friends know. Thank you all for being a friend. Bob
Good afternoon gents, just got the little one down for his afternoon nap. My technique that has worked all week, is to have a bottle of apple juice, a clean diaper, and my CD of ocean effects on softly next to my bed. Then, Grampa and Sean lie down and downs his apple juice while I relax next to him. Before the bottle is gone, he is out, and I sneak out of the room quietly to sound of waves breaking upon the shore.
I have some sad news to report, our good friend Duke has lost his father who passed away into Eternity. Duke's dad was a WW2 veteran, one of those who made a great sacrifice for the rest of us.
DUKE; We are saddened to hear of the passing of your dad, he rests in the arms if the angels now as they bear him up to his Heavenly home. Our thoughts and prayers are for you and your family at this time of great personal loss.
MIKE: I did clean the blades of the exhaust fan. I use an old tooth brush to clean the soot off each blade, and I check to see if it spins real easy, which it did. It has to be the door seals that are letting some odors out. The ashpit door is real tight so I have a hard time believing it is the one causing the problem. I suspect the upper door, which has the viewing glass, I have to check to see how I can tighten the latching mechanism.
JEFF: It sure must be a pleasure to have that darn leg brace off.
DER JOHN: Have you submitted your photos of the dog-fox to NG yet? I hear they give new Digital Cameras to those whose pics they select.
The article on Canada's military was very true. It is a shame that so few support the freedom of this world with action instead of words. Have they learned nothing from 2 world wars? Freedom is everybody's job. Let me say that as a neighbor south of the border, we in the U.S.A very much appreciate the sacrifices of our brothers to the north.
RYAN: Get ready, some real fowl weather is headed this way from Texas. I know that we are getting 6" of snow at least on Friday, and it will be the heavy wet variety as we will be close to 32F. I haven't had a chance to do anything on the CAD layout with our little grandson running around here for a week. Mom and dad get back home about 6pm on Sunday, and things should be back to normal by Monday.
Got to run, I just found out that our 11 year old grandson that is also staying with us, has to turn in a project. A model of the Olde Sturbridge Village Sawmill!!!! Good Lord, now we have another project to do.....anyone know how to build a model of a sawmill? I need it for this coming Tuesday......ya , kids tell us these things at the last minute.....!!!!%$%%$#
Later,
der ......... thanks for "National geographic" pix......... that fox fits rite in w/hounds! We have Red Foxes, Cayotes, Bobcats, too many deer, too many skunks, plus some other animals. In the warmer months, "Charles and Camilla" (our pair of big black snakes do a great job of keeping smaller pests and rattle snakes away.
jeff........... wishing you the best with the shoes, etc. ... regarding breakfast pix, I never "sausage" good eggs.
everbody........... thanks for good thoughts. Still visiting ailing family member, but things improving now.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
all : There was a large dog fox in the yard this morning It was catching mice, which was way cool for the grandchildren to see. I got some shots at maximum zoom, and forgot to increase the definition, so they are grainy, however for you city dwellers….this one was on the path down to the south west corner of the property…the camera flash worked, and it’s the first time I’ve seen “green eye”. Couldn’t get rid of it with the red eye tool either! Then he moved to the west, and a it closer to the house and …and here’s a really cool fox photo that I suspect is a photoshop product JR & CapeJim: Thanks for the tips on those rocks. I think I’ll try JR’s suggestion first, as it looks like less work! I have to find an inconspicuous part of the “rockery” to test out these techniques. JR: I like the way you have the tracks through that Stone Works. (I’d name it however I can’t with this computer, see last night’s post! ) Here’s a thing that I’ve sent to several on my email list, I thought it others might like a read of it as well.
Subject: British news paper salutes Canada This is a good read. It is ironic how it took someone in England to put it into words... Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON - Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does. It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again. That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts. For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved. Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle. Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British." The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world. The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity. So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British. It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers. Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia . Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular un-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia , in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit. So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac , Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun. It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well. **** **** Please pass the on to any of your friends or relatives who served in the Canadian Forces, it is a wonderful tribute to those who choose to serve their country and the world in their quiet Canadian way.
This is a good read. It is ironic how it took someone in England to put it into words... Sunday Telegraph Article From today's UK wires: Salute to a brave and modest nation - Kevin Myers, The Sunday Telegraph LONDON - Until the deaths of Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan, probably almost no one outside their home country had been aware that Canadian troops are deployed in the region. And as always, Canada will bury its dead, just as the rest of the world, as always will forget its sacrifice, just as it always forgets nearly everything Canada ever does.
It seems that Canada's historic mission is to come to the selfless aid both of its friends and of complete strangers, and then, once the crisis is over, to be well and truly ignored. Canada is the perpetual wallflower that stands on the edge of the hall, waiting for someone to come and ask her for a dance. A fire breaks out, she risks life and limb to rescue her fellow dance-goers, and suffers serious injuries. But when the hall is repaired and the dancing resumes, there is Canada, the wallflower still, while those she once helped glamorously cavort across the floor, blithely neglecting her yet again.
That is the price Canada pays for sharing the North American continent with the United States, and for being a selfless friend of Britain in two global conflicts.
For much of the 20th century, Canada was torn in two different directions: It seemed to be a part of the old world, yet had an address in the new one, and that divided identity ensured that it never fully got the gratitude it deserved.
Yet its purely voluntary contribution to the cause of freedom in two world wars was perhaps the greatest of any democracy. Almost 10% of Canada's entire population of seven million people served in the armed forces during the First World War, and nearly 60,000 died. The great Allied victories of 1918 were spearheaded by Canadian troops, perhaps the most capable soldiers in the entire British order of battle.
Canada was repaid for its enormous sacrifice by downright neglect, its unique contribution to victory being absorbed into the popular Memory as somehow or other the work of the "British." The Second World War provided a re-run. The Canadian navy began the war with a half dozen vessels, and ended up policing nearly half of the Atlantic against U-boat attack. More than 120 Canadian warships participated in the Normandy landings, during which 15,000 Canadian soldiers went ashore on D-Day alone. Canada finished the war with the third-largest navy and the fourth-largest air force in the world.
The world thanked Canada with the same sublime indifference as it had the previous time. Canadian participation in the war was acknowledged in film only if it was necessary to give an American actor a part in a campaign in which the United States had clearly not participated - a touching scrupulousness which, of course, Hollywood has since abandoned, as it has any notion of a separate Canadian identity.
So it is a general rule that actors and filmmakers arriving in Hollywood keep their nationality - unless, that is, they are Canadian. Thus Mary Pickford, Walter Huston, Donald Sutherland, Michael J. Fox, William Shatner, Norman Jewison, David Cronenberg, Alex Trebek, Art Linkletter and Dan Aykroyd have in the popular perception become American, and Christopher Plummer, British. It is as if, in the very act of becoming famous, a Canadian ceases to be Canadian, unless she is Margaret Atwood, who is as unshakably Canadian as a moose, or Celine Dion, for whom Canada has proved quite unable to find any takers.
Moreover, Canada is every bit as querulously alert to the achievements of its sons and daughters as the rest of the world is completely unaware of them. The Canadians proudly say of themselves - and are unheard by anyone else - that 1% of the world's population has provided 10% of the world's peacekeeping forces. Canadian soldiers in the past half century have been the greatest peacekeepers on Earth - in 39 missions on UN mandates, and six on non-UN peacekeeping duties, from Vietnam to East Timor, from Sinai to Bosnia .
Yet the only foreign engagement that has entered the popular un-Canadian imagination was the sorry affair in Somalia , in which out-of-control paratroopers murdered two Somali infiltrators. Their regiment was then disbanded in disgrace - a uniquely Canadian act of self-abasement for which, naturally, the Canadians received no international credit.
So who today in the United States knows about the stoic and selfless friendship its northern neighbour has given it in Afghanistan? Rather like Cyrano de Bergerac , Canada repeatedly does honourable things for honourable motives, but instead of being thanked for it, it remains something of a figure of fun.
It is the Canadian way, for which Canadians should be proud, yet such honour comes at a high cost. This past year more grieving Canadian families knew that cost all too tragically well.
**** ****
Please pass the on to any of your friends or relatives who served in the Canadian Forces, it is a wonderful tribute to those who choose to serve their country and the world in their quiet Canadian way.
TTFN
*yawn* Morning guys.
I would just like to add this for those who didn't get to see it.
in other news I got a wickad short buzz cut I'm almost bald!! I still have some hair. lol
Our Historic Engines Need Help!
In 2004, the MNGRR's Steam Program fell under the jurisdiction of the Federal Railroad Administration. This means all four of our steam locomotives now have to go through a thorough inspection. FRA mandated upgrades must then be completed before a locomotive is allowed to run. At the start of 2004, the MNG used its available funds to put Monson Railroad engine #4 through the FRA process. To this day, number 4 is our only available locomotive.
The museum has since set aside funds to put Bridgton and Harrison engine #7 through the same process. Since #7 is much bigger than #4, the cost for rehabilitating engine 7 exceeds what the railroad can currently afford. We estimate it will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 to put #7 back on track. We will not start the restoration work until we have the sufficient funds to complete the project. We need your help!
A Maine native, #7 is a 1913 Baldwin built for the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad. Weighing in at 33.5 tons, #7 is a 2-4-4RT type locomotive that hauled passengers and freight in New England for nearly 100 years! After her career in Maine, in 1947, she went to the Edaville Railroad in South Carver Massachusetts as founder Ellis D. Atwood's first engine!
She made her return to Maine in 2002. She saw occasional service at the MNG in 2002 and 2003, but has not turned a wheel under steam since.
Please consider a tax-deductible donation to put this engine back into service!
Checks should be made out to the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad. Most importantly, be sure to include a note indicating that the check is for the "Engine 7 Fund."
You can also click the donate link on the left, and during the payment process you may specify "Engine 7 Fund" in the memo field.
I will be wearing my new shoes to work today to get them broken in. It feels good not having that %^#!*& brace on, though I still have to wear the ankle brace.
Today's Weather for: Sundown, LA 71446-6114 3/15/2007
Sundown Fire Dept., Station 23 Wind Chill: 59°FHumidity: 100%Dew Point: 59°F So Far TodayHigh: 61°FLow: 57°FRain: 0.00"Rain Rate: 0.00"/hGust: 3mph NE Dense fog advisory in effect until 10 AM cdt this morning. Now through 07:00 AM CDT March 15, 2007 Through 7 AM...a few showers and possibly a thunderstorm will affect portions of Saint Mary Parish between Franklin and Morgan City. Movement of this activity will be to the east at 30 mph. Rainfall rates are expected to be less than one quarter of an inch per hour. Also...patchy dense fog will occur across the area west of an Alexandria to Lake Charles line. Over the coastal waters...a band of showers and thunderstorms will extend from the mouth of the lower Atchafalaya River along the coast to Marsh Island...then between 60 nm south of Marsh Island to 20 nm south of High Island. This activity will move east at 25 knots. Occasional lightning and heavy rainfall reducing visibilities below 1 mile will be possible with the thunderstorms...mainly between 20 and 60 nm offshore offshore of Marsh Island to the lower Atchafalaya River.
Today High: 78 Partly sunny. Areas of dense fog in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s. Light and variable winds becoming north around 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight Low: 55 Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 50s. North winds around 10 mph.
Bacon and eggs this morning.
46F and rainy this morning with a high predicted in the mid 50's. Supposed to get rain today, snow and cold tomorow, and cold and sun Sat. Sunday should be ok- I must live in New England. "Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes it'll change.
Inch - I know what you mean about not taking the cold as well anymore. When we were hiking around the Grand Canyon I was wearing two pair of gloves (especially when it was 17F and windy) and my fingers were still numb.
Hope those ailing are doing better, and you all have a good'un. Time for w..k. CUL,J.R.
Mornin, irish coffee and a couple doughnuts Zoe,
Had some rain and a cold front come through last night, cooled things off, 39 out now after a hing of 77 yesterday. Looking for a daytime high of 40, under cloudy skys, wind chills in the low 30's.
Been nice the last couple days, with highs in the upper 70's and sun. I shut the pellet stove off Tues. morning and didn't have to light it till today.
RYAN, Glad the wifes doing ok now with all the goings on. We keep bout a 1 month stock of canned goods on that way we don't have to run to the store every time we turn around. The nice weather has got me out some. I don't handle the cold as well as I use too
PC, another bunch of good pics from up yur way, thanks. I liked that little engine the best. I picked up a brass Mantu last summer that looks like it, I hope to get going again some time.
DICK, I got lucky the last couple day and had a break from kids and I needed it too. We have some trouble with our stove smoking up the glass on the lower setting. I forgot to say anything bout the fan, but ours cakes up with fine ash and doesn't move enough air. That may be part of the problem too.
Been busy with yard work, got most the back yard done and started on the front, and it's not as bad as the back was.
Got kids today, so not much going to get done round here, best get onto chores afor they gets here. Hope ya'll has a good day
inch
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/500/ppuser/4309
03-15-07