Travelers just left Albuquerque, so we're now 5.5 hours late. Our connection to the Starlight at LA is blown, but there are other options to get to Santa Barbara.What a night...first we were stopped by BNSF for the threat of wind, then further delayed by having to remove a sick passenger, and finally we found out that the train ahead of us had cars blown across both main lines by what could have been a tornado (delay was due to getting a pilot from somewhere, over dodgy highways). The detour route gave me a bit of rare mileage over the old Wabash from Buckln and the old CB&Q from Brookfield, Missouri. We somehow backed into KC after going out on the double-deck bridge.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
afternoon
Mother nature sending her best today.Anyone with sailboat fuel in a big rig better stay put for awhile.Ns coal train still in the siding.Chores to do.
stay safe
Joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
We're seeing wind, too. And with the winds that are hitting Rochester, I expect to see pieces of same blowing through...
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
CShaveRRWhat a night...first we were stopped by BNSF for the threat of wind, then further delayed by having to remove a sick passenger, and finally we found out that the train ahead of us had cars blown across both main lines by what could have been a tornado (delay was due to getting a pilot from somewhere, over dodgy highways).
Auntie Em! Auntie Em!
Assuming you ended up catching the 777 to get into Santa Barbara five hours after the Starlight would have gotten you there.
Ns sent one each way after work.The coal train is still in the siding.Played pick up sticks in the swamp.Also connected the nieghbor's down spout back together.He is back home and needs to rest.More chores to do inside.
ChuckCobleigh CShaveRR What a night...first we were stopped by BNSF for the threat of wind, then further delayed by having to remove a sick passenger, and finally we found out that the train ahead of us had cars blown across both main lines by what could have been a tornado (delay was due to getting a pilot from somewhere, over dodgy highways). Auntie Em! Auntie Em! Assuming you ended up catching the 777 to get into Santa Barbara five hours after the Starlight would have gotten you there.
CShaveRR What a night...first we were stopped by BNSF for the threat of wind, then further delayed by having to remove a sick passenger, and finally we found out that the train ahead of us had cars blown across both main lines by what could have been a tornado (delay was due to getting a pilot from somewhere, over dodgy highways).
CShaveRRLompoc
The Valley of the Flowers!
Hoping things look positive for all!
Feathers crossed here.
(talons sharpened for the next highway engineer (in-house) dumb stunt from our people in the state Carl just left.)
NE Colorado on fire again, rats. (30 miles NW of the last range cattle roast)
tree68 CShaveRR Lompoc The Valley of the Flowers! Hoping things look positive for all!
CShaveRR Lompoc
Would opine that the countryside will be as green as can be imagined for California this spring. Tehachapi was already greening up very nicely in early January and with 27 inches since New Years there should be no doubt of nice countryside. Vandenberg has gotten almost 12 inches since New Years so things should be pretty nice aound there. Hope that all carries over into good tidings for Linda.
So what happens when all that green dries up? Unless the weather is different this summer it will dry up. A repeat of what is happening iin the mid west right now ?
So how are the lakes of California and Nevada doing by filling up ? When flying into SF always liked looking at lake Mono.
blue streak 1So what happens when all that green dries up?
Same thing as happens every year, grasses go to either brown or (coming up the 58 froim Bakersfield to Tehachapi) a nice golden hue.
A lot of reservoirs around the state were "full" and spilling over dams; it wasn't just an Oroville phenomenon. I expect our local wildlands to be green nearly to Memorial Day this year, which is a lot longer than usual. Unfortunately, this also means that the fuel level will be much higher for fire season.
ChuckCobleighWould opine that the countryside will be as green as can be imagined for California this spring.
The Valley of the Flowers is so known because of all the flower seeds that are (or were) raised there. Makes for very colorful scenery (imagine an entire field of flowers).
Don't recall when they normally bloom, though...
Larry, we have to take the drive west from here before we go home...no, we won't wind up in the ocean by heading that far west! I remember the colorful valley near the outflow of the Santa Ynez River, and each year we've come here at a different time of the year.The scenery around here (and I stlll think the drive from Lompoc to Santa Barbara is one of the most spectacular) is still bright green...as Linda points out, they're at the end of the rainy season. It's not nearly as dull a green color as it was the previous years (and I thought that was spectacular, too!).Linda has survived three of her 18 doses of radiation, but is having some side effects, mostly headaches. She hasn't lost any brain power yet, and still plans on going to her scheduled tryout session for Jeopardy! in a week (if she can pass this test, she will likely be a contestant).Last note, I said:It's beginning to look like we won't be able to make it out to Tehachapi on this trip; too much going on. Unless...I said that because I had just had a brainstorm to shoot by all involved: wife, daughter, and son-in-law. Surprisingly (to me) they all agreed, and we'll all spend Saturday evening/Sunday morning in Tehachapi! We will try to take Linus off their hands for a while, but it would be a good vacation time together regardless.
https://explorelompoc.com/directory/flower-fields-in-lompoc/
For those who haven't been there. It is spectacular.
While I was there (USAF) I was a member of the local CB club. Our patch included rows of color.
And, yes, the drive from Santa Barbara to Lompoc is beautiful. I've driven it a number of times.
Sounds like Uncle Pete is having a bad day just north of where JeffH usually runs (Graettinger IA on part of the old CNW/CRIP/BCRN in NW Iowa "bow and arrow country")
Anybody up for smoked-flavor Coors Light? (range fire on Table Mountain on the south side of the Coors Brewery)....Hey! Craft brewers
mudchickenAnybody up for smoked-flavor Coors Light? (range fire on Table Mountain on the south side of the Coors Brewery)....Hey! Craft brewers
I don't recall if I've seen it applied to beer, but I have seen stuff about smoke infusing cocktails...
Besides, the Utica Club (Matts, Saranac) brewery beat them to the mark several years ago when they had a fire inside the brewery....
tree68 mudchicken Anybody up for smoked-flavor Coors Light? (range fire on Table Mountain on the south side of the Coors Brewery)....Hey! Craft brewers I don't recall if I've seen it applied to beer, but I have seen stuff about smoke infusing cocktails... Besides, the Utica Club (Matts, Saranac) brewery beat them to the mark several years ago when they had a fire inside the brewery....
mudchicken Anybody up for smoked-flavor Coors Light? (range fire on Table Mountain on the south side of the Coors Brewery)....Hey! Craft brewers
Mother nature cooling us off today.Rumors of some snow coming for Monday.Ns was clear when I left work.Off to get supper and watch Matt play volleyball tonight.Going to be interesting.
Talons deployed - instead of the highway engineers, the build-it-first, ask-for-forgiveness-later stupid fiber optic contractors decided to dig up R/W without permission.
Happy hour starts early today? (Why wait for daylight savings time!)
Larry, thanks for sharing that link about the flower fields of Lompoc. We'll get there while we're here (maybe we'll even board at Surf!), but it might still be a trifle early right now, based on the info from that site.However, we went through a magnificent field of poppies (both yellow and orange) on the way home from various assignments today. After the radiation in Santa Barbara, we went to Solvang, where Linda underwent her weekly blood draw. That route (California 154) is a spectacular, winding road that has great scenic views for everyone but the driver (who had better keep his eyes glued to the road!--that was me today). The scenery was still very green, at least where it wasn't falling-rocky cuts, and Linda noted gratefully that the reservoir along this route had visible water in it for the first time in a few years. Unlike the reservoirs further north, though, there's plenty of room for more...Santa Barbara County is still in drought.I found out today that Linda's pretty much a cult hero among the people who work with her. They all know her (it's her charming personality, which she didn't inherit from her dad). When her port worked like a charm this week (after being stubborn last week), the entire nursing staff in the "drawing room" broke into applause! Also, Linda and her medical oncologist are havng a photo shoot Monday for an article about her case that will appear in something technical, I'm guessing.Although Linda is still her charming self, she's a little more realistic about possible outcomes. We've had some very interesting talks on our trips. Sad for us, proud of her for her attitude.As for my own recovery, about one week after my last radiation zap, my digestive problems seem to have taken a turn for the better. I'm able to add some previously-risky foods to my diet. For better or worse, carbonated beverages are back--and that includes caffeine in a lot of cases. Tuesday we tried ice cream, Wednesday it was some fresh vegetables on sandwiches, yesterday I had a hamburger, and today it was pizza. So far, no disasters...
good morning
Matt did well in the volleyball game last night.He is catching up on some sleep this morning.We have errands to run and chores to do.MC a buddy of mine works for those fiber-optic diggers.He just digs where the boss tells them too.Need to spring ahead tonight and already checked the smoke detectors.
Tree. Understand the NYSW has repoened the thru line to Utica. Will this affect and traffic in the area ?
It will probably cut the drops and pickups by CSX to near zero. I don't know how much traffic they actually handle, but don't count on any 100 car trains on the line.
Been busy today gearing up a new computer. Oh, what fun! (sarc)
Norm
I should upgrade this computer to something newer than Vista, but I don't look forward to the chore. The new laptop came with W7 (as did the new computer at the fire station) and so far I haven't been impressed.
Sometimes I think they change stuff just to change stuff. Or else they find out what feature people use the most and figure out a way to bury it somewhere so it's impossible to find...
Spent the weekend representing the railroad at a local outdoor show. We offer trips that include canoeing and bicycling as well as regular train rides, so it makes sense. I think I recruited at least a few new riders, and piqued the interest of some who have ridden before.
tree68I should upgrade this computer to something newer than Vista, but I don't look forward to the chore.
Mine was running Windows 7 Professional but was ten years old and getting long in the tooth and too slow for today's internet speeds. New one is still running Win 7 Pro and I refuse to upgrade to Win 10.
tree68Sometimes I think they change stuff just to change stuff.
That they do, and I found out the email program I was using and familiar with is no longer available. DAMMIT Microsoft! Now I get to learn the quirks of a new one. Pretty well satisfied with the new machine though.
[quote user="Norm48327"]
tree68 I should upgrade this computer to something newer than Vista, but I don't look forward to the chore.
tree68 Sometimes I think they change stuff just to change stuff.
Wait 'til you're forced into Windows 10 - I can't find much of anything - appears they assume everyone want everything to be just like their phones - NOT - I still use a flip phone.
tree68 I should upgrade this computer to something newer than Vista, but I don't look forward to the chore. The new laptop came with W7 (as did the new computer at the fire station) and so far I haven't been impressed. Sometimes I think they change stuff just to change stuff. Or else they find out what feature people use the most and figure out a way to bury it somewhere so it's impossible to find... Spent the weekend representing the railroad at a local outdoor show. We offer trips that include canoeing and bicycling as well as regular train rides, so it makes sense. I think I recruited at least a few new riders, and piqued the interest of some who have ridden before.
When MS end dated Windows XP support, I got a W8.1 machine - while it worked, I hated the quirks of the 8.1 operating system (at the time the computer systems at work were W7). Upgraded to W10 and have had no problems.
I have a Vista laptop that I have been using for my POP3 e-mail accounts and as a travel machine. MS has end dated Vista support for April 11, 2017. Black Monday there was a deal I couldn't pass up and I got a W10 laptop. I have been very happy with it's performance and it worked right away with several applications I had had much difficulty in getting the Vista machine to work with. All the machines are part of my own local network and I am able to share data between all 4 machines. Just because MS end dates Operating Systems does not mean you machines won't work - they just will not be getting software updates going forward. YMMV!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BOB WITHORNWait 'til you're forced into Windows 10 - I can't find much of anything - appears they assume everyone want everything to be just like their phones - NOT - I still use a flip phone.
The fire department computer did just that - "Oh, by the way, we're upgrading you to W10!" BAM!
I'm already running into issues with things like Flashplayer not working with Vista. I think they're all in cahoots...
In the last week or so we've had: days in the upper 60's, winds of 50+ mph, 2 mornings waking up to a couple inches of snow followed by highs in the 40's that then melted the snow by noon, a mini blizzard, a morning low of 9 degrees, and 6" of snow last night that should be gone by the time temps hit the 50's again this weekend....Oh, that's right. It's March. Woo-Hoo!
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
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