Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop

[Patrick]

Morning all,

Rare Saturday morning for me. Thursday the wife's daycare closed due to Covid, reopening Wednesday. She was off, so my boss told me I had too much time built up (I do) so take Friday off. We got up and decided at the last minute to run the day trip Route 66 portion that joined where we left off years ago to where we started last week. 14 hours, which was very enjoyable, saw much of what we wanted to see, and took more pictures. They haven't been downloaded yet, so no pictures. Did get some nice static trains.

I was going to mow yesterday, then do it this morning, but raining currently with some thunder, so maybe later this afternoon.. I've already powered off the sprinklers for tomorrow just in case. Told her earlier it feels like Sunday morning.

Currently rain and 75° going for a high near 90°.

Just read the final June CS, and the tire is fixed. I used to plug them myself, but since my "good" 3 ton jack no longer works, it's easier to let someone else take the tire off.

BBL

 

[troyphoto]

well, howdy there internet peeps

It's troy again

Made a Menards run and got some words written already. Enjoying the morning on the patio.

Wife, struggling to get her container garden producing, has finally achieved MELONS!

She asked me for a few boards to put the fruit on and it keep it off the other plants.

As for me, The cat and I are charge of watching the chipmunks and refilling the hummy-bird feeders.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Clear and 76° this morning. Didn't make the predicted high yesterday, only 95°. The forecast still calls for at least an eight day run of triple digits beginning Monday. As expected, that tropical depression has sent scattered showers northbound along the TX/LA border missing us by a few hundred miles.

Unusual night for me last night, I went 6 1/2 hours before the first bathroom break, but couldn't get back to sleep. I puttered around reading news for a bit and then laid back down around 0500 and slept two more hours. The spaghetti sauce preservation project obviously took a lot out of me!

Instead of just making Marinara sauce, I had added mushrooms and onions thus making ready-made spaghetti sauce. Unfortunately one of the jars didn't seal. Don't know why, usually never do know why. That only made a small dent in the tomato supply, There will be enough ripe ones ready to make another batch on Tuesday.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding the billboard yesterday, and the additional likes and comments regarding the pressure canning adventure; Dave B, Karl, Guy, Tom O, Troy, Sherrel, Hughie, Louis, Curt, Joe, Rick, Tom, Smudge, Dave, Steve J, Chad, Jeff.

I did not make it out to the train shed yesterday. After making all of the spaghetti sauce, I picked more tomatoes and then relaxed in the pool with a couple of beers. Probably the last day of pool temperature of 84° in the afternoon for a while, it's only going to get warmer unless it gets cloudy.
Here are a couple of aerial views of the village of Jamestown from the archives. It's a village added to the corner of the upper level of the layout that is the first thing to meet a visitor's eye upon entering.

It is home to ten laser-cut wood structures, mostly from Bar Mills with a couple from American Model Builders and one from another manufacturer that I forget right now.
A couple of close-ups of Jacks Back Yard from Bar Mills.

The detail items on the base mostly came from Bar Mills, all others came from my detail box. Everything hand-painted.

Dave B - Yes there is a lot of detail in the billboard. Mostly from working with that very small 1/16" styrene angle. It was interesting to build though.
Steve J - Very nice looking loco. Who is the manufacturer?
OB Ken - You probably won't escape the Covid, but it may be mild.
Guy - Despite the work, I really enjoy gardening and preserving. Been doing it for over 45 years. The gardening part gives me some good exercise to complement my daily walk. The satisfaction of eating better than store-bought veggies, and organic as well, is the whole purpose. Most years I can garden from late January through mid-December with only six weeks off in July-August.

Everybody have a great day and a wonderful holiday weekend.

 

[Boris]

I still have a unrelenting cough and headaches. Miserable and everyone tells me I should be happy about the vaccines and the 2 boosters I had. It would have been much worst. I missed the 5 day window for the pill treatment, (Terry did get that) but the infusion of a large drug name definitely helped me.

I have never tested positive for Covid, even when I had symptoms that indicated I might. And I have lingering effects that my Pulmonologist said suggested that I had had it. But...according to medical science, I didn't. I'm not the kind of individual to be constantly testing myself, if I don't feel sick, I'm not. I had the two shots, plus two boosters, plus flushot, and will probably getthe new and improved Covid booster when the FDA gets around to approving it next fall. But...I'm not sure this is not all in vain...

In May of 2018, I had the Pneumonia Shot. I previously had one in 2009. In October 2018, I came down with pneumonia...ever since that time, through December 2021 I had this nasty persistent cough. In December, I came down with severe bronchial congestion, fever, and cough etc.
That's when I was tested for Covid, twice a quick test, and the lab test, both negative. Pending the results of the lab test, I was given antibiotic and steroid combo...all symptoms and persistent three year cough went away.

Now, does that mean I had Covid, in 2018...a full two years before we even heard of it? More likely, Covid is a virus that causes symptoms identical to other medical conditions. But I'm not a scientist, just a speculative spectator.

Ken: Hope your wife recovers quickly, and you don't get it.

Tom: Likewise, hope your recovery continues.

Dave: Great Decals, and thanks for the contact information.

Steve: RS-3 is nice...hope it runs as nicely as mine does.

Conrail Yard Crew SC-1 at Front Street between Lamokin and Broomall Streets, in Chester, PA on 6/22/2022. D. Lowe Photo. The line is the Former PRR/PC South Chester Branch, which is the basis for my Model Railroad, which is set back to the 1967-1975 era, when the PRR / PC and the Reading operated parallel lines and shared assets and reciprocal switching.

 

[MilwRoader_Steve]

Steve J - Very nice looking loco. Who is the manufacturer?

Bowser.

They seem to have good products. I have a DS4-4-1000 of theirs in CanPac colors, one of my very first locomotives. It was DC and I put a decoder into the 9 pin socket. The RS-3 came with a LOKsound decoder and speaker and all. Not sure about a keep-alive, but their electric pick-ups (all wheel) are quite good so manages the unpowered frogs quite well so far.

I saw a write-up on the RS-3 in a recent Model Railroader and got the itch BAD.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

As Chad says, it effects different people different ways. I had the original version of COVID. Had the low blood oxy levels, viral pneumonia, slight fever a little over 100, lack of appetite, dizziness at times and of course the feeling of malaise. At 72 I think I was supposed to die or something, but I didn't. When the fever broke, I got back to being busy and went outside and trenched in my downspouts to route the water out to the woods. Yeah, felt weak and got winded pretty easy, but the objective was to get active again and not let the Wuhan Virus get me down.

YEAH, KEN .. correct on all accounts, but I have seen you close up!
You are physically in better shape than 95% of the general population.

All close family members here have had "jabs" and boosters yet everyone seems to be coming down with it - BIL Brad just caught it for the second time with just a mild case while BIL John is being hit pretty hard. Only Mel, John's wife and myself have, so far, escaped out of approx 30 of us all.
With my comprised breathing system - I sincerely hope to not even get a mild case!

Cooling down a little today - only 83 forecast for today!

 

[MilwRoader_Steve]

Does anybody use the powered Caboose ground throws? The ones you can wire to power and switch polarity/phase to your frogs?

How big a hole is needed for those electrical poles going down? Seems huge. Can those metal poles be easily cut?

I'm thinking of getting a few to try, but I want to cut those poles so they do not protrude through the 1" foam and 1/4" plywood, only a small hole for the frog wire. Not sure if can be done but might try some experiments. Stay tuned!

 

[OBTC 1909]

Good morning all! 75 on the way to 85 (with heat index of 95). Thanks for all the comments and best wishes for my wife. She's still feeling pretty rough this morning. Crazy that my wife got it at roughly the same time as my sister and my nephew. Wife and sister haven't been around each other in the last few weeks or so so it's just a coincidence. So far I'm still feeling good. I am getting a bit of a cough though so it may be early stages for me.

We had strong storms over night and lots of rain. Guess I could have skipped watering the garden yesterday but had no idea we'd be getting so much rain. Haven't been outside yet to see if the storms hurt anything.

Hoping things start to get better around here soon. Hope you all have a great day!

 

[MikeInHubCity]

Good morning, my weekend interweb modeler peeps. My unemployment was surprisingly approved, which will help pay bills(without pulling too much from my 401K). I have an in-person 2nd interview with a fixture manufacturer’s customer service department on Wednesday.
Flo- porkroll breakfast skillet with bottomless coffee, PATY.
Willie- your mater canning pictures give me a flashback to when I was a kid. Mom would call one of her brothers to see which field they were picking that day. We would pick enough baskets to fill the back of the station wagon up to the back of the front seat. She would boil enough water to fill the kitchen sink 1/2way & then put tomatoes into the water to scald them enough that the skins would just peel by hand. She would quarter the maters & then fill the pressure cooker & then cook them down & then can them as crushed tomatoes.
Joe- i noticed that one of your posts the other day mentioned Winslow Junction. That’s only about 15-20 minutes from my hometown.
Ken(IL)- COVID seems to act differently to different people. I was out of work for 2 weeks & it took a couple 2-3 weeks to get it fully out of my system. SWMBO, on the other hand, never caught it & felt fine when I had it.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Have just caught up on last month, managed this page, but have to go,I’ll be back…..


someone mentioned a bloke in a bikinI, hey a bikini looks way better better on a bloke than a mankini which is enough to make me want to. Hoof.

Problem with dealerships I assume is commission plays a big part of pay so everyone is ready to drop anyone in order to scrounge the last penny, it is better when people share the commission BUT then there is always the lazy buzzard who lets everyone else do the work, so you can’t win.

I rally must repaint my chickens they look so naff. Real deal for reference, one I painted for fun on paper.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Oh before I beggar off, am just a bout to eat courgettes/zucchini to you fried in butter with roast chicken, yum yum must run.

 

[Patrick]

Oh before I beggar off, am just a bout to eat courgettes/zucchini to you fried in butter with roast chicken, yum yum must run.

Jaz: I left angry as you probably didn't save any for me... Sounds delicious. Once the rain stops, planning on grilled zucchini myself, along with grilled porkchops. They always taste better grilled.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Jaz: I left angry as you probably didn't save any for me... Sounds delicious. Once the rain stops, planning on grilled zucchini myself, along with grilled porkchops. They always taste better grilled.

They were delicious,didn’t waste time photographin, smelt and tasted too good, chicken was a la chicken, no salt pepper herbs garlic,but zucchini were just brown,and as zucchini are only 18 calls per 100g I could afford the butter, Himalayan salt, plus after = strawberries and cream.
try to think of an excuse to have seconds but I have eaten my calories for the day,sighs will wander past the kitchen sniffing in the chicken smell from the still warm oven, chuckles…will still steal a bit of chocolate later - the real dark stuff almost sugarless. Not for those with a sweet tooth.

 

[Jaz avalley]

Meantime I am off to my present project - which is a headache, I had them off twice!, finally got them ok, the mosaics would not sit on the copper pipe, so they will now be a decorative edge.
yes not the tidiest person,but the tools are clean ish.
and despite the pencil marks I am between the tram lines but the base just leans and I am following it trying to make the gaps enough tfor o be total straight by eye height, the green edge is straight though and yes I put it on BEFORE.
I have only ever done 3 layers before,fingers crossed this goes ok, I am running through the fixative a bit fast….ooops.And yes I know I have broken any number of guidelines, eg no battens. if the paint ends up blue instead of green ŷour going to guess why. When annoyed I have colourful language….lol.
I’ll keep you posted, I was ready to get in a professional,the other half encouraged my to try try again.actually that’s where the mixing fixative is on the floor, and in the we with the test tiles

44 for a square mere, 8 have gone to the wc, husband stood on one,and so far I have slung none,far too tight to break them.anyway am off to carry on. Needs to be done BEFORE the plumber gets back! Eeek. Is that the time!

 

[Boris]

Bowser.

They seem to have good products. I have a DS4-4-1000 of theirs in CanPac colors, one of my very first locomotives. It was DC and I put a decoder into the 9 pin socket. The RS-3 came with a LOKsound decoder and speaker and all. Not sure about a keep-alive, but their electric pick-ups (all wheel) are quite good so manages the unpowered frogs quite well so far.

I saw a write-up on the RS-3 in a recent Model Railroader and got the itch BAD.

Steve: Bowser makes good stuff. I have a small fleet of their Baldwin switchers, three of which are currently on the layout. five more are awaiting decoders, and the RS-3 is in the box until the fall. (I rotate power each season). LOKsound decoders and speakers are generally good, although some can be quirky. I invested in the proprietary LOK Programer, since I have so many.

Joe- i noticed that one of your posts the other day mentioned Winslow Junction. That’s only about 15-20 minutes from my hometown.

Mike: Winslow Jct used to be quite a busy place, until Conrail, when everything was rerouted to cut costs. AC Main, Cape May Branch, Clementon Branch all converged there. The CNJ Southern Division passed underneath the AC Main and interchanged there. The tower, was built from the same plan as Brown, York, Overbrook, and is available as a Walthers Kit. Greatest for learning, and somewhat most boring, duty I ever had was the annual July trip of the Sperry Car down the Bordentown Branch, from BO Block Limit to Camden, then Camden to Ocean City and Cape May. For some reason, the BO to Camden portion required a Conductor, the balance of the run was as a additional track car, following Track Supervisor Miller (Out of Woodbury), in his Highway Rail Truck. Did get well qualified on the lines, and how to find locations by car. Nice semi vacation from normal duties and correspondence.

That's probably a nicer version of Jersey than the Jersey I know...Nice place to live.

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Started out doing routine pool maintenance then a couple of things outside before the broiler in the sky started up in ernest. It's been a yucky day here. It's overcast, really muggy, and have frequent drizzles. In the train room I ballasted the coal mine tracks (3 storage, 2 load, 1 shifter). The next step will be ground cover. I forgot to upload a photo so I'll post it in a bit.

Steve- That's a really nice looking loco. I was really tempted to get one.

Joe- Thanks for the info. Nice 1:1 shot.

Terry- Enjoy your visit. Deltona is 30-40 minutes drive time from me. The only train store in the immediate area is Colonial Photo and Hobby which is in downtown Orlando.

Troy- Hey, I resemble that FL remark!

Tom- Beautiful sunset. Ours was overcast and raining. We couldn't even see the rocket launch from our driveway.

Ken (IL)- I hope you and your wife get better soon.

Willie- That's a lot of spaghetti sauce. Great layout scenes.

Dave- I would think it would make the deer dependent on humans for food. Great decals. You're making good progress on your layout.

Sherrel- Great photo. Is that your son?

Jaz- I like all the pictures. You did a terrific job on the painting.

I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[bnsf971]

Afternoon All,

Started out doing routine pool maintenance then a couple of things outside before the broiler in the sky started up in ernest. It's been a yucky day here. It's overcast, really muggy, and have frequent drizzles. In the train room I ballasted the coal mine tracks (3 storage, 2 load, 1 shifter). The next step will be ground cover. I forgot to upload a photo so I'll post it in a bit.

Steve- That's a really nice looking loco. I was really tempted to get one.

Joe- Thanks for the info. Nice 1:1 shot.

Terry- Enjoy your visit. Deltona is 30-40 minutes drive time from me. The only train store in the immediate area is Colonial Photo and Hobby which is in downtown Orlando.

Troy- Hey, I resemble that FL remark!

Tom- Beautiful sunset. Ours was overcast and raining. We couldn't even see the rocket launch from our driveway.

Ken (IL)- I hope you and your wife get better soon.

Willie- That's a lot of spaghetti sauce. Great layout scenes.

Dave- I would think it would make the deer dependent on humans for food. Great decals. You're making good progress on your layout.

Sherrel- Great photo. Is that your son?

Jaz- I like all the pictures. You did a terrific job on the painting.

I hope everyone has a good night.

Currently our son and his fiance want me to move down here to live near them. With the way the current housing situation is, I’m not sure how that would work. Though, to be honest, there is very little holding me in North Carolina now. Mynephew, that I don’t really have much to do with, and my wife’s youngest sister and her sons, that I do.

 

[BigGRacing]

Well, bad news. My wife tested positive for Covid today. She's feeling pretty lousy. Praying I don't get it too.

You have my appreciation And thoughts, My wife is still coughing but it does get better.

 

[CambriaArea51]

Thanks for the likes on the sunset pic.

Guy- being on the other side of the lake you must have known when that lake rolled over.
Dave and TomO- Thank you glad you enjoyed it.
Steve- Remember those engines run better in pairs.

 

[BigGRacing]

Just a few days of feeling malaise.

Some are getting away easy, others are getting hit harder in my opinion. One of my sons, healthiest was hit hard. My heavier son had the sniffles, everyone vaccinated. 3 weeks later for me and the wife we are both still coughing more than normal but no sinus and not as many difficult breathing episodes.