Good Morning All. Looks like 53° and clear this morning. Another day of lower 80's and then 100% chance of rain tomorrow and into Friday with a high in the mid-60's. Headed out today for a picnic lunch with my SIL and her husband who drove their RV from Tennessee so he could attend his 50th HS reunion. They're camped at Lake Ray Roberts about ten miles from here. His HS is about 65 miles south, midway between Dallas and Ft Worth. Make no mistake about it, fall is officially here now; the local snakes are moving in search of winter quarters and the grasshoppers are moving slowly enough to easily stomp them out. As a youngster in this area, I always knew that the first really cold snap, near freezing but not quite, always occurred on Halloween night while we were out in those flimsy costumes. According to the forecast, it will happen this year as usual. On the other hand, I haven't had a trick-or-treater at this house (or my last one) in 43 years. We always took our kids to the "rich" part of the closest rural town with 900 residents! Those mostly retired folks knew what to expect from all of the nearby farm kids and welcomed everyone with elaborate decorations, exotic costumes and handfuls of candy. For many, it was the social event of the year for them.
Eggs Benedict this morning Flo, with an extra English Muffin and a handful of bacon on the side.
Thanks for the likes and comments yesterday for the photos of the Walther's structure;
Chad, Louis, Patrick, Chet, Tom, Phil, Ken, Garry. I have another of the same model painted differently in another town on a different level that I haven't done the interior yet. That will be the subject of a different post down the road.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I made the final decision regarding the track layout and industries north of the city of Maultown. I'm going to stick with just the two rail-served industries of Mikey's Mattress and the coffin manufacturer; as well as the previously placed but not yet featured Middlesex Manufacturing structure from Atlas.
Here is a rough view.
Further left (south) shows part of the Middlesex building.
The track that I used is mostly recycled from a previous layout and once nailed down (today I hope) can be painted a semi-uniform color and put into the test mode for a few weeks before ballasting. In the meantime I intend to start the landscaping around the Dew Duck 'N cafe next to the DQ. Still contemplating the area to the left of it, a derelict structure in an overgrown lot might be the best use of that area.
Patrick - Did your sister and niece stay unscathed from the tornado in Dallas Sunday night? It didn't affect too much, it was rather brief.
Johnny - You really did a nice job on the lumber yard, incorporating those two structures into the overall scene. It looks like you've been doing this stuff for years.
Chad - You're getting soft in your advancing age. Heat on eleven days early this year!
Chet -
Willie - I just can't say enough about the variety of buildings and businesses you have on your layout.
Just wait until I start sprucing up the lower level.
Sherrel - I don't recall seeing you post much yesterday. Everything OK?
Just an observation on English as our language. Interesting to note that here in Texas for quite some time now, Mexican immigrants, both legal and illegal rapidly learn English. Several reasons; most fellow residents in their enclaves already know and speak English, jobs pay better and advancement is more rapid if you speak English and fellow Texans treat them with a whole lot more respect. That being said, probably over half of all Texans, including us grumpy old white guys, speak Mexican Spanish and regularly cause dropped jaws when we make a comment to a group of them speaking in their language. This does not hold true for Central American immigrants. They come here with a "holier than thou" attitude and are really slow to adapt to our culture. The Mexican population treats them with an almost racist contempt.
Everybody have a great day.
. Will be sunny and upper 60s today, but then the bottom drops out tonight and tomorrow - wind and rain all day tomorrow, maybe some local flooding. Weekend looks good, though.
