The Modeler's Forum

Welcome to the newest Geezer's Lounge.
Thank you to everyone that contributes.
It's the best way for me to start my day.

Drove a little more than two to get to the Wind River Range.
I'm camped at the Skyline Drive Overlook.
The view here is amazing.
I'm .7 miles from tomorrow's trailhead.

This is just a small view of what I can see from here.
I'll try and get a better, wider view in a little bit.

090526SkylineDriveOverlookWindRiverRangeWY01Small.jpg

Dave, can you please lock the previous lounge and pin this one.

Have a great evening everyone.

Good morning Rick.  Great looking scenery as always.

Enjoy the hike tomorrow Rick.

Good morning everyone.

Just stopped in briefly before I start my hike with Star here in the Wind River Range.
Hope you are enjoying the new lounge.

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening Rick and enjoy your hike with Star today. Thanks for starting the new lounge.

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, OJ and soda.

Yesterday I finished the large platform (for now) and I built a shack that sits on a previously built platform. Both things still need final weathering and details.

Today after chores I'll start on another small building (wood cutter office). Late afternoon MOH should be back home and getting ready for her week long trip to SC and OH. She leaves on Wednesday for that.

That's it for sunny humid Central FL.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for getting the new lounge going; it's a beauty. Enjoy your hike with Star and be safe.

Rob good morning.

Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Enjoy working on your diorama.

What's your plans?

It's a brisk and sunny 56 with a high of 76. Some bench time this morning and hope to update my thread ay some point. Also have a few outdoor chores to attend to as well. Not much else going on here.

Have an enjoyable and safe day!! Be well and stay cool.

Good morning,

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.  Enjoy the woodcutter's office.

Larry, looking forward to the thread update.

How is the rest of the crew?

It was good to see TomACL online yesterday.  Baby steps.

Sharon is doing well after her infusion.  We enjoyed the Japanese food afterward.

It's going to be another unpleasant day out at 94F.  Yesterday I continued work on several engine shed projects, including 3DP details to print. 

Have fun,
mike

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast Curt. Hope MOH's travels are safely done. Humid and sunny CF is correct.

Rick, enjoy the hike with Star. Its always great to be in a new lounge.

I'm taking Pam to the grocery. I'll drive and see how it feels, should be no problem.

Update on the Horwood build later this afternoon.

Have a great day everyone and stay safe.

Tom

Good morning, Rick, Curt, Larry, Mike, Tom and later risers. The NH seacoast has a chance of rain this morning, clearing later with highs around 70F. I have Haralson and Beacon apples in quantity, plus more Summercrisp pears to harvest. My wife is thinking of mowing, but I'll suggest putting it off a day because my grandson is being brought over by his parents this afternoon.  Layout work or other modeling will wait till evening. 

Good morning Crew. Thanks Curt for breakfast. Rick, that is a wonderful picture! Larry, enjoy the bench time. Mike glad to read Sharon's infusion went well.

It's 62f degrees now and only climbing to 80. The humidity is 94% and dropping into the high 60's so it might turn into an outside day Terry can handle. I have 2 Ryobi battery fans blowing on the deck right now and it's comfortable

I did venture over to the bench yesterday basically to get ready for some diesel weathering over the next few days. I have 12 Sd38-2 units that need to be faded, then the wheels, truck sets and plows need some heavier weathering. 1st though I have to change numbers on 7 of them. The number changes I will definitely do today. Once I start the fading though the rest will move fairly quick.

I have on the other part of the bench the final (Michigan UP layout) batch of 50 birch trees lined up for additional inspection and I am really close to having these ready to transport. I head up the 45 miles on Thursday. Install per the owner is still set for 10/7.

I have the Trembling or Weeping Aspen trunks of various heights and thickness cut from bamboo rod up to 3/16" thick. There are 44 planned for the Michigan UP layout for install 10/7 and hundreds for the local PNW layout to be installed hopefully by Xmas. I have 4 sizes planned and while I don't have an exact count I believe there are 100 trunks cut. I have to find a better, ok quicker method of drilling the holes in the tree trunks to insert the limbs and branch pieces. I'm hoping I can $$$ entice the 2 apprentice spray painters into drilling the holes for these trees. But I first need a jig or at least a consistent method someone can follow. The first hundred trees will definitely be a cut, drill and insert the twisted wire limbs and branches. The conifer lady has her tree allotment of 114+ trimmed to shape. She has offered to try a similar method of construction on twisting out some of the next Aspens but instead of sisal rope branches she would use 28 gauge florist wire. I'm more than willing to have her experiment.

It just seems very quiet out here on the deck this morning. There is no breeze, I can't hear the 8 horses even though they are in one of the close by fields. We haven't been here long enough yet for me to get a consistent feel on the morning noises or what the lack of them mean. Heck even the trees are very still this morning.

Enjoy the day
TomO

Good morning everyone,

Well you can tell it's a new lounge, you can still smell the fresh paint, thanks for opening it Rick.  With a view like that I might never leave, enjoy your hike with Star today.

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, hope the MOH has a safe trip back.

Larry, looking forward to your update.

Mike, glad to hear that Sharon is doing well.

Tom, I'm sure the driving won't be an issue, looking forward to your update.

James, sounds like you have enough apples and pears to last a while.  

TomO, sounds like you have quite the tree factory going.  Have fun with the locomotive weathering.

Current weather here is 16c (61f) with a high predicted to be 23c (73f) with blue skies and no rain in the forecast today.  No modeling yesterday, but I did manage to install the last 2 doors on a shelving unit I build months ago  :o  as well as doing more cleanup in the crew lounge which is now almost complete, another couple of hours and I'll be able to put it to bed.  I also found the box of sculpamold I was looking for to start the scenery in the canyon area of the staging yard.

Have a great day everyone.

Sun and fresh in the mitten state this morning, no rain in sight.

Michigan football got their butts handed to them last night by Western Michigan...until the very last second.  After a seeming game ending pass out of the endzone as the clock ran out by M the stripe shirts gave them 1 second and the end zone melee ended up with M "winning" the scrum.  Big ** next to that w.   

Little planned here until later in the day, going to friends, I guess.  Womens' plan

Enjoy the day all. 

Be well

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the new lounge.
Be careful hiking today.

Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking for that update.

Larry I'll look at your update on a few the picture wasn't there yet.

Mike glad Sharon is doing okay.

Tom glad to see you here this am.  Just don't overdo it.

James sounds like you have a great harvest.

TomoO you sure seem busy this morning.

Ron be looking for the scenery start.

Karl glad your team pulled it off!!

Weather in South Jersey P. sunny/73.  Later on 75.
A break in the weather tomorrow in the high 80's.
Still nothing from the bench.
Today will be leave raking for some reason the yard is full of falling leaves.
Seems a little early for this!

Hopefully I can finish this last wall later in the day!

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Well, it seems the medical reports are favorable today, and That's A Good Thing.  

Rick, have you been to Creede, CO?  

I think I mentioned I bought a laser cutter, returned it, and then bought a different laser cutter.  Well, it looks like Amazon sold me a product they didn't have (XTool S1 _10 watt_.)  The XTool site itself doesn't list this at all.  The 20 watt unit is out of stock, they only show the 40 watt.)  This was part of a package deal, the other two parts of the package arrived yesterday.  The laser itself is supposed to be delivered Tuesday.  The listing for the 'product you ordered' points to the 40w version, with a line "you bought a different model".  That's not very helpful, of course.

It will be Very Interesting to see how Amazon handles this when they figure out they can't ship what I paid for.  

dave

Good morning everyone.

47 in Boulder, WY, clouds, possible rain and wind later with a high of 56.

As soon as I finish my 1:1 coffee I'm back the .7 miles to the trailhead for a short hike this morning.
After that I'm taking off and heading to the next destination.

Yesterday's hike was interesting and I'll talk more about that tomorrow.

Gotta run.

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for opening and have an enjoyable and safe hike. Safe travels.

The morning beverages are at the end of the counter all set to go. Breakfast is homemade biscuits and country sausage gravy with hash browns on the side.

What's your plans for the Labor Day?

It's a clear and chilly 50 on the back porch with a high of 76. Going to be a quiet day with some bench time thrown in for good measure.

Have an enjoyable Labor Day!!! Be well, stay safe, and keep cool depending where you hang your hat.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening Rick. Enjoy your hike and safe travels.

Thanks for breakfast Larry. You can never go wrong with biscuits and gravy.

Started out the day with a walk at 75F and high humidity. Just after finishing a rain squall passed through, and I hear thunder in the distance.

Yesterday I started on the new shack getting it colored, planked and edges trimmed before placing the walls under weight overnight.

Today after chores and laundry I'll continue working on the shed.

I hope everyone has a good day.

I'm Shocked!  The laser cutter that's no longer listed on Amazon's website or on Xtool's page has apparently shipped!  (And it's not on that aircraft in Miami.)  So it should be here tomorrow.  

Another perfect weather day for Labor Day, heading to 78, sunny, low humidity.  I should do something outside, maybe spray more tree armatures or try spray glue for foliage.

dave

Good morning,

Rick, thanks for opening.  Wishing you a fun hike.

Larry, mmm, biscuits and gravy.  Thank you, Sir.

Curt, have fun with the shed.

Dave, I started my laser experience with a Kickstarter project from Makeblock, i.e., Xtool.  I have the old M1, and it performs well.  The software is very good.  Good luck with your laser, looks like a nice one.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's overcast this morning and cooler at 84F.  I spent about five hours on the engine shed yesterday and hope to continue today.  A few 1:1 projects are looming.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning everyone, 

Happy Labour Day

Rick, enjoy your hike this morning, yesterdays hike sounds interesting.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast, enjoy your quiet day at the workbench.

Curt, have fun working on the shed.

Dave, maybe you will get the updated laser from amazon.  ;D  I have a AtomStack X7 Pro that I bought a couple of years ago, while not a powerful laser it meets my needs. 

Mike, hope the 1:1 projects don't interfere with your time upstairs.

Current weather here is 18c (65f) with not a cloud in the sky heading to 75f later today.

Spent some time yesterday evening putting a layer of Sculpamold down on the canyon area.  I never used this product before but it went down good and I'll be definitely be using it again in the future.  I did notice this morning that it is still damp so it has a long drying time.  :o  Note sure what today will bring besides taking Gracie for a walk.

Have a great day everyone.

Midmorning all,

Breakfast is on Larry today, thank you.

Rick, enjoy the hike.

I'm having one of those days of seeing who is faster, me or the slug. I am in the train shed so that is a positive.

I'm getting some photos ready for today's update. I also need to read all the other builds I've missed over the past month.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day.

Tom

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for opening.
Be safe.

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.

Curt looking forward to the update.

Morning Dave.

Mike pictures???

It looks good so far Ron.

Tom good to see you here today.  Just don't overdo it.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/72.  Later on 78.
Wish it would stay like this but the heat is coming back.

I finished wall number 4 but screwed up somewhere in my planning.
So I will work on fixing that so I can put all the walls together.
I sure would hate to have to do 2 walls over again! :( ??? :-[

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

G'day all.  Totally  8) clear, and cool in MI.  We are being graced by the Doll's grand daughter for company today.  Nice kid, works part time for the Highway Department and is attending Michigan State in Engineering.  She really enjoys the Doll and tolerates me,  ;)  I made eggs and english muffins.  They enjoyed them.  Me, I don''t have the taste for eggs I used to.  Remind me of match heads... ::)

I find numerous things don't taste the same these days.  Unless smothered with goo, cheese, mustard, ketchup, lettuce, light onion, ground beef is foreign to me.  LarryC I do think a plate of that sausage gravy and biscuits might cure that.  ;)

Headed to work bench time today, a couple of shake the box projects to finish, probably won't get that far but kill some time. 

We went to friends for a nice cookout late afternoon until after dark last night.  It was a good time.  It seems lots of folks with either health or family issues or both. 

I've slowly been working on straightening out my work room.  Slowly but in a positive direction.


Looking forward to your update, ACLTom.

Good morning or afternoon for you in the Eastern time zone.

The grandson has 4 houses left in our old neighborhood and I helped him load up and trailered his equipment the 2.5 miles. Sat on the south deck of the next door neighbor when she surprised me by asking if I'd buy her place at a fair price. She is 79 and sickly. Been in/out of the hospital since January. This week pissed her off! Seems she overhead family already quarreling over splitting up her assets and she decided she's supported them enough over the last 30 years. I told her she can sell it to us at market price and stay there renting for a price we can work out. She liked that as she doesn't have to move and family won't know until the reading of the new to be trust. SOME families

Enjoy the day
TomO

Good Morning All,

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, pastry, OJ, and soda.

Today after chores is running Dad around with his errands. Yesterday I worked on trim and added battens on the 4 walls.

Son comes back sometime today from Atlanta with his 3 friends. We have to unload the van then load it again for MOH's trip tomorrow.

Because MOH won't be here tomorrow, she's taking out everyone here for supper for my 70th. Since grandson is back living here again and is not allowed to be around his dad legally (don't ask) tomorrow daughter and SIL are taking only me out to supper. SMH. I don't know what the h**l we're going to do over the holidays. :-\

Anyway, just another dysfunctional family dynamic.

Hope to get to the work bench and put in windows and doors on the shack.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning from Wisconsin! 63f degrees now heading towards 83 later. The heavy duty storms are about 40 miles west of us but heading northeast on an angle that will miss us. Chances of rain are 15% by 9am and then low single digit % till late evening. As the sun comes up we have a pink sky!

I see Curt is online so I'll just grab a diet Dr Pepper and wait to see what breakfast is this morning.

We are headed to Clinton, Iowa just over a 2 hour ride or 2:45 minutes depending on our route. 3 more Trolls to visit and take pictures. There is a fourth surprise one but we have to read the necklaces on the 1st 3 to find the 4th unless we cheat on Ai or Wikipedia that we don't plan to do. These will be our 12 to 16th Thomas Dambo trolls. We hope before the snow flies to reach #23 by visiting some in Dayton, Ohio and Louisville. There are currently 50 active exhibits. They are made from recycled wood so they do deconstruct as time goes. The 6 at the Morton Arboretum outside Chicago were our 1st 6 and they are long gone

Pacific Northwest: 6 trolls (Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Vashon Island, Issaquah, Portland, and Victor, WA).
Midwest:
Iowa (Clinton): 4 trolls ("The Tree Thieves" project, including the hidden 4th troll).
Illinois (Lisle - Morton Arboretum): Formerly 6, though most have retired/deconstructed over time.
Ohio (Dayton - Aullwood Audubon): 3 trolls (Bo, Bodil, Bibbi).
Minnesota (Detroit Lakes): 5-6 trolls scattered across the region ("Trolls Golden Trip").
Michigan (Rochester Hills): 1 troll (Gry).
South & Southeast:
Kentucky (Clermont - Bernheim Forest): 3 trolls (Mama Loumari, Little Nis, Little Elina).
Tennessee (Memphis Botanic Garden): Temporary/multi-troll installations.
Florida (Miami - Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden): 2 trolls (Sui & Reed).
Wisconsin (Waukesha) 1 troll (Momma Mia)

We had hoped to see the Minnesota trolls but the heat across the Midwest this past month ruined that idea. Detroit Lakes, Minnesota is truly the middle of nowhere but we will eventually get there.

The Michigan Troll will be part of a Fall let's see the color changing trip. It's near the Mackinac Bridge off HWY2 in a private campground. We are hoping after our 50th anniversary on 9/18 that we share with Karl/Doll when they hit #25! It was my best decision!

No modeling today. We plan to leave by 9 as the temperatures goes north of 80 with higher humidity at noon. There are a few other things to do in Clinton before we head home. Crossing the Mississippi River and into Illinois will take us through some wonderful and varied scenery that will be spectacular in a couple weeks during the color change. Heading north out of Clinton to Dubuque is a mix of farmlands and Mississippi River bluffs. No interstate driving today

For the resident geologist

Verona to Platteville (Military Ridge):
You begin on the high crest of the Military Ridge, driving along an elevated, rolling divide. The road follows sweeping curves across high, open agricultural uplands with broad views over deep stream valleys to the north and south

Platteville to Dubuque (Driftless Valleys):
Approaching the Mississippi River, the terrain becomes sharply dissected. Highways descend down carved coulees, surrounded by steep dolomite bluffs, exposed limestone rock cuts, and dense hardwood timber stands

East Dubuque to Savanna, IL (River Bluffs & Palisades):
Heading south along IL-78/US-84, the highway hugs the eastern edge of the Mississippi River floodplain. To your left are towering, heavily forested bluff faces and rock outcroppings (including the Palisades region), while to your right are wide river backwaters, wetlands, and sloughs

Savanna to Clinton, IA (Glacial Floodplain Transition):
South of Savanna, the dramatic bluffs begin to recede and flatten out. The final stretch into Clinton transitions into level, fertile river bottomland, open agricultural fields, and broad prairie flatlands along the valley floor

Yeah I over research everything before we travel

Enjoy your day
TomO

Greetings all, sun 8)  and cool 50s at 0757 in Michigan.

Disfunction junction, stops here, too.  Ozzie and Harriet would be rolling like crazy with the familial situations that seem to be prevalent.  Grand daughter here yesterday lives with her aunt while going to college and her mother takes it as an adult kidnapping.  :-\  holidays are total stress.

Bench time yesterday went ok, even shake the box stuff takes time.  :-\   I need to design some decals for a Data Only reefer car I have in progress. 

No plans yet today. 

Good Morning,

Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sorry to hear about the family situation; hopefully things will work out for you. Al least you can escape to the bench.

Tom O have a fun trip and safe travels.

Karl have fun with the decal design.

What's your plans?

It's another sunny 50 with a high in the mid 70's. It seems our Hummingbird population has gone from 4 to just 2; keeping a close eye to see when they head south. A couple errands to run today with a stop at the local farm stand for some veggies for dinner. Acorn squash are out so a couple of those for down the road. Also hope to start with some foam cutting for the diorama.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast Curt. I could tell you some of my dysfunctional family stories, would make yours look tame. I have two older sisters that I, in my medical opinion, certified as damn crazy.

Pam has bowling today and I'm going to my 24th radiation, only 15 more to go.  ;D

Enough from me here.

Have a safe and happy day everyone.

Tom

Good morning everyone.

44 in Riverton, sunny and a high of 82 later.

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Sorry about your family disfunction.
It's strong in my family too.
I've talked to many about it and it's more common than you'd think.

ACLTom, hope the treatment goes well.

Larry, enjoy the fresh veggies.

TomO, have fun troll hunting.

Karl, have fun shaking boxes.

Jerry, hope it's an easy fix.

Ron, sculptamold is good stuff but it does take a while to dry.

Mike, sounds like good progress being made upstairs.

Dave, it'll be interesting to see what shows up at your house.
No, I didn't see that town.

Philip, you've been quiet.

Some interesting hikes were done the last two days.
Sundays hike was to Photographers Point.
Just based on the name you know I had to do it.
It was 10 miles round trip.
Saw two bull moose on the way but they were about 200 yds away and couldn't get a picture.
Got to the end and I was not impressed with the view.
Took a couple of pictures but they weren't worth processing.
On the way back I meet 2 search and rescue members looking for a man and his dog who's been missing for two days.
I told them I hadn't seen them and wished them luck in finding him.
There was a chopper in the air looking too.
I saw a news report that said he was still not found.
Didn't see an update today.

Yesterdays hike was to Sacred Rim and is less than 4 miles round trip.
Got to the rim before sunrise and I could tell the views here were amazing.
Sun started coming up but it was very overcast and gray and didn't get any good light.
I did manage to get a few good pictures with my camera and phone.
Before I started in the morning the weather forecast called for a 10% chance of rain.
That was 90% wrong.
Not long after starting back it started raining and even included some small hail.
Star did not like the hail and we stood under a tree until the hail stopped.
The rain didn't stop all the way down and turned the trail into a small stream with a few big puddles thrown in.

Continuing towards Rapid City today and should be there tomorrow.

Since the view at Photographers Point wasn't great I took a picture of Star instead.
She's not angry, just doesn't like having to stand still long enough for a picture.

090626Photographers{PointviaPoleCreekTrail01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt, I think everyone's family has some dysfunction in it, hopefully it will all work out, have fun at the bench.

TomO, enjoy your trip and hopefully you can find the 4^th troll.

Karl, have fun with the decal design.

Larry, have fun slashing and dicing the foam.

Tom, bet you will be glad when the radiation is finally done.

Rick, Star has that "really" look 😊,  hope they find the missing man and dog.

Current weather here is 17c (61F) and light rain.  Calling for rain till Friday, at least the weekend was great.  No actual modeling yesterday, but I did do some cleanup of the workbench and did some sorting of detail parts.  Over the years I have collected a ton of detail parts, but I need to organize them to actually know what I have, that might be a lifelong project.  After checking this morning the Sculptamold is still not dry.  After seeing how AI did the scenery for the tunnel portal I might need to make some alterations in order to make it work, I have some ideas. 😊

Have a great day everyone.

Rick, there were news reports about a hiker who fell off a 14' near Aspen, his body was recovered by helicopters.  

Speaking of dogs, mine are at the groomers today, so I went and got a haircut in sympathy.  It's a lot cheaper to cut my hair (and that's not just because there are so few left to cut.)

It appears my laser cutter made it to the Amazon facility in Everett MA this morning.  They're still saying "delivery today."  

I got another kind of glue to try for attaching foliage to Woodland Scenic plastic armatures.

dave

Morning everyone

Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking forward to the update.

TomO be safe driving.

Morning Karl I hope you figure out what to do today!!  ;D

Larry looking forward to the diorama your building.

Tom just really good to see you back.

Rick great picture of Star.  She does look mad!!

Ron I hope you get all those parts sorted out.

Morning Dave.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/76.  Later on 82.
Not sure what the day will bring.
Hopefully there is a fix in my mistake on the walls.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone.

45 in Gillette, sunny and 80 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Two eggs, bacon and/or sausage and hash browns for breakfast today.

Jerry, I hate to ask, but are the walls fixed?

Dave, actually, two hikers died on mountain trails this weekend.
Both trails had loose rocks and scree just like the trail I posted couple days ago going up to Hahns Peak.

Ron, guess you'll have to build more to use all those details.  :)

How's everyone else doing?

Change of plans for me now.
Heading straight home.
Started having pain on my left side Monday night.
Wasn't very bad and it subsided much during the day yesterday.
Last night, I woke up in the middle of the night and pain was much worse.
Got a feeling it's another kidney stone.
It's 519 miles to my house.
Don't think I'll make it there today.
I took some over the counter pain relief and I feel fine so as long as that keeps working I can take two days to get home.

I checked on an update on the man and his dog missing in the Wind River Range and they still haven't found him.

Sacred Rim during blue hour.

090726SacredRimTrail01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Safe travels going back home and hope the pain is tolerable until you arrive. Nice to have a place to go when you're not feeling quite up to snuff; take care. Thanks for another beautiful photo.

What's everyone else doing?

It's a cloudy 61 on the back porch with a high of 76 with rain this am. Started slicing and dicing foam yesterday and have the basic land figured out. Today I hope to blend it all together. Spent over an hour on the phone with my medical insurance company trying to get a claim sorted out. After talking to 3 different people I was ready to pull out the hair on my head; what little I have left. Supposed to get a call back sometime today so looks like my cell and I will be joined at the hip.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well and travel safely.

Good morning.

We had a great day yesterday. Saw 3 trolls and some "enchanted branches" which was the surprise troll! Meet Helmut, he is holding a livebtree

Tom

Meet Marvin. The trolls are in Clinton Iowa and were designed by Danish artist Thomas Dambo

Here is Warren who resides inside an old train depot along the river front. The building is unmarked so I have no info on it though I will look today

Finally after a deep walk into the woods and a descent towards the Mississippi River I found the surprise troll called Enchanted Branches.

Some of the pictures won't load as the files are too big

We had a great drive down. 2.25 hours through the back roads of Wisconsin and Illinois. Very little 4 lane roads but we moved nicely. Lots of corn and soy crops but the hills and valleys are worth using up some canvas to paint them. Maybe!

The drive home up the Iowa side of the Mississippi was spectacular and could only have been better in 2-3 weeks during the color change season. We left at 8:30 and arrived home right after 7pm. We visited some towns down and coming back we stopped at 2 River overlooks and in Bellevue, Iowa at lock and dam #12.

We saw only 2 barges on the River and both were at dam and lock #12. The restaurant we ate lunch at said they are seeing greatly reduced traffic on the river because the water levels are way down but the lack of grain exports hurts the most. Beyond that remark it becomes political also I shall refrain!

Gas pricing was a shock. Monday gas in Verona was $3.79 a gallon. Yesterday is was $4.01 at the same Casey's station as we drove by. In Monroe Wi at the last Kwik Trip b4 the Illinois line it was $4.09. About 15 minutes later in Illinois it was $4.29. We tried not to look after that

TomO

Good morning,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Good luck getting home.  I hope the pain goes away today.

Larry, hope the insurance company contacts you today.

TomO, interesting trees.

Jerry, good luck with the walls.

Dave, hope the laser made it to your place.

Ron, I'm looking forward to your AI portal plan.  

TomACL, hope the radiation treatment goes well.

Karl, good luck with the bench time.

How is the rest of the crew?

IT's a bright morning and still hot today at 90F.  I hope to make it upstairs today. Work on the engine shed continues.

Have fun,
mike

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Be safe going home.
I sure hope you feel better.

Larry good luck with the insurance company.

TomO there some great pictures thanks for sharing.

Mike I hope you get upstairs today.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/78.  Later 86.
Summer is back.
I didn't get to work on the walls yesterday but will try today.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Rain in MI, nice and gentle.  It should be good for the large patch of grass we seeded yesterday where our huge spruce tree was removed a year ago. 

Had zero bench time, ending our work at dark.  Was a day outside, swept the lawn, trimmed a tree and worked up and seeded the open area from the spruce.  Ibuprofen is on the diet this morning and since it's raining, MAYBE the bench?

Nice troll photo, TomO, it sounds like a nice road trip..

Rick, hope the trip home goes ok.  Don't envy the stone issue, sorry it's happening again.  Nice, tho, that you've established a home base.

All I got today.  Be well/get better

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, hope the pain stays bearable till you get home and can get it looked after.

Larry, hope you can get the insurance claim sorted out to your satisfaction.

TomO, those are some interesting trolls and trees.

Mike, enjoy your day and hopefully you make it upstairs.

Jerry, hope you get the wall situation corrected today.

Karl, Have a great day.

Current weather here is 15c (60f) and raining, good day to be at work.  No modeling last night worked instead.  :o  Have a feeling that tonight will be the same.

Have a great day everyone.

TomO, I remember reading an article about the geology of Wisconsin, which is much more interesting than I realized.  Unlike Michigan ;D it's not just 'limestone from an ancient shallow sea'.  But I've never been to Wisconsin (along with ND, SD and AR - I drove through Arkansas but didn't stop.) 

The laser arrived late yesterday afternoon.  I've unpacked it, and will finish the setup and testing today.  It's interesting to compare packaging and what's included between the two lasers.  I'll say that both show significant thought on packaging and accessories.  That's expected, it's part of the "maker philosophy" to think things through from the user's perspective.  The S1 is wider than the Falcon.  The first thing you see after you remove the top packaging materials are 2 straps that make it MUCH easier to lift out of the box.  The S1 also includes 4 clever magnetic material hold-downs.  The Falcon included safety goggles.  I could go on, but...  

First step after the machine is powered on will be to check and install any firmware updates. 

dave

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast. Spectacular photo. I hope you remain pain free during your trip and that it's something minor.

Started out the day loading the van just after 0500 this morning. After that I did a walk at 77F and high humidity.

Last night on son's return a check engine light came on. He had it checked and it was for the ignition coil and spark plugs. So, after my walk the van went to the shop and MOH is impatiently waiting. :'(

MOH is looking at KIA Carnivals to replace  the 2006 Sedona she currently uses. $$$$$
She needs something large enough inside to carry all the rescue c**p. It will pretty much be used as a work vehicle but for the rescue.

TomO I like the surprise troll the best.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Thanks guys, we had a good trip. At 2.25 hours 1 way for a day trip is beyond our normal 2 hour limit but exceptions are made. This one was worth it to us.

The Enchanted Branches were definitely unique as they were all gathered from the forest floor surrounding this installation.


The photos though truly don't do these guys justice but you get the idea. The only real surprise was the gas prices. But, I know Illinois has the 2nd highest gas tax in the nation but still itbwas jarring enough I took a picture of our 1st pit stop in Shannon, Il.

TomO

TomO we're at $4.19 and I feel that is ridiculous.

Good morning everyone.

56 in Sioux Falls, sunny with a high of 82 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Assorted cold cereals are on the counter for breakfast today.
Fresh fruits to toss in are also out.

TomO, I paid slightly more for diesel yesterday.
When will the cheaper Venezuelan oil hit the market?
Nice job troll hunting.

Curt, good luck car shopping.

Dave, how's the laser set up going?

Ron, hope you can get back to modeling soon.

Karl, did you make it to the bench?

Jerry, what's new?

Mike, stone walls look good.

Larry, hope the negotiations with the insurance company goes your way.

What's everyone else doing.

Another 200 miles to get home.
I'll need to unload the van.
After taking a shower I'll go to the ER and confirm it's another stone.

This is from my visit to Great Sand Dunes NP back in early July.

071926GreatSandDuneNP06Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Safe travels for the last 200 and of course best wishes at the ER. I'm guessing you're pain free?

Yesterday the repair shop was as good as it's word and the van was ready at 1130. MOH left from there to go to SC. Today she and her BFF head to OH. Found another possible job for grandson to apply for today.

Today after chores I hope to get some serious workbench time as it didn't happen yesterday.

That's about it from here. Just another hot steamy day in a long line of them.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Safe travels on the final 200.  Hope the ER can solve your problem.

Curt, safe travels to your wife.  Good luck with the grandson's job search.

Dave, how did the laser setup go?

Ron, hope the evening work is completed soon.

Jerry, how did the wall work go?

Karl, did you make it to the bench?

How is the rest of the crew?

It's still hot in the 90s here.  I worked upstairs yesterday.  Currently, I'm deciding on the roofing material for the outbuildings on the engine shed.

Have fun,
mike

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Safe travels and hope the ER visit goes well.

Curt wishing your wife safe travels and hope the GS lands a job. Have fun at the bench.

Mike keep cool and enjoy your build.

What's the rest of you doing.

It's a sunny a little muggy, must be coming up from Florida, 71 with a high of 77 today. Hope for some more bench time and an update today. Not much else going on here. Oh ya I was able to get the insurance thing resolved after multiple call backs.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well, safe travels, and stay cool.

Good morning from a chilled but not chill Wisconsin. 54f degrees now heading to 78. It's overcast and gloomy looking but sunshine and clear skies are predicted for this afternoon

It's getting closer to November and the commercials on my YouTube feed now are mostly political attack ads or the latest medical prescription to cure what ails you or perform better! The political stuff though has not featured an ad for a candidate yet, they are always attack ads against either one running for governor and against one special Congressman. Usually from outside the state! I guess data centers are a huge deal this political season, one candidate is for and the other against! The Congressman seems to have hit a nerve with the Women's groups! It used to be the large transmission power lines, now it's data centers...

I try to stay away from mainstream media and the networks Terry watches but politics are the money maker for sure now on the streaming places! Oh well

Rick, safe travels. Diesel yesterday at our local Casey's was $5.97. Regular gas they had none! Yep, out! Premium was $5.09, I drove to the Kwik Trip and it was $4.09 for regular and per Gas Buddy this morning it's $4.05!

No modeling yesterday unless I count some research

I was heading by myself to a work session this morning but I woke because of a nasty headache and those because of my past health issues can be dangerous to me. Took the triptan based pills I rarely take for only (thankfully) the 2nd time this year. When they kick in I can't drive and soon I will be laying down in the darkened bedroom. Though it's migraine medicine mine are not migraines. Getting old is an adventure

Be well

Rick, glad you're home.  Good luck in the ER.  

Lasering yesterday was successful.  I cut some squares from wood using both XTool's software and Lightburn.  Today I might try to cut the little project I designed while waiting.  But that'll require different material (1/16 vs 1/8 wood).  So now I'm into the long learning curve about learning what settings work best on which materials.

If you think politics are bad, the ads are just gearing up for the mid-terms.  Since the Senate race here in NH is competitive, we'll get FLOODED with that crap.  There was lots of mailers etc for the House primary race, as one news commentator pointed out, "Each side is using PAC money to send out ads complaining about how the other side accepts PAC money."  (And nothing partisan about that observation, similar behavior from across the spectrum.)

dave

Gas in MI where I am went from $3.89 to $4.39 in the time it took me to drive from home to the station.  NO WAY it actually goes up like that, it's gouging at it's worst.  Cost me $42 for a 4 gal of gas and 4 gal of diesel ($5.99) just to mow the lawn. 4 gal at a time easier to wrestle around than the 5 gal can holds.

Bench time most of the day yesterday as it was wet out. 1/2 in of rain. Needed.

Mock up on decals for reefer:
IMG_4092.jpeg
Quick and dirty on paper. Needs refinement before making the decals. My Coral Draw skills are rusty for sure.

 Today? Undecided.

Watched the opening game of the NFL season last night, youse Patriot fans must be in a coma this morning.  :o The LIONS open at noon Sunday.  So far they're tied for 2nd place!  Michigan State plays sometime Saturday.

Weather guy on the GRap web site was showing flocks of birds on the radar this morning, as the migration is on.  Our hummers remain, but going thru a ton of sugar water daily, they'll be gone in the next 2-3 days I'd guess. 

Speaking of migration, we'll be headed the other way next week. 

TomO, interesting figures those trolls.  Hope the day goes ok, I used to get some wild vertigo attacks that would put me in the darkest room possible for hours, once I quit the porcelain throne.  :'( Would hit like a click of a switch. :o 

Well, back to the bench. 

Be well all. :D

Good morning everyone.

65 in Canton, 84 and windy later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Huevos Rancheros for breakfast.

Karl, with the sign on the right you might be getting a visit from the DEA.  :)

Dave, so glad I don't have cable to see all the annoying ads.
I think they're big waste of money too.

TomO, wonder why they were out of gas.

Larry, your update looks good.

Mike, your kit will look great with all the lights.

Curt, safe travels for your wife and hope your grandson gets a job.

How's everyone else.

Made it home OK.
Did a load of laundry, showered and went to the ER.
Had to wait 3+ hours to get back into the ER.
Once there things moved a little quicker.
Had a CT scan to confirm the pain is from a stuck stone.
I have an appointment this morning at the urology surgery center to have stones on the left side blasted and possible the right side too where there a few smaller stones.

Got very little sleep.
Finally got out of the hospital at 5.
Went to Walmart to get two prescriptions filled.
I hadn't eaten since 6AM and was starving.
Walked across the parking lot and had a large steak filled burrito and 1 beer.
I never eat a big meal this late in the day and should have eaten only half instead of the whole thing.
I had very bad acid reflux all night.  :(

No eating the morning because of the procedure but fortunately I can have my coffee.
I'll have a small meal when I get home and take it easy.

That's Lake Fremont in the Wind River Range, WY.

090726SacredRimTrail03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

PS - I'm not in any pain.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and eggs.  Glad you made it home and to the ER.  Good luck with the procedure.

I'm off to a monthly community men's breakfast and will check in later.

Have fun,
mike

Morning Gents,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad you made it home safely and good luck with the procedure; hope they can fix you up with 1 attempt. Good idea to take life easy afterwards; and maybe a nap too. At least you can have your coffee.

Mike enjoy the breakfast.

What's your plans?

It's a chilly 54 on the back porch with a high of 73. Some errands shortly then maybe some bench time. Need to do a little cleaning on the SUV this afternoon. Other than that not much going on here.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

Good Luck, Rick!  Glad to hear you're not having pain, I understand kidney stones can be excruciating.  

Yesterday was spent on the laser, with some progress.  I've figured out good cut settings for 1/16 basswood.  Lightburn isn't working correctly with the laser, but XTool Studio works fine, and is sufficient for what I want to do, so I'll live with that for a while.  I'm sure the problem is with Lightburn, so I might reinstall from scratch.

Today I get my new glasses, progressive trifocals.  Reading on the bottom, computer prescription in the middle, and clear glass on top.  Having to change glasses all the time was driving me crazy!

dave

Good Morning All,

It's been 25 years since 9-11. I was on shift (Ems) and walked into the ER waiting room just after the first plane hit and it was still being reported as a light plane. Later after the second plane I watched a convoy of OPD cars racing to OIA. My partner asked what the h*ll is going on, and I told him "we're at war now". The world has changed since then and I feel not for the better.

Rick thanks for opening and breakfast. Best wishes for today. Beautiful photo.

Started the day with a walk at 77F with high humidity. Yesterday I finished up the office I was working on and looked ahead to the next step which is the cutting shack (a mini saw mill). It should be interesting. I also lightly sanded the previously built platforms and brushed on A&I to give it a more weathered look.

Today I start on the shed and early afternoon I'm driving gs to his job interview. Not much else on the agenda.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Sure remember the day 25 yrs ago.  Watching Don Imus when there was a break in to report the first plane then saw the second...yes the world has changed.  The all too brief unity is fractured so it's so sad.

50s and sun in MI today.  Plans tbd...

Best with recovery, Rick. 

Be Well

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Glad to hear your back home and getting help with the stones.
Just take it easy for a few days.

Mike have a nice breakfast.

Larry hope you make the bench.

Morning Dave.

Curt I hope GS gets the job.

Karl I hope you have some good plans for the day.

Weather in South Jersey cloudy/74.  Later P. sunny/82.
Nothing to report on the wall problem.
Hopefully some time there today!!

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good afternoon. A nice day at 81f with a breeze.

Rick, the distributor for gas for the non KwikTrip stations says it's lack of supply at the depot! 2nd time this summer we pulled in and there was no regular gas. Casey's is one of the biggest national chains and if they are having issues you know supply is an issue.

Sitting under the trees this afternoon I was startled by a woman's voice walking down our driveway. The driveway is just over 1600' long and is marked private. She was out for a stroll so I politely said to stroll back the way you came. She was trying to shortcut between 2 County roads. She was not thrilled I told her to go back the way she came.

When I drove to Michael's soon after I checked and the signs on both edges of the driveway are still there.

I'm done with Michael's! I needed more Golden Light Textures Paste. Small bottle was $22+!  I thought it was $12+. Well 5 weeks ago including tax at the same store I paid $13.42. This bottle goes back tomorrow! Blick's online is $12.95

Had MRI this morning. My annual to check for new cancer. I've had cancerous thyroid and recurring cancerous lymph nodes. I hear next week. Full body scan, low sodium diet since 8/26 and the radioactive pill on Wednesday.

We made the right decision not to head to Texas this week when we cancelled in August. College Station is 94f degees and a dew point at 71 degrees. Austin is 97 and 80! Very uncomfortable. We will watch the Badger Volleyball against the Aggies on TV tonight

TomO

TomO best wishes with your potential diagnosis. I buy my chalks from Blick.

Jerry unfortunately gs did not because of his neck tattoo. I have told him for years that your actions or inaction have consequences. That's a tough lesson for him as like most kids these days that have been coddled growing up. My opinion.

How many of you remember ugly old tattoos on our fathers/uncles/etc?  They do NOT age well, but the current generation will have to wait to find out.

dave

Good morning everyone.

59 in Canton, clouds and 73.
This town was named Canton, because Canton, China is approximately on the opposite side of the globe.

Coffee, soda and OJ are ready.
Omelette station is set up and ready.

Dave, I've never for a second been tempted to get a tattoo.

Curt, maybe buy your grandson some turtle necks.

TomO, I don't recall seeing any stations in my travels being out of gas.
Then again I'm mainly focused on diesel.
A search found this:

The U.S. exports more total petroleum and crude oil than it imports, averaging a net export balance of roughly 2.8 million barrels per day.

American oil production leans heavily toward light crude, while many domestic refineries are built to process heavier grades imported from abroad. 
 
Top Foreign Suppliers

Canada: Supplies over 60% of total U.S. crude imports.

Mexico: Accounts for roughly 7% to 10% of crude imports.

Based on all that I find it hard to understand why a station would be out of gas.
It must have something to do with something other than supple.

Hope the results from the MRI are all good news.

Jerry, any good news.
Please don't get discouraged with the minor set back.

Karl, it is sad that a major catastrophe is what's needed to unite the country.
I watched an interesting video yesterday on how history repeats itself every 80 years.
And there are 4 stages in each cycle.
We're near the end of the latest 80 year cycle.

Larry, enjoy whatever the day brings you.

Mike, hope yesterday's breakfast was good and the company even better.

How's everyone else.

Thank you everyone for the positive thoughts on yesterday's procedure.
Speaking with the doctor before hand, he said doing the right kidney right now isn't necessary because he felt the small stones there won't drop down and cause problems.
That will be monitored in further visits.
All the stones on the left kidney were lasered and the whole procedure went well.
Have to go back in about two weeks to have the stent removed.

Costco this morning primarily to get a mattress.
The camera shop is across the street from Costco and I'll drop the camera off for repair.
A nice walk in the neighborhood with Star in the PM.

Lone Pine Lake in RMNP.

090126LakeVernaviaEastInletTrail07Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and the feta and spinach omelet. Good news on the left kidney. Yikes on camera repair.

Larry, 54F is indeed chilly. Good luck cleaning the SUV.

Dave, I've heard LightBurn has issues, but the Xtool Studio works very well, and the features in LightBurn aren't needed. Hope the new glasses are working well for you.

Curt, hope your Grandson's interview went well.  Good luck on the cutting shack.

Karl, hope the day went well for you.

Jerry, did you sort the wall issue?

TomO, hope the MRI results are favorable.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's going to be a rainy day, cooler at 83F.  The community breakfast went well.  It is always fun to share stories with the other old farts.  I live in a 55 and up community, so most men were either as old or older than me.  I'm working on 80.  Yesterday I applied corrugated iron roofing material.  I'll be working on the big roof next. Today is full of sports, OU football, USA WNBA World cup, and baseball tonight.

Have fun,
mike

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and omelet this morning. Glad the procedure went well and good luck mattress shopping. Beautiful photo.

Mike enjoy the cooler weather. Sounds like a "sports" kind of day; hope your teams win. My Daughter's all excited since the NFL will be starting up soon; me I could care less.

What's your plans?

It a clear, chilling, and sunny 48 with a high of 81? The chilly nights and warm days will get the trees turning; soft maples are already turning color. Sadly fall colors aren't what they used to be around here. Maybe I'll hit the bench shortly before a little 1:1 outside this afternoon.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I'm glad the procedure went well. A walk around the block will probably be boring after all the hiking you have done.

Slept well last night getting up about an hour later than normal. The animals were milling around each other worked up in the kitchen. Fun times.

Yesterday I grained and colored the wood for the saw shed. The shed is open on the sides but has a roof. All the wood for this is small and thin.

Today after chores I'll continue working on the shed.

Rick the tattoo is the least of his issues. He has no job skills and no education after dropping out of HS. The school bent over backwards to retain him but of course he knew best. For the last 9 months he has mooched off his friends until they told him to leave.

Mike enjoy your sports day. I have pretty much quit watching sports because of the obscene money and greed involved and now it has come to college football.

Just another day in the life.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning Crew! Heading to day 4 of beautiful weather where the high will be 81.

MRI was fine I was sedated just enough to keep me calm, I really hate it! It's my annual full body scan making sure I'm still cancer free. If the doctor calls Monday and tells me to call back I'll be worried but until then, it is what it is. I'm feeling good and I can't control it so I'll try to ignore it. Easy to write though, very hard to really do but I'll try.

We would loved to have been in College Station last night but we watched the Badgers win on TV. No way Terry can breathe in the heat and humidity.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Rick, Wisconsin gets most of its gasoline from the remaining Northern Illinois refineries and the Minnesota refineries in Rosemount. The oil is pipelined in from the tar sands of Alberta and North Dakota. Very heavy crude. One of the refineries in Chicago is on reduced capacity from a fire a couple years ago and was planning to be decommissioned but now is coming back. The tariffs on Canadian goods has reduced the imports from Alberta and North Dakota is unable to keep up. Plus per our local reporter wondering why gas prices are so high now found out production is always down in September as the Minnesota refineries switch to the mandated Winter blends. Northern Illinois switches over in October!

In other words, it's a money grab,

TomO 

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, glad to hear that the procedure went well.

Current weather here is 14c (57f) with cloudy skies. With these temperatures, the leaves will start changing colours.

Was a very busy week at work for me this past week with a lot of late hours.  That is now done and things should get back to normal, hopefully I can get back to the bench/layout this weekend.  I do need to see about getting a window replaced in the second floor.  10 years ago I would have done it my self, at 68 climbing a ladder to the second story to replace a window is someone else's job.  ;D after that Gracie and I need to go on a nice walk.

Have a great day everyone.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the breakfast & coffee.
Glad to hear your back on the mend.

Mike glad you had a good time with the old farts!!  ;D

Larry I hope you get to the bench after chores outside.

Curt to bad about your GS.  I left school early but went back at night to get my dipolma.
I thought I new it all to.
Tell him to get off his dead a&& and go back to school.

TomO I hope the MRI is turns up nothing.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/71.  Later on 78.
A nice day coming up weather wise.
Hopefully bench time after the chores.
I haven't been there in over a week!!

Everyone have a great day!! :)

Jerry

TomO, good luck for your results!  Rick, glad you got good news on the other kidney.  That's another great photo. 

Since my model RR is set partially in the Pennsylvania oil country, I've learned a bit about refining, etc. A neighbor retired as the Irving Oil USA CFO (Irving is a Canadian company that supplies something like 80% of the refined products, oil and gas, to New England.)  As Rick noted, refineries are targeted for -specific kinds of oil-, a refinery that does light crude can't handle tar sands oil.  Plus refineries do tend to go out of service for rather extended periods of time, whether for maintenance or after a fire.  There's the semi-annual switchover from summer to winter fuel blends, and that slows production.  Plus, of course, all the business reasons can apply, including supply chain difficulties/interruptions or financial disagreements.  (Today's Boston Globe had an article about competing lawsuits between New England electric utilities and Hydro Quebec over an electrical delivery service disruption at the wholesale level during a particularly heavy cold snap a couple years ago.  US utilities 'charged' Quebec for the costs to use alternate sources, Quebec is suing to get its promised money.) I won't even mention the potential impact of tariffs on energy supplies.  BUT ENOUGH WITH THE REAL WORLD!

I have something to try in Lightburn to see if that fixes the problems I've been having with the S1 laser.  I'll report back on my laser thread. 

dave

It's been said here earlier"We're near the end of the latest 80 year cycle. "

I find that to be ominous, as I, too, am nearing the end of an 80 year cycle...1.75 yrs. to go ???

Sun here in MI with humidity and heat, if 80 later is hot, it is for us mitten folk.  Yesterday was a perfect 75^o with 100% sun.  We went to Grand Rapids' West side, found an LHS I visit rarely, is now empty strip mall space...mostly r/c oriented, any train stuff they had was MSRP, almost never bought anything but some Athearn hardware they carried and Evergreen Styrene.  I went to the Model Estate Sale shop, picked up a couple trinkets to help them pay the light bill.  ;D  Traffic was horrific in GR and I amost hit the Left Front of a (*^%$% School bus that swung out into my lane approaching a righthand turn, probably a rookie driver as most school districts are scraping the barrel finding drivers.  Good brakes on the 4Runner saved the bacon...upset my passenger so that I cancelled a drive across GR in what would have been similar horrid driving to go to our favorite GR burger joint...ended up at another fav in small town America, Nashville, MI for a bite. 

I sure do concur on the fad of tatoos, I see "new" ones a year or two old on folks that the ink is already spreading like wet watercolor.  Daughter had what was a "cute" little lizard just a bit above the rear belt line that, 25 years and two kids, is now a Wooly Mamouth and growing... :P  The Doll's 50 yr old going on 18 son has a new in the last 2 yrs full sleave on one arm and the hideous stuff seen on fundimentally quite attractive people are much like the doc's popcycle stick stuck way too far back... >:(  I can't imagine the metals and who knows what that are in the inks and the non hospital housekeeping in the 'artists' facilities. 

{B}SPARTAN[/b] football later, ez at the bench today until.

Dave, good luck with the lazer, I'm lazer focused on NOT falling for the "I need one of those" trap I've fallen into.  Too close to the end of that cycle.... ::)

Curt, 4 of 7 'grands' in our circle have issues I'm glad I'm too old to stress over their future prospects. 7 for 7 on total lack of common sense and responsibility for selves..

Gotta run, be well all.

Rick, I hope the camera shop can get your Rolls-Royce fixed...I'd be quite disappointed to need that I have my older Nikon D-90 that has an auto focus that won't...only worth around $100 if it did. 

KS

I think the market for used DLSRs collapsed when the new line of high quality mirrorless came out.  So if your DSLR is broken, look for a good used replacement, either from a camera store or locally (with the ability to test it before paying.)  And bring along your own battery and card for the test.

dave

Good morning everyone.

48 now in Canton, some showers in the AM then clouds and a high of 72.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Looked up a classic SD breakfast and this came up: eggs, thick-cut bacon or sausage, crisp hash browns, and large buttermilk pancakes or biscuits and gravy.

Karl, here's the video on the 80 year cycles if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT7fAUt7oGA

Dave, I didn't think refineries here could process the oil coming from Venezuela, but I was wrong about that.

Jerry, hope the hoping has stopped and the doing has started.  :)

Ron, I wouldn't be replacing a second story window either.
Have fun watching the race.

TomO, money grabbing is a bad disease in this country.

Curt, I guess the grandson has no interest in getting his GED.
Maybe the military can get him on the right track.

Larry, I'm still waiting for leaves here to start changing.

Mike, hope you had fun watching those sports.

How's everyone else?

I knew Costco would be an expensive because of the mattress purchase, but found out at check out I needed to renew my membership.
Sleeping on the new bed was excellent.
Camera shop kept my camera and is sending it off for repair.
Won't hear any news on it for a few weeks.

I think Star and I will do a hike this morning in one of the nearby state parks.

A scene from my hike in RMNP.

090126LakeVernaviaEastInletTrail05Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. What you described as a SD breakfast would be 3-4 breakfasts fir me.

Started out the day with a walk at 75F and moderate humidity. Yesterday I built the 2 side wall frames. Dad wanted to go to DQ last night for supper. I had a cheeseburger that was tasteless but the milkshake was good.

Today after chores I'll continue working on the shed. MOH will be home tomorrow afternoon.

Rick these days the military requires a diploma or GED, and he would not do well in the military.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast; I'd classify that as a "gut buster." Enjoy your hike with your buddy and hope you're feeling better. Nice photo.

Curt fit's getting so fast food burger joints are getting very expensive and by and large the food tastes like crap; at least around here. have fun at the bench.

What's on your agenda?

It's a cloudy, maybe rain, @ 69 with a high of 81; tomorrow the highs will be in the upper 60's. This afternoon I have to pay my School Taxes; they have a "drop box" at the Middle School about 5 minutes from my house. I figured I'd pay them today because through the week there's way too much traffic between buses, parents, and teachers. Hope to log in some more bench time at some point.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well and those with medical issues hope you're on the mend.

Larry school tax?

Good morning from Wisconsin. It's cool outside. It's 52f degrees now only going to 67.

Today starts my final push on the UP of Michigan trees I am responsible for a 10/14 operating session. I still want to install them by 10/7 but looking at where the scenery progress is I'm doubting 10/7. I dislike last minute installs but that's what it's looking at. At least 44 birch will be done. The Maples are already made and are mostly recycled from Version 1.0 of the layout. We need about 50 trees. I am going to clean those up and sort them today. New foliage will be needed on many but until I sort I really don't know. Some may just get a spray of paint to refresh them. The Weeping Aspen have the trunks being worked on . There will be between 30 and 50 of those. The Conifer lady has 100 done and they are completed on my shelf in the shop for delivery. She also did many unexpected sisal bushes that we will use and those are on the shelf ready. She is now working on Maples with her husband. So far there are 20 maples complete on the shelf. They are shooting for 100 but those final 80 may be held for the PNW layout. That depends on the amount of landform that is completed. All tree people and the layout owner will meet in my shop Monday at 7pm.

There was an OPS Session yesterday at the UP layout. One of my friends dropped off my templates that he double checked for me. There are 2 swamps I am working on. I am going to build them at my bench and take them up on Monday 9/21. I have what I need for this. These are separate from the area the trees are going in so there will be no interference. I also have sisal bushes and rock faces for the swamp areas that I made years ago and are surplus to my needs. I have a bunch of tree parts that will be in and around the swamp. The only thing I am leery of is the Woodland Scenics instant water. I've never used it before.

I agreed to be part of videos on creating the swamps and Weeping Aspen trees. There is about an hour shot so far on the Aspens. The video is a creation of a local military modeler's son and a friend in a combined project for their high school media class. Last year they did a video on the daughter's dollhouses she builds. She suggested they talk to me!

The NFL and NCAA volleyball collide this afternoon. The Badger Women play Texas at 2 in Austin on ESPN. The Packers play someone at 3:35 on FOX.

Some of the real outdoor trees are starting to turn colors! The dry Summer is accelerating the change.

This came from out of the blue. The wife did ask me yesterday at dinner about if "I" still wanted to build! Not really but if you want to...

TomO

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast Rick. Nice photo as well.

Yesterday I took Pam to the large flea market in Mt. Dora. Every half hour I had to use the urinal. I have 12 days of radiation left and they are now concentrating on where the prostrate used to be. It is now causing me to feel the urge to go every 30 minutes of so. I gave up and sat in the car while she looked around. I found that when I sit, the urge isn't there. 12 more days thank God.

I'm going to try and cut the grass prior to the rain. Since its Sunday morning, I'll wait until around 9:30 to start.

I did get a little more done on the Horwood build but not sure I'll get to posting an update.

Have a great day and stay safe and healthy.

Tom

Sun and a little less heat today in MI.

My SPARTANS won nicely yesterday, and the LIONS try their luck today at or about noon.

Trip prep today for a brief visit to Northern Command.

Curt, I've heard the military has a few more standards than commonly thought.  Tik Tok videos not withstanding.  My one Grand couldn't get pass the initial interview.  At least the last I knew he hasn't inked himself yet. 

Bench time today a possibility.

Be well all. 

Karl I believe (not sure) that if you have to take daily medicine they won't accept you (you're ok if you start in the military) and any previous  mental health issues exclude you.

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, glad to hear that it looks like you will get your camera fixed.  I found out my Costco membership needed renewing when I scanned entering the store. 😊  Enjoy your hike with Star.

Curt, hope the grandson figures things out soon, have fun at the bench.

Larry, I've always wondered why one most pay school taxes when we have no one going to school.   In my part of the continent, school taxes are included with our property taxes.

TomO, hope you get the trees done.  Let us know when the videos are ready and where to see them. 

Tom, your need the end of radiation treatments, I bet you will be glad when that is done.

Karl, have fun at the bench if you make it there today.

Current weather is 22c (71f) and partly cloudy.  Today's plan is to do the weekly grocery run, have a walk with Gracie and watch the F1 race, probably spend some time at the bench this evening.

Have a great day everyone.

To continue raining on the enlistment parade, I think some tattoos are disqualifying (both location and content).  

Another great photo, Rick.

Cool and rainy today.  One dog decided he HAD to go out this morning when it was raining hard.  He spent the next 10 minutes trying to dry himself and shake off the water (even after I wiped him down with a towel.)  2 hours later, his ears are still damp.  

As I mentioned on my laser thread, with help from the Intertubes I figured out what I was doing wrong, and now I can get nice clean cuts with Lightburn on the laser.  Today I might cut that little shed I designed, I'll do it first on 1/16 plain basswood, and then maybe try basswood (NESL) clapboard.  Part of that will require me to get better at understanding how to locate material on the laser.  

In between messing with the laser, I've been doing experiments in forestry:  I'm trying to find the best adhesive to apply to Woodland Scenics plastic tree armatures, to get WS clumps to stick.  There's one more product to try, arriving today, and then I'll write up a report.

dave

Quote from: PRR Modeler on September 13, 2026, 08:08:10 AMLarry school tax?

Quote from: elwoodblues on September 13, 2026, 10:15:38 AMLarry, I've always wondered why one most pay school taxes when we have no one going to school.   In my part of the continent, school taxes are included with our property taxes.

Curt & Ron let me further explain the school tax. When you own property your School Taxes are figured the same way as property taxes. For whatever reason they are separate with the School due 9/30 every year and Property due 1/31 every year. The good news is there's a program for us old farts called NYS Extended Star Program so the only School Tax portion we have to pay is the Library Tax which is minimal compared to School Taxes but they are on the same bill. Hope this all makes sense.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.

Running real late this am.
So I'll be back later.

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy with rain in the forecast.

Everyone have agreat day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning,

Rick, glad the new mattress is to your liking.  Thanks for the breakfast.  Sounds hearty for sure.

Curt, good luck with the shed.

Larry, ugh, school taxes.  You would think that retirees wouldn't have to pay school taxes...

TomO, good luck building the trees.

TomACL, good news: it's only 12 more days.  Hang in there.

Karl, safe travels up North.

Ron, wishing you a nice walk with Gracie.

Dave, when I design and cut a laser-cut structure, I cut the first pass on an old manila folder instead of wood.  The process has saved good wood several times.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's a bright morning and warming to 90F.  This week is forecast to be dry and warm in the 90s.  Yesterday I worked on corrugated iron roofing.  I may run short, so I looked to buy some more.  One pack, which is all I need, costs $18 to ship.  Needless to say, I'll figure something else out. Longing for the old days of full-service hobby shops nearby.
Football was ugly yesterday. Tonight the boys play the Giants.

Have fun,
mike

In MI seniors are exempt from school tax on their primary residence.  BUT, the secondary residence, ie: Northern Command pays school tax.  It appears on the regular semi annual property tax as a line item of the whole package.  While I don't like paying it, the folks up there could use all the ed benefits they can get.  Education vs Free S*** from the gubbamint...what a concept. :o

Waiting for NCAA VB watching Buffalo vs Texas on the monitor!

The videos are due in November so while I can see the unedited versions I don't get the finished ones before they get their grade. But they will give me my own copy. The daughter said they did a nice job on her dollhouse video.

I have 16 trees in various stages that we have been and will be using for the video. The only thing for the swamp so far is the cell phone video recording of tracing the swamp templates. My friend double checked the templates before the ops session yesterday but the boys don't have that yet

TomO

Good morning everyone.

60 in Canton, rain and wind all morning a high of 76 in the PM.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Assorted bagels, danish and muffins for breakfast today.

Mike, both of our NFC teams didn't fair well yesterday.

Jerry, anything good planned today?

Larry, glad you don't have to pay the full school tax.

Dave, good news on figuring out the laser issue.

Ron, the young kid can't help himself from winning.

Karl, safe travels up north.

ACLTom, hope these last 12 days go by quickly for you.

TomO, do you know if you'll be able to share the video on line?

Curt, too bad the burger wasn't very good.

Philip messaged me on FB and he's OK.

How's everyone else?

It rained on and off all morning and that delayed the planned hike.
It finally cleared up after lunch and we went out and did a bit more than 3.5 miles.
The leaves are just barely starting to turn.
Today looks like another rainy day.
I need to get a much needed haircut.
I'll also try and meet up with my realtor to pick up the title for the house.

The view looking towards Grand Lake at RMNP on the Lake Verna Trail.

090126LakeVernaviaEastInletTrail02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast as well as another nice photo. Glad you were able to do your hike. Always nice to get a haircut especially if you still have some left to cut. I tell ya I've paid my fair share of School Taxes over the years so this is a welcome relief.

What's your plans?

It's a p cloudy 56 with a high of only 69. The hummingbirds are still around but not sure how much longer. We usually keep our feeder up a couple weeks more after they leave just for any migrating birds. The morning will be filled with grocery shopping and starting laying in some extra provisions for what's to come weather wise. Started designing the dock for the diorama; it'll be challenging but fun.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Our leafs turn in January. They turn brown and fall off.

Starting off today doing laundry. MOH will be back this afternoon at some points. She's been having issues with the van so it's definitely on its way out. It had a good 19 year run.

After chores today is Dad's weekly errands so I don't know if I'll make it to the workbench today. Tomorrow Dad has a late afternoon medical appointment.

Yesterday I got the roof and floor bracing in which was VERY fiddly. I ended up having to use CA glue for those parts. I also put the floor planks in.

Not much else happening this way.

Tom stay strong butty.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  The weekend was a total bust for me: NCAA loss, baseball loss, and NFC loss.  The only bright spot was the WNBA world cup, USA won gold.  I've been wondering if you suffer withdrawal when you don't hike for at least 10 miles?

Larry, looking forward to the dock.  Hope the weather isn't too bad up there.

Curt, fiddly projects aren't much fun.  Will you replace the van?

How goes the rest of the gang?

It's going to be another hot one here at 95F.  Fall weather is not in sight.  Sharon is going to the coast for a few days to the casinos. I'll stay here and work on several 1:1 to-do items.  I didn't work on the engine shed over the weekend.  Maybe later today.

Have fun,
mike

Good chilly Wisconsin morning. 42f degrees heading to 70. Maybe rain this evening.

I will be able to post the videos after the grades are issued and it will on my Wisconsin Interstate page and I will post the link here. It will also be on their YouTube. We are looking at December.

7pm tree meeting with the makers and layout owner. The 3rd of our 5 man layout crew said to me he's burnt out on this layout. Agreed to built to operations but didn't agree to full scenery. Looks like all 5 of us will be stepping back after the 10/14 invitational Ops Session. Even every other Friday here has become too much. Oh well we all kept our promise, it would be operational 6/27 and it was with 2 sessions that day and a couple more already this month. Now it's getting time to move on...

We have goats! I hired in June a crew of goats to clean out 40-50 acres of overgrown woodland/wetlands. The Wi. DNR suggested since bigger mowers would sink or get stick to hire goats. Fenced in 3-5 acre parcels they are moved daily. We pay by the day and the number of goats over 50. They were planning to use 60 goats per day. 2 dogs and 2 herders who will over night in camper trailers for 10 days to 2 weeks. They finally are coming today.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Well, Mike, I think I had the opposite weekend.  Saturday was beautiful, there were 2 sessions of Scotch Club (On Friday night's 'audible', I was only there for a couple minutes and one taste.)  Sunday after brunch (we slept in late), I did nothing all day. The Stillers beat the Falcons, with a great interception by TJ Watt.  And I read a lot more on the new laser. 

Rick, glad you're doing local stuff for the next couple of days.  My friend in northeast Vermont (the "Northeast Kingdom") reports "The leaves are starting to fall with faint yellowish hues.  The birches and apples are dropping first."

TomO, post photos or videos of the goats!

dave

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Glad your feeling better.
Nice picture this am.

Larry don't sped all your money grocery shopping.

Curt sound like a buy day with Dad.

Mike don't overdo the 1:1 projects.

TomO goats sounds like an interesting way to get rid of woodland/wetlands.

Morning Dave.

Weather in South Jersey is P. sunny 72.  Later on 75.
Still trying to correct the wall problem!
Today I don't know what we have planned.

Everyone have a great day!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone,
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, looks like there is no stopping the kid, although he had some good luck with the VSC that happened just as Norris past the pit entrance.  Great picture as usual.

Larry,  our school taxes work the same way (except we don't get a break) but due with the property taxes.  Don't spent too much at the grocery store, other people might need stuff. 😊

Curt, sounds like it's your dad's weekly spending day.

Mike, hope the 1:1 stuff leaves you some time to get upstairs.

TomO, goats to clean out woodlands/wetlands?  Never heard of that before but it makes sense when you think about it.  I do understand about layout burnout, I've been there before.

Dave, enjoy your day.

Jerry, hope you get some time to figure out the wall problem.

Current weather here is 15c (58f) and sunny.  After Gracie and I finished our walk I don't know who was more tired, her or me.  I think that will be the last walk we will do together is when I came back the Mrs had a to-do list for me.  :o I did make it the modeling room where I spent time cutting out foam inserts for the Milwaukee packout (2-drawer) unit that will house my locomotives and rolling stock I take to set-ups.  One drawer is done, plan to do the other one tonight.

Have a great day everyone.
   

The big difference is that "a tired dog is a happy dog", while a "tired master is just tired."  ;D

dave

Heading North, 1315 hrs and still in the mitten, had a lunch break/stretch. Mid 60s, calm, totally sunny :o Traffic is moderate.

Just passed Ray's Doghouse.

IMG_4099.jpeg

It's been here off N bounds I-75 for years  :o  :o

Lions tried real hard to loose yesterday blew a 21 point lead to go to OT and "won" because the Saints blew a 2 point attempt in OT to win rather than assuring a tie.

Arrived 1537 hours, Northern Command was established.

Hope all are well.

Good morning everyone.

61 in southeast SD, sunny and 72 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Pork roll, egg and cheese on a hard roll for breakfast today.

Karl, glad you arrived safely and will Ray ever get out of the doghouse?

Ron, glad you were able to sneak into the modeling room.

Jerry, maybe tell us what's wrong with the walls and I'm sure someone here will have a solution.

Dave, I think next week might be a good time to see some fall colors.

TomO, I look forward to seeing the video.

Mike, distance won't cause me hiking withdrawal.
Hiking in the mountains, walking through a dense pine and aspen forest and being alone in the middle of nowhere with epic views will cause withdrawal.

Curt, maybe another update soon?

Larry, I saw a post last week about a new arthritis drug that regrew hair completely in 55% of those that took it.

ACLTom, is your eyesight improving?

How's everyone else.

I did get a haircut but went home afterward because it was non-stop raining.
Got some things done inside at home.
Stopping at the bank today to transfer the rest of my money from NJ to here.

This was back in June in Boulder, CO on the Fern Canyon Trail.

062726NCARMesatoFernCanyonTrail07Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. The joy of home ownership Is that there is always something that needs done.

Started out with a walk at 78F with moderate humidity. Yesterday Dad didn't want to run errands so I built and installed the roof trusses and then cut the metal roofing panels.

Today we have to drop off the van to see what the check engine light is for. We are also going to the dealership to look at a used Kia carnival that MOH has been looking at online. The Carnival is the newer equivalent of the Sedona.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. I'll pass on the arthritis drug; besides this way I don't have to worry about the wind blowing my hair around.Lol. Nice you were able to get some things done at home.

Curt have fun at the bench. Check engine lights are EVIL! In NY if the check engine light's on at inspection it HAS to be fixed or the car won't pass. I've had to junk a few cars over the years because of the law which ran perfectly.

"What's your plans?

It was 46 on the back porch @ 7am with a high of 73; this'll get the trees turning. Hope to do an update this am and in the afternoon the Buick goes in the Shop for a broken driver's side door handle. Hopefully not too much $$$. Maybe some bench time thrown in.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

So state inspectors won't accept the "electrical tape over the light" repair?  That's what "Car Talk" recommended.  (I miss that show!)

Today's project on the laser is figuring out the offset for the laser marking light/crosshairs versus the actual laser beam.  There's instructions on the Lightburn site how to do this.  

dave

Wind and noisy waves on the big lake after overnight storms left us 1/2" of rain.

IMG_4123.jpeg

Word is the Lake Michigan ferry, the Badger canceled last night's trip due to forecast waves.  :P  Up to 21 feet! And gale force winds. https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/ss-badger-cancels-tuesday-crossings-as-waves-could-reach-21-feet-september-15-ferry-tickets-ludington-lake-michigan

Our house is so tight you can't even hear the wind and waves. I just got a lightning warning from back home,

No plans here yet. Headed over to Happy Rock, Gladstone and Eskie, Escanaba

Enjoy the day

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for coffee and breakfast Rick, hope the banking goes quick and easy.

Curt, I agree with Rick, we need an update.

Larry, looking forward to your update.

Dave, have fun playing with the laser.

Karl, 21ft waves?  :o  I'd definitely stay off the water. ;D Have fun on your little road trip.

Was a little chilly this morning as the temp was only 6c (43f), the current temperature is 13c (56f) and cloudy, with no wet stuff in the forecast.  While I didn't get any modeling done last night (don't ask) but I did 3D print a crashed flying saucer, hopefully tonight I'll print some little green men.  These are for my modules, I'll be able to explain this weekend, but I bet you can figure it out.  As a hint I have a bunch of green cows that the locals claim are radioactive.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.  Hope Star is loving the new home.

Curt, if you don't find the van your wife likes, just get some black tape or paint and cover up the check engine light...

Larry, good luck with the car handle.

Dave, wishing you a fun time on the laser.

Karl, wow, 21-foot waves?  Enjoy your sightseeing today.

Ron, is the flying saucer diesel or steam-powered?

How is the rest of the crew?

It's cooler today at 91F.  Everything is still green.  It was abysmal baseball watching last night. I worked a bit on the roofing.  I finished the last of the roof panels this morning, so after the paint dries, I'll assemble the roof.  Lighting is the main topic this morning.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning everyone.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Breakfast pizza for breakfast topped with scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage.

52 in Canton, cloudy and a high of 72 with a chance for rain late in the PM.

Star does like the house but she always runs to the van first instead of the door to go in the house.

Ron, sounds like an interesting module you have planned.

Karl, pretty picture but I wouldn't want to be on the water with 21' waves.

Dave, offset set?

Larry, hope the door repair wasn't too spendy.

Curt, hope nothing seriously wrong with the van.
Did you end up getting a new one?

Jerry, what's new in NJ.

How's everyone else?

Forgot to mention yesterday that I had a camera club meeting last night.
Bank transaction took a little time but went smoothly.
Got some phone calls to make and not sure what else I'll get into.

This was back in June on the Lake Isabelle trail.

063026LakeIsabelleTrailWardCO03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Very pretty scenery. A slow day is not a bad thing.

MOH ran the numbers again (she's the family economist) and decided that although the van requires frequent repairs it is still cheaper than the cost of a new one and she is is the major driver of it and it still drives well.

Yesterday I fiddled around with the metal roofing for the saw shed, tried AK metal burnishing fluid on a spare piece but it didn't turn out as I had hoped so I ordered the PCB etching fluid that Brett recommended. It should be here Friday.

I did start building the saw table that sits inside the shed, with the attached equipment will take several days to put together.

Today is Son's 43rd birthday so we will gather at supper tonight to celebrate. I am proud of him. Ten years ago he was in a downward spiral of addiction. He has been sober for almost that long, has a decent job and real friends.

Since it's Wednesday you guessed it it's floor day. :(. Afterwards I hope to make it to the workbench.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad the banking went well and it's nice you're involved in a club.
I'm sure the reason Star runs to the van door first she thinks that's "home". Beautiful photo.

Curt that's great to hear your Son has been sober for that long; it can't be an easy process. Have fun at the bench. Good call on the van.

What's your plans?

I finally managed to finish another chapter in my blog so that's posted as of last night for those of you who follow along.

It's a p cloudy 63 with a high of 75. Depending on how the weather shakes out the lawn may or may not get mowed today; we'll see. Be picking up the Buick sometime the afternoon and it'll be good to have the drivers door handle fixed. Maybe some bench time later.

Have an enjoyable day!! Be well and stay safe.

Good morning, all. I've still got plenty of apples, so I've put baskets of Baldwins, Haralsons and Beacons on the counter,

Mostly cloudy and high 50s in the lower Merrimack Valley this morning, sun later will bring it up to the 70s.  I'm off to Seashore again for a day of testing, ballast spreading and figuring out how to get an inflator on a tire where a service guy left very much the wrong valve stem.  Hi ho...

Morning all,

Just to let ya'll know I'm still kicking around. Radiation is kicking my butt with two more weeks left.

I did get the grass edged and cut this past Sunday but that wore me out as well.

I do have an update to post but have been to tired/lazy to post it.

Have a great day everyone. Stay safe and healthy.

Tom

Rick, can you blame Star?  The van was 'home' much longer than the house, plus the van takes her on adventures.

Tom, good to hear from you.  Hang in there!  Given the choice between building models and writing about them, go for 'building' every time!

I did get the laser offset set, and I cut the parts for the 6-sided shed I drew up.  I haven't done anything more than move those parts to the workbench, though.  

Our monthly lunch group meets today, so not much time on the workbench.  Tomorrow I'll probably relocate the laser to the table in the basement where I expect to keep it. 

dave
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Good morning,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.

Short check-in this morning.  Sharon's coming home, and I need to get caught up on chores...

Have fun,
mike

56^o with a crisp fall feeling heading to 60 something later. Sun and calm. Yesterday's rough lake is gone. It's calm as glass.

The fall Monarch butterfly migration is on. We drove way down to Stonington point where the gather to head towards Mexico and the Southwest.We saw a fair amount of them as they ready to go. The Monarch needs milkweed plants to survive and they have been reduced.  They have an interesting life cycle. Information posted at the point indicates those monarchs that return next spring will be grand children of the ones leaving. Hard to wrap that up in my mind. Plenty of empty space there, tho.

IMG_6629.jpeg
This is by the Doll, actually here in the cedar swamp. She gets better pix with her iPhone than I do with the Nikon >:(

 Hummingbirds were still around at home when we left Monday but have left the UP. Likely will be gone by the time we return home.

Might go Troll hunting today.  ;D

Be well. Stay right side up.

Curt, happy birthday to your son and congratulations on his sobriety.

I forgot to mention that it was four years ago today that I started my travels with the van.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Great picture.
Star knows were home is!  ;D

Curt that's wonderful that your son kicked the habit.

Larry I'll have to read the blog.  I'm way behind on theat.

Morning Dave.

Mike have fun getting ready for the return of Sharon!

Beautiful picture Karl.

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/71.
Waiting for some cables for our new computer.
I forgot to order them.
This one is on it's way to it's death.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, hope the phone calls are all pleasure and that they go well if not.

Curt, be careful with the PCB etching stuff, it's really nasty.  I used to use it back in the day when I made my own PCB boards.  Happy birthday to your son, hope you have a great supper with him tonight congratulations on his sobriety that couldn't have been an easy task.

Larry, the propulsion system of the crashed UFO is still under investigation. 😊  will have to check out your newest chapter.

James, have fun at the seashore.

Tom, glad to see you stop in and that you are getting stuff done.  Looking forward to your update when you get to it, no hurry here.

Dave, glad you got the laser offset set.  Enjoy lunch with the group.

Mike, hope you can get the chores done before Sharon gets home.

Karl, great photo of the butterfly.  Good luck with the troll hunting.

Jerry, hope the computer cables arrive soon.

Current weather here is 21c (69f) and overcast.  Feels like rain but there is no rain in the forecast.  Had a busy evening last night, attended a Zoom meeting with the SLD (NMRA) executive, 3D printed some little green men and started cutting the foam inserts that will hold the rolling stock that I take to shows.  Tonight's plan is to print some more little green men, taller this time and hopefully finish cutting out the foam inserts.

Have a great day everyone.

Where is Bachmann trains? AKA Kader

Not to be a Debbie Downer but what?

b7187516-ed5e-4a41-bbbb-bc435aa76b5a.jpg

Not sure, I believe Kader is in Hong Kong or China and is the parent of Bachmann and a maker of models for others in the business.

Could be wrong...first time today.  :D

You would think they would be in the black. :o

Good Evening Folks;

Besides modeling I do a fair amount of stock research and investing. I took some time tonight to pull up Kader's numbers. Keep in mind this is a Hong Kong based business running under China law and frankly their financial reporting is shall we say 'loose'. The company's profit margins are in line for a business of this type but their operating expenses completely overwhelm the gross profits. Their detail breakdown of what these expenses are leave a lot to be desired but they took a jump a couple of years ago, no reason I can see why. The firm has been losing money for past four years but was at one time very profitable. The stock itself is a penny stock trading under .20 HK dollar at this point. So what is going on? Very hard to say. They had enough cash on hand to operate for about 6 months in their December report but they are still going so new funding must have been found or they have cut costs dramatically. Bachmann is a division and I saw no report on them in my quick review.

Jim

Bachman has released the On30 3bay hopper in 2026. See train world.

The new On30 Heisler was another low preorder and never released.   

The 2-8-0 low preorders, which they asked distribution to handle.
Nobody buys On30 direct from Bachmann or shops.

I wish I would have bought every On30 model Ray Cozza had for sale. I'd be in the islands with my toes in the sand. Average Porters were 35 bucks. They fetch a lot now and are solid runners.

I do remember Bachmann complaining about those tariffs 2025 (on the Heisler)  :-X
A huge loss for the On30 crowd.     

One day I'll get this 1st edition boat and fisherman finished. Proto in the making. Hunkered down and away from social media. It still needs the oars and they are difficult to cast. Pictured is the 1st rendering. The fourth boat is much larger.
Philip
fisherman.jpg

 

Good Morning,

I see Curt & Rick here but I'll get us started anyway.

The morning beverages are at the end of the counter. Breakfast is cheesy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon and/or pan sausage with hash browns.

Rick Happy 4th Anniversary for traveling; time flies when you're having fun. Hope all's well medically.

Curt how's the diorama progressing?

What's your plans for the day?

It's a cloudy 67 with a high of 75 with some rain. Work continues on Pratt's Cove trying to stay one step ahead of myself. Still waiting on the Buick but in no real hurry. That's about it from "my neck of the woods".

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning folks,

Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and scrambled eggs. I meant to ask, is Pratt's Cove on fresh or salt water?

How's the rest of the crew?

Sharon arrived safely, and I finished yesterday's chores.  I was exhausted last night and slept nine hours.  I plan to wash the windows on the back of the house and the back porch.  The porch is dusty, to say the least.  I finally washed the Z yesterday, and it is ready for polishing. I'll put a coat of ceramic on it after that.  The engine shed work is progressing.  Assembling the roof is next on the task list.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning, Larry, Mike and the rest of the early risers.  I've put more Baldwins, Black Oxfords and Beacons on the counter.

Philip, are you casting the oars because you need lots?  My first thought to make a few pairs is to put the end of appropriate diameter soft copper wire between two steel blocks and hammer the top block. Put a little radius on the corners of the blocks if you need a smooth transition from handle to blade.

Lots of paperwork and writing today, though this NH Seacoast morning looks lovely, high of 77F with sun till clouds and showers arrive this afternoon.

Good Morning;

Thought I would stop by and see what is happening. Thanks for the breakfast, it is way more than I normally have! Central Florida is overcast this morning but you can feel just a tich of the coming fall in the air. I need to work with the advantage Heath Care company today, they are making changes so need to find out what is up. I have been working each day a little on the bench model, this one a pickle factory. I hope to get it done for the Sunshine Region NMRA convention. It would be the last needed for the AP Structures category I decided years ago to work towards. Well off for another coffee. Sounds like lots happening. 

Jim

Good morning everyone.

It's 62 here now, cloudy and 75 later.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I feel 100% healthy.

Mike, have fun polishing the Z.

James, thanks for the apple and hope that doing that paperwork goes well.

Philip, nice looking boat and fisherman.

Jim, good morning and nice to see you here in the lounge.

Ron, green men printed?

Jerry, did you get another PC or did you make the switch to Apple?
Surprised all the cables you needed weren't in the box.

Karl, that's an outstanding picture of the monarch.
I'm sure you'll be watching football tonight.

Dave, Star loves it when I'm driving because she's non-stop looking out the window looking for deer, cows, horses and other critters.

How's everyone else.

Phone calls I had to make all went well.
I think Star and I will go to Newton Hills SP for a hike.

Another photo from my hike to Mount Flora.

070226MountFloraTrail06Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. Nice new chapter. I wonder what shenanigans they will get into next.

Started out with a walk at 76F and a light breeze which was a pleasant surprise. Yesterday I continued work on the saw table. I'm ready to start on the overhead components of the saw (motor, pulley, etc.).

Today I will be experimenting with the PCB etching fluid on the tin roofing. Should be interesting. At 2 pm I need to drop MOH off to pick up the van then take grandson to drop off his scooter for repair.

Last but not least, we rehomed one of the rescues yesterday. ;D

I hope everyone has a good day.

Curt, I always wore a respirator when working with the etchant.
And I always used it outside.

My first toy poodle loved rides with dad in the truck.  But that's because she would sit on the passenger seat and watch me.  She wasn't interested in what was going on outside.  She was the -best traveler-.

I have a couple different projects to consider, including assembling my first laser test project, more trees, or trying to cut different materials in the laser.  

dave

Quote from: Rick on September 17, 2026, 08:24:45 AMCurt, I always wore a respirator when working with the etchant.
And I always used it outside.

Great point or make sure your vat is downwind from you and animals.

Thanks for the tip James! I hammer flattened round brass rod and then joined the oar handle with solder and a bead of solder along the paddle and then filed away the excess material into a somewhat presentable oar.

Attempt to post 2 >:(

Sun and 70 s today in da Yoop. The deck is damp but no water in the gage.

Excursion yesterday took us to Germfask,  MI where we found Benny the Beard Fisher Troll  at a tourist trap it's an interesting character like those TomO mentioned a week or so back.
IMG_4139.jpeg



Benny the Beardfisher Troll
For visits to Benny the Beardfisher, we ask that all guests check in to the camp store upon arrival. The costs is $10 per vehicle.

Thomas Dambo is an artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thomas makes beautiful and fun sculptures and installations out of recycled materials. By doing this, he hopes to inspire everybody to have fun and think of "trash" as a valuable resource.

"But if we understand the meaning of one man's trash is another man's treasure then we understand that trash is a treasure. I believe trash is wealth, trash is an opportunity the world is not drowning in the trash, we just don't have the objective set right, the world is filled with opportunity."
– Thomas Dambo

Othe pics I took seem to be too big to post :-X  Numoerous website mentions search Benny the Beard Fisher Troll

Germfask? How'd it get the weird name...they took the first letter of the last name of everyone in town and made a word out of it.

Rick I understand Star's joy at the van. My K-9 partner Wrangler would transform like Clark Kent when the phone rang for a call out. He'd all but knock me over to get going.  Once in HIS patrol car he was totally on duty. NO ONE got close to the car, even my family, without intense reaction from him.

Yes, LIONS football tonight. 1:1 here today.

MI

Morning everyone

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.

Mike you've been busy.

James thanks for the apples.

Jim I saw the pickle factory its wonderful.

Rick congrats on the 4 years.  Doesn't seem that long.
Another PC but I went from a HP to a Dell the wiring for the monitor was different.

Curt be careful with the stuff.

Morning Dave.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/75.  Later 83.
No work at the bench again.
But will try today!!

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning. We weren't supposed to have Internet at the rental but we have WiFi unlocked so I'm using it. We are in Sister Bay, Wisconsin on the Door County peninsula. We come here after tourism season is done. Before Memorial Day and after Labor Day though it's still a touch busy. But many of the tourist shops are closed for the season. The restaurants here have greatly reduced hours and staff but are still using the tourist gouging prices.

Today if the Bay of Green Bay is calm we will take a lunch cruise of almost 3 hours or just the 1 hour cruise. Depends on mood.  Yesterday the Bay was smooth as glass but the Lake Michigan was slightly choppy. No other plans today but relax.

The daughter called last night wondering where we were staying. We are not at her place because they just closed on it last week. It was on the market 3 weeks. She wants us to look at a place a few miles up the road at Gill's Rock. They love it up here but the place needed a re-do and they weren't interested in losing a year to construction, so they sold it.

Below, one of the possible cruise boats and the other picture is the ferries. One heading out to Washington Island from Northport with the other returning

TomO

Quote from: friscomike on September 17, 2026, 07:51:40 AMI meant to ask, is Pratt's Cove on fresh or salt water?

To answer your question Mike; it's going to be salt water.

We have Bernheim forest giants in KY. SIL and grandson pictured.
B & W.jpg

Quote from: KentuckySouthern on September 17, 2026, 10:41:25 AMAttempt to post 2 >:(

Sun and 70 s today in da Yoop. The deck is damp but no water in the gage.

Excursion yesterday took us to Germfask,  MI where we found Benny the Beard Fisher Troll  at a tourist trap it's an interesting character like those TomO mentioned a week or so back.
IMG_4139.jpeg

Awesome!



Benny the Beardfisher Troll
For visits to Benny the Beardfisher, we ask that all guests check in to the camp store upon arrival. The costs is $10 per vehicle.

Thomas Dambo is an artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thomas makes beautiful and fun sculptures and installations out of recycled materials. By doing this, he hopes to inspire everybody to have fun and think of "trash" as a valuable resource.

"But if we understand the meaning of one man's trash is another man's treasure then we understand that trash is a treasure. I believe trash is wealth, trash is an opportunity the world is not drowning in the trash, we just don't have the objective set right, the world is filled with opportunity."
– Thomas Dambo

Othe pics I took seem to be too big to post :-X  Numoerous website mentions search Benny the Beard Fisher Troll

Germfask? How'd it get the weird name...they took the first letter of the last name of everyone in town and made a word out of it.

Rick I understand Star's joy at the van. My K-9 partner Wrangler would transform like Clark Kent when the phone rang for a call out. He'd all but knock me over to get going.  Once in HIS patrol car he was totally on duty. NO ONE got close to the car, even my family, without intense reaction from him.

Yes, LIONS football tonight. 1:1 here today.

MI

Quote from: Philip on September 17, 2026, 01:45:00 PM

Quote from: KentuckySouthern on September 17, 2026, 10:41:25 AMAttempt to post 2 >:(

Sun and 70 s today in da Yoop. The deck is damp but no water in the gage.

Excursion yesterday took us to Germfask,  MI where we found Benny the Beard Fisher Troll  at a tourist trap it's an interesting character like those TomO mentioned a week or so back.
IMG_4139.jpeg

Awesome!



Benny the Beardfisher Troll
For visits to Benny the Beardfisher, we ask that all guests check in to the camp store upon arrival. The costs is $10 per vehicle.

Thomas Dambo is an artist based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Thomas makes beautiful and fun sculptures and installations out of recycled materials. By doing this, he hopes to inspire everybody to have fun and think of "trash" as a valuable resource.

"But if we understand the meaning of one man's trash is another man's treasure then we understand that trash is a treasure. I believe trash is wealth, trash is an opportunity the world is not drowning in the trash, we just don't have the objective set right, the world is filled with opportunity."
– Thomas Dambo

Othe pics I took seem to be too big to post :-X  Numoerous website mentions search Benny the Beard Fisher Troll

Germfask? How'd it get the weird name...they took the first letter of the last name of everyone in town and made a word out of it.

Rick I understand Star's joy at the van. My K-9 partner Wrangler would transform like Clark Kent when the phone rang for a call out. He'd all but knock me over to get going.  Once in HIS patrol car he was totally on duty. NO ONE got close to the car, even my family, without intense reaction from him.

Yes, LIONS football tonight. 1:1 here today.

MI

Great picture thanks for sharing. We've been wondering about seeing this Troll. This picture is telling us yes. You are not too far from Karl's Northern Command by UP driving standards! I just showed Bernie the troll to Terry and she loves it too!


Germfast, Mi will be a Spring 2027 trip. We have now seen 16 of Thomas Dambo's trolls. Another 7 between Dayton Ohio and outside of Louisville are hopefully the 1st week in October. There are another 4 at Tupper Lake, NY. We might be in Canton, NY to see on 9/25 and 26. We are debating going to see the UW Badger Women's hockey against St Laurence University to open the season.  Not getting good vibes as it's a 14 hour trip from home

TomO

Hmmm. I didn't recall trolls at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake when I visited a decade ago. My in-laws that live nearby maintained their bog exhibit for many years, and the aunt-by-marriage who's visiting us now has made a number of model flowers for their exhibits.  Stories on the net suggest the invasion of trolls is a 2026 event.  Seems they'll move on, except for one built-for-purpose which will stay.

Good Morning All,

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, pastry, OJ, and soda.

Everyone here is fighting a cold brought to the house from grandson. Today MOH has a skunk event at a school unless she cancels.

Yesterday I glued the saw table onto the floor of the shed and attached overhead platforms in the rafters for components of the saw. Next up is gluing the overhead components in place then add the belt.

Using the etching fluid went well. Although I didn't have a respirator I used a face mask and had a fan blowing the fumes out of the garage. I set up on a commercial steel kitchen prep table just inside the roll up garage door.

Larry how did you color the belts in your build?

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

The morning beverages are at the end of the counter. Breakfast is homemade biscuits, country sausage gravy with hash browns on the side.

Curt hope you stay healthy and escape the colds. I paint my belts with raw Sienna craft paint; usually takes 2 coats per side and I use Tyvek from free mailing envelopes from the USPS.

What's happening in your world?

It's 63 on the back porch this am with a high of 73; love like it's going to be a nice day. Errands to run then maybe some bench time after. Lawn mowing on tap for this afternoon and still no word on the Buick.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning everyone.

It's 64 now, rain in the AM cloudy with a high of 79 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Two eggs, bacon and/or sausage patties with home fries for breakfast today.

James, good morning.

Philip, nice picture of the family and troll.

TomO, did you cruise?
Do you have to pay to see the trolls?

Jerry, did the cable show up?

Karl, nice picture of the doll and you.
Surprised there's a fee to see the troll.

Dave have fun with those projects.

Curt, how'd the PCB etching go?

How's everyone else?

Yesterdays planned hike was a fail.
Got to the park and the road to the trail was closed because they were putting oil/tar on the road.
Walked around the neighborhood instead.
A rainy morning so I'll stay in and backup my pictures.
A walk to the library for a new book is also planned.

Hope this isn't a repeat.
This was at Sacred Rim in the Wind River Range.

090726SacredRimTrail03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning folks,

Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Get well soon!

Larry, good luck with the Buick.  I don't like it when a weekend comes and there's no word from the repair folks.

Rick, thanks for the snack.  Wishing you an enjoyable walk about.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's going to be hot at 95F, but it's supposedly the last of the high heat... Yesterday, I used a clay bar on the Z, and it is ready for polishing.  Man, am I too old for that kind of work!  

This morning I'll take Sharon to the hospital for another infusion.  This afternoon, I have no plans.  Tomorrow our lodge is flipping pancakes and grilling sausages for a Shriners Hospital fundraising event.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning. No cruise the water was too excited with winds steady at 20 plus gusts.

Rick, All the Trolls we have seen have been no charge. But they also were on public grounds. Bernie in Germfast, Mi. is in a private campground. I totally understand the charge

Today is the anniversary #50 of the best decision I have ever made. Married my best friend, lover and mom to our 2 kids.

Karl happy #25 to you and Doll!

TomO

Quote from: jbvb on September 17, 2026, 10:25:58 PMHmmm. I didn't recall trolls at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake when I visited a decade ago. My in-laws that live nearby maintained their bog exhibit for many years, and the aunt-by-marriage who's visiting us now has made a number of model flowers for their exhibits.  Stories on the net suggest the invasion of trolls is a 2026 event.  Seems they'll move on, except for one built-for-purpose which will stay.

Many of the Trolls have recently been installed. The ones in Clinton, Iowa seen a couple weeks ago were done in Spring 2026. Our 1st 6 were at the Morton Arboretum outside Chicago on I90 in 2019. They were supposed to last 2-3 years. They lasted 5 before a few had to be removed, all were gone by 2025 from articles I have read. For what these art pieces cost I would want more than 5 years even but they are recycled as Thomas Dambo is a "sustainable" artist!!! 

Wow, three breakfasts this morning. It's a veritable cornucopia.

Karl sorry I missed the post but happy 25th anniversary.

TomO happy 50th anniversary.

Good morning everyone,

WOW!!!!!! Thanks for breakfast Curt, Larry and Rick, quite the selection this morning.  ;D

Curt, sounds like we need an update, your making a lot of progress on your build.  Hope all the colds go away real soon.

Larry, hope you get news on the Buick today and it's good news.

Rick, Great picture. I would have thought that we would start seeing farm pictures seeing as you are home.  ;D

Mike, you will need sunglasses to look at the car when you are done.  Hope Sharon's infusion goes well.

TomO, Happy 50th anniversary to you and Terry.

Karl, happy 25th anniversary to you and the doll.

Current temperature here is 14c (58f) and sunny, looks like it's going to be a great day.  Had quite the busy day yesterday as I got slammed at work.:o  Good news is that my weekend has begun and even greater news is that our modular group is having a set-up this weekend.  That means that I'll load up the car later this morning for a weekend of fun.  over the last couple of evenings I did manage to finish cutting the foam inserts that protect the rolling stock during travel and 3D print a small army of little green men.

Have a great day everyone.

Happy Anniversary TomO and Karl.

Happy 50th Terry and TomO!

25th here for my Doll and me ;D

No heatwave wave here, 47^o moments ago. Almost as cold as the Lions football mess last night at Buffalo ugly game halftime the coach said "the little s**t is killing us" wasn't all little.  ;D They looked worn out still from Sunday's OT game. Their big brute 97 looks out of shape.

Headed out to dinner later today after the Doll arises...she overdid 1:1 yesterday. Needs an ibuprofen drip.  :P

Pretty view this morning.
IMG_4197.jpeg

Quote from: Rick on September 18, 2026, 08:49:24 AMHappy Anniversary TomO and Karl.

Thanks, but I haven't known TomO THAT long :o

Great women had lots to do with that!

Actually it's my 50th anniversary as well, just took me 2 tries. Got it right this time.  ;D

Morning everyone

Rick, Curt & Larry thanks for all the choices for breakfast this morning.

Karl Happy Anniversary to you and the Doll.

Tom Happy anniversary to you and Terry.

Ron sounds like you have a fun weekend coming up.

Weather in South Jersey is P. sunny/75.  Later on 85.
Computer is okay.  Just need to get my Photoshop loaded on it.
After trying to fix the two walls I gave up. :(
Wall number 3 is framed and almost ready for shingles. ;D
A lesson learned pay attention when modeling!! 

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Another great photo, Rick.

Happy anniversary TomO, Karl.  

Ron, 'slammed at work':  Just workload, or did someone gnaw on your butt?

Wife is at the hospital for "that procedure".  I'm at home waiting for the cleaners, then I expect the call to bring her back home.

dave

Morning all,

I'm full now from all the breakfast foods. Thanks to all.

I have a little more energy this morning. Knowing I have only 7 treatments left has given me a little lift.

Great photos to all including the trolls.  ;D

Pam and I are meeting Bill, The Judge, and his wife Cindy for lunch tomorrow. I'll let everyone know how his is doing tomorrow afternoon.

Have a wonderful day and stay safe.

Tom

Tom O. Happy 50th Anniversary to you and Terry!!

Karl Happy 50th Anniversary to you and the Doll; better not let her know you got the years wrong!

I forgot to wish all involved a Happy Anniversary. So, Happy Anniversary to TomO and Karl!

T

Thank you everyone for the congrats on #50. It was a very good day. We are heading out tomorrow

TomO

Good Morning,

Looks like everyone's sleeping in this morning so I'll get us started. The usual morning beverages are sitting on the counter. Breakfast is pancakes, real butter, and Vermont Maple Syrup with sides of crispy bacon and/or pan sausages so dig in.

What's your plans?

It's a chilly 46 with a high of only 69. Mowed yesterday and trimmed; although the grass really wasn't that high considering the rain we've had and a few leaves are starting to fall. Picked up the Buick yesterday and the $$ wasn't too bad. On the way home a prompt came up on the Escape "Brake light bulb fault". Getting home I discovered I have a blown bulb. Popped the back hatch only to find no way to access the tail light assembly. Long story short I watched a video to see how to get to the bulb...not too difficult. So guess what's on the agenda for today plus Ellie wants to start putting up fall decorations; probably no bench time this weekend.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

Well I thought I'd stop in for a cup of coffee.

Speaking of mowing I purchased a new zero turn mower Thursday. A "Bad Boy" 62" deck with bagger. Never liked the quick turning of those mowers after trying out my brothers John Deer several years ago. I was all over the yard. Had a hard time going straight. These new mowers have much better hydraulic drives. Test drove the Bad Boy and was very impressed. Pick it up on the 30th of September. There goes my model railroad budget.  :(

Getting ready to go and help my train buddy Dan at Hemlock today and tomorrow. It's the Hemlock Train Fair. Next one will be the what used to be the Batavia show. It'll be here in the Rochester area at the Dome Arena in October.

Here's to a good day.

Bernd

Good morning everyone.

62 now and gray and overcast again, clouds and a chance of rain with a high of 67.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Glad the Buick wasn't expensive and hope the bulb replacement is easy.

ACLTom, glad you've got a bit more energy and enjoy your visit with Bill.

Dave, hope your wife's procedure went well.

Jerry, too bad about the walls.

Karl, "Thanks, but I haven't known TomO THAT long" - that made me laugh. ;D
Beautiful picture too.

Ron, not sure if you'll see me post farm pictures, but you never know.

TomO, did you go out last night to celebrate #50?

Mike, hope Sharon's infusion went well.

Curt, congratulations on finding a home for one of the skunks.

How's everyone else.

I've been staying up later so I don't get up so early.
Grass is in need of a mow, but it keeps raining.
A grocery run later.

Shot this with my phone while wandering around Leadville, CO.

081426LeadvilleCO01Full.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning from Sister Bay, Wisconsin and we both seem very relaxed. Thanks again for the anniversary good will messages

Rick, Terry and me still have our own way to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays. Dinners are included

The 3.5 hour trip home will be broken up as we go the long way home in what looks like a full rainy day trip. We are leaving a day early as the AB&B has sprung a few leaks in the kitchen windows. I let the property manager know yesterday we were uncomfortable continuously mopping up the kitchen every few hours. So they refunded us 1/2 our payment and we are leaving by 10.

1st stop is Seroogy's Chocolates in Green Bay. One of the more decent chocolate shops in this part of the state but we going here for the excellent taffy and turtle cashew clusters. Then we are heading to Mequon as we meander home to eat lunch at St Paul's Fish Company. A great lobster roll for Terry and something shrimp for me. Then across the street to the Mequon Public Market for a couple waffle cones and ice cream at the Purple Cow. As we lapse into a food coma we will go to Freeze Candies in West Allis and buy from a top 3 ranked Chocolatier in my book within Wisconsin. Just some awesome candies and of course chocolates to die for...

Finally we head down to Muckwanago and a stop at the Elegant Farmer. It is a farm market and kitchen famous for its signature "Apple Pie Baked in a Paper Bag" and gourmet specialty foods. Set in a neat rural market setting barely outside the subdivisions it offers seasonal activities like hayrides, apple picking, and train rides on the East Troy Electric Railroad. There is a trolley stop behind the store but with forecasted storms this is a store visit only. Then the 90 minute backroad drive home to finish the day.

As we travel today there maybe other stops on the way home especially by the Tisch Mills, Manitowoc and Sheboygan exits as Terry has family in those  areas.

None of the Crew needed any modeling or train supplies so we are not stopping at Enginehouse Services in GB or Hiawatha Hobbies in Peewaukee today.

So we will be home late this afternoon or early evening. Our home area is under a severe storm and flood watch.

One of the things Terry wants based on how good she slept the past few nights is a new softer mattress. That's the only thing planned for the upcoming week

Enjoy your day

Morning everyone

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Funny one of our brake lights blew out on the way home yesterday.

Bernd have a fun day with your buddy.

Rick that's a great picture for an phone!!

Tom be safe traveling around.

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/67.  Later showers.
Seeing it's going to be a rainy day work will continue on wall three.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. Good luck on the Buick light replacement.

Well the crud that grandson brought into the house has hit the rest of us hard. Unfortunately, it's caused MOH's chronic bronchitis to flare up. I actually spent almost 12 hours in bed after going to bed early last night.

Yesterday I glued the machinery parts in the upper part of the shed. All that's left to do on the shed is attach the belt and roof panels.

Today I'll probably just sit on my backside.

Rick I wonder how they fix that steeple?

TomO sounds like a fun trip.

Bernd enjoy the mower.

Jerry enjoy the workbench.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Bright, breezy overcast in the UP this morning.

Thank you all for your good thoughts yesterday. We drove off yesterday to spend the day wandering. In and out of the Central Time Zone before ending up at the huge casino complex West of Escanaba for dinner.  Our last stops before dinner were in the area of Norway, MI about 5 minutes from  Wisconsin, she heard of another shop down US-8 into WI where I spent more time in WI than I ever have. This woman has 2 huge pole barns full of junque disguised as antiques the Doll went off the deep end about loaded up the car :o i visited with the woman's husband til he apparently had enough and walked away and went back to the house.

We finally made it to the casino complex, as has a couple thousand of our newest friends. We finally found the, due to poorly designed signage, it was on the 12th floor. We were seated by two groups of loud fellows, that had been there for a bit after I believe a golf outing there were about 15-20 of them. No indoor voices. Halfway through our meals they wandered off. The steak was magnificent and we enjoyed a few moments we could hear each other.  After dinner we ignored the gambling den and headed home. All in all a nice day. Wisc has nicer roads where we were than MI

SPARTAN football this evening but first a local history event  3 miles up the road. Free hotdogs and pop!  All I can afford today.  $75 fill up was a killer >:(

Be well all!

Go Green!

No surprises from my wife's procedure yesterday, and That's A Good Thing.  

A story about casinos:  My computer standards group had quarterly meetings around the country (and some international meetings).  This was a rather large group, maybe 200, and we needed lots of breakout rooms for the various committees.  That tended to limit hotel choices.  One year we went to the Hyatt on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe.  Most of us dropped a quarter or two into the slots, just to say "been there, done that."  At the next meeting, our event coordinator told us we were not invited back.  The hotel said it was because we didn't gamble enough and ate too many desserts from the lunch buffet.  Our coordinator told the hotel, "I told you this is a meeting of computer nerds, what did you expect???"

dave

Howdy folks,

Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and tasty breakfast.  Good luck with your repair tasks.

Bernd, hope you enjoy the train show.

Rick, unique photo.  Good luck with shopping.

TomO, sounds like a fun road trip.

Jerry, good luck with wall three.

Curt, wishing you and the family a quick recovery.

Karl, your road trip sounds like a lot of fun, too.

Dave, that's a funny story about computer nerds and the hotel.

How is the rest of the crew?

Today's breakfast for the motorcycle riders went well.  I had sausage duty.  Sharon is off to a play with our daughter, so I am free to head upstairs.  I plan to continue work on the engine shed roof.

Have fun,
mike

Back from the train show. Bought two kits and five water color pictures of the EBT.

Can't wait to get the mower. My John Deer tractor mower is getting hard to steer without power steering.

Bernd

Good morning Crew. We are home.

Since I'm the only one in the Lounge breaksfast is ready. 1st the Ashpit blend of coffee for those that drink, it's hot, thick and has quite a bit of caffeine to keep you awake. All other liquid refreshments are there at the end of the bar. The main course today are nice big Belgian waffles with or without chicken. The chicken is a nice lightly crisped chicken tender from our free range chickens purchased at the frozen grocery freezer. Fruits, we have green grapes, bananas and raspberries. If you prefer yogurts we have Greek with optional granola and use the fruit

It's 55 heading to 64f degrees here at home. The range gauge was full at over 6" but officially Verona received 2.86" of needed rain. Maybe just a cloud burst over my gauge! It continued raining after we got home Saturday evening but I have not gone outside yet. Some chances of rain today but the rain returns for sure tomorrow.

Driving in rain and sometimes fog yesterday was different for sure. We did stop at all the places we had hoped to yesterday. The 3.5 hour drive directly home took 10.25 hours! We wandered as we wanted and visited the places we wanted.

Glad to be home
TomO

Good morning everyone.

59 here now, gray and overcast all morning with rain all afternoon and night.
There's rain in the forecast for the rest of the week.
Haven't seen the sun in a while.

TomO, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
That was quite the itinerary you had yesterday and glad you enjoyed it.

Bernd, congratulations on the new mower and RR items.

Mike, glad the breakfast went well and hope lots of progress was made upstairs.

Dave, good news on the wife's procedure.

Karl, sorry you had to hear those loud mouths but at the least the steak was good.

Curt, hope you're feeling much better today.
They must use a crane with a basket to work on the spire and someone who is not afraid of heights.

Jerry, what's new?

How's everyone else.

Things dried up enough for me to mow the lawn.
It will be an indoor day because of all the rain.

One more phone picture from my walk in Leadville.

081426LeadvilleCO02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Tom O thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sounds like you and Terry had a nice time.

Rick there's always something to be done when you own your own home. Hope the weather breaks for you.

What's your plans?

It's 59 with a high of 64 with rain. Surprisingly with all the rain we've had the grass isn't really growing all that much. I'm down to mowing every 2 weeks. Once we get a killing frost then the mowing will stop and leaf mulching will start. Yesterday was a bust on decs but today is for sure. No bench time in my immediate future.

Have an enjoyable and safe day!! Be well.

Good Morning All,

TomO thanks for opening and breakfast. You had some interesting travels yesterday.

Still fighting the cold but felt good enough to do a morning walk but I was beat by the end.

Yesterday I sucked it up and got to the workbench for about an hour. I attached the drive belt and worked on a cupola for the saw shed but the more I think about it the more I don't think I'll add it. To me it doesn't make sense as it is unusable.

Today after chores I'll head to the workbench and put the roof on the saw shed.

Rick I saw doorways like that in Skagway on my last cruise.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning folks,

TomO, thanks for opening, coffee and chicken and waffles. Sounds like a fun road trip.

Rick, thanks for the Leadville photo. Wishing Star and you a relaxing day.

Larry, ah, the double edged sword of fall, leaves!

Curt, good luck with the saw shed.

How is the rest of the crew?

It stormed last night and more rain is coming this afternoon.  It is cooler, finally.  Today's plan is watching sports with Sharon.  She is a big fan and likes it more than me. Don't think I'll make it upstairs for long.

Have fun,
mike

Clouds, mid 50s, breezy outside here in the UP. Looking at the weather app it's raining back home. We had a train cam shot from home yesterday. The big patch of grass I planted is up and green. The grass experts say mid Aug to mid September is the ideal time to install new grass.

My Spartans were defeated at South Bend by a well prepared team deserving their #3 ranking.  ::)

Preparing for the trip home tomorrow will keep us occupied.

Be well all.

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast TomO.

Pam and I had lunch with Bill and Cindy yesterday. Cindy thinks he is doing really well. I don't agree. I've seen him several times in the past few months and his walking isn't getting any better. Several or our friends agree with me. I don't see much improvement. He needs help to get up to the table. And,  its hard for him to get up from the table.

We agreed we will try a SBG in early November. I'm very concerned that it will be hard on him to get from the car, around the pool, into the shed and then to his chair in the corner where our command station is located.

When this does happen, I'll make sure Curt is available. He is a past EMT with the fire dept.. I won't attempt to get Bill in here without his help. I wish the news was better, but it isn't.

Now some news on me. I have 7 days of radiation left, I hope I make it.  For the past week I've been getting the EBRT, External Based Radiation Treatment. Although it is called external, it is basically a radiation treatment focusing on where the prostrate was prior to removal in 2017. The side effect is a radiation burn of the Urethra at the bottom of the bladder. This causes the feeling of needing to urinate (there is no time to find a bathroom) and only a few drops as a result. Oh, and it burns like H**l. There is no infection, just the result of the fried radiation area. More information than you all needed to read but this should answer the emails I've been getting.

With that, have a happy Sunday and stay well,

Tom

Morning everyone

Tom thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
You had a busy day.

Rick great picture.

Larry don't let those 1:1 chores get in the way of bench time.

Curt glad the cold is better.

Mike have a nice day with Sharon.

Karl be safe driving back home.

Tom sorry to hear about Bill.
Good idea to have Curt there to help when you all get together.

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/71 with rain in the forecast.
We have a plumber coming over to replace two on and off faucets for the washing machine.
Meanwhile I will try to work on wall 3.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Tom thanks for the update and I'm available when you need me.

Good late afternoon to anyone who looks in.  I've spent a while in my orchard today, so I'll set small baskets of Baldwin, Haralson and Beacon apples on the counter. They and the pawpaws will be fine tomorrow morning, but the pawpaws don't last nearly as long as the 'keeper' apples.

No modeling progress yet, and the carburetor rebuild is unchanged. But I have spent a while on slides and records of where I took them.

Good morning everyone.

It's 54 now, rain & gloom all day with a high of 59.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
A fried egg, sausage patties and cheddar on a toasted and buttered English muffin for breakfast.

James, thanks for the apples.

Jerry, hope the plumbing went well and wasn't too costly.

ACLTom, sorry to read that Bill's not doing better.
If you have access to a wheelchair that would probably make moving him easier.

Karl, safe travels.

Mike, your team was the better one yesterday and my teams season is already over.

Curt, hope you're feeling better today.

Larry, hope you can get back to the bench soon.

TomO, still building trees?

How's everyone else.

A very lazy day here today.
With all the wet outside again it will be another indoor day.
Football was a bust yesterday.
Glad I don't take it very seriously or do any betting.

Lake Isabella

063026LakeIsabelleTrailWardCO08Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Any given day at any given time...

I'm off to the cardiologist for a semiannual checkup. Going to help a lodge brother with a computer problem this afternoon. I may get upstairs later this afternoon if I don't take a nap.

Have fun,
mike

Good Morning,

James sounds like a good apple crop. Having worked in produce for about 20 years I can appreciate a good apple.

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast as well as the gorgeous photo. I'm sure you can find something to do inside to occupy your time.....maybe resurrect one of your kits to build??

Mike have fun with the computer problem. Hmmm.....being at the bench or take a nap....that's a tough one.

Tom sorry to hear the Judge isn't doing better; getting old sucks. Hope the rest of the radiation goes well and there's no lasting side effects.

What's your plans?

It's a cloudy 48 with a high of only 65. Put up Fall decorations on and off most of yesterday and hopefully they can be finished up today. Have a few errands to run shortly then taking out the portable A/C unit upstairs; will make it much warmer up there. Bench time??????

Have a great day!! Be well, heal up, and stay safe.

We had some fog this morning, but that's burned off.  Yesterday brought a bit of rain, it was damp and drizzly all day.  I won't talk about the F-word after yesterday's disappointing game.  Since I wasn't happy with the roof on the little laser cut shed, I drew up new roof components, and will try cutting them from a different material (other than the 1/16 wood), once I'm back from German class this morning.

dave

Good morning from So. Central Wisconsin where Terry and me play horse sitters till Thursday. The daughter and family flew out last night. 8 horses that I need to feed, let out in the fields and call back in for the evening. No mucking out of stalls or grooming as 2 high schoolers on the payroll get to do that after school. 3 of the horses are the daughter's the other 5 are boarders. If Terry wants to ride I will join her. Not riding has been tough for her but her health issues really limit her. For years she rode every day.

Not sure what today's other plans are as I have nothing figured out.

The 10 day weather forecast has no 70 degree temperatures in it. Too cool with the winds blowing to sit on the deck or out under the Pergola!

Rick, the trees are on the shelves! I'm taking a break from other layouts and their projects. I anm ahead of schedule so it's fine! I still plan to take them up on 10/7 whether the scenery is ready or not. The trees will be ready on the day promised. I've been selling off some of my equipment and seriously thinking about what direction of the hobby I want to go in. I sold off a couple of my CN Gp40-2L's, a Wisconsin Interstate Gp40-2L and another W plus a few pieces of rolling stock. I am hoping the train show this weekend will spark something. I need to start work again on my friend's paper mill as the space for it is ready for installation.

Terry finally broke down and ordered the greenhouse she has been talking about for the last 3-4 months. 12' wide x 32' long build on a 4' knee wall cut into a south facing hill. We are going to try pounding a sand point well to provide water but 1st I need to get the contractor out to create the space and pour the walls. The 36" raised cedar beds and those hanging bag things while good have not fulfilled her veggie needs. Our growing season has really been messed up with the climate change. The daughter and SIL had suggested a couple weeks ago I surprise Terry by having a "tiny" home added. That way Terry can have a get away place. I'm thinking about it but why after 50+ years would my wife want to get away from me?

Not sure what other plans there might be until SWMBO wakes.

Enjoy the day

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.

Tom, sorry to hear Bill isn't getting any better, hopefully that will change in the near future.

Current weather here is 11c (51f) and partly cloudy.  Had a great time this weekend running trains and kibitzing with the gang.  Our next setup is near the end of November.  Well something interesting happened on my modules this weekend as it had an alien invasion :o, seems like there was a crash landing.  I'll post pictures in the next couple of days.

Have a great day everyone.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice picture.
Now that your cooped up inside maybe you should start modeling again??!!

Mike I hope your cardio visit goes well.

Larry you have a full schedule today.

TomO sounds like you in for a lot of gardening down the road.

Ron I hope the crash wasn't to bad!!!

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/71.  Showers later.
Wall 3 is almost framed and ready for the shingles again but this time right.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good Afternoon All,

Today I've already completed chores and Dad errands. Tomorrow he has an appointment first thing at a new Urologist (his previous retired), and he has a field trip on Friday if he goes since he still has congestion.

Didn't sleep well last night so no energy for the train room.

I hope everyone has a good day.

We arrived home in good shape. Sun in the UP morphed to mostly cloudy skies one back beneath the bridge with the trolls. Highest temperature seen was 63, 7 pm now it's in the 50s.

Funny thing the hummingbirds were very active at the feeder at the cedar swamp this am and anxious for a fresh jug of sweet stuff back here at home. Very late for them, especially in UP.

Watch last quarter of the Steelers dismissal game and enjoyed the Sunday nightcap, quite intense. Colts came oh so close. May see the game tonight too. Rested my eyes for an hour while my "ears" recharged.

Back to the yard tomorrow and maybe some bench time, too.

ACLTOM thanks for the update. Best wishes to the Judge.

The Egg McRick sounds like a good breakfast, Rick. Ronald's used to be a favorite. Eggs not my favorite these days. Maybe a Sausage RikGriddle would work too.

Enjoy all, nice to be home. Near $5 gas takes the edge out of traveling right now. You would not tell from the traffic, tho.

Good morning everyone.

It's 54 now, slight chance of rain this morning but gray and overcast all day with a high of 63.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Belgium waffle maker is plugged in and ready to go with a bowl of batter next to it.
Sides of bacon and/or sausage with real Wisconsin butter and authentic Vermont maple syrup.

Karl, didn't know I'd gat a RickRibbing yesterday.  :)  ;D
Glad you got home safely.

Curt, hope you slept and feel better today.

Jerry, how are you?

Ron, good news on the great weekend and looking forward to the pictures.

TomO, with the purchase of the greenhouse it sounds like more evidence of permanency.

Dave, I'll have to check your thread for the roof status.

Larry, I gave all my modeling supplies away and need to rebuy everything before I can start building kits again.

Mike, hope it was all good news at the check-up yesterday.

How's everyone else?

Got some things done inside and backed up more photos.
Stopped raining long enough to take Star for a walk.
There's a rail line about 2-300' from my house.
Around 2 to 4 trains come through on an average day.
I've walked with Star on the tracks to the next grade crossing a few times and noticed the poor condition of many of the ties.
Yesterday a MOW train arrived and unloaded new ties.

I have an afternoon appointment with the urologist to remove the stent.

092126MOWCantonCO01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning, Rick. I'm off to Maine for more track work in a bit.  Interesting to see that whatever contractor the RR has hired to spread ties has their train set up to plow snow in the winter (off-season for ties, you only replace what you absolutely have to when ground is frozen).

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad you and Star were able to get a walk in. Bummer about the modeling supples; at least you know what you would absolutely need and what can wait.

James sound like a busy day; safe travels. How far away are you from Maine?

What's your plans for the day?

It's a clear and chilly 45 with a high of 68; sure feels like Fall to me; which is tomorrow btw. Haven't seen the bench in a few days due to 1:1 stuff, starting to feel like Jerry, but maybe today. Have to get my hairs cut later this am then need to touch base with the Bank. This afternoon I need to load up my lawn cart with firewood and stick out by the road and see if anyone wants free wood.

Have a great and safe day. Be well and heal up if your having medical issues.

Cool at the home crib this morning, but sunny.  Mid 40s going to low 60s later.

Book keeping and lawnwork on tap for today.

Be well all.

Good morning from wet again Wisconsin. We may not even hit 60f degrees today as the guess is 58. Plus it's on/off rain again

Rick, the greenhouse will not be close. About a mile from where we are now but still on property of course. It will be at one of the locations thought about before Terry and the daughter picked the now discredited wetland view. Too many mosquitoes there but there are many good reasons for the greenhouse where it's going but I'm not sure the house is one of them 

Jerry, I am not the gardener Terry is. I help with moving dirt and compost. If pressed I will help with the daily watering. While not 100% certified organic Terry uses no insecticides or fertilizers.

The Amazon greenhouse ordered and paid for Sunday is no longer available. She got a message yesterday but no refund. Today we will look after her medical appointment at a greenhouse the local technical college construction class builds and sells. Recommended by the excavating contractor. Says he installs around 4 a year from the class his son happens to teach! So we will look. They build he says about 6 a semester and primarily 4 tiny home shells. I no longer will try to install so the contractor will!

The equipment sell off continues. Today 10 plate F 60' weathered box cars to Cleveland and 4 new in box molten sulfur cars and custom paper mill parts to Colombia, Tennessee. More things sold in the last few days than the previous 8.5 months combined. All to former weathering clients

We have not decided on a Tuesday movie out yet. We've been gone the last 2 Tuesdays but there wasn't anything to see in our opinions. Debating if there is any for tomorrow

Enjoy your day
TomO

TomO:  Have you seen "Coyote vs Acme"?

dave

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Get those supplies winter is coming!!

James have a good day laying track.

Larry hate to tell you but today is the beginning of Fall!!  ;D

Karl glad you made it home safely.

TomO you do the important stuff!!

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy with rain coming.  Could be a real stormy day so say the "WEATHER WEENIES"!
Hopefully wall 3 will be completed today.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Enjoy rebuilding your modeling material.

Started out with a walk with a temp of 74F but with really high humidity from the heavy rain last night. We got 1.5 inches.

Back from Dad's appointment which was a waste of time. I did sleep well last night and actually have energy today. After chores I will read the landscape build section probably a couple times so I understand the entire process before I start on it.

Karl if you want it warmer I will trade with you.

Jerry good luck at the workbench.

TomO good luck with the greenhouse.

Larry good luck getting to the workbench.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Quote from: Jerry on September 22, 2026, 09:41:34 AMLarry hate to tell you but today is the beginning of Fall!!  ;D

Then somebody screwed up; according to my calendar on the wall it's the 23rd...tomorrow; but no matter
it still feels like it today anyway.
Actually I stand corrected!! According to the "Weather Wizards" Fall starts at 8:10 pm TODAY; so barely the 22nd.

Quote from: deemery on September 22, 2026, 09:28:40 AMTomO:  Have you seen "Coyote vs Acme"?

dave

No! Not a cartoon guy. It's #4 on the if we are really desperate listing which means we will wait till it hits the home screens.

We decided after viewing a greenhouse we will skip the movies this week.

TomO

"Book keeping and lawnwork on tap for today."

Mowed, mowed and mowed some mo'  then swept. Sadly I had to raise the blades a bit so the next mow will be mo' sooner than I'd like :(  fo' sho' especially with tomorrow and the next day's rain  :o

Karl...won't be long before you have to take the cutting deck off and mount the snow blower  ;-((
terry

Good Morning All,

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, donuts, OJ, and soda.

This morning grandson starts his part time job as a dishwasher at a small local restaurant. ;D Still waiting on determination about his GED program.

Yesterday at the workbench or rather the garage I cut the wood base and 2- 0.5 inch sheets of pink foam. After that I read and re-read the instructions about the next steps. I'm lucky that if I screw up the foam I have more available in the garage.

Today is floor day. :-* After that I'll head up to the workbench and start trimming the foam sheets.

Not much else happening this way.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning from Wisconsin where the temperature is 8c/47f heading to 20c/68f. That 10 degrees higher than yesterday!

The arborist and her crew are coming to trim the bushes around the stables, shop, office, our home complex. I don't really know what to call where we live. They are also going into the grove of trees between  here and the 1st big field to the daughter's family's house to mark them for removal or heavy duty trimming. They also will walk the 1600' tree lined driveway marking those trees. The driveway was cut through the same grove of trees but it was written up separately on the proposal. Red to remove yellow to trim. They will trim the trees but not cut them down. They figured 3 days to complete.  We have had too many near misses this Summer with branches falling in the wind and in a few cases blocking the big driveway. I no longer will do this chore of cutting trees and I never enjoyed trimming the bushes!

I'm here all morning. Terry has a medical imagining event at 12:20 that takes they say 45 minutes. She says I'm not needed to drive afterward

We are waiting for Amazon to refund the unable to deliver greenhouse before we order the next one through the technical college construction class

The plan is to be in my studio slinging paint at a canvas or 2

Enjoy your day
TomO

Good Morning,

Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Hope the GS's new job goes well. Enjoy your time at the bench; foam is always fun to cut.

Tom O. tree branches can cause a lot of damage; good you're getting them either removed or trimmed. I had a local company come in years ago and take down about 3 or 4 trees by the driveway for that very reason. A few smaller ones I've taken down myself.

What's your plans for the day?

At 0530 this morning we were @ a whomping 42 with a high of 69? Maybe. Some bench time this am and then starting on the Fall projects a little at a time. Not much else this way.

Have a great and safe day. Be well and hope those w/ medical issues are on the mend.

50-60 the temp range today. Currently clouds with a reduced to slight chance of rain today. Sun 8) for the most of the next week. Cool.

Tree people don't work for cheap. Probably more if they call themselves "Arborists"  ;D

Bench time a possibility today.

Be well all.

Good morning everyone.

56 here, cloudy with a high of 68 later.
Rain tonight and into the morning.

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Congratulations on your grandson getting a job and hope he gets his GED.

TomO, sounds like it will be busy around your house the few days.
Hope it's all good news for Terry.

Larry, hope you make good progress at the bench.

Karl, I think Terry is right.

Jerry, how do you like the new computer?

James, it was a BNSF engine so I'm guessing they are doing the work themselves.
I'll try and find out when they start to do the work.
Those blades look brand new.
They must have had the blades down, maybe on another unit, at some point earlier last week because there are intermittent gouges along the right of way.

How's everyone else?

Things went well yesterday getting the stent out.
This doctor was by far the fastest and least uncomfortable person to remove a stent.
Also got the title for the house from my realtor.
Rain has stopped long enough for Star and me to go to one of the state parks and do some hiking.

This was from my hike up Mount Flora.

070226MountFloraTrail03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning,

Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Good luck with the foam.

TomO, enjoy slinging paint.

Larry, sounds like Fall has fallen up there.  Hope you enjoy the cool.

Karl, have fun at the bench.

Rick, glad the stent removal went well.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's cooler today, with a high of 77F.  I think the 90s are behind us.  Yesterday was a busy day, and I concluded at the lodge last night. Hope to work on the engine shed roof today.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt.  Hope the floors go quickly and you spend a lot of time at the bench.  I wouldn't worry about screwing up the foam, it only happens when you do not any extra to use as a replacement. 😊  Hope the grandson's job goes well enough for him to figure out that a GED might be beneficial.

TomO, sounds like there is a ton of trimming to do. Hope you get a lot of paint slinging done.

Larry, hope the fall projects are just maintenance and have fun at the bench.

Karl, hope you make it to the bench today.

Rick, you got the title, I guess it's official now.  Happy your Dr. visit went well.  Enjoy your hike with star.

Mike, hope you get to work on the engine shed today.

Current temperature here is 8c (47f) and sunny.  Judging from the weather, fall is here.

Had a very busy day yesterday with barely time to breathe.  Today is calmer.  Last week by grandson (who is living with is) informed me that it looks like the upstairs bathroom window needs changing as the bottom sill is rotten.  I hate to say this, but I'm getting to old to be climbing a ladder to the second floor to change it, that is a job for someone else.  

Also, our alarm system is haunted as it has started doing some funky stuff.  Someone is coming on Friday to upgrade it and preform a exorcism.  It does need to be upgraded as I installed it when I bought the house 35 years ago.

As mentioned earlier, here are some pictures of the alien invasion that happened this past weekend.  I don't know where else to put them, so I'm putting them here.

SpaceInvasion-001.jpg

SpaceInvasion-002.jpg

SpaceInvasion-004.jpg

SpaceInvasion-003.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

The guys are out and trimming the bushes. There is another Crew painting red X's or yellow circles along the driveway. The drive itself is a 12' wide concrete strip through the woods. The head guy said the trees should be 10' from each edge. I told him no as taking the trees out that far would cost more than the property is worth. He said at 10 he will come get us to review the trees to cut he marked. About another hour

The bushes being trimmed have been approved by Terry after wanting another few inches trimmed down. I'm staying away from the bush proceedings!

Back to a canvas

Morning everyone

Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
I hope GS gets his GED.

TomO that sounds like a lot of trimming and removal.

Larry don't let those chores stop the bench time!!  :)

Morning Karl.

Rick glad to hear the stent removal was easy.

Mike be looking for an update.

Ron ladders and two floors up wouldn't be in book to do either.
Great picture of the little green people!!

Weather in South Jersey cloudy/68.
Supposedly we are in for a Nor'easter so they say!!  And we all know how accurate they are!!
Wall three is ready for shingles.
Maybe a picture tomorrow!!

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good evening. It was a very nice day in Wisconsin. Small breeze with a sunny high of 67f degrees.

The real trees. The driveway is 1606' long with trees tight on both sides starting maybe 4' from the concrete. They marked just on the driveway 62 trees that probably will need to be cut in the next 3-5 years. 34 trees that should be cut now. They will inspect the trees within the main wooded area itself tomorrow but 3 trees within striking distance of my pergola are already marked for removal. Terry and I walked the driveway with the Crew lead and Arborist explaining why the trees were marked with the dreaded red X. Neither of us saw any reason to disagree. He said he'll have the 34 done by noon Friday. When I questioned that he said 50 trees were already part of the quote. He figures the woods are between 4-6 acres. They also take the wood but leave us 1 cord and the stumps. They will take the 3 trees by the pergola and 17 trees of however many they mark tomorrow. He figured before they left today based on the trees they cut down this afternoon the trees are all over 100 years old.

He said all widow makers in the woods will be marked tomorrow morning and most cut by noon Friday. He said the scheduled crew tomorrow is 12 cutters and 3 supervisors. Each supervisor has a crew of 4.

Terry was very happy they are working on the trees. The grandkids, dogs and their friends spent a lot of the Summer playing in the trees. The Arborist picked out 3 different stand of trees for a treehouse if we want to build one. I don't but someone's eyes got big at that!

We have the grandkids again this evening while the parents are up nort!

Tomorrow I head up early to a work session as I'm doing scenery for the 1st level of the entrance blob where some of the trees we are creating will be placed. Another guy has started doing the upper level

No refund yet from Amazon on the now unavailable but paid for greenhouse

We were planning to head to Louisville tomorrow afternoon but a few of the areas we planned to stop at are currently flooded or were recently flooded.  I mentioned Dayton, Ohio as there are 4 trolls and the National Air Museum but I was surprised when she said "we can stay home"!

Enjoy the evening
TomO

Good morning everyone.

58 now, rain all day with a high of 64.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
two eggs, bacon and/or sausage and home fries for breakfast today.

TomO, have fun at the work session.

Jerry, hope the Nor'easter doesn't cause any damage or flooding issues.

Ron, very creative and something you don't see modeled often.
Any thoughts on the new F1 rule cutting 2-3 laps off all the races.
I don't have a problem with it if it results in better racing.

Mike, how's the roof coming along?

How's everyone else.

Star and I did 4 miles at the Good Earth SP yesterday.
It was dreary all day till around 4 when the clouds parted and the sun came out.
Had to go outside for another walk to enjoy that.
It's an indoor day today.

Some of the trees are starting to change color.
This isn't a great picture but wanted to show where we're at with the fall colors.

092326GoodEarthSP01Small.jpg

A wildlife sighting yesterday.

092326GoodEarthSP02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Great photos. Is it only NP's that don't allow dogs on the trails?

Started out the day with a walk at 76F and pleasantly breezy. Today after the cold front comes through it will drop temps into 60's and 80's. We've had 100+ days of 90+ temps so far.

Today after chores I need to program a code for gs in the front door since he will be here for a long time. I have 4 generations living in our house.

On the modeling front I need to straighten the resin sea walls. I'll use a blow dryer for heat on the recommendation of Brett at SW.

Jerry and Dave I hope the storm turns out to be minor.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad you and Star are able to find some hiking areas. Looks like the deer has both eyes on you.

Curt that's a lot of days of 90+; better you than me. Hope the seawall straightening goes well.

Hope those of you in the path of the Nor'easter don't have any problems. The weather wizards are saying the Nor'easter could go as far west as Rochester NY, which is 1.5 hours west of us, but they're saying it's not likely.

What are you up to today?

It's a clear 38 with a high of 70. Haven't seen our Hummingbirds for the past couple of days; looks like they've headed south. We'll keep the feeder up for another week or so in case any "travelers" stop. Taking Ellie for a hair apt. this afternoon then picking up a pizza for dinner afterwards. Not sure about any bench time.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

It looks like the Nor'Easter will wash out Saturday's neighborhood Scotch Club meeting.    :'(  They're predicting over 2" of rain, but so far this year we've gotten about 1/4 of the predicted rainfall...  We can certainly use the moisture, and this should be early enough that it helps the fall leaves, rather than washing them off the trees.

In a bit, I'll go down and look at my laser project.  I have a couple things to run on the laser to help Lightburn debug a problem, and I'm not sure I'll like the look of my thick siding.  I might strip that off the building and try again.

dave

Sun and Fall temps here going to be the "rinse and repeat" story for the next several days here. 

I worked with Corel Draw yesterday and made up a decal sheet and printed it out, will make logos and marks for a DATA only reefer car I have, and a set of numbers to renumber 7 or 8 Athearn B&O hoppers I got cheap, all the same car number.  Will give them a few more hours for the sealer to cure/dry before trying to use them.  They did turn out nice looking.  I've made them before for different projects with mixed results, from Wow to bleh..

Pix in my layout page linked below

Terry, et all.  Not looking forward to the snow machine swap out.  The stuff gets heavier every year.  Mid Oct is usual target on that task. 

TomO, you operate on a much different level than I can even contemplate.  Having had a two man crew work a couple different times over the years  :o   

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.  Not sure what to think about the shortening of races by 2-3 laps.  I think the only change it will make is that the races will be shorter.  The leaves are changing colour here too.

Curt, hope you get the sea walls straightened out.

Larry, enjoy the pizza dinner.

Dave, have fun figuring out the laser, I've been following your thread and learning.

Karl, have fun with the decals.

Current weather here is 14c (57f) and sunny.  Looks like the northeaster will be bypassing us as there is no rain in the forecast for the next few days.  No modeling this week but no work tomorrow so I'll be able to get some modeling in. 😊  Not sure what project I'll be working on so it should be interesting.

Have a great day everyone. 

I've been following Dave's laser thread with great interest...now Karl starts talking about decal printing...if someone starts a thread on resin 3d printing my modeling budget will be will never recover!!!

terry

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
On F1 there getting like baseball they just can't leave it the way it was suppose to be!!

I'm running late.  As Diane wants to take a drive to the beach.
See what the surf looks like with the storm supposedly coming in.

Oh by the way wall number 3 is done!!!

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good afternoon folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and lunch.  I'm sure it will be more fantastic there when the leaves turn.  

Ron, uh-oh, cows and UFOs...  Fun stuff.

Larry, hope you enjoy the pizza.

Dave, good luck with the siding.

Karl, congrats on the decal print.

Ron, hope you enjoy your day off.

Jerry, congratulations on wall three!

How is the rest of the crew?

I finished painting and weathering the corrugated roofing.  Not sure I like it.  The engine shed roof needs a little more work on the rafters and such; then I can mount it and design the lighting.

In other news, I've been tired lately and had chest pains after exercise. The cardiologist took an EKG and decided it was time for the cath lab.  That will be number four for me, but at nearly 80, I won't skip any steps.  I've had quad-bypass surgery and two subsequent heart attacks. The test is next Thursday morning.

My sister is visiting tomorrow, and we will head to my daughter's place on a lake in Alabama for the weekend. The weather forecast looks perfect.

Have fun,
mike

Mike I wish you all the best. You're right the heart is nothing to screw around with. Enjoy the weekend at your daughter's.

Mike, glad you're getting that taken care of!

I spent some time today doing experiments with the laser to support Lightburn in tracking down a bug in their current 'release candidate'.  Hopefully they're able to see and recreate my bug.  That's usually half the effort in running down a bug.  Then I cut some more 'clapboards'.  I decided to finish the shed using those thick clapboards, after all this is not a contest model, but rather a learning experience.  Tomorrow I'll finish the shed siding, and do the roof shingles.  Pictures then.

dave

Good morning everyone.

59 now, more clouds and no rain until tonight with a high of 65.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Blueberry pancakes with real Canadian maple syrup and Wisconsin butter fro breakfast.
Bacon and sausage are  available too.

Dave, hope you find the bug.

Mike, hope there's not a serious problem and it's easily resolved.

Jerry, good news on finishing the wall.

Terry, nice seeing you around.

Ron, F1 is allowing more fuel to the engines next year.
That will increase fuel consumption and why the races will be shorter.
Should add more power to engines and make things more competitive.

Karl, I'll have to check out your thread and decals.

Larry, deer was keeping an eye on Star.

Curt, how does the grandson like his job?

TomO, saw the scenery work you did yesterday.

ACLTom, hope you are doing well.

Philip, what's new?

How's everyone else?

Costco this morning.
Since it's not raining I can get to cleaning the inside of the van and start winterizing it.

One more from my Mount Flora hike.

070226MountFloraTrail08Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Hopefully your Costco is not as busy as ours.

Slept poorly last night because of the neuropathy that has been flaring up lately. Yesterday I think I figured out the pink foam. I need to check the directions again before gluing the 2 sheets of foam and wood base together.

Dad cancelled his senior trip today. It is the ballet. He probably would of slept through it anyway.

Rick gs appears to love the job. It's a small breakfast/lunch diner run by 2 women. They appear to like him also. They're training him on all the stations including cooking.

That's about it from this way.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Curt, sorry you didn't sleep well.
I was up earlier than I wanted to be.

I forgot to answer your question from yesterday.
Some state parks and parks in general don't allow dogs.
There was one park in CA that wouldn't even let Star into the park.

Glad the grandson is doing well.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Getting the Van set for winter is probably a good move; not sure how your winters out there are. Better safe than sorry. The only Cosco's in our area is west of Syracuse and not worth the trip besides I have a hard time wrapping my head around paying THEM for the pleasure of shopping in their stores.

Curt glad the GS likes his new job. If he learns to be a "short order cook" that could be a lifelong trade. Have fun at the bench.

How's everyone else doing?

It's a chilly 48 with a high of 73. Errands to run this am then maybe some bench time working on the fishing boat while I figure out the other stuff. I have about 3 face cords kicking around of firewood that I'm giving away before it goes bad. Had an retired couple stop by the other day and grabbed half of it so today I'll start moving the rest of it from way down in the backyard closer to the back of the house; they're going to get the balance around 10/2.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Good luck cleaning the van.

Curt, congrats to your grandson for liking his job with good bosses. Hope you sleep better tonight.

Larry, good luck with the fishing boat.  There are a lot of boat goodies out there for scratch builders.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's a bright morning forecast for 74F today.  A sunset boat ride is on the agenda for today.  I don't think I will make it to the bench this weekend.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.  looks like F1 is scaling back from the electrical portion of the engine and going back to the 3L V8 engine.  I'm guessing the new engine spec that started this season isn't working out.  Don't spend too much at Costco.

Curt, sorry you didn't sleep well and I'm glad the gs likes the job.

Larry, take it easy moving all that wood and have fun at the bench.

Mike, enjoy the boat ride.

Current weather here is 10c (50f) with the sun out.  High is supposed to hit 22c (72f), it's going to be a great day.  Did some rail cleaning on the layout last night, as I need to get it ship shape for the upcoming open house that is fast approaching.  Have some errands to run this morning and the alarm guy is arriving around noon.  After that, the day is mine, at least I hope it is.

Have a great day everyone. 

I forgot to mention it's 67F and cool and getting to 83F later. Wonderful temps. When I first stepped outside earlier I actually felt cold! :o

Mid 40s in sunlight in MI this morning.  bRRR for sure. 

1:1 took the day yesterday, jacked up the zero turn and changed the blades I picked up at John Deere, test drive turned into mowing the front half of the yard.  Back, later? 

Mike, best luck with your lab test. 

Be well all.

OPS tomorrow at Keeney's, been a bit, looking forward to that.

Good Morning;

As mentioned we are actually a little cool today, nice change of pace. The wife of off for the weekend up to Atlanta with her Dragon  Boat team for a race. I will be holding down the fort here with the pups, hoping to make some real progress on the pickle factory. Love the photos, hope to have a few myself in a couple of days. Hope everyone has a great day.

Jim

Good morning Crew.

Mike take care

Curt, glad to read good news on the grandson

Karl, we were shocked by the number of people working the woods. They were spread out and the woods are 5-6 acres and a play area for the kids. It had to be done. The noise in the afternoon after I returned from building scenery was nerve racking. Terry took out her hearing aids. They were back this morning at 7. Today is finish cutting the widow makers. There were a few over head on my path out to the pergola.

Rick, your pictures here and on FB are outstanding

Curt, what r you doing for your neuropathy? For my feet I have a baseball I put on the floor and move my feet over it. Worked for years to alleviate the pain as I refuse so far to take any meds for it. I have a good friend that when it hits him he can't even stand. Everyone reacts so differently

I watched last night the Badgers Women volleyball team opening conference play. We did not renew our VB season tickets. Between the BigTen network and 12 national games on TV we won't miss any game this season.

The Women's hockey team are the NCAA repeat champions going for title #3 in a row and 9th over all in 20 years tonight are in Canton, New York. We still have our tickets and still plan to see them on the road in Duluth, Nashville and Minneapolis this season. If not we'll watch on TV. We both are starting to slow down with past health issues popping up again. Got to live our life's to the fullest!

Be well
TomO

Morning everyone

I'll make this shor this am.
Having problems with my new PC?
So I'm using my iPad which is new also.

Everyone have a great day!

Jerry

Being we have gone Maritime as of late here is my contribution to the insanity!

Making fishing great again :o

Gone Fishing!

boat9.jpgboat10.jpg

Where's the fish?  Nice looking tomatoes!

I'll have Eagle Rare to celebrate the catch!  :)

Jerry

Cheers!

Good Morning All,

I guess everyone is sleeping in today.

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, pastry, OJ, and soda.

Started out the day with a walk at 66F and low humidity and under a full moon. It was very nice. Yesterday I cut out the second foam sheet and glued them together. I used Larry's toothpick method to hold the sheets together while drying. I also painted the base in a flat camouflage earth brown.

I wanted to spray the foam also but it ate the foam on a test piece so I'll go to my standby of WS earth brown.

Today after chores I need to sand the foam edges then glue them to the base.

MOH and daughter are going to Tampa today to go to the commisary and meet with a new vet opening a practice that wants to help do vet services for the rescue. It helps that she got a skunk from the rescue this year. ;D

Philip I hope those aren't killer tomatoes attacking the fisherman.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Here in SE NH, and all along the New England coast, we're preparing for the Nor'easter.  They're predicting 2.5" of rain.  But if this year's trend holds, that means we'll see about .75" of rain with lots of clouds and drizzle...  We need the moisture, though.

I'm finishing my editorial pass on John Siekirk's "S&S RR & I Gazette" October issue. 

dave

Good Morning,

Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. After your summer the cooler temps must feel refreshing. Glad you tried the spray paint on a scarp piece of foam first. Some paints do tend to destroy foam.

Dave good morning and hope the weather doesn't get too "wild & wooly".

Philip very nice looking boat and fisherman.

What's on your agenda?

It's a p cloudy 52 with a high of 73. Managed to get all the firewood moved yesterday and my lower back feels it; not doing much today. Stopped at the Farmstead yesterday and bought our final meal of sweet corn and tomatoes for this season for dinner tonight.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning everyone.

62 now and raining.
High will be 70 and the rain might stop in the afternoon.

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope you get more bench time today.

Larry, I pay $130 for my Costco Executive membership.
Last week I got my annual rewards check and it was over $300, so using the Costco CC more than pays for the membership.

Dave, hope you and everyone else in the storms path stays safe and doesn't encounter any problems.

Philip, nice job on the boat and fisherman.
Tomatoes look good.

Jerry, PC issue resolved?

TomO, thanks for the nice words on my photos.
Tree work done?

Jim, good luck to your wife in the race and have fun at the bench.

Karl, have fun at the ops.

Ron, V8's won't be back till 2030 or '31.

Mike, sunset boat ride sounds nice.

ACLTom, Bill coming over today?

How's everyone else?

My Costco doesn't get nearly as crowded as others I've been to.
Wasn't even a line at check out.
Because I used my rewards check I left with more money in my pocket than when I came in.
Weather forecast was wrong.
It rained almost all day.
It did stop a couple hours and I was able to get started on the van.
The biggest part of winterizing the van is draining the water out of the tank and all the plumbing.
If it stops raining long enough I'll walk to the library for a new book, otherwise I'll drive.

A view near the start of my hike up Mount Bierstadt.

070526MountBierstadtGeorgetownCO03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning from a chilled So. Central Wi. where overnight it dropped to 42f. 69f degrees later and it is 46 out there now. A beautiful cloudless sunny sky

Rick, the trees and the noticeable dead branches are cut. 50 tree stumps are next with 33 within eyesight of the driveway. They gave a recommendation who to use but checking online yesterday there seem to be many credible outfits. Or we can use our guy who excavates them but these are some big stumps.

I just remembered a train show I was going to with a couple of the guys this week. But one of them is traveling in Michigan this week and the other is biking the trails of Northern Wisconsin. I'm thinking of going. With 2 paper mills and 3 bulk oil companies being built almost any kind of storage tank and vessel are needed. 3d design and printing them is still a bit costly so I could save a few bucks and also catch up to the local trends. Over the years I had sold a lot of weathered freight cars at this 2 day show in Monroe, Wi. home to the Swiss Colony catalogues. It's also home to the Badger State Ethanol Company. It was pretty much duplicated structure by structure by Walthers in the now hard to find Ethanol series in HO scale. Served by the WSOR it helps keep Monroe thriving just over the Illinois state line.

The #1 overrated Wisconsin Badger Women hockey opened the season in a good fashion yesterday in Canton, NY. Beat the St. Laurence team 6-2 after being down 0-2. Their gold metal Olympic winning goalie got hurt early after being down 2 and I'll blame the referees for that. On the 3rd time crashing the net she got hurt. I've watch lots of hockey in my lifetime I have never seen that. Once maybe but not 3 times. The ESPN+ coverage of the game was a disgrace with few replays, announcers destroying player names and the camera not being able to follow the puck. Today it will be on the Big Ten plus network which is usually pretty damn good. I say over rated as they have 9 freshman replacing the graduates who won 3 of the last 4 NCAA championships and lost that 4th game by 0-1. Coach played 7 of them and a transfer. But boy can they skate. It's too soon to have them ranked #1 and with an injured Olympic goalie they will need to tighten things up. This will be an interesting season.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Curt.  It'd nice having a young vet that is willing to help with the rescues.

Dave, hope you finish the editorial.

Larry, enjoy the sweet corn and tomatoes at dinner tonight.

Rick, while the V8's won't arrive until 2030 or 31 it's interesting that they are coming back.  Hope you get to walk to the library.  So, seeing as you now have a house again, when is the layout/modeling starting? 😊

TomO, have fun at the train show (if you go).

Philip, the fishing boat and fisherman looks great.

Current temperature is 16c (61f) with cloudy skies but there is no rain in the forecast.  No modeling last night but I did spend way too much time down the AI rabbit hole.  Was using it do design an engine house for the town of Mara.  First attempt was a disaster, :o but it taught me a lot.  The next attempt was much better. ;D   Today's plan is to finish doing some maintenance on the layout and maybe work on the tunnel where the tracks go to the west end staging yard.  Oh, also watch the F1 race is on the schedule.

Have a great day everyone

Morning everyone

Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Spray paint doesn't like pink foam!  ;D

Morning Dave.

Larry it looks like the fresh veggie season is about over.

Rick getting money back is a good thing,
Nice picture this morning as usual.

TomO you sound like you live in the forest.
This must be very expensive.

Weather in South Jersey in cloudy/rainy.
Wind is starting to kick up.
Nothing from the bench to report.
PC is going back it just stopped working why who knows!

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Quote from: Jerry on September 26, 2026, 11:02:45 AMPC is going back it just stopped working why who knows!

Jerry

Jerry, sorry you're having problems with new computer.
Get an Apple computer and enjoy trouble free computing.

Jerry, stopped working as in "won't power on"?  If so, suggest looking inside and jiggling wires.    Or stopped working as in "turns on, but then freezes".  That would be a software problem, I suspect.  Or "turns on, runs for a while, then shuts down."  One thing to try is open the computer and inspect the fan and see if there's dust, etc, on the motherboard. That would be an overheating problem.

Just some thoughts to try

dave

Good morning,

I'll keep this short since on the satellite.  

Curt, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.

Wishing everyone a great day.

Have fun,
mike

Quote from: Jerry on September 26, 2026, 11:02:45 AMMorning everyone

Curt thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Spray paint doesn't like pink foam!  ;D

Morning Dave.

Larry it looks like the fresh veggie season is about over.

Rick getting money back is a good thing,
Nice picture this morning as usual.

TomO you sound like you live in the forest.
This must be very expensive.

Weather in South Jersey in cloudy/rainy.
Wind is starting to kick up.
Nothing from the bench to report.
PC is going back it just stopped working why who knows!

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Jerry,

Costs are subjective to each person. Thankfully we are in a position it won't hurt us but we will feel it!

If we have a tree hit a vehicle or god forbid one of the kids who play out there we'd never forgive ourselves. If I could see trees needing to be cut and Terry confirming it, those trees were bad.


The trees are on a 4-6 acre plot that separate us from the daughter and family's house and the county road. We are on the inside edge that opens up into former crop land of about 20 acres and then more woods.

So between the new driveway, the remodeling of the space we live in and now the trees I have been promised no more moves for us. Unless health dictates changes of course. The granddaughter or grandson can text if it's ok to come over and they can walk, scooter or bike on down. We are about 80' in elevation change per the compass feature on my IpadPro. We are closer than we wanted to be to the kids but we keep our space and will never just show up and we expect the same

TomO

Hard frost, dense fog and clear sky in Michigan this morning. MAYbe some of the allergy causing weed were knocked down. Would please the Doll and me both.  :o 

My decal project went to hell in a hand basket yesterday  >:(, old material I believe. The base decal material really went to crap. May work up a whole sheet of various decals and have my graphic guy, Higball or Hardbsll, ???, do a sheet.

OPS going well. 2 local/switch jobs under my belt.

Best to y'all in storm country. Be safe.

Great day all, enjoy.

Good morning everyone.

64 now, cloudy most of the day and the forecast says no rain and possibly some sun late in the day.
But we all know how accurate the forecasts can be. ::)

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
How about a lazy Sunday morning continental breakfast consisting of varied bagels, muffins and danish.

Karl, glad you enjoyed ops and hope the next batch of decals is better.

TomO, I'm guessing you're happy about the decision to stay put.

Mike, will you be able to watch your team today?

Dave, Jerry bought a new computer so it wasn't dusty.
Being new I don't advise going into it to futz with the wiring.
Just buy an Apple.

Jerry, how bad is the storm?

Ron, I gave all my modeling stuff away, so I need to restock.
It will be a few weeks or months before any kit boxes are opened.

How's everyone else.

Hope no one has suffered any damage or problems due to the Nor'easter.

I was able to walk to the library and get a book.
Later in the day it even stopped raining long enough to go for a walk with Star.
Not supposed to rain today and if that's true I'll do some more inside the van.

This was the goat that was on the trail with us going up Mount Bierstadt.

070526MountBierstadtGeorgetownCO02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I got photos of mountain goats in Alaska but your photo is much closer than I ever got.

Yesterday in the train room I glued the foam to the base then put 2 coats of WS paint on them. I'll look later to see if it needs another since the paint is thin.

Today after chores I need to take gs to Tractor Supply so he can buy a cheap fishing pole. Monday I need to take him to open a checking account now that he's getting paid.

Not much else going on this way.

Tom you should be about done with the treatments and I hope you're doing OK.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the lazy breakfast, nothing wrong with that, and coffee. Have fun with the van prep.

Curt hopefully you won't need a 2nd coat of paint on the foam. Sounds like someone's going "fitchen."

Hope all's well for you in the storm's path.

What's your plans?

It's a cloudy 55 with a high of 62 and they're calling for rain all day; looks like we might be getting brushed by the Nor'easter. Maybe some bench time today but other than that it'll definitely be a "lazy Sunday" here.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning. It's 46f degrees now and hopefully the guessed 72 happens.

The grandson has soccer locally at 12:30

Terry turns 75 today and no idea where she wants to have dinner

Rick, honestly if we had built a modest 2 bedroom place with a walk out basementbI'd have been happier but this is fine

The train show yesterday was a bust. What storage tanks were there must have been made with gold. The prices yesterday for Walther and Tichy tanks is make the 3d printing cost seem reasonable.

This Ai image shows the next scenic project on the UP Michigan based railroad after the trees are installed in October. It's a representation of Agate Falls in 18" wide x 72" long. This will be fun

Enjoy the day
TomO

Sun and fun day in MI, beautiful calm sun drenched fall weather. 

As stated, OPS went well.  When I got home I sat and watched my SPARTANS pretty much throw their season down the drain.  The EMS Cart driver got the most screen time of anyone.  There will be long lines at the Orthopedic Clinic.  #1-2-3-4 depth of running dudes went down hard.  CORNBUSTERS are not a team to be taken lightly.  How about Dr. Jeff's HAWKEYES popping the sobs in Blue M on a last second pass.  Payback celebrated throughout much of Michigan.

The Doll has some folks coming for some furniture she is selling on marketplace.  Nice to have the space IF it stays emptied, but... :-[ rare for that. 

Interesting looking mock up on the falls, TomO.  Sounds like a cool 1:1 place to check out some time.   https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g42761-d12964956-Reviews-Agate_Falls_Scenic_Site-Trout_Creek_Upper_Peninsula_Michigan.html

LIONS football and possibly 1:1 stuff here on the to-do 'suggestions' list.

Enjoy all.  Hope the storms in the East go easy on anyone affected.

Enjoy the day.

Terry, didn't realize that was a new computer.  Take it back and get a replacement.  

Rick, Mountain Goats are very photogenic, aren't they?  They're also good about holding a pose for you to get the photo.  

So far just some rain and breezes, nothing significant.  But main part of the storm is today and tomorrow.  It's moving slowly 'down east'.

dave

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.  Have fun cleaning the van. 😊

Curt, GS? Tractor Supply? Fishing pole?  Sounds like someone is getting a hobby. 😊 I've been fishing all my life, it's a sport I find to be really relaxing and something I enjoy.  Hope the foam is good enough and another coat of paint isn't required.

Larry, enjoy your lazy day.

TomO, Happy Birthday to Terry.  That will be another signature scene when done.

Karl, glad the OPS session went well.  Hope your lion's do well.

Dave, have a great day.

Current temperature is 18c (64f) and cloudy, no rain in the forecast today but there is tomorrow.  Was an interesting F1 race yesterday with Russell barely hanging on.  Not much modeling happened yesterday but I did start on the mountain scenery for the tunnel portal.  Have to do some modifications to the existing land form.  Not sure what today will bring but I think there will be some modeling time in there.

Have a great day everyone.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Have fun cleaning the van out.

Curt gs going fishing or riding a tractor today?

Larry so your kicking back today?

Tom Happy Birthday to Terry. 

Karl our kids and grandkids drove out to the Lions game but there Jet fans!

Morning Dave.

Ron looking forward to the update on the scenery.

Weather in South Jersey is in a lull right now.  Just wondering but the rain is supposed to to come back later.
Will take a trip to the beach and get a picture of what the it looks like.
New PC is working fine and the other one is going back.
Maybe some modeling later in the day.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

TomO Happy Birthday to Terry.

Well...

IMG_4223.jpeg

The Dresser is gone...if he doesn't flip over heading home. The other sale piece is gone, too.

All before noon!

Happy Birthday Terry!

Karl I wouldn't drive next door with that set up.

Karl, he might be a redneck. ;D   Hope he doesn't drives too fast going home. 

I wonder if he had to check his drawers when he got home.
And I'm not talking about the ones on the roof.

Quote from: Rick on September 27, 2026, 10:02:50 PMI wonder if he had to check his drawers when he got home.
And I'm not talking about the ones on the roof.

:) ;D :D

Good morning everyone.

63 now, a chance of rain early in the morning then clouds the rest of the day with a high of 71.
A slim chance of seeing the sun at the end of the week, but I'll believe it when I see it.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Bacon, egg and cheese on a everything bagel for breakfast today.

Karl, do you know how far he had to drive to get the dresser home?

Jerry, thanks for the call.
I was good to catch up.

Ron, have fun doing the scenery.

Dave, big horn sheep are good posers too.

TomO, how was Terry's birthday dinner?

Larry, did you make it to the bench?

Curt, having the grandson have some hobbies I think is a good thing.

How's everyone else.

I did make a little more progress in the van.
After sweeping the floor I wonder how Star has any fur left.
Surprised the Redskins won yesterday and not surprised the Jets lost another close one.
Nothing important planned today.

Monkeying around with AI yesterday I generated this caricature of Star and me.

092726AIDrawing.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  The AI picture is terrific.

How is the rest of the crew?

We are back home. The weekend was loads of fun.  The live music Saturday evening was too loud.  The instruments overpowered the singing. Sports-wise, it was an abysmal weekend, just abysmal. 

I hope to get upstairs today and work on the roofing.  I sold my old MGB rims and will meet the buyer this afternoon. I don't think I'll be playing much golf anymore, so I'll think about putting them up for sale, too.

Have fun,
mike

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Sounds like Star's shedding getting the winter fur going. Looks like you're getting the hang of AI; looks quite good. Yes I made it to the bench still working on the fishing boat.

Karl hope the guy didn't hit any potholes in the road the way he had the dresser tied down; can you say "kindling wood."

Mike glad you had a nice weekend and good luck with the car rims.

What's your plans for the day.

It's a cloudy 59 with a high of 63 today w/ some rain? Like I mentioned working on the fishing boat; slow going with cutting, fitting, and bending 1x10's but I'm getting there. Grocery shopping on tap for this am then a run to Wegmans for some odds & ends as well as 4 potted mums for Fall.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning from my part of Wisconsin. It's 55f degrees now though it did bottom out according to the NWS at 4am with 53! Much nicer than the low in the 40's we've been experiencing. High later will be 75!

Terry thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, we both had a good day yesterday

Thanks for breakfast.

Rick, which Ai assistant are you using? Paid or free version?

The grandson has been playing soccer since he was 4 in some league or another. He is very good as are quite a few of his teammates. Finally after 8 years and only the second season of no coaching drama they are decimating the competition. 5-0 this season giving up only 6 goals and scoring 33 they are truly a team. Yesterday's game was by far the most complete team game they've played. Fun to watch. This coach has banned  all parents from the field during practices and they can watch from the cars in the upper parking lot. No parents on the player side of the pitch when they play. This is a group of parents that over the years have been more interesting at times on the sidelines than the game itself. I don't miss the crap!

Got home after soccer and watched #6 ranked Wisconsin Women's volleyball start 5 freshmen and destroy #10 Purdue in Indiana yesterday in 3 sets that lasted maybe 1 hour 20 minutes.  The Badger Women VB team is coming together. The Women's hockey IMO are ranked #1 on reputation. They have 9 freshmen on a roster of 22 and looked very good Friday and Saturday playing unranked St. Laurence in Canton, NY.  They played well but I don't think this team really deserves #1 yet.

Terry's birthday dinner last night was out at a brew pub we enjoy time to time. They had sent her a $10 off B-Day gift. When I paid I had to question the bill as it was zeroed out. Turns out we had $62 in rewards points unused. So between the $10 b-day gift and rewards points the bill was zero. 22% tip on a zero bill is zero! No, I am not that cheap. The bill was $56+ so the tip was based on that before taxes, I don't tip on the tax.

The food is always very good and the service is decent. Overworked short staffed waiting Crew that also was bussing their tables. The manager was a neighbor and he said a couple years ago they can get brewmasters and trainees but bus staff is hard in the part of Madison they are located as there is no close by bus stops for staff. It's too far also for students from UW to live and look for jobs. I think if they'd pay more but the food has been good for the 14 years we've been coming here.

Today is our annual between birthdays night out. The last 14 years we have been going to what we consider the best Italian place in Madison. Dinner at 7 home by 10, it's slow with great food and service but they do it right, no rush and no stupid crazy overpriced billing.

I have no plans to visit the bench today. Other than dinner tonight the only thing I need to do is call stump removal companies. We are going to have them ground down. Terry did yesterday receive the refund on the unavailable greenhouse from Amazon.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Well, the Stillers won and the Cowboys lost.  That's my idea of a good weekend in the NFL.  

The light rain continues.  There was some significant wind elsewhere, but here it was just breezy.  We got maybe an inch of the 2" they forecast.  Still, much appreciated. 

The new dehumidifier I got didn't drain, and dumped water over the train room floor.  That's the opposite of what I was expecting.  After German class, I'll go down and see if I can figure out WTF is going on.  Not happy about that!

dave

Sun and early fog, now burned off, will make for a nice day.  Dental appt. at 2:30 won't.

Jake the Mover had to go about 20-25 miles back toward Lansing, with his treasured antique...as the Doll bonded with him, she always attracts the downtrodden like flypaper, he texted her 2-3 times after leaving, the move went well and hopes to see her in the future at the antique store she frequents.  Red Neck?, as one with deep roots in the South I'm not fond of that assumption >:(  (many of my family and related folks were hard working folks with a tendency to be in the sun a lot taking care of their crops.)  Actually he was a bit of a nerdy, personable kid from Oregon, landing in Lansing after a trial stay in Texas that didn't meet his goals.

LIONS won a good game.  I hope the visitors in town for the opposing team were treated hospitable in spite of the JETS loss.  Beautiful weather in the area this weekend.

All I got.  y'all


Bought a dehumidifier and humidifier and put them in the same room and let them fight it out....Stephen Wright

Good Morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, that is a great caricature of you and Star.  One good thing about Gracie is that she doesn't shed as she has hair. 😊  The bad news as we have to take her to a groomer every 6 weeks for a hair cut. ☹

Mike, glad you had fun this weekend.

Larry, hope the running around doesn't take all day and you get to the wookbench.

TomO, enjoy dinner tonight with Terry.

Karl, no meant no disrespect, I've worked in the south and those so-called rednecks were some of the nicest people I met who could laugh at themselves and live life to the fullest, they just have a different way of doing some things.  From now on I'll never bring up or say that term again.

Current weather here is 16c (60f) cloudy with 60% of showers today.  Had a good afternoon downstairs yesterday where I added a support under the layout to eliminate a short caused by sagging foam, reinstalled a bullfrog turnout control, modified the benchwork at the tunnel portal leading to the staging yard and started building the tunnel portal.  Oh, and I also spent time re-imaging the scenery for that area using AI.  Last night before calling it a night I posted an update.

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning Crew !

Ron, I need to address my short reply to you the sensitivity on my shirt sleeve was not needed and for that I apologize.  Something in the air here... ;)

/s/ Redneck Yankee in MI ;)

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. What is scary to me is AI photos that look like real life.

Started out with a walk at 65F and low humidity. I should of stayed in bed. Last night I started getting cold symptoms again. >:( I was exhausted by the end and after getting cleaned up went back to bed for 3 hours.

For some reason this has become normal for me. Get sick, get well for 4-5 days then get sick again. :-\

Yesterday I cut the edge in the foam that the large dock will sit on. It was fiddly as it has to match the height of the warehouse foundation in both horizontal and vertical planes. It took about 90 minutes to get it correct.

No workbench today. Next up will be working on the seawalls.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Afternoon everyone

Chores are done!

So now to sit down and relax.

It was great talking last night to Rick.

Maybe later on I'll get some time at the bench.

Everyone have a fine evening!  :)

Jerry

Good Morning,

The morning beverages are set to go. Breakfast is southern fried chicken and waffles with butter and real maple syrup; enjoy.

What's your plans?

it's a cloudy 55 with a high of 69. Work continues on the fishing boat so maybe an update in a few days. Have the fall outside decorations done using pie pumpkins, because they hold up the best, and a bunch of budded mums. Not too sure what's in store for today.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning everyone.

63 and raining again, rain all morning and should stop around 2 with a high of 71.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
I'll have to look up what pie pumpkins are.

Jerry, more chores today?

Curt, it's getting harder to know what's real and what's not on the internet anymore.

Ron, I saw your update yesterday and I'll go back today to get a better look on the computer.

Karl, glad that guy got his dresser home safely.

Dave, basement dry again?

TomO, I used the free version of ChatGPT.

Mike, good news on selling the rims and good luck selling the clubs.

ACLTom, you done with chemo and how are you feeling?

How's everyone else?

Got lucky this morning taking Star out to do her morning business.
As soon as we got back inside it started to pour.
Got a little more done in the van yesterday and did poop pick-up in the yard.
Also got a much cheaper rate on the van insurance.

One of the cairns on the way up Mount Bierstadt and a nice view too.

070526MountBierstadtGeorgetownCO05Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Morning all,

Yes, Rick, I'm finally done with the radiation. 39 sessions and the last 14 were brutal but I survived. I was told the radiation will continue to work on my body for the next 2-3 weeks. I go back to see the Doc on 10/26/2026 for the PSA blood draw.

I was talking with Curt this morning and told him that I had plenty of time to think about several things. My plan is to divide my time and not just build models. I haven't done anything on my book in a year+. I haven't done any work on layout in over 2+ years. I've been spending all my time building and scratch building structures.

So, as I get better and can see more clearly, I'll spend one week a month on the book. One week on the layout and the remaining two weeks on structure building.

Below is a photo Pam took after my last radiation treatment with the radiation nurses. These ladies were wonderful.

Have a safe and happy day everyone.

Tom

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-290926090158-58081780.jpeg)

I'll check the dehumidifer progress when I go down, but it was working AND DRAINING correctly all day yesterday. 

So I should be able to start cleaning up that corner of the layout, which is particularly messy due to all the scenery work there the last couple of months.

YAY Tom!

dave

Sun and calm today before we get rain tomorrow, remnants of Polo the West Coast hurricane currently in mexico.

Clear check from the dentist yesterday.  Then 1:1 with the green machines.  Grass sure is growing.  Today I will get the sweeper out and clean up. 

Little to add.

Be well.  Great to see Tom and his Radiant Crew of young ladies. 

Good to "hear" from you Tom

Terry

Good morning Crew as I wake to my 74th year. September is quite the month for both sides of the family. Our birthdays, our anniversary. dad's birthday, Terry's dad's b-day, my sister's anniversary, 2 of her brothers anniversaries and finally we moved into our 1st house together in 1976.

It's 47f degrees under clear, calm and beautiful skies. Heading to 75 later but overcast before the T-storms begin.

Dinner out last night ended a tradition. The Italian restaurant we normally celebrate the day between our birthdays is now closed Mondays. We went Mexican and nope I'm not thinking Italian out tonight.

The NHL is back tonight. With a strange preseason under the new CBA this year it was only 4 possible games and 18 days from the 1st practice and a slew of other rule changes. Should make for some high scoring 1st few weeks. My Black Hawks play Vegas this evening

The tree stump cost for 33 along the driveway was eye opening. Of the 3 companies I talked 2 sent out guys to check the stumps and 1 quoted over the phone. I went with the higher priced guy that came out as he had proof of insurance. He's out there already making noise and chips. Received quotes of $250 for a single stump to $65 each for the 33. All hardwoods and I was thinking I'd be happy at $100 each. The 17 within the woods he will do at $85 each because it's harder to maneuver to access them. He thought he'd be done by 7 tonight. Chips stay where they are ground as removal was more $$$ and I can have those raked up. He will do a sharpening around lunch break because hardwoods are tougher than softwoods! Duh!!!

Enjoy your day

Quote from: ACL1504 on September 29, 2026, 09:18:23 AMMorning all,

Yes, Rick, I'm finally done with the radiation. 39 sessions and the last 14 were brutal but I survived. I was told the radiation will continue to work on my body for the next 2-3 weeks. I go back to see the Doc on 10/26/2026 for the PSA blood draw.

I was talking with Curt this morning and told him that I had plenty of time to think about several things. My plan is to divide my time and not just build models. I haven't done anything on my book in a year+. I haven't done any work on layout in over 2+ years. I've been spending all my time building and scratch building structures.

So, as I get better and can see more clearly, I'll spend one week a month on the book. One week on the layout and the remaining two weeks on structure building.

Below is a photo Pam took after my last radiation treatment with the radiation nurses. These ladies were wonderful.

Have a safe and happy day everyone.

Tom

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-290926090158-58081780.jpeg)

Congrats and have a great recovery. Good looking crew there

TomO

Good morning everyone.

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry, looking forward to your update when you post it.

Rick, yard poop pickup is an ongoing chore.  ;D

Tom, you're looking great, great photo.  looking forward to seeing your layout progress.

Dave, hope the dehumidifier is still working properly.

Karl, the grass has stopped growing here.  ;D

Terry, you should drop in more often.

TomO, Happy Birthday.

Current weather here is 12c (53f) and cloudy, fall is here.  No modeling last night.  Tonight is hockey as the new season starts tonight and Montreal vs Toronto.

Have a great day everyone.

ACLTom, great photo of you and the nurses.
You look good and I hope you feel good too.

TomO, Happy Birthday!

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Don't feel bad, I'm on poop duty everyday.

Late to post today. I'm feeling a little better and not as fatigued as yesterday. The diorama base is done for now.

TodayI have already put the initial base paint coat on the seawalls. After the seawall painting and mounting I start on the ship under construction.

Tom it was great talking to you and Congrats on finishing the radiation therapy. Great photo.

TomO Happy Birthday.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Glad to hear you're finished with the radiation treatments, Tom.  You're lookin' good.

Jeff

Atta boy Tom..... 8)

Outstanding Tom...you're looking well. Glad to hear you were treated well. My daughter-in-law runs a chemo bay in a busy facility and she is a rock star. Such an important and wonderful calling.

Looking forward to seeing you in person. Get back to work.  ;D

Howdy folks,

Larry, thanks for opening, the coffee, and the fantastic breakfast. Congrats on the fall decoration completion.

Rick, congrats on the less expensive insurance.

TomACL, a big congratulations to you on completing the medical procedures.  Enjoy the new time plan. Nice photo.

Dave, good to hear the dehumidifier is doing the deed.

Karl, hope that's the last mowing this year.

Terry, thanks for checking in.

TomO, hope the tree work goes well.

Ron, good luck to your hockey team.

Jeff, thanks for checking in.

Gregory,  thanks for checking in.

How is the rest of the crew?

We have another sunny, warm day at 85F.  Today was spent doing 1:1 chores, interrupted by baseball playoffs.  

Thanks to those who commented on the tin roofs.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning everyone.

63 now, cloudy and a high of 74.
It might not rain today.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Omelet station is set up and ready to go.

Mike, 1:1, baseball or bench today?

Curt, hope you're feeling even better today.

Ron, did you hear anything about Fred Vasseur not being the team principle at Ferrari next and being replaced by Horner?

TomO, where'd you go for your birthday dinner?

Karl, good news from the dentist.

Dave, all dry in the basement?

Larry, I know what pie pumpkins are now.

How's everyone else?

Today should finally be an outside day.
I'll walk down to the gym after breakfast.
Also, I'm having hiking withdrawal and Star and I will try and do a hike if it's not too muddy.
Almost done with my book so a trip to the library is also in the plans.

This is near the Mount Bierstadt Trailhead.

070526MountBierstadtGeorgetownCO06Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. I was wondering how long it would be before you got the "hiking itch", hope you and Star can find a suitable area to hike in locally. The reason I use pie pumpkins for outside decorations is due to their thick rind; they hold up well since I don't carve them. Gorgeous photo.

What's your plans?

It's a cool 47 with a high of 74 and maybe some rain later. Work continues on the fishing boat but hope to have an update today at some point. Also I need to do some research for 1:48 scale nautical type details. We finally finished the interior Fall decorations yesterday so that can be checked off the 'ol todo list.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. I hope the hike works out. You may need to get matching treadmills for the winter months. ;D

Feeling about the same today. Yesterday I put the base coat on the seawalls. Probably no bench time today after the chores and loading the van back up for skunk events. Of course everything is spread all over the garage. :-*. Dad didn't want to do his errands yesterday so that will probably happen this afternoon.

Larry look forward to the update.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning from wet and very windy Wisconsin. 60f degrees now maybe 70 later. It's been raining for a few hours but not heavily but the winds have been gusting into the 20's. Everything should diminish over the next couple of hours.

The tree stumps are gone ground down into piles of woodchips. He had 2 more at 7pm last night to do and he texted me if it was ok to finish. I said yes and at 7:45 he was all packed up and gone. The rain will prevent any cleanup the next few days but overall Terry and I have a great feeling of relief.

Rick, we both were still stuffed from a late breakfast and decided to skip going out for dinner. Terry makes a wonderful German Chocolate cake occasionally for me. I had a slice for dinner with milk at home last night.

We are celebrating with 3 other couples tonight our 50th anniversary and our 2 birthdays. They've all been gone and we have not seen them since August. So tonight we are all going out. That will conclude our adventures out for September. The plan for the next 2 weeks we are home is eat only at home. No breakfast or dinners out which is our normal 1st couple weeks of October. Eating at home in September is rare! Weather and health permitting we hop in the car 10/18 and get to Louisville and Dayton, Ohio.

The son's schedule is tight until 12/19 when he and the girlfriend come here for Xmas. They fly out to Japan via Hawaii and my brother's place on 12/25. So we will skip Texas until 3/2027.

The daughter has 3 of her own horses in the stables downstairs, 3 borderers and 2 rescue. Terry and I were  riding the rescues last week and they are after 90 days well fed and healthy again. The previous owner was dead for at least a month before her family checked in on her and the horses suffered for it. When Terry did horse rescues the majority were because of deceased owners. Today the 2 guys are going together to a nice home

Today I will spend maybe an hour cleaning up the bench. Then I'm heading into the studio for some canvas time. I only have a few trees to fix for the 10/7 install. Then a few building facades to paint, assemble and weather for November. So with no rush I will paint some canvas while I wait for the Auto rack guy to send me some more cars to graffiti and weather. I've returned to him the 1st 10 of the 50 I am doing for him. He promised a continuous supply but when he only sent the 1st 10 auto racks I knew this became a drawn out project. Not thrilled but it's fine. For what he's paying I'd draw it out too! I only take PayPal or cash and he was "surprised" I don't do credit cards. I don't know of anybody that weathers that takes a direct credit card. He dropped off the cash and picked up the 10. I did tell him he could drop off more cars and pay for 10 at a time if that fits his budget! We'll see if I get any more auto racks from him. His issue not mine, every proposal clearly says PayPal only...

Enjoy your day

Basement is dry, and I pulled up and cleaned the floor in the aisle where I've been doing all the scenery work.  Boy, scenery makes a mess!  More pick-up/put-away today.  

TomO, wife's birthday is Friday, but she's not feeling up to going out.  So I'll make something special at home. 

dave

It's about to rain for the next 24-48 hours, so we;re starting the day slowly.  MAYbe I'll get soem hobby time, even tho she has projects. 

Enjoy the day all.  Stay dry.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for coffee & breakfast.
Withdrawal and it's only been a couple of days!!

Larry good luck with the fishing boat.

Curt have a nice day doing whatever.

TomO sounds like you have a production line in trees and auto racks!!

Karl try to stay dry!

Weather here in South Jersey is sunny/68.
Grandson is here and left for work early this morning.
Diane and have some errands to run later.
Nothing to report from the bench.

Everyone have a great day!! :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone,
Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.  I'm guessing that is because Horner mentioned during an interview that Ferrari would be a dream job. Meanwhile Ferrari has stated that they have "full confidence" in Vasseur, let the rumor mill begin. ;D  Hope you get a hike in today with Star.

Larry, will be looking forward to the update.

Curt, sounds like you have a busy day today.

TomO, enjoy your night celebrating.

Dave, I've learnt that pick-up/put away never ends.

Jerry, hope you get to report from the bench today.

Karl, tell her that you need hobby time for sanity sakes. 😊

Current weather is 13c (45f), overcast and another day of rain.  According to the weather weenies, we still have another 2 days of rain before we see the sun again.  No modeling last night as it was hockey night.  Was a messy game but Montreal won 3-2.  We shall see what tonight brings.

Have a great day everyone.

Quote from: Jerry on September 30, 2026, 10:24:41 AMMorning everyone

Rick thanks for coffee & breakfast.
Withdrawal and it's only been a couple of days!!

Larry good luck with the fishing boat.

Curt have a nice day doing whatever.

TomO sounds like you have a production line in trees and auto racks!!

Karl try to stay dry!

Weather here in South Jersey is sunny/68.
Grandson is here and left for work early this morning.
Diane and have some errands to run later.
Nothing to report from the bench.

Everyone have a great day!! :)

Jerry

Jerry the scale model trees for the most part are done for the 10/7 install date that I now doubt will happen. I created 44 Paper birch, 38 Trembling Aspen and 30 Maple. Other crew created 40 maple, 51 Norway Pines and 93 Conifers. Between 4 of us we have 86 sisal rope bushes and 42 wire armature bushes. We have a slew of wire stumps for the 2 current swamps and 3 more across the full layout. There are 13 various trees that I pulled after inspection that need some work but not much. I will take pictures when they are installed on the layout per our agreement with the tree video producers. This is for the Michigan UP layout.

The PNW 1965 era layout has 11 Aspens and 6 Spruce created but his many trees are getting built between gaps. He's hoping to have areas scenic to install trees in February 2027. So no rush there.

So between real and scale trees. I don't care if I see another one for weeks

The autoracks basically are like any other weathering of freight cars. Clean, fade, graffiti and weather.  Do the clean and fade in a group of 5. Graffiti is one side at a time as is the weathering.
TomO

Howdy folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and the omelet.  I wondered if the withdrawal had hit you yet.

Larry, congrats on completing the indoor holiday decorations. You'll have fun with all the nautical details.

Curt, hope you feel better soon.  Good luck with the chores.

TomO, sounds like you have many activities in your life.  You'll never be bored. Happy Anniversary!

Dave, congrats on the dry basement.

Karl, I hope she prioritizes your projects high on the list.

Jerry, the weather there sounds mighty fine. Hope the errands went well.

Ron, good luck to your hockey team.

How is the rest of the crew?

IT's a bright day with a forecast high of 88F.  Rain is scheduled for the new week or so and the temperatures are forecast to dip into the 40s and 50s.  YUK.

Today I had an early morning car appointment for a minor oil leak.  This afternoon I worked on rafter tails for the engine shed.

Tomorrow is the big day at the Cathlab.  I hope it is successful and further surgery is not required.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning this 10/1. Another month flew by...

Breakfast donuts are warm and you dip your own! Pancakes with and w/o chocolate chips. Fruit is green grapes and watermelon. The bread to be toasted if you want is a thick rich sourdough. There is thick sliced Nuetzke's bacon 🥓. The silver urn is loaded with I think the only coffee I know how to make, Ashpit blends! The sodas, juices and milks are in the cooler. Enjoy

Just some more workbench cleaning this morning before I head back up on this miserable rainy day to the studio to mess up another canvas. Rain is predicted till noon as it's been raining steady since around midnight and hard when I went to bed at 1am.

Enjoy the day
TomO

Good morning everyone.

60 now, cloudy and 66 later.

TomO, thanks for the varied and tasty breakfast and coffee.
Chocolate cake. Yummmm

Mike, withdrawal hit a couple weeks ago.

Ron, enjoy the hockey and modeling.

Jerry, enjoy the day.

Karl, hope you get some hobby time.

Dave, do you know what you're making for birthday dinner?

Curt, hope you're feeling better and it's good you're making progress on the kit.

Larry, there are three state parks within a half hour from home that have trails.

ACLTom, hope you're feeling better.

How's everyone else?

I didn't do the planned hike yesterday to give the trail another day to dry some.
Instead we did a 2 walk in the neighborhood.
Also mowed the lawn.
Returned my library book and got another one.
We'll do the hike this morning.

This was from my hike on Grays Peak.

070926GraysPeakSilverPlumeCO02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Tom O thanks for the coffee and nice breakfast. Hope the rain subsides soon. Have fun with the canvas; didn't realize you're an artist. Me I'm lucky if I can draw a straight line with a ruler. Lol.

Rick enjoy your hike with Star. Nice you have a good choice of hiking areas; be safe.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

It's currently a p cloudy 65 with an expected high of 74 downgraded from 80. Have to go and pickup an Rx from Wegmans this am. Wrote up a nice update on my thread yesterday morning. I usually write in preview mode to include the photos. Apparently I didn't hit post so when I went in later to check for comments the post didn't exist (long exhale) so I guess I'll try again later in the day.

Have an enjoyable and safe day!! Be well and hope any medical tests "may ever be in your favor."

Mike, sorry I forgot to wish you well on todays procedure.
All the best to you and hope it's all that needs to be done.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast TomO. We got rain yesterday also but not as much as you.

Slept well last night but am dragging this morning for some reason. Yesterday was spent between chores and errands, so no workbench.

Today after chores I hope to make it to the workbench. No other plans today. Tomorrow Dad, me, and gs get a haircut.

Starting Monday gs starts evening adult HS classes. Call it tough love. One of the conditions for him living here is to either get his diploma or GED. MOH and I are all about getting an education. My first degree was done at night school while stationed on a shore duty  assignment.

Mike best wishes on your procedure.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Trees are starting to turn, but we're heading into a couple of warm days.  We really need some nights around 40 degrees to get the leaves to change.  That didn't stop one tree in a neighbor's yard, this one usually turns first:
IMG_1866-smaller.jpeg
I could spend another week doing pick-up/put-away.  Is there anything more valuable in the layout room than open shelf space?

Russian spammers continue to knock at the door and be ignored...

dave

Mike best to you on the Cathlab visit.

TomO

Rain continues in the mitten state.


Eye Doc at noon.

Found my plaster of Paris is bad, bench time was bleh...

I appreciate the wishes, Rick, but I'm sure there is a half dozen more mows in the days ahead. 

Be well all

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast TomO.

Thanks for all the congrats on the radiation graduation. I'm sure happy it is over and I'm still feeling the effects. Doc said I will for another couple of weeks.

I spent the last two days reviewing all the chapters of the book, made a few corrections and added a little info as well. Today I'll write more and then later this afternoon do some catching up on the Horwood build. I also need to clean up the train shed from when I tore out the warped cardboard and foam.

We are going out tonight to our favorite steak house. It is a small celebration of my completion of radiation and ringing the bell. I found out that ringing the bell doesn't mean "cancer free", it means completion of the treatment.

Have a safe and happy day everyone.

Tom

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/24-011026102948-580871868.jpeg)

Mike,

I also forgot to wish you all the best in tomorrow's procedure. Hope it does go well and nothing further is necessary.

Tom

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast TomO, hope the canvas goes well today.

Rick, 3 state parks within ½ hour?  I think I now know what you chose that place. 😊  Enjoy your hike this morning.

Larry, I hate it when a post goes into the ether, ☹ that's why I write my posts in word first, that way I have a back-up. 😊

Curt, glad to hear the your GS is going to get his GED, hope you make some good progress at the bench.

Dave,  you got to love the fall colours.

Karl, hope the eye doc appointment goes well.

Tom, my wife rang the bell 10 years ago now.  Enjoy your steak dinner, it's well deserved. 

Mike, hope the procedure goes well today.

It's a little warmer today with the current temperature at 17c (62f) with another day of rain in the forecast.  Started cutting foam for the mountain last night but didn't like how it was going, so I scrapped what I did and will start over.  Sometimes it's best to give up and start over with a different approach.

Have a great day everyone.

Mike hope all goes well with the test and hope that's the conclusion.

Tom congrats on the radiation completion and enjoy the steak and ringing the bell.

Ron funny you should mention writing a post in a writing ap; I do that for Star Trek and may have to start doing that for here as well.

Hopefully Mike's cath goes well today and no further surgery needed. 

Tom, always good to see someone "ring the bell".

Jeff

"Karl, hope the eye doc appointment goes well."

We'll see.... 8)

Afternoon everyone

Finally get to sit at the keyboard for a minute.
Errands seem to be my middle name!

This is short because I have nothing to show or say!!

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone.

43 right now, sun  ;D with a high of 63 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Two eggs, bacon and/or breakfast sausage and hash browns for today's breakfast.

Jerry, hope you have an errand free day.

Ron, hope the second try is exactly how you want it.

ACLTom, you deserve to celebrate and hope the steak was tasty.

Karl, did you put the plaster in the corner.
Hope the eye exam went well.

Dave, that's a pretty tree.

Curt, hope the GS does well getting his GED.

Larry, I highlight my posts and copy them before hitting Submit.
Haven't lost a post yet.

Mike, how'd things go yesterday?

Philip, you've been quiet.

How's everyone else?

We did our 5 mile hike yesterday.
Still not a lot of color on the trees yet.
Nothing special planned yet for today.

Came across this large Snapping Turtle on the trail.

100126NewtonHillsSP02Small.jpg

100126NewtonHillsSP01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. The turtle reminds me of Clint Eastwood saying get off my yard!

Feeling better today. Yesterday I repainted one of the seawalls and I'm happier with it, although it really won't be seen easily. After that dried I glued them to the foam.

Today I'll start on the boat under construction. It looks to be fairly complicated between the boat and rigging around it.

Tom great picture of you ringing the bell.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast. That guy looks like he'd take a finger or two if you let him; how'd Star react seeing that critter? Actually that's the first post I've lost but I'll certainly be more careful from now on.

Curt good luck with your diorama. Take your time and I'm sure you'll do just fine with the boat build.

What's your plans for the day?

It's a cloudy 69 and that's about as warm as it's going to get today. High chance of rain then the temps won't get out of the 60's for a few days and down into the mid 30's one night. Found a "Mom & Pop Shop" in North Dakota that sells all kinds of nautical details so I ordered a half dozen items and their shipping was only 10 bucks as opposed to SW in Texas charging $20; go figure.

Have an enjoyable and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning crew. Wisconsin is cool! 47f feeling like 40 and heading to 64. Today it shall be dry. I have to wander downstairs and go out to check the rain gauge. 36 hours of rain would have been nice in July and August.

We went to hockey on campus last night. The Badger Women raised the 9th NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP banner last night before they destroyed Boston University. Class act by BU and its coaching staff. They were on their bench clapping for the Badgers during the ceremony. Not all visitors have done that in the past. Again today at 5pm.

I'm torn between attending the PNW layout work session today, tomorrow or neither. I'm working on a canvas until 8 or whenever. I'll decide then based on Terry's health. I'm taking a break now as I've been in the studio since around 4:30

To all returning from medical things may we all be pointed in a healthy direction.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Warm today (arguably 'hot' for this time of year. 17 degrees above average), heading to 82.  But it's sunny, at least until the cold front starts to move in and that'll push some showers around dinnertime.  

Last night I made the first of wife's 2 requested birthday dinners (since she didn't feel like going out).  Hamburgers from the grill and fresh corn on the cob from our local farm stand.  The machinists out there know there are 2 ways to eat corn, like a lathe around the diameter, and like a shaper back and forth. ;D  Tonight it'll be (gluten free) pizza.  

In between, I'll head down to the train room and do some organizing.  The scenery stuff has gotten all over the place, I probably have too much to choose from.

dave

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick, that dude looks like he has an attitude problem.  Enjoy your easy day today.

Curt, glad you are feeling better.  Have fun working on the boat.

Larry, Nice find on the nautical details. 

TomO, hope you figure out what you want to do regarding the PNW work sessions.

Dave, you can never have too much scenery stuff. 😊  Hope the organizing goes well.

Another day of rain with the current temperature of 15c (60f).  It's Friday so at least I get to work from home today. 😊  No modeling last night as I got home later than usual.  Seeing as I don't have the 1-1/4hr drive home I should be able to get downstairs today.

Have a great day everyone.

Mid 50s with sun  8) after the fog burns off.  No rain for a few days, nice.

2" showing in the rain gage, good soak for the 36 or so hours of off and on stuff.

Colors are changing nicely and prior to the rain Wed and yesterday the farmers had the soy bean heads on their combines and making lots of dust, probably be a day or two before they get back at that.

Eye exam went well, new Rx for specs if I want but no hurry there.  I've been having sinus pressure and head aches, the Doll said go to urgent care, so, we did.  Got a Prednisone 6-5-4-3-2-1 pack and a antibiotic and spray.  Took first dose after we got home.  Hmmm.... after an 0130 whiz I couldn't sleep,  :o stayed up to 0500 putting number patch decals on a few of the hopper cars I just bought. 0500 return to the rack and went off in Z-ville until about 0745.  Feel ok today so far.  I will take my stuff mid day sometime.  The number patches were done on the same sheet of decal paper at the same time as the early week disaster, no issue.  I didn't use any decal solution, at all, just the water from the decal, while not perfect, they do look like patch outs and some weathering and dull they'll be just fine for what they are. 

No plans yet, but surely something will come along.   :o

Good morning folks,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  How did Star react to the turtle?

Curt, glad you are feeling better.  Good luck with the boat construction.

Larry, don't you hate it when that happens?  Congrats on the Mom and Pop find.

TomO, congratulations to the Badger Women.

Dave, scenery cleanup can be a pain.  Good luck.

Ron, hope you make it downstairs.  A boy needs his relaxation.

Karl, hope you feel better soon.

How are the rest of the gang?

The Cathlab went well yesterday.  There were no blockages, but I still don't know why I am short of breath, and my chest hurts after exertion. Today will be a rest day.  

Many thanks to those who asked about my health and wished me well.

Have fun,
mike

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
That is an ugly looking turtle looks like he's pi**ed off at the world!!  ;D

Curt glad your feeling better.

Larry glad you found the details you were looking for.
Try here next time  https://frenchmanriver.com

TomO what are you painting??

Morning Dave.

Ron won't you be glad when there all Saturdays!!  :D

Karl glad the eye exam went well.  Hope the sinus are better today.

Mike glad the cathlab went well.  I have the same problem with shortness of breath and the pain.  They guess why but it still doesn't help!!

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/73.
We were going to go the beach but Diane doesn't feel that well this morning.
As usual nothing to report from the bench.
Maybe some time there today.

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Hey Back Again,

Tom O glad the Badgers did so well. Hope Terry's medical issues improve.

Dave, or should I say Chef Dave, nice you're willing to make 2 dinners for the Mrs.
Yes scenery stuff tends to get everywhere no matter how hard you try to contain it.

Ron hope you make it to the bench today.

Karl great to hear the eye exam went well. Drugs sometimes tend to mess with your sleep; yup it sucks.
Good luck with the decals.

Mike glad the lab tests went well and get some rest. Hope your breathing clears up soon.

Jerry sorry to hear your better half is under the weather; hope she feels better soon. It's funny you posted the link for frenchriver; that's where I ordered my details from. I guess great minds think alike.

Also I forgot to mention earlier I did post another part to my blog while I work
on the next chapter.

Have a great day everyone!

Good Morning,

Coffee and assorted beverages are at the end of the counter set to go. Breakfast is Belgium waffles, butter, Vermont Maple Syrup, and crispy bacon and/or pan sausages.

What's on your list today?

It's 46 on the back porch with a high of 65 with sun. This afternoon will be mowing and trimming. Being such a nice day hopefully the gentleman will be back for the balance of the firewood so I can be done with it. Maybe some bench time first this am.

Have a safe and enjoyable day!! Be well.

Good morning,

Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and breakfast.  Good luck mowing.

Jerry, hope Diane feels better today.

How's the rest of the gang?

It's overcast this morning, and we get a quick shower.  Later, it is forecast to warm to 83F.  I feel better this morning and am hoping to get upstairs today.

Have fun,
mike

Our mini heat wave is over, and it's back to fall temps.  55 up from 44 this morning heading to 68 (still a bit on the warm side), but sunny.  The annual Dover Apple Harvest Festival is today, so I'll go walk the streets for a while, then back home for neighborhood Scotch Club.  Life is tough!

The train room is slowly coming back together.  I moved some stuff around to give the dehumidifier a better location.

Mike, congrats on the clean scan, hope the breathing clears up quickly. 

dave

Good morning everyone.

49 now, windy in the morning but sunny all day with a high of 72.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and the wood gets picked up.

Jerry, hope it wasn't more of the usual yesterday.

Mike, glad the cathlab went well and hope there's a solution to the pain and shortness of breath.

Karl, hope you're feeling better today.

Ron, downstairs?

Dave, for most the problem isn't gluten it's the glyphosate that's used on the wheat here.
Use Italian flour.

TomO, did you attend the work session?

Curt, glad you're feeling better and how's the boat coming along?

ACLTom, any BSing happening today?

Very quiet day here yesterday.
I'll probably make a Walmart trip for just a few things.
While I'm out I'll also hit Harbor Freight to get some Torx bits to try and fix my coffee grinder.

A little bit of fall from Thursdays hike.

100126NewtonHillsSP03Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Morning all,

Thanks for breakfast Larry. BWs and Maple Syrup are perfect for today.

Mike, gets lots of rest and take care.

Rick, no BSing today as I'm spending the day with Pam. We haven't had a good BSing session in several months, maybe even since last December. I plan to have one soon.

That's it for me, nothing new other than being tired most of the day -  same ole same ole.

Have a healthy day everyone.

Tom

Rick, that looks like a field full of sumac shrubs.  Marty McGuirk devotes a section in his Autumn Scenery book to modeling sumac, I think using some etched brass plants from Bernie Kempinski.  Marty's book is very good, a lot of the information in it is applicable to spring and summer.

dave

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. Good luck with the grass today.

Back from dropping gs off at work and driving dad to Lowes for a second portable fan in his bedroom. He also has central air and a overhead fan. He has even more lights. This is all in a bedroom. SMH.

I'm irritated with myself for screwing up the bow of the boat. I read the directions several times, looked at the pieces, looked at the template then proceeded to do the first steps backwards. The glue was dry before I realized what I had done. Stupid.  :-X

Not much else going on this way.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Bright clear sky  8)  in MI today, very much the prototypical Fall Football weather day.  FROST on the lawn this morning before the sun got on it.  Will be in the low 60s today. 

SPARTY is in TomO country, Wisconsin today.  Pretty well beat up, the news whizzes aren't optimistic on their chances. 

Slept well after resisting the urge to drift off early  yesterday.  I got the whole lawn mowed yesterday :-\  it was Chilly but sunny, was cool in the shadows as I finished up in the back. 

I got my 8 car hopper block number patched yesterday.  Now weight, wheels and KDs at some time. 
IMG_4225.jpeg

The Doll took me over to Amish Donut Days at the Amish store nearby yesterday.  Freshest most agreeable donuts, free! and we stocked up on a couple things they sell from their bulk food stuffs.  Nice folks, but frugal, Free and Amish aren't usually in the same sentence,  ;) We have a couple in our friends that drive the Amish around and hear some interesting things. 

Geek squad is coming later, I think. The Doll has a woman coming later for something she's sold on Marketplace shortly.  She's been on a clean up fest lately, I'm spending a lot of time looking for stuff... ::) more than usual.  Usually here things are just put away, no concept of BACK involved, bit difference.  :-X

Curt, been there with building, waste all that time reading the instructions, damn.  Better just plunge in and fowl it up, often my MO.  THEN look at the text...AT least bass wood doesn't leave too big a mark on the wall, as long as you miss the TV or computer monitor....

Have a good day.  Thanks for the kind words on my health, all in all, doing well, improved sinus second day into the wonder drugs, wonder if they'll work.  ;D

Go GREEN! :-\

Good morning from the Land of Cheese and less but bigger lakes (total acreage) than our westerly neighbor of 10,000 lakes. It's cool at 41f degrees and a guessed high of 62. My app says the overnight low was 39. Our area's 1st frost is typically between 10/1 and 10/15. Up north about 100 miles it's from 9/21 to 10/5. I like the pretty flowers hanging around in the nice pots.

The grandson has an away soccer tournament 15 minutes away but the 1st game is at 8 and the temperature will be about 44 but feeling like 33. We'll go to the 2nd game at noonish. This tournament is actually time wise closer by a few minutes than the home pitch is for the team from our place.

I wanted my deck expanded from 12' long x 8' wide to something bigger like 12x12 but the quote from our contractor was the price of a cheap (now a days) car. I'd like to grill and have a few places to sit out there. I like just going out on the deck and relaxing anytime I feel like it if the weather is cooperating. Terry used to join me but with my grill and only 1 chair it's not the same. Putting the grill on the patio on ground level is now the plan in the Spring. No, I am not getting a smaller grill, the 4 burner gas fits our needs very well. Terry says about 80% of our dinner meals are cooked on the grill by her or mostly me. We'll adjust to going down to grill. There is just no value added by expanding the deck.

Today other than the soccer somewhere around noon is to clean the studio some and take a few pictures of the canvas I am painting. I thought I had posted some previously but I guess not. I was asked why the uptick in painting? I needed a break from model railroading, especially trees! I also have (proud to say) a joint gallery showing with 2 others at Thanksgiving time that I am told by the gallery owner is a great time to sell for Christmas. She will show 25 canvases from each of us but wants at least 2x's that many there to show interested buyers. I have no style as I paint what I feel not so much what I see. Maybe an impressionist? Monet had his series of Haystack paintings. I have a few pictures of the grain bags that we see around Wisconsin and other Midwest farms. Those long while plastic storage things. But mainly no people or rarely mechanical objects in the painting. I paint free style as I have no actual training. It reminds me of my time as a kid designing and coloring golf courses, then drawing floor plans and later the walls around them. I called it doodling.

Why start to paint after 70? It's not just that I enjoy it though I do. My health issues in 8/2024 took a lot out of me and I lost the natural (for me) feel for weathering freight cars which was until it became too intense a great sense of joy and release for me. Painting is almost the same feeling now. I have gotten back into weathering (mainly diesels) but while it's no longer a series of frustrations it's not natural yet but I keep moving towards that feeling

Enough of me, enjoy your day
TomO

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry.  Hope the rest of the firewood gets picked up.  Have fun at the bench.

Mike, glad your scan was clean and you are feeling better.

Dave, enjoy the harvest festival and scotch club.

Rick, hope you get the coffee grinder fixed, it's essential for one's well-being. 😊

Tom, enjoy your day with Pam.

Curt, hope you can get the bow of the boat fixed.  I think we have all done something like that.

Karl, you shouldn't say things like this "AT least bass wood doesn't leave too big a mark on the wall, as long as you miss the TV or computer monitor....", It made me spit out my coffee. 😊  Sounds like you had a busy day.

TomO, was wondering why so much painting lately, now I know why.  Hope the Thanksgiving show goes well and we need to see some of those paintings.

Weather here is 11c (52f) and sunny.  Ended up working most of the day yesterday but I did make it down stairs and started roughing out the mountains, think Minecraft.  Today I need to run a couple of errands, probably cut the grass in the back yard for the last time, and have a walk with Gracie.  After that it will be more Minecraft mountain making time.

Have a great day everyone.

Morning everyone

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
I hope that guy gets the rest of the firewood.

Mike hope you make it upstairs today.

Morning Dave.

Nice picture Rick.

Tom have a nice day with Pam.

Curt I hope you can fix the boat??

Karl glad your feeling better.  And free donuts should help the sinus!!

TomO how about a picture of some of your art work.

Ron good luck with the mountains.

Weather in South Jersey is cloudy/64.
Nothing got done from the bench yesterday again.
Just busy doing other things.  :(
Well maybe today I'll get there seeing its not a nice day outside.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good Morning All,

Today for breakfast is coffee, cereal, bagels, yogurt, pastry, OJ, and soda.

Slept pretty good last night. Yesterday MOH got home around 4 pm instead of the expected 6 pm. In the train room I attached the keel blocks to the keel and read ahead about how to construct and attach the ship's ribs. I think this step will take several days to do.

Today after chores I'll get started on the ribs.

Nothing much else happening this way besides rain later.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning everyone.

A brisk 45 now, sunny and 69 later.

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Glad you slept well and no need to rush putting the boat together.

Jerry, what's going on?

Ron, I bought a cheap grinder to tide me over till I could fix the better grinder.
Can't be without my fix in the morning.

TomO, I'd love to see what you're painting.
I can't draw a stick figure so photography is my artistic outlet.

Karl, glad you slept well and hoppers look good.
Amish stories?

Dave, you're right about the sumac.

ACLTom, keep resting and your strength will start to come back.
Have you talked with your doctor about supplementing with creatine?

Mike, any upstairs news?

How's everyone else?

Hitting Walmart and Harbor Freight were checked off the list.
Opened up the coffee grinder and it was jammed with a bunch of grounds and partially ground beans.
Seems to work now.
Another hike planned for after breakfast.

One more from Thursdays hike.

100126NewtonHillsSP04Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Curt thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad you slept better; at our age a good nights sleep is meant to be cherished. I agree with Rick take your time on the boat and enjoy the journey. Like motorcycles folks often say "It's not the destination but rather the journey."

Rick I'm like you; not getting my morning coffee means trouble. Glad the grinder is working and have an enjoyable and safe hike. Thanks for posting another beautiful photo.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

It's a cloudy 46 with a high of 67 here. The trees are starting to turn somewhat but up North in the Adirondacks they're at their peak. Watched a drone flyover video yesterday and the area is gorgeous. Now that I've added more bits to the inside of the hull sides, courtesy of Rob's knowledge, today I may start on the wheelhouse construction. Not sure about the rest of the day; depends on the weather.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

Good morning,

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Good news that you slept better.

Rick, thanks for the colorful photo.  Wishing you a great hike today.

Jerry, hope you make it to the bench.

Ron, how did the mountain crafting go?

TomO, good luck to your grandson. Good to have creative outlets as we age.

Karl, ouch for Sparty.  Congrats on getting the lawn mowed.

Dave, how was the Scotch club?

Larry, good luck with the boat.  It's nice to have forum members that help our builds.

TomACL, I'm sure Pam enjoyed the day with you.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's a rainy morning, and rain is forecast for the next four days.  Temperatures are falling, finally.  The forecast for today is 75F and down in the 50s this week.  Yesterday I worked on the engine shed doors.  The hinges were a bit fiddly, but I finally got them sorted. Not much on the agenda today: football and some time on the shed.

Have fun,
mike

Happy Sunday to all. 50 now and 70 later.

The pictures of the paintings will be coming and I won't forget this time. Jerry I don't paint people or animals because somehow stick figure people look like stick figure people when I draw them.

Karl, our Badgers are really bad so I guess your season is going worst. I rarely follow NCAA football but I looked for the score this morning. Our football team boosters keep begging for more NIL money and they only have 20 mill to play the football team this season. That ranks 14th in the Big Ten.

I now take my thyroid replacement meds at bedtime which is normally midnight. At wake up which is now about 6:15 as I walk now only the treadmill instead of outside. I was up this morning and thyroid pill was still there next to the wake up blood pressure pill. Almost 90 minutes since wake up I see both pills are still there. Thyroid taken now and alarm set with a note in notes to take the thyroid. I've been tested for any issues and they say I'm good but forgetfulness is normal.

I will I promise post pictures of some of the canvases. That's a double reminder, see above!

Milestone this morning sort of. August 2024 before my health turned I weighted 215, still heavy but in the right direction. Gained 30#s in 2 months from steroids, other meds and only physical therapy. Finally today at 225 with mainly walking, diet and the big turning point was chair yoga started in July. 45 minutes anytime during the day is fine but for me usually around 8am after I have been to the only 2 forums I normally read. I was skeptical because it looks too easy but it's not easy and while you don't (I didn't anyway) feel a burn you knew when completed you had a work out. I still walk 2-3 miles on the thread mill but that has become just a habit but it's decent cardio. Terry's doctor approved the chair yoga plan for her on Thursday and she started yesterday. She's gained 26#s since her health issues started. She's hoping for some weight loss but mainly regaining her balance and some better breathing. This from a woman who weighed 98# at our wedding and 48 years later was complaining about being heavy at 108. Think of what I hear from her now!

The grandson plays soccer this morning and should advance to the championship this afternoon. But they have to win this morning and they continued yesterday the excellent play of the past few games. We missed the 7-4 morning win where he had 4 goals but did see the afternoon game where he had 1 in the 2–1 win.

The granddaughter now 15 and a special needs sophomore went to homecoming with a friend. She had a good time and she loves to dance but her friend was wheel chaired. Her mom said 5 of the high school hockey team and the 2 basketball team captains danced with her. All kids she has known since pre-school. Everyone was happy last night

Enjoy the day
TomO

Rick beautiful flowers.

I held out until 3rd quarter. #2 QB came in to change the look and fowled up his knee on 3rd play. Hit red OFF button. Local news guy says rest of season should be played off line somewhere.   :o For the Spartans there were no highlights. Injury list grew.

Nice Fall day in Michigan today. Going to 70^o.

Lions on the Sunday night game. No great expectations there.

Good morning everyone,

Curt, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.

Rick, glad the coffee grinder is working again.  With views like that, I'd be hiking every day, enjoy your hike. 

Larry, good to hear you are making progress on the boat.

Mike, enjoy the football games.

TomO, sounds like your granddaughter had a great time.  Looking forward to seeing your paintings.  For the record the Canes won again last night.

Karl, hope the lions do well tonight.

Current weather here is 7c (45f) very cloudy with  40% chance of rain later today.  Worked on the Minecraft mountains yesterday but didn't get much done as I wasn't liking the look so I basically made modifications to what I already did.  Going out to listen to live music didn't help the building process, but I now have a plan.  Going to watch the race today and I plan to continue the mountain build.

Have a great day everyone.
 

Last night at Scotch Club we heard about a 'competitive team' soccer game for one of the neighborhood kids.  The officiating was terrible.  The other team was aggressive, in one case punching a kid in the nose, and also they scored on a blatant offsides.  For that kind of competition, refereeing should be better!    Otherwise, a good session.  

My shelf units arrived late yesterday.  These'll fit underneath the benchwork.  I'll assemble those and start organizing scenery materials on them.

dave

Afternoon everyone

Running late today.  

Weather here in South Jersey in rain/67.
Maybe a good day to do some modeling.
But not positive about that!

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Good Morning,

The morning beverages are ready sitting at the end of the counter. Breakfast is assorted freshly baked muffins still warm out of the oven. Assorted jams and jellies are also available along with real butter.

What's on your agenda for the day?

It's a clear 56 with a high of 59. Rain maybe this am? Some errands to run shortly and possibly some time at the bench. Still waiting on the guy to pick up the rest of the wood; maybe Today. Not a whole lot else going on here.

Have a great and safe day. Hope everyone is feeling up to snuff.

Good morning from chilled Wisconsin. 41f degrees now and a hopeful 70 later.

Thanks Larry for opening. A diet Dr Pepper will do for now.

Grandson's soccer team was really good yesterday in both games they played to win the tournament. They are 16-2 this Late Summer/Fall league

Hockey tryouts for him start tonight. M,T,W and T and teams are picked and announced Saturday. I hate this process but it's what they do here. This is where a lot of parents find out their kid is not the budding NHL pro they thought he was. The grandson is good but would rather play with his friends than play on the AA team he is destined for. We shall see. The 3 buds and 1buddette have been back together since right before Labor Day. The budette got rid of the latest boyfriend the 3 guys hated. Made for a strange Summer. She's already been told she will not be the AA team goalie though I believe she's better. The goalies know their teams already as their "try-outs" were basically the Summer league games they have been playing. Games where little defense was played, yeah great way to evaluate a goalie! (Sarcasm)

Packers won, saw 1 play, Brewers and White Sox are 2-0 in the MLB playoffs and my Hawks still suck at 0-3 to start the NHL season.

I'm meeting the local hobby shop owner at 9 this morning before the shop opens at 10. He wants to sell weathered freight cars and I have a deal ready for him. I offered him a consignment deal years ago but he said no, now he wants to try it. He has sold my stuff though at the 2 shows he attends and has always been successful. I have no idea what has changed his mind. Don't care either. I have cars faded to rust buckets with or without graffiti and just about everything in between. Mostly modern cars from the mid 70's on with many built after 2000. I have very few prior to that but I have weathered estate equipment he has for sale in the store. I did say no to making trees and selling then through the store though he wants me to talk to my fellow tree builders to create them as a group

Enjoy your day
TomO

Good morning everyone.

44 now, sunny and 74 later.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
Hope the errands don't take up too much of your day.

Jerry, what's new?

Dave, shelves assembled?

Ron, bizarre start to the race and looks like RB have figured things out.

Karl, I don't have any great expectations for either of my NFL teams.

TomO, that's fantastic the students made your granddaughter's home coming special.

Mike, doors look good.

Curt, hope you slept well again.

How's everyone else?

Yesterdays hike was nice.
Fillig up the fuel tank in the van not so nice with the current prices.
At least it was under 6 bucks a gallon.
Gym after breakfast.
Bank later to take the checks back they sent because the address is wrong.

Phone picture from yesterday.

100426GoodEarthSP01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. Hopefully the wood is taken today.

Started out the day with a walk at 77F and high humidity. Yuck! Yesterday I got about half the ribs in place. The first couple were a pain then I hit a rhythm. They are very fiddly.

Today after chores I have Dad's errands to run and I need to get another bottle of DAP CA. The bottle I have has the consistency of molasses. I don't know if I'll make it to the workbench today.

Tonight gs starts his adult HS.

Rick I was wondering why your gas is so high, then I thought oh yeah it's diesel.

TomO I thought you wanted to cut back your commission work?

Larry interesting ship layout.

Tom I hope you are doing well.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Yesterday kinda sucked.  I got a flat on my truck (second one this year), and lost the anti-theft lugnut key.  Stupid dealer after-market 'charge-up', I didn't ask for those!  So after German I'll drop the flat off at the tire store.

So no model train stuff yesterday.

dave

Dave I discovered MOH'S van had a nail in one tire on a Friday at 4 pm with her doing a skunk event the next day. It took 90 minutes for the tire to be plugged.

A gigantic L is hovering over the state of Michigan. Losers from E. Lansing, Detroit and A² have left a lot of disappointment around the faithful.  A huge chorus of "Same ole Same ole" resounds from the Big Mac to the Blue Water on to the Gordie Howe. 

Sun and cold here this morning, 1:1 maybe this afternoon, or not.  No big plans.  It's still looking pretty outside. 

Enjoy the day all. 

Morning everyone

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.

TomO looks like all your teams are on the winning side.

Nice picture Rick.
Did you get the good camera fixed yet??

Curt have a good day with Dad.

Morning Dave.

Karl sorry about the big L.

Weather in South Jersey cloudy/60.  Maybe sun later on.
Nothing from the bench over the weekend.
Today I have leaves to rake in the front yard.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning all. As of late we have been upgrading electrical appliances and wiring. Also drywall repair had put the brakes on the entire ordeal.

Finishing up today!

 

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry, hope the wood gets picked up soon.

TomO, hope the hobby shop owner's offer meets your approval.

Rick, the Malasia race is made for Red Bull so the result didn't surprise me, but Red Bull is getting better as the season wears on.  Kimi also padded his lead.  Only 7 races left.

Curt, hope the errands go well and you make it to the bench.

Dave, at least today should be better.

Karl, sorry your teams lost, the fish lost also, they are terrible this year.

Jerry, instead of raking leaves, spend some time at the bench. 😊

Current weather here is 10c (50f) and cloudy with a 30% chance of rain later today.  Manages some time downstairs yesterday and got the mountain roughed out.  Probably won't get back to it till next weekend.

Have a great day everyone.

The 'status' of today is dependent on whether the dealer can get a replacement lug nut key.  But my new iPhone arrives this afternoon, so at least I'll have a shiny new thing to play with (even if I don't enable any of the AI stuff.)

dave

Philip that sounds very $$$$$.

Curt my Son-in-law is an electrician plus HVAC guy. Thank goodness!

The day ended up.  The tire was fixable, and the dealer had a 'master key' to replace the locking lugnuts.  $85 there, and $40 for the tire, including replacing the spare underneath the truck (a PITA to do...)

dave

Good morning folks,

Soft drinks, juices, and coffee are on the counter.  Today's breakfast is a hearty Farmer's Breakfast of scrambled eggs with home-fried potatoes, ham, bacon, onions, and peppers.  Help yourself.

Yesterday was a bust around here.  It started with a trip to the vampires to follow up on the catchlab.  My wife hit a deer on the way to mahjong. She's okay but shaken quite a bit.  I set up the insurance claim and hope to hear from the repair shop today.  The passenger side of the car is banged up as well.

(https://modelersforum.com/gallery/586-061026043251.jpeg)

I'm up early because I couldn't sleep.

How is the gang today?

Have fun,
mike

Morning Mike,

Thanks for the hearty farmer's breakfast. I'm up as well, can't sleep either.

Sorry to hear about the accident Mike but happy your wife wasn't hurt. The car can be repaired.

Pam is gong bowling today at noon. I'm going to watch - still not cleared myself to bowl.

I need to get a hair cut this morning. I'm starting to look homeless - all I need is a sign. (https://modelersforum.com/Smileys/fugue/grin.png)

MY right eye continues to improve. I'll see the eye doc nest week.

Have a great day everyone and stay safe.

Tom

Good morning everyone.

58 now, sun and a high of 82 later.

Mike, thanks for the coffee and breakfast.
So sorry about the accident, but the best part is Sharon is OK and the car can get repaired.
Hope it's good news from the blood draw.

Dave, good news about the tire.
New 18Pro?

Philip, that explains your absence.
Good to have family members that are trades people.

Ron, maybe the track favored RB, but Max finished second the previous week too.

Jerry, I was told it would be at least a month before the camera was even looked at.

Karl, so, was it a 1:1 day?

Curt, any boat progress?

TomO, hope you can strike a good deal with the hobby shop.

How's everyone else?

Nothing to report from yesterday.
Camera club tonight and a stop in a couple of shops before that.

Two of my neighbors horses.

100526NeighborsHorses01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

ACLTom, good morning.
Good luck to Pam and glad the eye continues to improve.

Good Morning,

Mike thanks for the coffee and breakfast. Glad Sharon's ok yes the car is fixable. We have the same problem around here with deer being where they shouldn't be especially when deer season opens.Mike a nap may be in your future.

Tom sorry you couldn't sleep but good news about the eye. I guess you'll have to play "bowling cheerleader" for awhile.

Rick have fun at the camera club.

What's your plans for the day?

It's a clear 41 with a high of only 57. The gentleman showed up yesterday and we filled the back of his pickup with wood; made his tires squat a little but he lives up the road and around the corner so wasn't very far to go. This afternoon I'll clean up the bark in that area then it'll be finished. In a couple of weeks I'll get my snowblower serviced and put it out by the road with a sigh for 50 bucks since it's about 10 years old; need something a little bigger with a much larger engine. Maybe some bench time later.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well and heal up.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on October 05, 2026, 08:00:48 AMGood Morning All,



TomO I thought you wanted to cut back your commission work?

Curt, I have cut back and have no plans for custom weathering except for a few diesels per month. Except for any pre-1970 cars these were all coming from my own fleet.

TomO

IMG_4240.jpeg

Add another to the early up list.  :-\

After a morning grocery run I spent a bit of time on the layout.

Ouch! on the car, Mike. Glad your gal is ok. With hunting season starting here those encounters will increase here.
IMG_4226.jpeg
This big boy was up on the cam in the UP compound. There has already been one hunter shot locally here by someone in their yard target shooting.

Hope all have a fine day.

Good morning from Wisconsin. It is 46f degrees now and 75 later.

The Tuesday movie is Heart of the Beast with Brad Pitt and a dog. The movie choices have been slim since Labor Day with only 1 being seen. I dislike Tom Cruise so there is no way I'll sit and watch Digger his latest movie scam

I'll be helping the Son in Law cut the 20acres between the main house and our place between 10 and 1. I haven't driven a tractor in years but it shouldn't be that tough. We will also do the vineyard and hopefully 2 of the paddocks but those are done with the zero turns. These are generally cut once a month except for the paddocks that the horses normally handle. Because of school, poor wet weather and weekend soccer they have not been cut since August. They have though been cutting around both homes and the ROW along the County Roads going around or through the property. The SIL asked and I said yes. Hopefully these are the last cuttings for the season

The LHS and I have a deal for nothing close to what I was hoping for or he had hinted at. 10 cars with a re-stock of at least 5 when he calls until February. Though he is buying the 1st 10 instead of consignment as we originally discussed. Hopefully I can reduce the fleet inventory significantly by Christmas. These are cars I weathered for myself or were purchased to weather and sell on FB! There was a time I purchased cars guessing what would sell quick. Not all my guesses were great and these appeared on my layout briefly

Enjoy your day
TomO

Mike, glad the wife is ok! Not fun when a deer or bear suddenly appear in your line of sight while driving at any speed. The car is fixable but she is priceless

The 1st deer that ever hit me I had just left work in Merrill, Wi and I saw a flash and then a boom. Speed limit was 45 so I was probably  doing 53 or 55. Before I could stop the car looked in the mirror saw the damn deer tumbling, get up and run off. The car was a Nissan Altima totaled.

Too many encounters with the deer and 2 bears in Northern Wisconsin over the years. The deer in Southern Wisconsin seem to know how to cross a road.

Tom

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Mike. Sorry about the car but I'm glad Sharon was unhurt.

My fitbit says I slept well but I'm not feeling it. No benchwork yesterday, by the time I got home I had no desire to do anything.

Today after chores I hope to finish putting in the ribs. If I do I'll take a photo.

Tom enjoy watching Pam bowl and I'm glad your eye continues to improve. I hope your energy continues to improve also.

Rick nice looking horses. What does Star think of them?

Larry sounds like a busy day. Don't over do it.

TomO I don't like Cruise either. Good luck with the rail cars.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Mike, wife hit a deer a couple years ago.  At least USAA charged this under Comprehensive rather than Collision, so our rates didn't go up.  But it wasn't cheap (in her Volvo).

Rick, some long tails on those horses...

Today I should get back to the train room after the problems with vehicles.  I need to run a test for LightBurn on a problem I reported.

dave

Morning everyone

Mike thanks for the coffee * breakfast.
Glad that Sharon didn't get hurt.

Tom glad to hear the eye is better.

Rick nice picture of the horses.
I thought they would have repaired it by now.

Larry bet your glad the wood pile is gone now.

Karl nice picture this am.

TomO have fun cutting that grass be careful on the tractor.

Curt looking forward to the update.

Morning Dave.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/48.  Later on 64.
Izzy to the groomer this morning.
And nothing to report from the bench.
But the leaves are gone.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Mike, sorry to hear about Sharon's encounter with the deer, glad to hear she is OK.  I hit a deer once in Virginia, not a fun experience.

Tom, glad to hear that the eyesight is approving, have fun watching Pam bowl.

Rick, RB is improving, but to late to catch Kimi.  It's nice to see Max in a competitive car again.  Have fun at the camera club.  Any news on the camera repair?

Larry, bet you are glad that the wood is finally gone.

Karl, that is a good size buck. Have fun working on the layout.

TomO, hope the grass cutting goes well, sounds like a huge project.

Curt, hope the rib installation goes well.

Dave, glad the tire repairs were relatively inexpensive, hope you get the LightBurn problem resolved to your satisfaction.

Jerry, now that the leaves are gone, the million dollar question is????  Will you make it to the bench? 😊

Current weather here is 6c (43f) and sunny, needed a jacket this morning.  NO modeling last night, I had some running around to do last night as buy the time I got home, made and ate dinner, I didn't feel like doing anything.  We shall see what tonight brings.

Have a great day everyone.

Sorry about the wife's accident Mike. 

Was in the 40's earlier. We dropped Gena's car off for service this am. Now they are in my pocket $ Curt! CV axels and a steering rack being replaced. Took forever to get the parts in. It seems if your car is an older model parts are scarce by design to force a new car purchase. I'll stick to the older ones for now.



 

Philip we use the same reasoning on keeping MOH's van instead of a new one.

Morning Gents,

The morning beverages are set and at the end of the counter. Breakfast is cheesy scrambled eggs, hash browns, crispy bacon and/or pan sausages.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

It's currently 38 on the back porch with a high of 70. Spent some time outside yesterday starting to get a few odds and ends done for cold weather; it was cool but nice. Chiropractor's  apt @ 9am to get my back cracked. Started working on the wheelhouse yesterday only to realize it was too narrow. The sides are fine so I'll finish those then redo the front and make it about 2 ft wider.

Have an enjoyable and safe day!! Be well.

Good morning everyone.

49 now, sunny and 74 later.

Larry, thanks for the coffee and breakfast and hope you get to make more progress at the bench.

Philip, planned obsolescence is a thing.

Ron, definitely no one is catching Kimi, and didn't suggest anyone would.

Jerry, how are you?

Dave, those tails are great for swatting flies.

Curt, surprisingly she doesn't pay any attention to them.
Maybe because she's seen many in our travels.
Deer, rabbits and squirrels still capture much attention.

TomO, how'd the mowing go?

Karl, very pretty sunrise.

ACLTom, how's Pam do?

How's everyone else?

While I was out yesterday I picked up a few bottles of paint, brushes and glues.
Still months away from doing any modeling.
I'm not in a rush.
Nothing planned for today yet.

First light on my hike up Grays Peak back in July.

070926GraysPeakSilverPlumeCO06Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Larry. When I was working I went to the Chiropractor every week.

Rainy here. Started yesterday and will continue through Monday with the worst over the weekend from the gulf storm.

Sitting in a garage waiting room. The car traction control idiot light is on. I tried what I could but no go and it has a electric door lock going bad.

I'll try posting later.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning, folks,

Larry, thanks for opening, coffee, and tasty eggs.  Good luck at the doc's.  

Rick, thanks for the photo. Nothing like a trip to the hobby shop to start the boiler fire...

Curt, good luck with the auto repair.  Hope the storm passes with no damage.

Thanks to everyone for the condolences about the deer encounter.  Dave, I never thought to use comprehensive.  I wonder if it is too late to change from collision?  I'll take her car in for repair this morning. 

I went upstairs yesterday but couldn't get motivated to do anything.  I'll try again this afternoon.

Have fun,
mike

Rick, when I got back into modeling (did this twice), I started by picking a kit, then assembling (finding or buying) the tools for that kit.  When we moved here, and everything was still boxed up, I got a Bar Mills kit, an X-Acto Knife, some nail files, paint and brushes.  It kept me motivated while planning and contracting the work to finish the basement.

dave

8) Sun and pleasant in MI this morning, warming later into the 70s.  That MAY draw me outside to do some stuff.  :-[

I worked off and on with Sculptamold on the layout yesterday, 10' or so.  Also baked a loaf of bread, frozen just let it set out until it rises stuff from the store.  Turned out well. 

All I got...be well all.

(NEVER been to a chiropractor..) :o

Morning crew! ;D 

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Larry, hope you make it to the bench today.

Rick, buying model railroad supplies? Only a matter of time now. 😊

Curt, hope the garage visit isn't too painful.

Mike, hope the motivation comes back today.

Dave, how you got back into modeling sounds like what I did every time I went to a new project.

Karl, hope you have a good day today.

Philip, good morning.

Current temperature is 9c (49f) and overcast, looks like a rainy day ahead.  No modeling last night as I watched the hockey game instead, they did not play well and lost.  Not sure what tonight will bring.

Have a great day everyone.

Morning everyone

Larry thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Looking for more updates.

Rick nice picture.
Hope you find the stuff you need to get going.

Curt good luck with the car.

Mike good luck with getting the insurance changed.

Dave good plan you had there.

Karl pictures soon of your work on the RR.

Morning Philip.

Ron to bad about your loss in hockey.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/54.  Later on 68.
Nothing from the bench again just can't seem to get going again.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning everyone.

Currently 47, cloudy all day with a high of 73.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Breakfast burritos for breakfast filled with scrambled eggs, sausage and cheddar.

Jerry, what's new?

Ron, what did you end up doing last night?

Morning Philip.

Karl, what did you put on the bread?

Dave, I used the list proved by Brett in one of his kits.

Mike, how'd the afternoon go?

Curt, hope the fix wasn't expensive.

How's everyone else?

It's amazing to me how inept government employees can be.
Went to the courthouse yesterday to transfer title of my house to me.
The woman I dealt with had zero idea what I was doing there, how to do what was needed and asked the same questions numerous times.

A hike this morning.
Hope there's more color on the trees.

Independence Lake in Aspen, CO.

071426IndependancetoLostManLakesTrail04Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Sounds like it's cold in the mornings there already.

Sitting here drinking a cup of coffee trying to work up the energy to get a bowl of cereal. No modeling yesterday and still no word on the car. They're having issues finding the reason for the idiot light. They are usually our go to garage and have a very good local rep so I'm surprised.

Today Dad says he needs to go to the bank and talk to them sooo... I'll do some modeling after that.

Still raining, we'll more of a drizzle. I expect the rain to be bad this weekend.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the java and breakfast along with another beautiful photo. I've figured out over the years a lot of people who work for the gov't are there for the pension after 20 years so I'm not surprised hearing about your situation.

Curt hope the Dad trip to the bank goes quickly....been there done that. Hope they get your vehicle sorted out soon without a too much of a big hit to your wallet.

What's your plans for the day?

It's a drizzly 52 with a high of of 64. Maybe some bench time this am working on the wheel house. This afternoon taking Miss Ellie for a routine dental appointment then maybe dinner out afterwards. That's about it for my day.

Have a great day!! Be well and stay safe.

Good morning, all. My bit of the NH seacoast is 50-ish. It's just clearing a bit after a 2nd rain shower in an hour. Rain is forecast to end in a couple of hours and reach 70F later.  Still harvesting apples and pawpaws, need to get a load of each to the farmstand.  Also visit my bank, then the welding supply store and finally to Seashore.

Good morning,

Rick, thank you for opening, coffee, and breakfast. Enjoy your hike.

Curt, good luck with the car. The weekend looks like a toad strangler here, too.

Larry, the wheel houses sounds interesting.  Enjoy your time with your bride at supper.

James, sounds like busy day.  Good luck with the harvest.

Philip, good luck with the car repair.  That sounds like a lot of work.

Ron, those 1:1 thing must be done, but all work makes Jack a dull boy...

Jerry, how did Izzy's spa day go?

TomO, I can't imagine hitting a bear. Good luck with the LHS deal.

Dave, what are you making with the laser?

Karl, I bet you are right about hunting season.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's a sunny morning headed to 85F. I have a few 1:1 plans for the day, A/C filter change, hair cut, make lodge return labels, etc.  I hope to begin assembling and weathering the engine shed windows.

Have fun,
mike

Good morning from Wisconsin. The Brewers advanced last night Terry told me this morning and the White Sox play today hoping to advance. I'm sure Pope Leo mentioned them in his prayers last night. As a Chicago kid who rooted for the Sox over the Cubs this is just wonderful with the Pope adding excitement!

Went north yesterday to apply Scuptamold to the previous plaster cloth. The drive north to the layout's house has the last 8 miles driving through the access roads to Devils Lake State Park. I believe Rick a few years ago hiked with Starr along Mirror or Devils Lakes. Bob's place is along the slopes of the hills loaded with trees changing colors. The drive was nice.

Because our weather is gorgeous this week and hopefully this weekend, low 70's and bright we are packed. Every few years we travel the Great River Road along the mighty Mississippi River usually from Prairie du Chein north up to Minneapolis on mostly the Wisconsin side. We then head south on the Minnesota and Iowa side
Usually to Dubuque Iowa. We may instead head south from Prairie du Chein down to St Louis if I can find a route close to the river south from Dubuque. All depends on our 1st visit to Terry's oncologist today at 10. We are packed for an overnighter or just a drive through the Driftless area of Wisconsin. But no matter the decision at the doctor's I know she want a decent quiet drive to decompress

Some of the weathered 10 cars the LHS have already been sold and he wants me to deliver 10 more but told him he can come pick them up at 9 this morning or come by Monday.

Enjoy the day
TomO

IMG_4253.jpeg

Even the pines are losing their leaves. Cool and clear in Michigan this am.

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee &n breakfast.
Nice picture.

Curt hope they find the problem.

Larry enjoy dinner with Ellie.

Morning James sounds like a busy morning.

Mike don't let the 1:1 stuff get in the way of the bench.

TomO have a nice drive with Terry.

Karl great picture this am.

Weather in South Jersey is sunny/67.  Maybe 70's later in the day.
Errands to run this am.
Then maybe just maybe some bench time.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

The white pines here are definitely shedding needles.  That is a periodic event for them.  Here's a photo with my new phone of the small maple that always shows great color:
IMG_1876.jpeg

My intended uses for the laser are first structures and second wood cars.  If I'm lucky, I'll have one of the late Craig Bisgeier's laser cut car kits that I can use as a pattern.  

dave

I tried but was overcome by ether.  :o

TomO best wishes for you and Terry today.

Good morning everyone.

56 now, sunny and a high of 77 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Bacon, egg and cheese on a Jersey hard roll for breakfast.

Dave, those are nice colors.

Jerry, how are you?

Karl your trees are more colorful than the ones here so far.

TomO, have fun traveling with Terry and congratulations on the car sales.

Mike, did you make window progress?

James, thanks for stopping in and giving an update.

Larry, how was dinner?

Curt, did they figure out what's wrong with the car?

How's everyone else?

We did our hike yesterday.
Surprised to see so many trees still green and very few having their autumn colors.
Nothing planned yet for today.

From yesterdays hike.

100826NewtonHillsSP01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thank for the cup-o-joe and breakfast. Dinner was good and Ellie's dental visit went well. Our leaves are finally starting to show some pretty good color; they should be at peek within the next couple of weeks. Nice photo despite the absence of color.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

It's a p sunny 48 with a high of 66 here. Either today or tomorrow, depending on the weather, it's time to plug up the discharge Shute, and lower the mowing deck about one half inch, and start grinding up leaves. This will go on until the first sn*w or until I get tired of mowing. Received an email the other day and my order of nautical details have shipped so hopefully they'll arrive some time next week. Also the basic wheelhouse is built and will order the details for that next.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good Morning All,

Thanks for opening and breakfast Rick. Enjoy your slow day.

Started out with a walk at 73F and a significant amount of moisture in the air from all the rain. Yesterday I glued in the walkway braces to the boat ribs. After that the instructions skipped to the main dock legs. I measured and cut dowels and bracing for it, grained and stained them.

The shop could not figure out what was causing the idiot light and it's not on now SMH. They are fixing the door lock and brakes all around. $$$

Today after chores I hope to get the legs attached. Not much else planned for the day.

I hope everyone has a good day.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Good morning,

Rick, thanks for opening, coffee, and the Jersey roll. Wishing you a relaxing day.

Larry, do you remove the ground leaves?  The boat details sound like fun.

Curt, bummer about the idiot light.  Perhaps the other repairs were $$$ but cheaper than a new car.

How is the rest of the crew?

It's hazy this morning.  Sweetie has a spa day coming up this morning.  I have a haircut this afternoon.  

Have fun,
mike

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice picture maybe the leaves don't get a reddish color to them.

Larry won't it be nice when you can put the mower away for the winter.

Curt be looking for the update.
Hope the car is to much $$$.

Mike a spa day for you to!!  :)

Weather in South Jersey sunny/66.  Later on 72.
A nice Fall day.
Leaves have not turned here yet.
And another day away from the bench.
Must be a Fall break for me or something just can't get going.

Everyone have a great day!!  :)

Jerry

Good morning from an overcast morning in Wisconsin. The last 10 days have been gorgeously bright but not so today. 47f now with a possible 70.

Thanks Rick for opening, I'll have a diet soda

Terry's appointment wasn't the best news. 42 years of smoking a pack a day may have caught up with her. While she quit 15 years ago it doesn't seem to have helped. Biopsy is next week then we will know.

The grandson went through a big range of emotions over his hockey tryouts this week. He really wanted to play with his 3 best friends. The goalie is a girl (buddette to me) and her tryouts were all Summer as the goalies were evaluated during each Summer league game they played. Not fair as no defense is played in Summer League they all think they are Bobby Orr or Cale Makar out on the ice. They are not. She knew she was the primary A team goalie. His 2 best male friends (the buds to me) were a definite A team and one a bubble A. The definite A is Brooks best friend since pre-school day care at age 3. He told Brooks after soccer Sunday that he was determined to be on the AA team because he was the best of the 4 of them and to stay out of his way. Then did not talk to him during Monday or Tuesday tryouts or at school. The SIL said Brooks was baffled but talked to mom and dad about it and they said just do your best and don't hold back. At tryouts the best friend's dad avoided the SIL as they both could be in attendance. Wednesday's scrimmage against another league team was good. His friend scored 2 times on passes direct from Brooks called the primary assist. Brooks had 4 assists all game and hit 2 posts (his speciality it seems). I did not stay for the second game. He scored twice not playing on a line with his best friend. His friend had no points. Thursday the buddette at school told Brooks she was going to be the AA goalie as the original kid was going to play on the high school team as their 3nd goalie because the high school starter got poached by another team offering better NIL money so he transferred schools in Open Enrollment this week. Anyway with his best friend not talking to him he was at the rink at 4 yesterday for his 5pm game. The AA coach told him not to say a word but he made the AA team and have fun playing. His dad told me he also was told but didn't tell me until after the 1st game though I was there. Brooks had 3 goals and 3 assists in a wild offensive game. He fed his best friend anyway passes for 2 goals. Score was 12-8 and it was fun to watch. The second game last night started at 8:30 and the SIL texted me during the game. Terry was watching the scrimmage streaming on Live Barn and he did not play the 2nd half as it turns out most of the to be announced this morning A team players finished the game. This morning everyone on the Association email list got the list of all the teams and who the players are. Brooks is the youngest player on the AA team and at 5'5" the shortest but one of the smartness and fastest players. His best friend is on the A team and the 3rd buddy is actually on the B team which somewhat surprises me but I thought was bubble. Turns out he was bubble B/C. His parents were hoping he was placed on the B or C per the daughter as there is less B/C team travel. We will see how this 4 friend dynamic plays out. He is the youngest on the AA team but has played on various teams over the years with most of them including the 9 freshman that were told to play one more year of youth hockey Bantams. Open enrollment for our schools ends next week and there is always the possibly that another high school player or 2 may switch schools. That could move a player or 2 up from the AA team which would cause movement on all the teams. Each of the AA, A and B teams carry 12 skaters and at least 1 goalie, the C team has 16 skaters and 3 goalies. Wisconsin allows NIL (name, imagine, likeness) money for high school athletes starting last year and the good athletes are looking at the money and are switching schools

Sorry about the long story but I was concerned about him and the strange change from his best friend. He'll adjust as he was aware this Summer his best friend may have been moving. Best friends mom was the Chief of Staff in the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department. When the AD quit for a job in Chicago with the Big Ten office it was talked about. When the UW finally hired a new outside AD without interviewing any of the then current staff she saw the writing on the wall. She works from home for now as special projects coordinator for the Big Ten for her old boss and still may end up moving. But no one expected the break up because of tryouts though

Enjoy the day
TomO

Big college athletics are a business masquerading as education.  I'm appalled to see NIL move down into high school.   For most kids, this won't end well.  A few will prosper, most will get dissed.  

I'm back from morning PT, and I'll head down to the train room in a bit.  

dave

Afternoon all you Geezers,

I took Pam, err, Pam took me this morning to IHOP for some pumpkin pancakes. You have to ask them to cook them light or they come as as throwing discs.

I'm in the train room trying to get up enough energy to do something. So far, I'm just sitting here.

I called the doc. yesterday to inquire what can be done for the burning in my prostrate area. He said nothing to do but take Advil and wait it out for another two weeks. He said the radiation is still working through my body. I may have already said this, but I have a whole new respect for those going through radiation and chemo. 

I did manage to get another chapter done on the book.

Hope all are having a happy and healthy day.

Tom

Friends in the Army talk about taking "Vitamin M" -for Motrin, the Army cure-all  for most medical problems. :'(   

dave

Quote from: TomO/Tloc on October 09, 2026, 10:35:08 AMGood morning from an overcast morning in Wisconsin. The last 10 days have been gorgeously bright but not so today. 47f

Enjoy the day
TomO

EDITED

All the best to Terry...the sports drama shows me the world is upside down. Prioritizing things 99.999% of these kids will never benefit from. Learn a trade, get some education, the parents are arses.

Good morning everyone.

66 now, sun and windy with a high of 86 later.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
An assortment of cold cereals are on the counter.
Fresh fruit too to add in if you like.

ACLTom, good news on the writing and give the modeling some time.
The mojo will return.

TomO, that all sounds like too much drama for kids to have to deal with.
Just let them play and have fun.
I have great memories playing baseball, football and basketball with the neighborhood kids.

Jerry, I hope to see more varied colors eventually.

Mike, how are you feeling?

Curt, did you get the legs installed?

Larry, have fun mulching the leaves.

Karl, hope you tame the ether today.

How's everyone else.

Got a few more things done in the van.
I ordered new seat covers because Star shredded the old ones.
Went to the library and returned one book and got the next one in the series.
A hike at one of the parks this morning then Costco afterward.

This is from Thursdays hike.

100826NewtonHillsSP02Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.

Good Morning,

Rick thanks for the coffee and breakfast this morning. Have a safe hike and looks like you're getting a little color on the trees.

What's your plans for the day?

It's a clear 39 with a high of 65 today. Leaf mulching is on tap for this afternoon. Went and filled up my 2 gas cans yesterday and have the Deere all set to go. Received  my order from French River yesterday so I'll let the boat sit for now and start detailing the building. The details came well packed and was here in just a little over a week; not bad.

Have a great and safe day!! Be well.

Good Morning All,

Rick thanks for opening and the raisin bran this morning. Wow, a hike and then go to Costco? You must be mistaken about Star and the seat covers.

MOH and daughter are off to a skunk event. One of the skunks should go to their forever home today. Yesterday I manged to get one row of legs done. That included barnacles, slime painting, bracing and NBW's. There's 3 rows of full size legs and 1 partial size.

Today after chores I'll start on the second row.

The humidity must be horrible outside because all the windows are steamed over. :-*

TomO and Karl I used to only watch college football but with the new money policies in place they might as well be pros so I don't watch anymore. The only motor sports I could get into was drag racing but even that has waned.

TomO continued best wishes for you and Terry.

I hope everyone has a good day.

Curt, do skunks beg for food like dogs and some cats do?  (He asks, as his one dog stands alongside his chair, whining for more treats...)

Its' another perfect fall day, sunny, cool, blue sky, bright leaves...  The yard is starting to accumulate leaves, one maple is mostly sticks, and the oaks are starting to shed a bit.  Scotch Club has been called for this afternoon, no particular theme.  

I repainted the door and window for the laser shed, today I'll add glazing and glue them in place.  

dave

Morning Geezers,

Thanks for breakfast Rick, The Cheerios were great.

I'm spending the day with Pam. She wants to go the huge Antique Center. While she walks around I'll spend time at the coin dealer looking for old US currency.,

It has rained here for six straight days. I wonder if I should build an ark and not more models.  ;D ;D

I think I'll rent out my front yard for hunting to the locals as it is tall enough to hide a cat, even if it is a small one. NO, I'm not saying cats need to be hunted. Just an expression.

Have a safe, dry and happy day everyone.

Tom

Good morning everyone,

Thanks for the coffee and breakfast Rick.  I agree with Curt, I bet further investigation about the seat covers will reveal that the damage was caused by a rogue squirrel. ;D  Enjoy your hike after your Costco visit.

Larry, I don't bother mulching leaves as Gracie like to play in them.

Curt, sounds like you are making great progress on the legs with a lot more work to go.

Dave, for a second there I thought you were building a shed for the laser. :o  I need to read more closely.  ;D Enjoy scotch club.

Tom, enjoy the day at the antique center, hope you find some currency you like.

TomO, all the best to Terry.  That is a lot of hockey drama.  :o

Current weather is 0c (32f) and sunny with a high of 13c (55f) later today.  Haven't checked in the last couple of days as life got very busy all of a sudden at work.  Should be getting back to normal now so the rush is over.  No modeling lately but this weekend's plan in to get trains running again on the layout, do a final cleanup in the layout room and make the layout presentable for next weekend's open house, nothing like waiting till the last minute.

Have a great day everyone.

Good morning from Wisconsin. It's 58 now up from 48 overnight heading to 85f degrees. Sunrise was at 7:05 and it's another bright day after yesterday's gloom.

Thanks for the well wishes for a Terry. Outwardly she is fine but I'm the wreck.

Hockey here is serious. The association has 3 former players currently playing NCAA division 1 and 11 others playing other NCAA divisions not including 4 girls playing Women's D1. There are 2 currently playing in the NHL and 1 in the AHL. 2 retired who won Stanley Cups. It's in the associations email newsletter and a source of pride. Lots of the families here are well off and are willing to spend. The Clinics and hockey camps are year round. It's never ending

Poaching at the high school is easy because of Open Enrollment. No need for the kid to live in the school district and the family needing to move. It's big in football and believe or not bigger in the local high school golf programs. Some high schools have both Summer/Fall and Spring golf schedules at the state level.

NIL money is a travesty that will destroy NCAA sports if it's not better controlled. I have no problem paying student athletes if they actually go to school. Make them sign contracts and enforce them. I'm not a fan of the President getting involved with his Executive  Orders but his current plan has great merit to it. A friend is the head coach of the UW Women's Hockey program and he has real issues with it but needs to play along to keep the program top notch. 9 NCAA championships since 2006. But NIL in high school eliminates the under table payments but we have one Dane County player who last year went to 3 different high schools. 1 for football and another for basketball because of Open Enrollment and than came back in the Spring to play baseball in his home district because the High School couldn't refuse him. He drives a Porsche his parents cannot afford.

It's a new world out there for sure. I won't bring up the local hockey politics anymore.

We are heading to Prairie du Chien this morning on our Autumn color cruise. We are packed for an overnight or 2. The normal 90 minute scenic drive over Wisconsin backroads today will be maybe 3-4 hours based on the route I pick to get there. There are some great County Roads through Wisconsin's Driftless area and a few designated Rustic Roads

The grandson and family are with the soccer team in the Green Bay Area. They left after school yesterday. We'll learn about the hockey dynamic because all the friends play soccer together.

Enjoy your day
TomO

Sun  8)  warming to 70+ today. Great football weather. Good seats for today's SPARTAN Homecoming game were $35 online late last night. No thanks.

Came across this photo in my files last night.
DSC_0241.jpeg

Osprey was nesting on a power company provided nest pole. They've left the area since, driven out by 2 dozen huge windmills marring the area.

Enjoy the day all.  Be safe.

Good Morning Folks;

Thought I stop by and see what's up and it is a lot as usual. Things have been busy with a good amount of rain that made its way this far east from the panhandle storm. I think we ended up with 8 inches over 3 days. I a m trying to buckle down and finish the pickle factory I have been working on to take to the regional NMRA convention this coming week. Still a lot of detailing to do so I need to get moving. 

Hope everyone has a great day.

Jim

Morning everyone

Rick thanks for the coffee & breakfast.
Nice picture this am.

Larry have fun with the details.

Curt looking forward to the update.

Morning Dave.

Tom hope you find some of those old coins.

Ron sounds like Saturday is a full slate!!

TomO have a nice cruise through the autumn scenery.

Karl what a great picture.

Jim I hope you have the pickle factory finished in time.

Weather in South Jersey P.sunny/66.  Later low 70's. 
We have two grandsons here today but there already out and about for the day.
Again nothing to report from the bench.

Everyone have a wonderful day!!  :)

Jerry

Dave they are as bad or worse.

Good afternoon folks,

Rick, congrats on the new seat covers.  Hope the hike was a fun one.

Larry, hope the munching went well.  Congrats on receiving the details from French River.

Curt, good luck with the wharf.  Safe travels to your traveling crew.

Dave, was the laser shed your first?  Hope you enjoyed the Scotch.

ACLTom, hope your day with Pam was fun, and you found some old currency.

Ron, good luck with the layout.  Running trains is good for your health.

TomO, wishing you a wonderful fall cruise.  Sounds like a beautiful area.

Karl, nice photo of the bird.  Good luck to the Spartans.

Jim, glad you stopped by.  Good luck with the pickles.

Jerry, it's nice to have family visit.  Speaking of the bench, have you been to the beach lately?

How is the crew today?

It's been overcast most of the day, the remnants of the hurricane, but the sun is peeking out now.  

Yesterday was stressful. With Sharon's car totaled, I removed the plates, emptied all the personal items, mailed the title off, and turned in the rental car.  I was exhausted.  I'm feeling better, but not 100%.  I am not enjoying the effects of Lasix.  I still haven't been upstairs.

Have fun,
mike 

Mike so your wife's car was in an accident and yours also? I hope you feel better soon.

This is the car that hit the deer?  Wow!  But then, auto repairs are really expensive, in part because of all the electronics.  

dave

Good morning everyone.

66 now, mix of sun and clouds with a high of 83.

Coffee, sodas and OJ are ready.
Assorted muffins, bagels and danish for breakfast today.

Mike, surprised the car was totaled.

Jerry, have fun with the grandkids.

Jim, have fun with the pickle factory and good luck at the meet.

Karl, nice BIF photo.

TomO, all the best to Terry and hope you're having a good time on the road.

Ron, I'm sure you'll have the layout ready for next weekend.

ACLTom, did you spend any new currency for old?

Dave, how's the shed coming along?

Curt, more leg work yesterday?

Larry, trees are turning very slowly.

How's everyone else?

Plans changed after posting yesterday.
I looked at the weather app and saw that today should be better for photography so the hike will be today.
Walked with Star to the local grocery and got what I needed there saving me a trip to Costco.
I will go to Walmart after the hike to get a nozzle for the garden hose so I can wash the van.

I liked the colors on these vines.

100826NewtonHillsSP01Small.jpg

Have a great day everyone.