Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop

[Sirfoldalot]

TomO - You had better take it easy today. Man, that is some serious swings going on with your body!
You have had quite a round of "stuff" over the past couple years! Take care of YOU!

TROY - I do not see any smog in any of your pic? So, you love the ocean but not the inhabitants? I love the inhabitants butdo not care for the smell around most fishing places I have been. That's a cool pic of your "little' friend there. So - We are not allowed to say midget now? Jesus, what will they come up with tomorrow - maybe birthing parent?

KARL - Pictures, or it didn't happen? Can't wait to hear your talking dog! Have a happy weekend!

It is once again supposed to be 93 today for a high temp with bright, sunny skies -- no smog here, TROY!

Nice portals patch work there, MIKEY. It pays to be cheap at times!

I had some sort of weird "stuff" going on with myself yesterday morning - Felt very lethargic and was having some balance problems? Around mid afternoon I seemed to be back to normal. Ever since I had the cardio inversion my pulse rate has struggled to get above 40 - scrips have been changed a couple times. Beginning to get the feeling that my spring is running down?

 

[Patrick]

Morning all,

Got the mowing done, and yes I waited until after 7:00a. Sprayed some more bindweed that has managed to escape my less frequent spraying. You think it would get the message. Got to get the roundup on the garden area to kill off everything. Not quite sure how a raised bed has so much annual grass in it.

Off soon to get the oil changed in the Equinox...

 

[bnsf971]

Your dog can talk?

Our dog could talk very well.
It wasn’t her fault we couldn’t speak dogese.

 

[troyphoto]

TROY - I do not see any smog in any of your pic? So, you love the ocean but not the inhabitants? I love the inhabitants butdo not care for the smell around most fishing places I have been. That's a cool pic of your "little' friend there. So - We are not allowed to say midget now? Jesus, what will they come up with tomorrow - maybe birthing parent?

The term set by the people of diminutive size is "Little People"

As for smog... of course you don't see any. I was on the coast, with the wind heading inland.

Here's the air quality map from this morning over Los Angeles area. I used to live in the Lower Right between Palms and Culver city. I went to the pier for fresh air. Our apt was about 1,000 feet from The Ten.

Since it was really bothering my lungs while we were out there, we thought about moving to get out of the smog. Santa Monica was way too pricy. Long Beach and inland (Carson) was affordable.

Took a day drip down to LB, and drove by some of the affordable housing areas along the rail line my wife would need to take to get to her lab.

Yep... in the red to orange areas west of the 405:

And we did visit a lot of the state. Get above 7,000 ft and it was great air. Up around Santa Barbara, nice.

But wife's job was tied to the 405 and the 10. The lab was about a block off both highways.

Note: the maps are from PurpleAir, and real-time right before I posted this. So about 7am on a Saturday. Wait until the traffic gets ramped up.

 

[santafewillie]

Good Morning All. Clear and 81° out there this morning. Should get to 104° today, same as yesterday. The cooler weather originally predicted for mid-week, has disappeared from the forecast, so triple digits should continue for the foreseeable future. It's shaping up to be our warmest July since 2011.

I made five more quarts of spaghetti sauce yesterday, usage is now outpacing incoming by about 10 tomatoes a day. Brother #2 is having a going away party for his early 20's daughter this evening and I will bring a large bag of cherry tomatoes for snacking. She and hubby are moving to Missouri for a three year stint as a veterinarian intern. She is my youngest niece/nephew.

Regarding yesterday's discussions about pharmaceuticals, I only use what my doctors prescribe and only for their intended purpose. I don't think that Lasix should be used artificially for weight loss without doctor guidance. I dislike using it and I will be arguing with my doctor next month about the continued need for it. I have had occasional cramps in the hips and left leg since I started using it. Not sure if they are connected. The LBP probably shouldn't be used to enhance without medical necessity. No fancy supplements here, except a daily multi-vitamin and a daily vitamin C, both recommended by my doctor.

Thanks for the comments and reactions to the cobweb pictures; Tom O, Jeff, Sherrel, Karl, Dave B, James, Guy, Patrick, Hughie, Louis, Smudge, Mikey, Joe, Steve J, Rick, OB Ken.

Well I finally got about 45 minutes in the train shed yesterday and I spent the whole time running trains.
From the archives, several folks in unfortunate circumstances on my layout. Some of these may be repeats.

Tom - How warm is your pool up there in Cambria right now. Mine peaked out at 91° yesterday, a bit uncomfortable although cooler than the air!
Mikey - Belated kudos on the portals and good luck on the garages.
Joe - That is interesting that the C&D still uses the cabin car more than 30 years after their general demise. Hmmmh! 83° is hot? I'd love to have that issue!
Gary - That don't look like any lobster roll to me!
Karl - Good luck at the adoption center.
Tom O - I would be quite concerned about last night.

To the disdain of us diabetics, today is National Sugar Cookie Day. It is also International Skinny Dipping Day. I don't need a designated day for that.

Everyone have a great day.

 

[Smudge617]

Today was the first day of my Vacation, so decided to visit a Model Railway Show in Ruddington which is not far from me. This is the first time in maybe 10 years I attended one, turnout wasn't great that I could see while I was there, but at 26c not surprising, that's pretty warm here and we tend to make the most of it while it last's, forecast is in the low 40's for next week.

Also managed to pre-order my SD90 Demonstrator, due in March '23

Here are a few photo's I took while there, note the price of the Shinohara TO and the Walthers boxcar.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

This has no significance to Model Railroading, but I am posting it because I happened to read the message below the pic.
I live about 2 miles from the school.

Astronomy Picture of the Day

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

apod.nasa.gov

GUY - Nice photo - Cool bird. How far away were you from the subject?

TROY - can you give me a link to those maps you posted? Is RED good, or bad?

WILLIE - At my age and condition -- EVERYTHING needs to be ENHANCED!

JOE - Nice post concerning the booze! About the same around here except the Spousal Unit has discovered that she likes a drink - or many - with her sister on cruises. I am with you on the shingles vax and won't get another flu shot due to being very, very sick from the last two I had.
Your photos have been remarkable - keep them up!
Baseball comments made me laugh.

 

[Smudge617]

Found this on YouTube, this guy does various reviews on Locomotives, but he also does some weird things too, in this one he runs a train in a child's paddling pool, and then fills it with water to see how long it will run. (jump to 6.30)

 

[Boris]

I dislike using it and I will be arguing with my doctor next month about the continued need for it. I have had occasional cramps in the hips and left leg since I started using it. Not sure if they are connected.

Willie: Yeah, I question the need for about half of my prescription medicines, even though they are all prescribed by Physicians and considered medically necessity. I am down to five daily, and one as needed, plus Tylenol, and a daily multiple vitamin.

Joe - That is interesting that the C&D still uses the cabin car more than 30 years after their general demise. Hmmmh! 83° is hot? I'd love to have that issue!

Willie: Use of cabins as shoving platforms for reverse moves is common, and safer than riding the side of a car for any distance. Since the C&D is "railfan" operated, and most likely non union, the Cabin car probably has a use...also, could be the "Yard Office" at Jamesburg, since all of the previous PRR structures are long gone. I wonder what the C&D's long term plans are, and how much Capital they are going to invest, but with proper marketing, dependable service, and the ongoing shortage of long haul and drayage truckers, they could develop a viable business.

Your photos have been remarkable - keep them up!
Baseball comments made me laugh.

Sherrel: Turns out after being behind most of the game, the Orioles pulled out another "win" in the late Innings, beating the Angels...The Phillies won, and the Mets and Nats both embarrassed themselves again. I can't help myself, These people get paid how much per season? The Mets are especially frustrating. the new owner out spent the Yankees, and they still burn out in July!

Jerry Clearwater captured this view of the C&D train Southbound at Farmingdale, NJ yesterday.

First train 14 cars. Potential for more if they play their cards right.

 

[TLOC]

I am back but not a happy camper. At 5AM Maui time the wife called to see if I felt better. Yes but still have a slight fever. She is out there with a few girl friends including my Endocrinologist and our favorite hockey coach’s wife. 5:15 Maui time call back from Terry says coach and doctor’s hubby will drive me to Urgent Care but not the ER and to take a shower. 10:30CST the 2 guys pick me up and I am currently isolated at UC on oxygen waiting to be examined by a Specialist they had to call in. 10:44 as I type this. I have a well fit hockey 5’10” coach in one chair with a mask on and a 6’4” tall vey skinny Indian in the other chair making calls to all sorts of their medical friends. I am just propped up in an examine chair. Waiting…

Thanks for the concerns, I appreciate it

 

[Texas Hobo]

Good morning, all! Yep, another hot one. Guessers saying once we get past the weekend our rain chances will go up. We sure could use some rain.

Sherrell - I think that can be refined a little further, birthing person.
Troy - So today her nick name would be Gittle Geep?
TomO - I had the exact same thing in January. Violent shivers for about an hour, fever. Got tested, negative. I to have a normal temp of 97. As quickly as it came on, it was gone.

LBP - Is actually a heart medicine. I have to agree with Willie, only meds my doctor recommends. Besides, who wants to seek medical attention after 4 hours.

Hopefully I'll get into the train room today.

STAY SAFE
LATER

 

[McLeod]

Sherrel - That's one of the neatest astronomy photos I've seen! I'd like to do astronomy photos, but up here, there's problems with cloud, cold, and only a couple hours of dark in the summer.

GUY - Nice photo - Cool bird. How far away were you from the subject?

I'm about 30' away from the nest, and much lower.
I have a 30x lens on my camera, and it's nearly maxed out for the photo. I can't max due to loss of resolution.
The camera cost me $45.00 on the bay, so it's a cheap Fuji. It's all I need for most of my type of photography.
Plus, the posted photo is enlarged a-bit.



I'm enjoying one more coffee after walking the dog, and then I'll get modelling for awhile. During the walk, I took photos of trees and berries for a nature forum I belong to. Don't think yu'all would be interested in that. That sort of thing is for the nature loving people.

Friends, have a great day. I'm anxious to get some modelling done.

 

[chadbag]

I'm joining the ranks of the electric lawn mower brigade.

We've been using a Honda gas mower for around 8 or 9 years. Last year it was having problems getting started. I put in a new spark plug which may or may not have helped but eventually it started working better so I we just ignored it. I did buy a new fuel filter but never got it installed.

My son (and now transitioning some of it to my daughter) mows a few neighbors' lawns for money and has done a few this year but last week he said it was hard to get started but eventually worked. This week he and I couldn't get it started. I will eventually get around to looking at it and seeing what I can do but right now don't have the time.

Since I am already invested in the Greenworks Pro 80V system I ordered their 21" Self Propelled one (Tool only since I already have a couple 2Ah batteries and chargers) that was 25% off over the July 4th weekend through the 5th or 6th. So it was only $300 delivered. I also ordered a single 6Ah battery, 3rd party, from Amazon. (I have the Greenworks Pro 80v leaf blower, the weed whacker with modular end so it can take any of the normal gas attachments, for which I have a brush disk and a pole saw as well, and I also have the snow blower).

This new mower is supposed to come this coming Tuesday.

In the mean time we borrowed my mom's E-Go 56v 20" or 21" mower and used that for one neighbor who was due, and my daughter will use it today for our own lawn. It is pretty quiet -- just the whir of the blades -- and does a pretty good job. She got it to replace her Honda gas mower -- same model as mine -- when it was having problems. She gave it to her grandson who has a thriving lawn business down in Provo, and of course he had it fixed and working in 10 minutes. So it was a good upgrade for her as it is easier to use (she is 80) and deal with and my nephew got an upgrade for his business.

I'll report how it works once we get our Greenworks mower. The other Greenworks Pro 80v stuff I have has been reliable and worked well. Including the snow blower (which we used several times this past winter, after buying it the winter before and never opening it as we never had a big enough storm to bother two winters ago). The weed whacker with both the line and the disk brush cutter has worked really well and can take out sage brish and 6' tall nettle type things and all sorts of really thick crap our lot gets.

 

[Sirfoldalot]

Besides, who wants to seek medical attention after 4 hours.

I would not! I would be shouting from the rooftop!

 

[TLOC]

Still at Urgent Care. EkG was fine, oxygen levels are fine and I am no longer using the nose thing to help the breathing. They overacted to that one, but I did not stay at a Holiday InnExpress last night so what do I know.

 

[kbkchooch]

Mission accomplished, heading home!

 

[BigGRacing]

Here are some pics of my happy place out in smoggy Los Angeles:

Beautiful pics, I made sure I went their while I was training down in San Diego, one of the best trips of my life.
Perfect day here today, fresh strawberries followed by Lobster and ales:

Willie, here you go, Tom and SirFoldalot, hope you are feeling better as well, take care of yourselves !

 

[PRR Modeler]

Afternoon All,

Went and visited with my buddy Tom today. It took longer to get home because the Expressway was shut down to one lane so I took surface streets. After getting home I did a couple chores but all I did in the trainroom was take a couple of photos. Tomorrow I expect to hook up the installed lights electrically.

Joe- Nice 1:1 photos.

Gary- I enjoy the ocean. I taught scuba for 7 years and of course my Navy time. What I don't enjoy is sitting on a beach with the sun broiling me.

Troy- Interesting story. I remember a few Gidget moves in the 60's.

Karl- Congrats, you have a talker!

TomO- I hope you feel better.

Willie- Nice police action. Blatz beer-yucko!

Smudge- Great pictures. I really like the elevated building. What kind of business was it?

Sherrel- Is that a Star Wars Tie fighter in front of Saturn?

Hughie- Nice layout scene.

Obviously a lot of detailing needs to happen. A small office will go inbetween the 2 and 3 tracks. The building to the left will have a gravel lot and 2 road crossings.




I hope everyone has a good night.

 

[BigGRacing]

Hopefully I'll get into the train room today.

And a beautiful train room it must be with that layout !

 

[BigGRacing]

I taught scuba for 7 years and of course my Navy time.

I had a colleague whose family were all clearance divers for our navy on the west coast. I enjoyed training (swimming) with your seals while in San Diego. Not training with them per se, just doing laps as I was on a different course. And I’ve said before, awesome layout!