Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop


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BigGRacing said:
That lower left building looks a lot like the walthers city scene kits of today
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Much of the historic business district is from the 1840’s. I was sitting on a bench taking it all in and had pretty much the same thought. Mine though was “holy sh..Walthers built this street. I took the one with the horse on the 3rd floor window because i needed proof then when (if) my main street ever gets built I have a white horse for a upper floor. I need proof?
 
santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. Clear and 78° and it may not reach triple digits today or tomorrow. Close though after 102° yesterday. NWS has reinstated the rain chance in our forecast for late this afternoon, 40% chance of less than a quarter inch. We'll see.

The weekly grocery trek went as planned yesterday except we skipped the pharmacy. Due to construction on the freeway, and a traffic backup of over 7 miles, we took an alternate route home and didn't pass through the town where the pharmacy is. The alternate route is just as good and is only a half mile further. Wife will be going through town on Monday and will pick up the prescriptions then. Grocery prices seem to have stabilized in the grocery store, but there are a few oddities. Quality steak is cheaper than ground beef and chuck roasts are less than half the price. I regularly buy chuck roasts and make my own ground beef anyway. I'm probably not as accurate on the lean/fat % as they are! Bacon was really cheap as well. Gas prices are staying in the $3.35-$3.40 /gallon as well.
Got back from the trip early enough that I actually split some wood from the tree that I had taken down last fall. I have been having some minor issues with Sciatica for the last few weeks, and I am now upping the exercise level gradually. The "little blue pills" to me are Aleve.

The county crew did a great job on the ditch out front. They'll be back today to do the east side of the road. The ditch has not looked this good in the 41 years that I have lived here. The grass/weeds on the left extended all of the way to the road edge marked by arrow; and were 3.5' high. Hence my comment yesterday regarding the mower.View attachment 149377
Just from my 1000' of frontage, they hauled eight dump trucks of debris. I won't see this type of work again in my lifetime!

Thanks for the likes and comments yesterday regarding my slow progress on the layout; Joe, Guy, Troy, Steve J, Chad, Smudge, Sherrel, Hughie, Dave B, Patrick, Mikey, Gary, Curt, Rick, Tom O, Louis, Tom, OB Ken.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I touched up some of the previous days paint. I also started painting the previously described backdrop. I got about half of it done, enough to proceed in the area that I am upgrading right now.
View attachment 149380
View attachment 149381

Tom O - That's one heck of a set of stairs!
Sherrel - Good luck with the house whichever way that y'all choose to go.
Hughie - That's a real drag about the kit parts.
Karl - I was wondering about you yesterday, and then you popped up. Tough week, but you and kitty survived.
Chet - Great that all is still going well. Knowing you as I do, that was a great decision to move on to Libby, although losing the layout was really tough. I hope to resurrect parts of it whenever you are able to find the box. It will be an honor to do so.
Good luck on the left shoulder. My wife recently had to have her left knee completely redone after the original replacement in 2019.

No bag fee here yet. I always choose paper myself. Wife always gets plastic which we reuse 2-3 times until they disintegrate. the paper is used to accumulate the "burn" trash and is eventually burned.

Everybody have a great day and an awesome weekend.
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Willie, steps in Galena according to the tour bus guy are “a thing.” It is a crazy hilly river town and he was saying they have over 100 stairways that are at least 200 steps. Some of the stores as the business district had steps to raised builds to keep minor flooding out of the stores. It was a super place to walk till about 2 when all of a sudden the place was really crowded. Tour guy did say we picked a great day as on weekends traffic and pedestrians are bumper to bumper. For the “high school” steps the local but still volunteer fire department has an annual run that makes 5 laps that includes going UP the steps 5 times. Says it’s a great fund raiser and no they are not in full gear.
 
logandsawman said:
Good morning all,

55° and sunshine. Headed for low 70's. Dumped off the freight cars on a siding and cleaned the wheels on the Varney 10 wheeler. Then watched a few episodes of Gunsmoke with the wife. She doesn't like me spending all evening on the train, so I get some time in here and there, also much of the day Saturday.


Tom O - those pics of Galena, particularly the steps, remind me of Alma, Wis, where my Great uncles had a fishing float in the 50's and late 60's.

Bags - we have been using cloth for years. Wife keeps them in our car, under the seat. Some of them are from merchants no longer in business around here, like Pamida.

Chet - Great to hear from you !!!!!! We moved out rural last year and got out of the Cities while everything was going to downhill. You probably hear about Minneapolis on the news, we lived there during the riots, not many blocks from the destruction. Our post office and library were burned down. No special investigation for that nightmare, however.

Karl - WOW, my blood pressure is up just reading about your ordeals. I hope the cat has a full recovery.


Here is a pic of the clouds out our bedroom window last night. We had a few quick showers. The pond we call the Grand pond is barely visible, actually spreads out to 20 acres, much more can be seen when leaves are off

View attachment 149382

Those big clouds are over west central, probably Webster, Wisconsin

more later, Dave
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Dave, We have passed through Alma a number of times over the last 30 years when we started exploring Wisconsin to see the color change in the leaves. The power generating station I have a few pictures of.
 
bnsf971 said:
I finally heard back from Customer Service about the bag fee law.
It's a corporate revenue enhancement policy for the one that called me, and I managed to dig up on the other place that it's the same thing. Not a law, a cash grab to further drain my dwindling finances.
So, Walmart and Best Buy, so far, are now no-fly zones for me.
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That is strange. No Walmart around here is doing this. If it were corporate I would expect them all to do it. Maybe the local manager or regional manager is trying to make better numbers (more likely piss off customers).

regarding the bags and recycling: (At least some of) the Walmarts around here have a place you can drop bags off (from any store) for recycling.
 
Good morning. I arrived here to read at the forum around 8:45 as I didn’t wake till 8:38. Hit the sack at 10:30 or roughly 75 minutes earlier than my normal. Slept great till 3:59 and the tossed and turned with the stupid clock in view till 5. Next thing I knew it was 8:38.

I guess the steps of Galena knocked me out. We did though yesterday get to the 7PM season ending softball game for the granddaughter. Just a great facility and program for Special Needs folks. Super well done.

I was checking online last night the story of Galena, Il. as I always do after anytime we take a trolley, carriage ride, boat/gondola, whatever in a city or town. I like to know if what the guide says matches up with facts. The thing about the steps is true. Still trying to figure out the story of a river that handled steam boats (6 docking at a time in Galena) can go from 320’ wide to 30’ wide to barely enough water to float a kayak in 125 years. The levee does tower over the downtown district and I remember the flood gates from a previous trip as a kid in the early 1960’s. They were last closed in 2018. The population thing compared to Chicago in the 1840’s is true also.

Our next trip out if it gets into the 80’s again (90’s + for the next 7 days) for a few days in a row is Springfield, Illinois to see the Lincoln Library ( Curated by the State of Illinois) and all things Lincoln in the Land of Lincoln’s state capital. That is a overnight trip as it is beyond the 2 hour day trip drive self imposed limit. The alternative trip is another Presidential Library, Gerald Ford’s ( part of the official now 15 US Presidential library system, they just added Mr. Trump‘s to be built) on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have seen Ann Arbor but just 1 time as a high school senior looking at college campuses in 1969 and really remember nothing but my recruiting campus guide. A blond cheerleader!

A blood letting event at 10:40AM today. Groceries are today or Sunday as Terry will start checking the needs when I am out. She has been on the phone with the son and daughter for almost the whole I have been awake, business, it never ends!

Gas prices. I filled up on Wednesday at $3.79 per gallon nearby in Madison. I had the HYVEE rewards gas discount of $2.70 per gallon so I was ok with the result of $1.09 x 12 gallons to fill. Yesterday the price of gas was $3.89 at the same station but in Illinois it was $4.75 with some at $4.90+ but no $5.00.

I need a shower and then off to the blood sucker!

enjoy the day
 
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Wow lots going on here! Hope everyone is hanging tough in these times.

My sister leaves Sunday morning. Sigh.....it has been fun and a great time visiting! Now I have to focus on some immediate things that need my attention.

But 1st.....I am excited to tell ya that I will be going to a very very special venue this weekend! I will be going to the Saratoga Springs Auto Museum tomorrow. I will be a guest VIP meeting with the daughter Lynn Yenko of the Legend Don Yenko!

www.saratogaautomuseum.org

Saratoga Automobile MuseumSaratoga Automobile Museum

We celebrate the automobile and educate the general public, students and enthusiasts regarding the role of the automobile in New York State and in the wider world.
www.saratogaautomuseum.org www.saratogaautomuseum.org

www.saratogaautomuseum.org

Don Yenko's Muscle Cars at the Museum — Saratoga Automobile Museum

Don Yenko's Muscle Cars at The Museum Saturday, July 30, 2022 10am Register Here
www.saratogaautomuseum.org www.saratogaautomuseum.org

I am very happy about this! I cannot wait to view the collections that will be there and meet Lynn! Yes, I am a muscle car nut!


Well other things I have to prepare for soon is the ever so close to fall time winter prep. I have to get my wood supply up to snuff and I am trying to play the waiting game on the purchase of 675 gallons of fuel oil for the upcoming winter season. Unfortunately I will be putting my boat away early yet again this year. The reason being is I have a European trip comin up and I will not have time deal with it in October etc. I will be going to UK, Scotland, Ireland and Finland. Of course visiting my sister in UK. Next year I plan to go to Italy and Greece after my Alaska trip. I may be doing a side trip to Wisconsin as well in the late spring next year too. I want to visit my old stomping grounds in Waukesha County and Milwaukee then head north for some Muskie/Musky fishing.

Other news I received 2 dozen new items in the MRR world. More hoppers..... covered and open hoppers. A couple of trailers and containers. A few boxcars. I am looking forward to this late fall for track laying. I think that will go well when I do that on my Thanksgiving break. I plan to start with the yard 1st and go from there with 2 main lines.

Anyways ya'll have a good day and weekend. I may post some of the items I go this week on the RPO. I really need to run some of the new locomotives I have gotten in the last few months as well and post those on JR's UPRR thread.

C-YA!!
 
troyphoto said:
Evidently Amish communities have variations of rules. Some very strict, some not so strict.
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Depends on the activity. I have observed Amish who hired themselves out driving tractors, and using power tools, but rely on traditional practices on their own property. They will ride trains and buses or cabs, but not drive themselves. I guess drawing the line between personal piety and surviving in the real world.
 
Boris said:
Depends on the activity. I have observed Amish who hired themselves out driving tractors, and using power tools, but rely on traditional practices on their own property. They will ride trains and buses or cabs, but not drive themselves. I guess drawing the line between personal piety and surviving in the real world.
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I was at a convention in Miami for a side sales business -- this was like 20+ years ago -- and I saw a bunch of Amish or similar (they could have been Mennonites -- after 20 years I don't remember what they said they affiliated with). I was interested as the business was heavily invested in online tools for ordering and reporting and stuff and also we were in Miami, which is pretty far from PA, OH, IN etc. So I went and talked with them. They were happy to fill me in on how they did it (they said different groups may work with different rules or interpretations).

They said they had others involved in the business in their area who helped with the online access and reporting, and that they traveled with their non-Amish ("English") business partners to the convention. They were very forthcoming and polite and nice and eager to answer "ignorant" questions from curious English.

Another time, when I lived in New Hampshire, I saw a tour bus park next to the Burger King (Everett Turnpike -- was exit 7, then 11 -- not sure what it is now as I moved 20 years ago). A bunch of people got off the bus and went into the Burger King. Another older gentleman got off -- he looked Amish or similar to me but I did not talk to him to see what his affiliation is -- he was wearing the older-style clothing, hat, big beard, etc -- and he went and stood in the drive-thru line and got his food on foot at the drive-thru window. It was interesting. We didn't have any communities of Amish or Mennonites in that area that I know of so he seemed to be on an out of town tour (hence the big bus).
 
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There is a lot of misconception about the Amish, (and other Germanic religious groups), much of which is due to their close knit community. Much of what we know about them is speculative at best. When I worked Amtrak's "Keystone Service", I frequently observed Amish using our trains. Passing through areas where they were populated, I also had a daily opportunity to witness their interactions.

Speaking of "Witness", my Conductor, John Garvey appeared in the movie, and still receives residuals on a regular basis.
 
TLOC said:
Much of the historic business district is from the 1840’s. I was sitting on a bench taking it all in and had pretty much the same thought. Mine though was “holy sh..Walthers built this street. I took the one with the horse on the 3rd floor window because i needed proof then when (if) my main street ever gets built I have a white horse for a upper floor. I need proof?
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The original Courthouse Square series of building kits, was based on Galena IL. They were made in Denmark. Walthers, ultimately bought the line and has re-released them as part of their Cornerstone Series. The photo, after the steps, was the Town Hall structure, while the one with the horse looking out the window, and the one story to the left, I believe were also part of the line. I still have the original one bay fire house on my current layout.

Tom, great pictures.
 
Afternoon all,

Got the front lawn mowed before the rain moved in or at least the spitting rain. Got laundry caught up as well. Been watching Disney Channel as I have been waiting for Deadpool to show up. Saves me dragging the Blu-ray player to the basement. Probably why it takes me longer to get my layout done.
 
Boris said:
The original Courthouse Square series of building kits, was based on Galena IL. They were made in Denmark. Walthers, ultimately bought the line and has re-released them as part of their Cornerstone Series. The photo, after the steps, was the Town Hall structure, while the one with the horse looking out the window, and the one story to the left, I believe were also part of the line. I still have the original one bay fire house on my current layout.

Tom, great pictures.
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Thanks for the info
 
bnsf971 said:
So, Walmart and Best Buy, so far, are now no-fly zones for me.
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Shooting off your own foot seems to me? The same can of beans can be as much as 85 cents higher difference from Walmart
Out here that was made Law for most stores, and recently upped to 30 cents a bag.
Doesn't bother me - I keep a large stash in the truck at all times. The Spousal Unit keeps me supplied as she can have bags in the seat next to her and walk in to the store without them!

Glad you got the 40 bags sorted out! Best to always check your receipt - several times I have not received the "sale price" as advertised and a couple times charged for 7 items when I had only 6.
 
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