Good Morning Everyone. Clear, sunny and 76° to walk by this morning. I am a bit late this morning as the pool felt too good after walking and I had an extended visit in it. Thunderstorm teased us yesterday afternoon, but stayed 35 miles away in Oklahoma. North wind outflow and clouds from the storm kept yesterday's temperature below 92°. Lots of outdoor tasks yesterday. I almost got all of last weekend's grass clippings removed to the compost/mulch pile. Filled the 1.3 yard garden cart 6 times. A little more left but it's all raked into piles. Just to provide continued exercise, I mowed and raked the south part of the yard before I tackle the much bigger east side today, now that the hayrows are out of the way. I also took advantage of "no wind" to mow around the pool without debris blowing into it. I like our pool, I used it four different times yesterday; after walking, after mowing, after raking, and to relax just prior to supper (after running some trains). Today's chores include another batch of spaghetti sauce.
Tomato picking output dropped to just 18 tomatoes yesterday, the beginning to the end for now. Cannot decide whether I am going to carry the plants over to the fall for additional production. I'll have to provide weekly irrigation if I do. Grasshoppers do not normally eat tomato plants as they are toxic, and by fall they have quit eating and just mate. This has been a moderately bad year for hoppers. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, this year rates a 7.5; compared to the last four years of <4. On the other hand, 2015 was a 9.5!
Sausage, biscuits and gravy this morning Flo.
Thanks for the likes and comments yesterday:
Garry, Sherrel, Mopac, Tom O, Patrick, Guy, Jerome, Tom, Chet, Phil.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I vacuumed to railroad ROW through the quarterly cleanup project section. Mainly picked up loose ballast and minute cobwebs, there was a ladybug carcass in there also but no parts that I might have missed. Thus the tour begins.
We start off to the south of the antiques shop where I left off in April, a highway overpass serves as a scenic divider between the outskirts of Graham and the city of Ft Wish. None of the upcoming scenes from Ft Wish are fully completed. The whole area is on a peninsula beneath another cantilevered peninsula and is not easy to work on; so I do it in small sections at a time. Hindsight being what it is!!!
Just to the south of it is going to be an "urban creek".
Still working on those embankments. I had misplaced my stash of cut stone walls and stopped trimming them. I have since found them but haven't resumed any construction here.
On the bank is Stone Bakery, a discontinued DPM (or maybe Woodland Scenics) kit. Here is a rear view.
Garbage truck is an ancient Magnuson Models resin kit. Some of the figures came from Woodland Scenics, ole lady Stone is a Preiser figure that I painted
I thought that I took a picture of the front, but I don't see it.
Here's the backside of the street (bakery on the right). Last year I posted when I built, detailed or rehabbed all of these structures.
They are a motley assortment of DPM, ConCor, Walther's, Smalltown and IHC kits.
Another view with Walther's Ashmore Hotel and other structures across the road.
This repeat picture with the Tidy-Track wand in it shows an end view of the peninsula.
Note the vacant spot just to the left of the Auto Parts store; I'll get back to that later.
Greg - The jury's still out on whether or not I ever add exterior lighting to any structures. Buildings are not attached to the benchwork and most roofs are removable, so doing so would not be too much trouble. I am already reconsidering why I have interior lighting in so many, when I do not run trains in the darkness. We'll see though, I may get done with everything else and need a new project!
Regarding your question about travel time: it normally takes about 8:30 to travel the 165' on either level at a scale 20 mph.
Good to read that the SD40 gave you no trouble. Keep the fingers crossed.
Tom O - Sure is a nice paint scheme on the WRVT loco.
To those who care, today is
7-11 Day. Free Slurpees for those needing a sugar fix, if they haven't cancelled that this year. I don't believe that I have had one since the early 60's when they were still called Icee's.
Gotta go now and mix up a marinade for the skirt steak that I am grilling for fajitas tonight. Pico de gallo will be made with homegrown jalapenos, onion, cilantro and tomatoes. Kroger is supplying the limes and salt. The accompanying sauteed onions/bell peppers also come from the garden. Sadly I will not be making homemade flour tortillas since I don't have a recipe for Keto-friendly tortillas, but the regular ones are pretty easy to make themselves. Kroger is also supplying the Corona.
Everybody have a great weekend. Stay cool, dry and safe.
