Running Bear’s July 2021 Coffee Shop


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Good morning!

55F this fine morning with cloudless sky sunshine. Heading up to 75F today, and into another 90F heat wave come the weekend.
The wife will be home all day, so I suppose today's goings-on will have something to do with her. Just hoping it's not going to be another bird-bath.

Thanks for all the likes and comments on my past posts.

I'm going to post another couple of hummingbird photos, with a little explanation.
I take the photos from quite far away, because this bird is very shy. Then, I'll make enlargements on the computer.
In the birds case, the enlargements are quite extreme. Hence, the fuzzy look, because my camera shake is enhanced as well.
Here are photos of the actual compared to the enlargement:
HumingBrd_07-27-2021 (10).JPG

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I'm working on trying to get better photos. In fact, I bought a new camera with greater telephoto capability, just so I could take better photos of wildlife and trains. It's a FujiFilm S-4800 that has 30x telephoto capability.

Tomorrow, the dog and I will be heading to the CN staging area to give the new camera a test run. We'll see what kind of photos I can acquire.
Hopefully, a train will cross that Athabasca bridge.

SteveJ - Thanks for the heads-up on the plumbers putty. I have a small jar of that stuff doing nothing right now. May as well use it.

Well, I have to walk the dog. Only had her for a few weeks, and she can already tell what time it is.

Have a good one!

Oop's! Here's the rail photo, just so I don't get kicked out for not showing rail photos:
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Good Morning all! H-Town in the summer need I say more.

Well the shed for the generator got assembled yesterday. The delivery driver just called and will be here within the hour. So that project is moving right along. Should be ready for hurricanes in a few more days.

The Bar Mills structures have shipped so I should be starting those in a week or so.

Ran a train for about a half hour yesterday. There is something calming and restful watching a loco with a long string of cars slowly work it's way through the scenes you create.

STAY SAFE

LATER
 
House update. Monday the footings layout guy was there with his fancy surveying equipment, a bunch of paint, some rebar dowels, and orange heavy duty synthetic twine, laying out the footing plans for the work crew. Tuesday the work crew laid out the footing forms, rebar, etc, we had the city inspection of same, and then they poured the footings. Today they removed the footing forms... Waiting for the ICF block to be delivered. I think we rough in the plumbing (at least the drains) next and the ICF walls are started when we get the block.

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Hey folks! Me again, and I think I need a whiskey this time.

The dog and I went for a walk into the CN staging area to try out the new camera.
No trains available when we got there, so I thought we'd head up the tracks a couple miles to where we've never been. We got to this place:
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Right around that left rail bend on the horizon, there was mama bear with three cubs.
That new pup of mine has never seen a bear, so she didn't know what it was. The bear cubs were climbing into the trees, and I could see mama bear was going to start to act up. So I grabbed that dog by the collar hard, and started running back to whence we came. I didn't have to drag the dog long; she got the idea pretty quick. Lucky for me that mama bear was more concerned about her cubs than chasing after an old man trying to outrun a dog. - I was so worried about that dog getting us in deep, that I didn't bother trying to take photos. We just left the area altogether.

So, that was my exercise for the day.
We did go back to the staging area where a train showed up. I took about 50 photos, some of which I'll post tomorrow.
Right now, I'm going home to the couch for a nap.
Have a good one!
 
RIP - Dusty Hill, bassist for ZZ Top. I remember seeing him in the early days of ZZ Top when they would play at anti-Vietnam War concerts in Lee Park (name changed a few years ago) in Dallas alongside The Steve Miller Band in '69-'72. Prior to that I saw him and his brother Rocky in a couple of local garage bands. I remember The Warlocks and American Blues but not some others, at local clubs like The Cellar and LuAnn's while I was still in high school.
 
Yes, RIP Dusty Hill. I am glad we spent the money to take the kids to see them play a few years ago. By now they were geriatric rockers but they could still do it, and they were still the original lineup. It was an awesome show.

Prayers for his family and friends.
 
Morning all,

79° this morning with a heat index of 86° on it way to 99° and a heat index of 107°. Supposed to be cooler on Sunday otherwise temps at 100° and index of 105° to 110°.
Nothing on the trains lately. I just gotta carve some time to do it.
Also I've got some tomatoes on the vines, but nowhere near ready. Should have had them by July 4th. In talking with other gardeners at the office, they aren't seeing any either. Glad to know it isn't just me.

RIP Dusty. ZZ Top is also one of my favorite bands.
 
Good Morning Everyone. Clear and 74°, with a high expected to be 97°; heat advisory has returned today at 105°. Possible thunderstorms Sunday night into Monday when the wind shifts out of the north for a few days with highs in the low 90's for the rest of next week. Unfortunately, the pool reached 87.5° yesterday and only dropped to 85° overnight. With no cloud cover until Sunday, it will eventually go higher. It was however, a pretty long run below 84° since taking off the cover around Memorial Day.
Uneventful trip to the doctor yesterday for both me and my wife. He scheduled the next visit for November so he expects me to live until then. Should get the bloodwork test results this afternoon or tomorrow morning to show what's going on inside.
I have the list ready for the weekly grocery/beer trek today, a stop at Hobby Lobby for hobby supplies is also on the agenda.

Thanks for the likes on the layout progress yesterday; Guy, Sherrel, Tom O, Garry, Karl, Christian, Patrick, Hughie, Chad, Tom.

Just a BLT today Flo, with a Diet A&W Root Beer.

Out in the train shed yesterday, I only cleaned structures as I work my way around the peninsula.
Whitaker Bros. Printing is a City Classics kit known as Smallman Street Warehouse. Hard to see here, but the two visible floors are filled with machinery.
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Next door is a paint distributor as yet unnamed made from Rix wall components.
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Sherrel - Keep your cool! Maybe stay in the RV for a few days by yourself, or with just Kate.
Steve J - Interesting idea about the plumber's putty. I have always just used double-sided tape, probably not as sticky though.
Garry - I don't use auto-correct. The nuns in heaven who taught me in grade school would send terror my way if I mis-spelled a single word! I'm set up with auto-suggest. For example, it didn't like my use of "bloodwork" above, but it is a correct spelling as is two words so I added it.

Today seems to be dedicated to food. It's National Chicken Wing Day, National Lasagna Day and National Chili Dog Day. Take your pick.
Everybody have a great day.
 
Greetings all,

Yes, sad re Z Z Top. Great entertainers for many years. When were you in Dallas, SF Willie? I grew up there, moved to Dallas when 8 yo in 1968, just off FOrest lane near Rosser or Marsh. Moved to Farmers Branch in '72. Graduated WT White in '78 and went to Texas A&M and then the Navy. I'm guessing you're a bit older than me at 61, so probably before my time, so to speak.

Actually sitting on the front deck this morning and it's nice at 72 and low humidity. Only high of 88 today and 84 tomorrow - looking like a beauty of a day for Friday golf!

Did some paint work on the wheels and trucks of that GN box:
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I am infantile at weathering, but I'm thinking it is an improvement. Here is the before picture so you don't have to scroll up:
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That's all I finished up yesterday. Had worship and then a meeting for VBS until 20:30. Wasn't feeling well yesterday, so came home and lay back in the recliner for a few hours. Better today.

I am hoping to start the true layout of the yard tonight. I plan to lay the last bit of foam roadbed and beging laying out the turnouts and ladder tracks. Should be fun! But there is so much to account for. I have to:

- - - markout track lines (have a silver sharpie for that)
- - - mark locations of under track decouplers (both electromagnet and non)
- - - mark and drill for turnout actuators (to be installed later when money permits)
- - - mark and drill for frog power wires.
- - - carefully monitor all curves and straights.
- - - ad infinitum!

Crikey, I had a shorter "worry" list when we moved nuc weps around!! Maybe it was because of the better trained crew!

One advantage of coffee on the front deck - - - pretty girl just ran by with a smile and a wave. Brightens the day. Were the tables turned, I'd communicate with her by means of heavy-wheezing and a wave-off to her as she reached for her phone to call 9-1-1. "Ah, youth," as Joseph Conrad said.

Cheers to all! - ---------Steve J
 
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