Running Bear's June 2022 Coffee Shop


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Good morning train loving food eating creatures of the world visiting this forum. A nice day yesterday in So. Central Wisconsin with a nice but hotter day coming. It is 67f degrees now 93 later. Getting ready to begin my morning on the south facing deck.

The day is unplanned but I will take another Covid test this morning even though yesterday’s test was negative. The granddaughter wants to come over today to swim and I am a bit leery but we both want to see her. Yesterday the daughter and her hubby stopped by and picked up the last (after I tested negative) of their things and we officially have our house back. Turns out the kids were fine but both the daughter and the SIL felt a bit confined in a mostly earth sheltered house. Living mostly underground is not for everyone. Thankfully I insisted on a take back and the right of 1st refusal in the contract. They live about a mile away but still on the property in the house the we sold to my brother in 2015.

The son called a few times yesterday for more then just DAD’s Day. Seems in his main bathroom the main light and exhaust fan were out. After a few things checked he replaced both switches and everything works again. The house is now 2 months lived in and both switches had small burn flecks on them. He was going to call the electrical contractor today.

In other news the son said his house guests are still there. His friend, former band mate and sound studio business partner and his wife and 18 month old son from Tucson have been there almost a month. The friend is a guitarist who has nerve damage in his hands and no longer can play. He can and does still write music. He and his wife have a business that cleans Air B&B’s for $500 a pop. They currently have 7 places that they clean weekly, 3 others on a need to basis and have decided they like Austin for business so much better then Tucson. They are looking for 2 helpers and would pay $100 per place they clean, nobody is applying. The son says they can stay with him as they clean his place for payment and he says “don’t tell mom” but I have never lived in a place so clean. I won’t tell Terry but she will read this and see it.

I am now on the deck. A nice comfy breeze is blowing and the sky is beautifully clear and blue. Yogurt and granola are on the breakfast menu. Enjoy your day
 
santafewillie said:
Good Morning All. It's clear and 74° in this neighborhood. Upper 90's to lower 100's for the next ten days, still no rain in sight. Really low humidity levels except early in the morning. Grass is still growing even though no rain since June 1. Same forecast until mid-September.

Besides the usual Sunday of Mass, laundry and pool maintenance, I used the weedeater for about 40 minutes. Today I will be here all morning and I will mow some of the yard. Front yard gets mowed on the diagonal route this week. Let's see if I can get the first row without veering off one side or the other.

Thanks for the likes and comments regarding the weathered freight cars yesterday; Smudge, Tom O, Patrick, Rick, Guy, Steve J, OB Ken, Gary, Hughie, Karl, Jaz, Louis, Sherrel, Tom, Mikey, Joe.

As usual on Sundays, I spent very little time out in the train shed yesterday. While there, I test ran a couple of locos that are on the unused shelf. I confirmed that they should remain there. At least this time I wrote down why they are there! Maybe some day in the next ten years when I finish the layout and weather the rest of the fleet, I might upgrade some of them. In the meantime, I'll go back into the archives for a few photos.
These are of a freight train waiting on the siding in Gainesville for an intermodal train to pass northbound heading for Oklahoma City (off layout). The train is being led by a pair of Athearn RTR SD40-2's
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Guy - Sorry to read of your experience with the first wife. Getting out of that relationship was obviously good for you.
Tom O - I can't give any recommendation of fries since I don't eat at many fast food establishments. I recommend homemade oven fries.

Today is the last day of Spring here in US. Enjoy it before the heat of summer is upon us.
Everybody have a great day, Stay cool and safe.
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Thank Willie and great pictures. Excellent looking pipe load on that bulkhead flat.

I love fries but they don’t fit my low carb diet that has gone very well for me. I think I have had fries maybe 4 times since January and maybe 10 fries eaten each time. I miss French fries
 
MikeInHubCity said:
Joe- just like you’ve got to go to Philly or South Jersey for an authentic hoagie
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Mike: Well, the best I have ever had, Jersey Mikes #13 (Italian), comes from Jersey - Long Branch - not South Jersey, and they are franchised all over the country. Other than that, I agree. The only place around me that sells "Hoagies" is the Wawa. Not exactly what I would consider on a par from some of the places I have been to, but more on a par with QuikChek's "Subs".
 
Morning all,

Work was a pill this morning, but stuff I expect after updates are run.

78° and sunny this morning with an expected high of 96°.

TomO: Wendy's never had frozen meat. Worked there for 13 years as a second and weekend job, never any frozen hamburgers. Still that way which is why McDonalds changed their quarter pounder.
And I agree there are better burgers than the "Big 3".

And I'd love get some White Castles... Funny how a chain started in Wichita, doesn't have a presence there in over 84 years.
 
Good Morning!
Blue skies and 50F at 6:30am. I'm hearing that's supposed to change at some point over the day, and we're going to get wet again.
Not a bad thing to get lots of rain; the flood will rejuvenate the earth.

Mostly concerned myself with yard work yesterday, Mowed and trimmed the lawn; not a weed left alive in the garden. I wanted to get it all done, so I need not worry about it over the coming week. If it's going to rain, I'd like to be modelling instead of doing yard work. Plus, the wife has 4 days off, so I've tried to snub her 'honey-do' list a-bit. - Didn't hear anything from my son's; oh well!

I did come up with a way to repair the broken axle on my Sylvan truck. All I did was epoxy a thin strip of plastic across the axle. Once it's painted and the truck set upright, it won't be noticed at all:
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The ice-cream truck came by yesterday. Maybe if the son's had showed up, I might have bought them an ice-cream:
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I'm wondering how many folks have thought of an ice-cream truck on the layout. Not many, I would think.

Willie - Wonderful, inspiring photo set you posted this morning!

Well, the coffee cup is empty, and the dog knows it's walking time. So I may as well get on with it.
Have a great day!
 
Morning -- Another nice day in the neighborhood! Looking for a 92 degree day and sunny and clear.

Went up the hill to the local daughter's for dinner last evening. YUMMY!
Received calls, texts, and a few photos from all the kids - nice!
The ones from Okinawa on the beach were my favs!

Spousal Unit gets home around 2 PM - she has been in Newport dog-sitting for 4 days. I have a lot of picking up and cleaning to do, so better git-to-it after breakfast.
 
troyphoto said:
www.culvers.com

Wisconsin Cheese Curds | Our Menu | Culver’s

Our cheese curds are a dairyland delicacy. Made using the freshest, un-aged yellow and white Wisconsin cheddar cheese, deep-fried golden brown for a warm buttery crunch. Provided exclusively to Culver's by La Grander Hillside Dairy in Stanley, Wisconsin.
www.culvers.com
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Not sure the word "cheese curd" belongs on the same line with "nutrition"

FWIW, we did NOT go to Culvers on Saturday for our Saturday night out and I did not eat cheese curds. We did go to a place called "Garage Grill" which is car themed and has a lot of fancy cars on display and also all sorts of older memorabilia. The atmosphere was great if you are into cars. The food was scattered. The places has Poke and Sushi but also has a large burger assortment, various sandwiches, BBQ and other main entrees, fancy Tacos and Burritos, Nachos of various sorts including "Sushi Nachos" (using Wonton chips, crab salad, tuna, and various similar things), as well as fish and chips and broiled glazed salmon. 163 items on the menu according to the server lady.

Wife had Poke (actually it was ordered as appetizer and I had a bite -- it was actually pretty good but different than the way she makes it so the kids weren't impressed -- but she ended up eating 95% of it as her meal). We had "Piston Rings" (large thick onion rings) as an appetizer with siracha mayo. They were pretty good. I think Culvers rings are better as they are not as thick and not as thick of the crunch stuff either. Poke is probably 3.5 on the 1-5 scale. Rings 3 or 3.5

For food I had a burger that was BBQ themed with brisket burnt ends on top with an onion ring, cheese, bbq sauce. It was actually very good. My sone had their double burger -- also had some BBQ sauce but otherwise more standard burger fare, and the daugher had a burger called "The Supra" which had a "Togarashi" flavored burger [Togarashi shichimi is the Japanese seven spice stuff you put on rice, ramen, etc and is kind of peppery], with kimchi and some other asian stuff on it. I had to explain to her what a "Supra" is -- Toyota muscle car of days gone by. The burgers were a solid 4 on a 1-5 scale.

We ordered 2 orders of Tuna and 2 orders of Salmon nigiri (normal sushi on the rice log). Thin fish, a little dry, and not sure if the rice was sishi rice or plain white rice. 2 on the 1-5 scale. We also ordered 3 specialty rolls, one of which was tempura fried. It was a bit oily and it tasted like the oil needed to be changed. It was OK. The rolls were all just OK. A little dry. A bunch of meh. 2 or 2.5 on the 1-5 scale.

The service was pretty good. The various people who came were competent, friendly, and took care of you.

All in all the place was probably 3 on the 1-5 scale. But the food was all over the place. It was also pretty expensive. We (the family) won't necessarily be going back but if I am with a group that wants to try it, I'd go again as there are some other burger and sandwich type things I wouldn't mind trying and their burgers were solid.

Next time I'll vote for Culvers if the family is not open for "chicken" [which now means "Raisin' Canes] or In-N-Out or wanting to try something else. Culvers is solid, a lot less expensive, and you know what you are getting, and it is also close by.
 
MilwRoader_Steve said:
Good morning all,

Thanks for the assistance - so far staying strong. I actually do need a road loco, I only have one, a 4-6-2 steamer in Great Northern colors.

So for you who actually know RR ops, did RS-3s actually do mainline point-to-point hauls, or were they mostly used as switchers and locals?

Went for a bike ride yesterday (pedal-power, not Harley-esque). Beautiful day even with the stiff breeze which was mostly cross. We rode the Dakota Rail trail from Wayzata, MN to St. Boniface, MN. Round trip is 26 miles. There's a very nice and bike-friendly pub/bistro at St. Boniface where we stopped a rested with a nice beer. Smudge may appreciate the wife's choice: Taddy Porter from Yorkshire - Sam SMith, I think it was? I had a local cream ale from Surly Brewery. Nice. On the way back, though, I noticed her back tire going flat. No pump with us. About halfway, there was a bike maintenance station that had a pump, so got her going. But def a fairly significant slow leak as was going pretty flat again. Decided not to stop at the Drive-In for their yummy raspberry shakes and push on back to the car. She gave out about two miles shy, so I rode in and then drove to pick her up. Stopped at WHole Foods for burger patties, cole slaw makings, and baked beans. Sat on the back deck with her martini and my single-malt and fired up the grill. Wonderful dinner.

Going to see Top Gun Maverick today and looking forward to it. Then dinner with my youngest daughter. A nice Father's Day. My sons, of course, will completely ignore it as they both still hate me and the woman who brought them into this world. And they are of the 'tolerant' political persuasion! Hurts.

All those Fathers out there, I hope you have a great day! - - - Steve J

PS - - bike-mounted tire pump already ordered!

Almost forgot to mention. Today is the first of our outdoor worship services. Started this about three years ago and have three outdoor services on the third Sundays of June, July and August. Our musician takes these days off and I use recorded worship/praise music. Fun.
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RS-3s did a lot of over the road runs for sure! Many of the RR did use them before getting higher horse power engines.
 
santafewillie said:
While I was sorting through some pictures, I came across this interesting one that I took in 2009. An abandoned house about a half mile up the road from me. Something for a much more advanced modeler to scratchbuild. Back in the 80's it was still used to store hay when it still came in small rectangular bales.
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It's being held up by that tree visible on the left. About five years later, the land owner donated it to the nearby "Ridin' For the Brand Cowboy Church" who used the wood in their sanctuary.
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I would love all that wood for reclaiming use wow!
 
MilwRoader_Steve said:
Egads - - when we moved to St. Louis, we were told they had the best pizza EVER!! Didn't take long before we ordered one complete with Provel cheese or something like that. 'Twas truly horrible - teenagers would not eat it. Must have been a one-off, we thinks. Try again - - nope, truly is that bad. Horrid, inedibly gross and I ain't talking in the Big sense. DO not order pizza in St. Louis unless you know for sure it is some other style. Four years we lived there and almost lost the taste for the pie. Only thing that kept us in the mix (and relatively sane) is wifeykins is quite the fair hand at making homemade pizza.
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I agree 100%!

I spent a few weeks in St Louis back in the 90s working on an acquisition of a regional bib-box retailer. The people there were so excited to have me try their "St. Louis Style" pizza. It was horrid...

Thin as paper... not crispy, just imagine a New York style pizza that got run over by a steam roller... but with barely any sauce, and with grated parmesan-like cheese that had zero flavor.... just a thin coating of some tasteless tomato-based sauce, topped with a thin layer of tasteless cheese... reminded me of goat cheese, but worse.
 
On the topic of homemade loads, I reached into the spare parts bin, and got out some scrap pieces of boiler-looking parts, and cobbled together a completely imaginary boiler load for this flat car.

N scale. I still need to tighten up the straps a bit.

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I cross mounted the Witcock accumulator to the horizontally opposed Penta valve manifold. It's the only way to control burn-down effectively.

Then, the reheat piping captures exhaust. It also has passive depressurization/pressurization chamber intended to stabilize and catch the overflow from the oil pump valve ejector.

(That last part is as fictitious as the load I dreamed up)
 
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Patrick said:
The burgers are good, but I agree, not worth a long trip for. I have one within 125 miles one way, but won't go for the long trip one way either.
I'd drive a couple miles out of the way.
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Agreed. We go when someone wants Culvers because there is one about 2 miles from home. And the other we drive right by when coming home from our music evening of band practice and lesson.

Frankly I like the Butterburger and bacon but if I had to choose where to go for a burger I would usually choose In-N-Out, though we have to drive a couple extra miles. But I like the curds and onion rings at Culvers, which In-N-Out doesn't have. And their soda fountain machine has better choices.
 
TLOC said:
Culvers, as I wrote before is fine. But, I won’t drive out of my way to one for a hamburger. Plus they are all over Wisconsin so there is no need. Comparisons I believe we did recently this year but Culver’s hamburgers to me are very similar to the In and Out Burgers so familiar to California and those in the Southwest USA.

I still believe of the national or regional chains, Mooya is #1 followed by 5 Guys but both beaten probably by many local brew pubs and eateries. I will though go out of my way for fresh White Castle sliders as that is what I grew up on.
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It is interesting how people rate them. I find In-N-Out nothing like Culvers burgers and while I like both the In-N-Out is much better in my mind. 5 Guys does nothing for me. Over priced and nothing special -- good but I'd rather have the less expensive In-N-Out. We have plenty of 5 Guys around here but only go once every few years. Smashburger is another one we like once in a while but the one in Orem we were going to closed. There are others around but not convenient. (And the place is expensive)

Local burger places are usually much better than chains. There are a few local places around here that are 4.5 on the 1-5 scale (I've not yet found that perfect 5...).
 
ctclibby said:
Low and behold upon opening it was a 'Cattle Siren' what ever that is. We do not have cattle! Tracking on the package is the same as the tracking for the RAM, so will bring it all up with Amazon. Hate to think that ima out $170. Maria says they will take care of it - time will tell.
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Amazon will take care of you. Contact the seller first and ask what is up. It may be two boxes swapped labels or something when packing. if the seller won't fix involve Amazon. They will.
 
McLeod said:
The ice-cream truck came by yesterday. Maybe if the son's had showed up, I might have bought them an ice-cream:
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They drive down our street once in a while. By the time you've found your money (as a kid) the guy is gone.

My daughter's 8th grade promotion (graduation) ceremony a few weeks ago was at a large hall that is part of a city park. So outside there were a lot of people playing basketball, and riding skateboards, etc. The Ice Cream Man drove through the parking lot playing Christmas music. He didn't get much business. Maybe he should check his calendar.

In honor of the Ice Cream Man:
 
Good morning all! The hotter weather returns today after a nice weekend. Grilled out some cheeseburgers yesterday and they were quite tasty. Later we spent a little time in the garden and went for a country ride on the gravel in our side-by-side.

All this talk of Culver's is making me hungry. First time I ever ate in one was in Wisconsin when I traveled to Madison for a conference. Went back to the conference the next year and made sure I went to Culver's that time too. Now we have one just 25 miles away in the town where I used to work at Lowe's. We don't go down there strictly for Culver's but we go there if we happen to be in town anyway sometimes.

Boris said:
Mike: Well, the best I have ever had, Jersey Mikes #13 (Italian), comes from Jersey - Long Branch - not South Jersey, and they are franchised all over the country. Other than that, I agree. The only place around me that sells "Hoagies" is the Wawa. Not exactly what I would consider on a par from some of the places I have been to, but more on a par with QuikChek's "Subs".
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One of my former police department co-workers recently opened a Jersey Mike's in our town. I love the #13 and always get it when I eat there.

Hope you all have a great day!
 
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