Running Bear’s June 2025 Coffee Shop
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Oh look, a GP35 pulling passenger cars!! Ooooh ahhhhhhhhhhhh! GTG
For those who don't know an ASE Master Technician must pass a series of core exams (like all eight in the series for automotive repair and having at least two years of hands-on experience!), to earn the title of ASE Master Technician, a badge of serious expertise.
There used to be less than 50,000 ASE Master Automotive Technicians in the entire country! I'm getting old so my numbers and the details may be off. No matter how you look at it being an ASE Master Technician puts you in an elite group of mechanics.
The number 50.000 was total since 1972. Obviously not all are currently active.
Not many in this area carry Reaper, at least I haven't seen it in the shops I frequent.
I prefer Army Painter. the paints are good, and the color range is excellent. But they lack the crackle paint.
If I want to drive 1.5 hours, a friend has a game store in Muncie that carries Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats line. It's pricy, but I've only heard great things about it. But, again, no crackle paint.
What I'm looking for is a crackle paint. GW/Citadel has a "technical paint" line that includes crackles in their texture. I refuse to purchase Citadel products. I Dislike the evil empire of anything Games Workshop (who owns Citadel Paints).
What I got was a Golden brand "crackle paste" from Michaels Craft stores. I can tint it to my preferred color. We'll see how that works.
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migalyto
Well-Known Member
David-Have a safe and enjoyable trip!
traiNscale
Well-Known Member
hey coffee friends
i need a ice cold coofee pls. iam melting...
switzerland atm around 32 celcius.
short story from my weekend. i was at a display show of ntrak Switzerland. and i saw some really nice modules. and i mean how are the odds. there was a module thats from the same area than feather river canyon ahahaha. and he was a really great builder. i have two pictures for you. i would say he had 4-6 modules for the whole station and everything. and the Y bridges where just really stunning!
the other two tracks from this ntrak modules are hidden behind the mountain. so it looks like its just one track.
on the other side of the station is this turntable:
and thats it from my side. it could be that those modules inspired me to do feather river canyon also in ntrak standard with more or less the same technique with hiding two of the tracks behind the mountain.
cheers
Marco
PS: yes i did also film, but cutting has to wait till its getting a bit cooler outside...
i need a ice cold coofee pls. iam melting...
switzerland atm around 32 celcius.
short story from my weekend. i was at a display show of ntrak Switzerland. and i saw some really nice modules. and i mean how are the odds. there was a module thats from the same area than feather river canyon ahahaha. and he was a really great builder. i have two pictures for you. i would say he had 4-6 modules for the whole station and everything. and the Y bridges where just really stunning!
the other two tracks from this ntrak modules are hidden behind the mountain. so it looks like its just one track.
on the other side of the station is this turntable:
and thats it from my side. it could be that those modules inspired me to do feather river canyon also in ntrak standard with more or less the same technique with hiding two of the tracks behind the mountain.
cheers
Marco
PS: yes i did also film, but cutting has to wait till its getting a bit cooler outside...
santafewillie
Same Ol' Buzzard
Good Morning All. Clear, sunny and 75°, probably 95° for today's high. After today, a few days in the low-90's before approaching triple digits later next week. But I take everything from the NWS with a grain of salt, have done so for many years. They have a dismal track record for my area.
Wow! Mowed part of the east side yesterday, what's considered my front yard and the largest section that I mow at a time. Parts had grown to over 8" and was really tough. I didn't finish as I just stopped when I had to take a piss break. Will not resume until Wednesday due to scheduling conflicts. I did a couple of loads of laundry including the usual Sunday bed linens and cleaned up all of the pressure canning equipment. But it will come back out today for more Tomatoes, and Green Beans tomorrow. I'm done picking the beans for this season now, as it got too warm and the grasshoppers have descended upon them. Why don't grasshoppers eat grass? I guess that my garden and some trees are tastier.
We have a 10:30 primary care doctor appointment 45 miles away this morning. For me, it's a follow-up to the emergency room visit 2 weeks ago, for my wife it's a follow-up to her upper respiratory issue since then. That takes care of the entire morning since I have no light chores or tasks to do before we go.
I have no clue as to what rent is around here, as I have owned this property for 44 years. Previously I paid $50/mo for a two bedroom house on 5 acres, most of which I didn't mow. That part where my house was on top of a hill, is now an island near the dam of a very large Corps of Engineers water supply lake that was built there in the early 80's, Lake Ray Roberts. The only new construction within a five mile radius of me was that neighbors to the north adding homes for their kids or rebuilding after the tornado. The city slicker turned estate owner down the road moved two houses in about 4-5 years ago, but nothing otherwise. Just over 5 miles to the east, they are putting in a whole subdivision of homes on 2 acre lots, minimum for that county for septic systems, (different county then mine). It's not technically in a city itself and the land used to flood every spring! There's now rain run-off ditches crisscrossing the old pasture that run between and around every home! My guesstimate is that everything is all about $500K and up.
Another shortened day out in the train shed yesterday, but I did paint the push mower after priming it the other day.
Can't see it with the naked eye, but it looks like some of the paint on the handle globbed up a bit.
I'll fix that next.
Tom O - I agree with the "zero scape" landscape concept. I am not bound by any ordinances, but I do try to keep everything mowed. Manicured, NOT!
I stopped missing my job about 15 minutes into retirement!
Marlin - I generally mow from February through December, but I get to take the month of August off except for the small area that I water for grass fire protection.
Mike - When my wife and I bought this place in 1981, interest rates were sky-high. We managed to get owner financing for the property and took over builder financing for the house. I paid $1000/acre back then; the county now values it at $21,000/acre for tax purposes.
Hughie - Good luck with the health. I am finally managing to keep my A1C at 5.9 or lower without drugs. That's mainly from switching to no sugar soft drinks.
Everyone have a marvelous Monday. The doctor visit is coming up soon.
Wow! Mowed part of the east side yesterday, what's considered my front yard and the largest section that I mow at a time. Parts had grown to over 8" and was really tough. I didn't finish as I just stopped when I had to take a piss break. Will not resume until Wednesday due to scheduling conflicts. I did a couple of loads of laundry including the usual Sunday bed linens and cleaned up all of the pressure canning equipment. But it will come back out today for more Tomatoes, and Green Beans tomorrow. I'm done picking the beans for this season now, as it got too warm and the grasshoppers have descended upon them. Why don't grasshoppers eat grass? I guess that my garden and some trees are tastier.
We have a 10:30 primary care doctor appointment 45 miles away this morning. For me, it's a follow-up to the emergency room visit 2 weeks ago, for my wife it's a follow-up to her upper respiratory issue since then. That takes care of the entire morning since I have no light chores or tasks to do before we go.
I have no clue as to what rent is around here, as I have owned this property for 44 years. Previously I paid $50/mo for a two bedroom house on 5 acres, most of which I didn't mow. That part where my house was on top of a hill, is now an island near the dam of a very large Corps of Engineers water supply lake that was built there in the early 80's, Lake Ray Roberts. The only new construction within a five mile radius of me was that neighbors to the north adding homes for their kids or rebuilding after the tornado. The city slicker turned estate owner down the road moved two houses in about 4-5 years ago, but nothing otherwise. Just over 5 miles to the east, they are putting in a whole subdivision of homes on 2 acre lots, minimum for that county for septic systems, (different county then mine). It's not technically in a city itself and the land used to flood every spring! There's now rain run-off ditches crisscrossing the old pasture that run between and around every home! My guesstimate is that everything is all about $500K and up.
Another shortened day out in the train shed yesterday, but I did paint the push mower after priming it the other day.
Can't see it with the naked eye, but it looks like some of the paint on the handle globbed up a bit.
I'll fix that next.
Tom O - I agree with the "zero scape" landscape concept. I am not bound by any ordinances, but I do try to keep everything mowed. Manicured, NOT!
I stopped missing my job about 15 minutes into retirement!
Marlin - I generally mow from February through December, but I get to take the month of August off except for the small area that I water for grass fire protection.
Mike - When my wife and I bought this place in 1981, interest rates were sky-high. We managed to get owner financing for the property and took over builder financing for the house. I paid $1000/acre back then; the county now values it at $21,000/acre for tax purposes.
Hughie - Good luck with the health. I am finally managing to keep my A1C at 5.9 or lower without drugs. That's mainly from switching to no sugar soft drinks.
Everyone have a marvelous Monday. The doctor visit is coming up soon.
TLOC
Well-Known Member
Good morning from the start of hopefully a pretty morning. Not a cloud in the sky with a nice occasional breeze. 68f degrees now high 80’s maybe 90 later. Weather guessing for me has been part of my usual daily report. I’ve switched apps many times to try to find one that is close to what weather I actually end up experiencing. About a year ago I settled on the WeatherChannel’s app and it’s online radar. Decent but since Allen Media last Fall started cutting staff because they overextended in purchasing TV stations it’s getting to be poor. The online radar to me is accurate but I don’t believe whoever or now whatever (maybe Ai) looks at the radar screens and we all know a weather person rarely goes outside to look at what’s really happening.
The grandson did a nice job cutting the grass yesterday. I am heading to HomeDepot this morning as my trimmer blew up. I was adding new line and tested it. The cover that holds the spool blew apart.
When we lived up in North Central Wisconsin, 1976 to 2014 I had 2 different mowers. Originally for cutting 5 acres I had a 48” wide Gravely unit. Used it from 76 to 1998 when the son doing his 1st unsupervised cutting had the engine blow up on him. I was actually watching from the deck and it was just the engine’s time, nothing the son did. A machine that I meticulously took care of and it blew up on him. Took about 5 hours to cut mostly because of the landscaping you had to slow down for. The grass was there to be green and cover up the dirt. But the wife loved perennials and there were lots of planting beds away from the house. The 100’ between the house and the lake though was very manicured. The 2nd machine like the Gravely was a pull behind unit where the operator sat in a sulky. A John Deere with a 60” cutting bed with 4 blades. It was purchased from a dealer client and it was a total POS. I spent a fortune on that thing. Here at the house a gas powered 24” Toro that I purchased in 2014 when we moved to this area.
Today is an unknown. Maybe just a road trip to nowhere. I know the heat and mainly the humidity was getting to both of us and we need to get out.
Shock of shocks as Terry is estranged from her sister and 2 of her 3 brothers. They texted yesterday asking if we just wanted to meet up and have a late afternoon lunch or a dinner on 7/2. No agendas just to catch up. She was thinking about it as they have hurt here pretty deeply emotionally the last few years. She was going to call the youngest brother to see what he plans to do. I’ll support whatever she decides but I’m vindictive and…
Tomorrow the surveyor is going to walk the fields we are thinking of buying. Terry did some number crunching yesterday and while not a great return there still can be a decent return. My gut feeling as I mentioned the other day is the owner is 30% too high. Terry’s numbers are saying 16% too high. Depending on what the surveyor says tomorrow I will offer my amount and can play the game up to Terry’s number. Terry has me about 95% convinced this can be a good deal.
July 9th will be another interesting stock market day. Thats the day of the tariffs (yep again) implementation. Or will the negotiations continue. Never a dull moment in the 2025 stock market
Enjoy your day
The grandson did a nice job cutting the grass yesterday. I am heading to HomeDepot this morning as my trimmer blew up. I was adding new line and tested it. The cover that holds the spool blew apart.
When we lived up in North Central Wisconsin, 1976 to 2014 I had 2 different mowers. Originally for cutting 5 acres I had a 48” wide Gravely unit. Used it from 76 to 1998 when the son doing his 1st unsupervised cutting had the engine blow up on him. I was actually watching from the deck and it was just the engine’s time, nothing the son did. A machine that I meticulously took care of and it blew up on him. Took about 5 hours to cut mostly because of the landscaping you had to slow down for. The grass was there to be green and cover up the dirt. But the wife loved perennials and there were lots of planting beds away from the house. The 100’ between the house and the lake though was very manicured. The 2nd machine like the Gravely was a pull behind unit where the operator sat in a sulky. A John Deere with a 60” cutting bed with 4 blades. It was purchased from a dealer client and it was a total POS. I spent a fortune on that thing. Here at the house a gas powered 24” Toro that I purchased in 2014 when we moved to this area.
Today is an unknown. Maybe just a road trip to nowhere. I know the heat and mainly the humidity was getting to both of us and we need to get out.
Shock of shocks as Terry is estranged from her sister and 2 of her 3 brothers. They texted yesterday asking if we just wanted to meet up and have a late afternoon lunch or a dinner on 7/2. No agendas just to catch up. She was thinking about it as they have hurt here pretty deeply emotionally the last few years. She was going to call the youngest brother to see what he plans to do. I’ll support whatever she decides but I’m vindictive and…
Tomorrow the surveyor is going to walk the fields we are thinking of buying. Terry did some number crunching yesterday and while not a great return there still can be a decent return. My gut feeling as I mentioned the other day is the owner is 30% too high. Terry’s numbers are saying 16% too high. Depending on what the surveyor says tomorrow I will offer my amount and can play the game up to Terry’s number. Terry has me about 95% convinced this can be a good deal.
July 9th will be another interesting stock market day. Thats the day of the tariffs (yep again) implementation. Or will the negotiations continue. Never a dull moment in the 2025 stock market
Enjoy your day
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So my wife and I were discussing moving yesterday. We did the usual pros and cons of living here.
Pros - Weather (3"-5" annual snow, very low humidity, maybe 12 days 90+), no water issues, outstanding medical facilities & specialists within 20 minutes, no sales tax, SS is not taxed, nice house, beaches & mountains within 1-2 hours away, international airport less than an hour away
Cons - politics, taxes, cost of living (our metro area is the 5th highest in the country)
We came to the realization that no place is going to be perfect.
Pros - Weather (3"-5" annual snow, very low humidity, maybe 12 days 90+), no water issues, outstanding medical facilities & specialists within 20 minutes, no sales tax, SS is not taxed, nice house, beaches & mountains within 1-2 hours away, international airport less than an hour away
Cons - politics, taxes, cost of living (our metro area is the 5th highest in the country)
We came to the realization that no place is going to be perfect.
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RhB Michael
RhB Lokführer
Good morning all. A comfortable 74°F at 0800. Dewpoint is also 74°F so a bit wet this morning. Yesterday it cooled off enough to shut off the A/C and I opened the windows. Wonderful evening last night. Still ran the A/C in the upstairs bedroom though to lower the humidity.
Nothing on my plate today. The USPS has graciously decided to deliver my guitar parts sometime today. Only four days late. I don't know if I will work on it or not yet, undecided.
Supposed to rain today, several times in fact, but right now it's only cloudy with just spot showers in the area.
Have a great day folks.
Nothing on my plate today. The USPS has graciously decided to deliver my guitar parts sometime today. Only four days late. I don't know if I will work on it or not yet, undecided.
Supposed to rain today, several times in fact, but right now it's only cloudy with just spot showers in the area.
Have a great day folks.
ctclibby
Well-Known Member
Good Morning All!
52F @ 63% clear. To be high 80's later .. bummer.
Cereal: Coco Puffs. Food for the soul!
Bread: The stuff we get from Wal*Mart is not bad. Got 10 loaves @$1 each the other day making sure it is already sliced. We just freeze it. Usually have toast for breakfast, no biggie, get it out, break off the number of slices you want then rack it when getting the other stuff ready. Takes about 15 minutes to thaw and you end up with a soft great tasting piece of bread, toasted or not. Don't nuke it to thaw, makes it hard. Ya, I sometimes get in a hurry and use the toaster with it still frozen; toaster has a 'frozen' button that seems to work just fine. Every once-in-awhile I get a hair up and roll my own. Have two R2D2 look alike bread machines that are old, but still work. Pretty simple recipe for normal bread. Get bold sometimes and add Cheddar Cheese and Onion Greens 45 seconds before the last kneading process is done. Bread machine beeps to let you know. Yummy!
KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho: ( CDA ) Boy, and I thought we had excitement - 300 PD/Fire/others were in on this one. From what I have read so far, no idea how the shooter died: found dead, or made dead. I would bet 80% of the Spud Heads carry, so either them, or PD. Either way is good for me. Getting pretty close to us ( 120 Miles ), so maybe revisit moving further in the boonies. Oh, and that part of Idaho: Hayden Lake somewhat North of Couer D'Alene is usually a pretty calm area except for the traffic on US95/2.
Lawnmower girl did her thing yesterday after I had to put air in one of the mower tires. Will watch that and see if she picked up a nail or sumptin. I do need to go out and weed wack as some of the field grass is getting 3' + in places. Can't mow as there are too many rocks that just wait for blades to come by. Ima pretty sure they jump up out of the ground.
L8r
52F @ 63% clear. To be high 80's later .. bummer.
Cereal: Coco Puffs. Food for the soul!
Bread: The stuff we get from Wal*Mart is not bad. Got 10 loaves @$1 each the other day making sure it is already sliced. We just freeze it. Usually have toast for breakfast, no biggie, get it out, break off the number of slices you want then rack it when getting the other stuff ready. Takes about 15 minutes to thaw and you end up with a soft great tasting piece of bread, toasted or not. Don't nuke it to thaw, makes it hard. Ya, I sometimes get in a hurry and use the toaster with it still frozen; toaster has a 'frozen' button that seems to work just fine. Every once-in-awhile I get a hair up and roll my own. Have two R2D2 look alike bread machines that are old, but still work. Pretty simple recipe for normal bread. Get bold sometimes and add Cheddar Cheese and Onion Greens 45 seconds before the last kneading process is done. Bread machine beeps to let you know. Yummy!
KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho: ( CDA ) Boy, and I thought we had excitement - 300 PD/Fire/others were in on this one. From what I have read so far, no idea how the shooter died: found dead, or made dead. I would bet 80% of the Spud Heads carry, so either them, or PD. Either way is good for me. Getting pretty close to us ( 120 Miles ), so maybe revisit moving further in the boonies. Oh, and that part of Idaho: Hayden Lake somewhat North of Couer D'Alene is usually a pretty calm area except for the traffic on US95/2.
Lawnmower girl did her thing yesterday after I had to put air in one of the mower tires. Will watch that and see if she picked up a nail or sumptin. I do need to go out and weed wack as some of the field grass is getting 3' + in places. Can't mow as there are too many rocks that just wait for blades to come by. Ima pretty sure they jump up out of the ground.
L8r
Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
Yeah, that's f-ing BS! That causes more issues and then you have to do that BS 2 factor authentication. This 2 factor cr@p is why I can't get into the VA website anymore.
Oh look, a GP35 pulling passenger cars!! Ooooh ahhhhhhhhhhhh! GTG
Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
Remember, ASE certified plaque on the wall means that 1 guy went to school and he might not be there today.
logandsawman
Northern Pacific history enthusiast
Going to be the nicest day of the week here in eastcentral mn, currently 63 headed for 75, light breeze, mostly sunny skies .
Banana flip anyone? I used to treat myself to those puffy pastries during my school days, I don't recall seeing them for decades, however.
Plan to be assembling the new Crex warehouse bldg today. I bought several knife and razor blades on the way home from Church yesterday.
4 otters almost ran into me this morning! I heard some musical mumbling and turned my head to see a mother and 3 youngins. It took them several seconds to notice me, but I was too slow with the camera to get the proof. Next to one of our ponds while birding.
Will check in later, Dave LASM
Banana flip anyone? I used to treat myself to those puffy pastries during my school days, I don't recall seeing them for decades, however.
Plan to be assembling the new Crex warehouse bldg today. I bought several knife and razor blades on the way home from Church yesterday.
4 otters almost ran into me this morning! I heard some musical mumbling and turned my head to see a mother and 3 youngins. It took them several seconds to notice me, but I was too slow with the camera to get the proof. Next to one of our ponds while birding.
Will check in later, Dave LASM
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Kusojiji
RANK AMATEURS OF THE MODEL RAILROAD FORM MEMBER
you should make some crop circles and get the ancient aliens group out there.
I’m an ASE-certified master tech, and that and a dollar will get me a cup of senior coffee at Dunkin Donuts on Thursdays.
DeaconKC
Well-Known Member
Good morning folks. 80 here already, gonna hut 91 and sunny. Had breakfast with my 4yo g'niece Mollie this morning, trying to get in to the chiropractor today as I have screwed up my back somehow. Nephew and his wife house hunting, it is a bit overwhelming. Some MRR stuff out for delivery today.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Speaking of rent: Here's what the AI overlords at Google said when I asked what the going rate in my area is:
The average cost for a 1-bedroom apartment in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is around $955 per month. However, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is reported as $794 on one site, www.apartmentlist.com. Apartment sizes typically range from 686 square feet.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Special note for Terry: If you want to move to NE Indiana, I'd. e happy to let you come over and help get my layout up and running. You'd be welcome to come run trains anytime as long as the wife didn't say no.
The average cost for a 1-bedroom apartment in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is around $955 per month. However, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is reported as $794 on one site, www.apartmentlist.com. Apartment sizes typically range from 686 square feet.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
- Average Rent (Apartments.com): $955 per month.
- Median Rent (ApartmentList): $794 per month.
- Average Rent (RentCafe): $1,093 per month.
Special note for Terry: If you want to move to NE Indiana, I'd. e happy to let you come over and help get my layout up and running. You'd be welcome to come run trains anytime as long as the wife didn't say no.
DeaconKC
Well-Known Member
@troyphoto try to find paints from Reaper Miniatures, their stuff is excellent, in my opinion superior to Citadel and every bit as good as Vallejo.
Bruette
Well-Known Member
That my friend is some serious credentials!
For those who don't know an ASE Master Technician must pass a series of core exams (like all eight in the series for automotive repair and having at least two years of hands-on experience!), to earn the title of ASE Master Technician, a badge of serious expertise.
There used to be less than 50,000 ASE Master Automotive Technicians in the entire country! I'm getting old so my numbers and the details may be off. No matter how you look at it being an ASE Master Technician puts you in an elite group of mechanics.
The number 50.000 was total since 1972. Obviously not all are currently active.
troyphoto
Snarky Old Fart (in training)
Thanks.
Not many in this area carry Reaper, at least I haven't seen it in the shops I frequent.
I prefer Army Painter. the paints are good, and the color range is excellent. But they lack the crackle paint.
If I want to drive 1.5 hours, a friend has a game store in Muncie that carries Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats line. It's pricy, but I've only heard great things about it. But, again, no crackle paint.
What I'm looking for is a crackle paint. GW/Citadel has a "technical paint" line that includes crackles in their texture. I refuse to purchase Citadel products. I Dislike the evil empire of anything Games Workshop (who owns Citadel Paints).
What I got was a Golden brand "crackle paste" from Michaels Craft stores. I can tint it to my preferred color. We'll see how that works.
migalyto
Well-Known Member
That's putting it very kindly!
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