Running Bear's July 2022 Coffee Shop

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TLOC said:
Been loving the pictures and in the Texas heat I can’t believe you are still getting tomatoes
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I am totally blown away by the tomatoes this season. I was just out there. The heat doesn't affect the growing if it's cool enough to pollinate.
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Cherry tomatoes of course.
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But it will soon come to an end. Here is what the tops of the plants look like, no flowers or tomatoes.
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I am headed back out right now to harvest.
 
I'm awake.... coffee is working, but the office is unusually hot today, so the temperature is offsetting the caffeine, LOL.

Thanks for the comments about my dog. He's a really good looking dog. The Name Winston Suits him well, especially when he has a little portion of a Bull Stick left, hanging out of his mouth like a Cigar.

I call him Goobhole... Half Goober and half.... well... you can fill in the blank ___-hole.

He's the orneriest dog we've had, and I love him for it. You can see his gears working, he's so expressive.
Here he is begging for a pizza bone.

 


Not a bad weekend.

Timetable was upset Sat morning by wifeykins saying, "How about we workout at Orange Theory, and then go to brunch?" I attempted to gently remind her that I wanted the morning to troubleshoot the basement lights.

We, of course, went to OTF and then to brunch!

Then came home. I had checked for loose wires already, so figured it had to be the dimmer unit itself that had somehow failed. So I had picked up a replacement unit Friday. Got it installed and voila! Lights. But still had the vexing problem of the lights not working as a proper 3-way. So did some research and watched some vids and found a slick way to determine the traveler wires. Sure enough, When I first replaced the dimmer switch a few years ago, I had miswired. Now the dimmer and other switch work properly. Success.

Did some painting on the TT bridge. Coming along nice. I have a friend visiting this week, so need to get the layout up to running status. That will be today's project after some work. Ah, the professional life.

Sunday was gorgeous here in 'Sota so we took the dogs to the Arboretum for a hike on one of their back trails after looking at every swinging rose bush in the place. Somebody likes roses. And I do too, truth be told. Fun day.

The one down side: my one greyhound with the heart problem got way overstressed. Even with the relatively cool and dry day, we worked him much too hard. Took him hours to stop panting.

Opened the windows and secured the AC last evening. Down to 55F here in the cities!
 
McLeod said:
Good morning, folks!

We had a wee bit of rain overnight, and it looks like we'll be getting some more today. That's a good thing; I'm a cooler weather species.

Tom - I appreciated the tutorial on ballasting you wrote up this morning. Thank-you!
JeffH - Nice looking pooch! Tough luck on the leg pains. Hope it don't affect the bus driving job.
Ken - Be safe on the motorcycle trip. If you come a-lot more west, you might meet up with my Harley driving brother. He's got one leg 2" shorter than the other, due to a motorcycle accident on such a trip. - He's touring in the Oregon area as we speak.
Ken in Illinois - Sorry to hear you're having so many health issues. Seems to me, you're still a young man. Gotta look after yourself.
Gary - Glad you had an excellent camp-out weekend. I haven't heard anyone pipe-up about the Canadian caboose question. I was hoping to hear an answer to that question myself.

If it's going to rain today, I'll work on the last oil dealership building that need attention before I can proceed with groundwork and detailing. The pump house requires some hoses and pipes to be attached, or it can't fill the truck with heating oil:
View attachment 149198

This layout is going to take a loong time to build; I can see that.
I would like to build about four more structures before I get serious about putting down ground cover. It seems to me, it's a good idea to have enough structures available where one knows what the town is going to look like.
Plus, I need to know where the roads are going to go. And I need to research how I'm going to build the roads. The sandpaper idea don't work for me, so I'll need to come up with another idea. Mainstreet will be pavement, and all the rest will be gravel roads.
There's also lots of sidewalk to worry about.
I feel like I'm going to be an old, old man before I get this layout finished. If I ever do.

I'm thinking this will be the next structure I build. Another Walthers kit:
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Up here, when you enter into a small town, the motel is the first building you pass. Then the local gas station before hitting main street.

I actually wasn't going to post this morning, because I didn't have any photos. So, I whipped those two up in a hurry.

DaveB - Nice looking garden, but, I gotta tell ya, the bird-bath is upside down. Won't work that way.
Willie - Good on you to revamp old models. Frankly, I despise doing that, and usually give my old damaged models to the grandkids or chuck them. But, I'm new in layouts, and all the old models I have are other scale planes and tanks. I don't seem interested in those anymore.

I got carried away with the yap today. I'd better get doing something else.

Have a great day!
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I informed the wife birdbath is all wrong. She claims it's a big mushroom!

By the way. There are a hundred ways to make roads and sidewalks. I like sheet rock mud for sidewalks, others use the back side of hardware store "garage sale" signs, also numerous commercial products.

Dave LASM
 
Patrick said:
Afternoon all,

Ok, started the first bit. Baby sucker is a bit intense as pointed out above. But I think I can deal with it.
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After a little control:

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Waiting for the glue solution to dry. Then I'll clean it up. I ran about 3' but only glued in about 1'. Cleaned any residual ballast with the dental pick. I do think it looks better.
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If you use a drop of washing up liquid when using the glue it can help settle the ‘stone’.
 


Sirfoldalot said:
Greetings from the WEST where we are looking at a temp of 89 (the high predicted for today). The skies are mostly sunny 99% from my viewing?

The Spousal Unit and #3 daughter are over looking at model homes - she wants to move into a single story home for her "old age". I keep telling her that we are already there - old age! Prices are astronomical, but I will let her plan away. I like where we are: corner lot, street behind the house, only have ONE neighbor next door (same age as I am and we share a lot of tools - he has key to my garage and I have key to his.), side view of home across the street in front which is on a cul-sac, and I am within TWO miles from HD, Best Buy, Kohls, several banks and sandwich shops, plus five large markets and several smaller ones and only a $41.00 HOA monthly payment. In my book, I would be "cooky" to move. Actually, I think we could install an elevator for less money than even a moving van would be?

Mostly, as I am just rambling anyway, Have been busy all the time doing various things - a lot of "honey do this and that", but we attended her cousin's funeral up North. Al was 99 YO and an Army Vet! I did not know, until his son gave the eulogy, that he was in the Battle of the Bulge where he was shot entering the right side of the cheek and exiting out the left cheek - said he would have probably died except that it was so cold that the blood froze from the wound. I knew that he had some scars on his face, but he had not talked about them. They did an excellent job of reconstruction as most of his upper jaw was destroyed.

The Spousal Unit just informed me this morning that Billy (another cousin of her's) passed during the night. He had Parkinson's and slowly going down, so it was not a surprise.

I am 100% in agreement with Gary on the work of everyone in the modeling department! Louis -- What's with the "LOS DODGERS" uniforms that they were wearing in yesterday's game? I hope that they are not permanent.
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I hate getting older, and finding friends,family etc start to drop like flies , in the last couple of years my dad,two of my mums sisters have all bit the bullet, Although a cousin went several years ago,sad to say not a. Great loss, his light fingered ness lost his much sympathy in many circles. I tried to look up an old school pal to find she died aged 34 of cancer, 34! she was a. Good friend, very sad to hear it had occurred.
imo Parkinson’s and altzeiners and cancer are linked to sugar,the last 18 months w ave lost weight and most of it was a void sugar, even sugar in fruit, glucose is more natural to our body, but fructose was meant for us to eat autumn and fatten up in autumn for cold winters, but we eat the stuff all year round, I miss tinned rice pudding, fresh bread occasionally if passing. Bakery,cold bread never floated my boat, and have discovered pies are more fun with more filling anyd no pastry what do ever, I have drank too M Any sugar free drinks this summer, when it was hot when I used to go for a lolly or a chocolate icecream.I apologise for the poor typing. I know it drives sone insane but checking takes time I just don’t have atm. Catch you layers.
 
logandsawman said:
Gary - That fruit and nut bread sounds good! My wife makes something like that, usually winter

Good morning all - woke up to 48° and sunny, headed for low 70's

Ken DJ - Sounds like a great trip you are planning!

Jeff - too bad about the knee. At least the pooch is comfy!

Spent a lot of the weekend working on the old Casey Jones locomotive. It really smoothed out, am getting a slow speed out of it, still a ways to go. Made a video will post later on.

Also got around to cutting off a couple large dead branches off one of our big oak trees. Was up on an extension ladder with the chainsaw, super dangerous, however no accidents and the trees look great, also the branches have been dead for years so firewood is Deluxe!

Beth got her first ripe tomatoes. Willies garden puts this to shame, however it is all my wife can handle, she makes up for it with the flowers and cooking:

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Thats a black raspberry patch in the background, yeilded tons of fruits last summer. Not sure about this year. We did pick 8 oz of wild blueberries Saturday, blueberry pancakes for brunch Sunday.

Here is a shot from the railroad

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The caboose is a kit with lots of fussy details. Before the day was done, I had to do some repair work. It was in a box for 2+ years, stored in our shipping container. It could have been way worse!

more later, Dave LASM
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Birds got my blueberries,I stupidly weeded just before fully ripe and wham bushes emptied by the next day, doh.
 
Willie, Terry is jealous about the tomatoes

Troy, I was the zucchini guy at work for years. Terry would have a harvest at least twice a week sitting on the front seat of the car in a bushel which was always cleared out after the 10AM break

Jaz, good friends and family don‘t die, they go to memories

Guy, everything Dave or anyone else has ever wrote about roads or sidewalks I have tried. Still experimenting but about 4 years ago I found a foam sheet at Hobby Lobby and so far I still like it. I tried Zap’s concrete repair and while it looks great it’s is concrete and not flexible as i read. Very impossible to work with once dry

Raised the mower blade to 4” and cut just the front on one side of the driveway. 3/4” of rain in 3 weeks is not enough to grow green grass. Just the 3 year old trees are being watered by the system, the grass is going brown and dormant which of course is it’s way to survive. But now it’s a level brown!
 
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Bruette said:
Sherrel, first of all, moving sucks! I hope you get to stay put.
All professional sports teams use alternate uniforms. It's a good way to sell more merchandise.

Mike, Hodges also managed the 1969 Mets!

Jim Kaat maybe the most surprising to me. His 16 gold gloves as a pitcher will never be matched!
What took so long!? Defense is so under rated.
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Louis- Yes, that was his 3rd WS title. One in Brooklyn, one at LAMC & a 3rd in Queens. He was traded by the Mets to become manager of the Senators(II) before coming back to NY to manage in Flushing. Kaat pitched 3 times in the ‘65 Fall Classic for the Twins- faced Sandy Koufax all 3 times. Lost in Game 7(the only World Series home game the Twins have lost since moving from DC.
 


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