Running Bear's July 2026 Coffee Shop

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The grass finally dried out enough to jump on the mower and get the lawn baled. I hadn't realized it was that long. It looked the same as the 2
neighbors to the left and right that hadn't mowed as well. I ended up running over it twice in the front and sides to chop up and scatter the
clippings more. The back is fenced in so I don't really care. Still have a little trimming left but lunch was calling.
 
My back yard is cut and trimmed. I might wait for the shade to come in the front, or not. Depends on how I feel after this break and glass of iced tea.

It's not as miserable as it was on the gun range Friday morning, but it's not nice out there either.

Temp is now 86°F and the dewpoint went UP! Now 72°F. These meteorologists should be on a WANTED poster in the post office.
 
Good afternoon folks. 89 and cloudy here, supposed to hit 94. quiet here, the guy who normally cuts our grass is out for a few weeks and we thought we had a guy to fill in for him, but he never came back last week.
Checked a couple of Kato F units last night, but they are the first generation, so converting them to DCC would be more than I want to tackle at this stage. PSST, hey meestair, want a good deal on some Warbonnets?
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Good afternoon to all...........

Some Texas history............
On July 6, 1923, the Dr Pepper Company was incorporated in Dallas, 38 years after being invented in Waco by Charles Alderton, who was a pharmacist working at Morrison's Old Corner Drug.

Been doing some more 3D printing. I'll post some photos when the forum quits acting crazy.

I saw this headline :

Delta Air Lines flight hit by firework while landing at Midway International Airport​

The article went on to expand on the dangers fireworks pose.
My take is "what are the odds". A fluke ! Unless you set of fireworks everyday, near an airport, the chances of an errant "sky ball" hitting a plane are slim to none. I'm guessing the fireworks were set off in a non fireworks area, like inside the city limits anyway.
In the case of an errant firework hitting something, the fireworks get the blame, not the individual lighting the fuse.
In the case of an errant bullet hitting an innocent bystander, the shooter gets the blame, not the gun.
End of rant..........

I hope to get some work done on the layout later. Every time I post these words, it just never happens for some odd reason.

I ended up with two, Athearn Genesis, Southern Pacific MT-4 locomotives with cab # 4350. So I will be selling one. It is DCC ready and I am including a new, unopened Tsunami, 21 pin heavy steam decoder. These have the green boiler and red cab top. Never out of the box!
$435.00 plus shipping.
I also have some new, still in original packaging, 9g servo motors, Hextronic and genuine Tower brand ( not Amazon knock-offs ) for sale.
$16.25 for 5 servos or $30.00 for 10, plus shipping. Internet selling price for these servos now is $6.00 each.

Have a great evening....John
 
Fireworks in Illinois without the proper display permit(s) are illegal. The only legal fireworks are sparklers, snakes, and smoke bombs. Nothing that flies or emits a fountain, sparks, report, or explosion is legal in this state without a commercial permit.

The cops in this town do nothing on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th of July regarding fireworks. I heard not one call for service regarding fireworks on the 4th. They just look the other way. I wonder how that would go over if a city block burned to the ground due to fireworks?
 
And we wonder why we have laws in the first place.
It doesn't help that pretty much every state except Iowa surrounding us its legal. I can drive less that an hour over the boarder to Wisconsin. The first gas station has whatever you want. The Southerners go to Missouri and the easterners go to Indiana. Did that for years before I outgrew it.

They have tents set up on the highway and I'm sure if you know the right questions and wording they have the good stuff in the back of the trailer.

i dont mind the neighborhood ones as long as they cut it off around 10-10:30. Its the ones that go till after midnight.
 
The UP Big Boy will be here tomorrow. I’m not even going to try to go to the old Reading train station to see it. Gonna head down the line and catch it as it passes by. Then I’ll race it to the Rockville bridge to catch it crossing the river. It’s going to nuts but I’ll have fun regardless.
 
The UP Big Boy will be here tomorrow. I’m not even going to try to go to the old Reading train station to see it. Gonna head down the line and catch it as it passes by. Then I’ll race it to the Rockville bridge to catch it crossing the river. It’s going to nuts but I’ll have fun regardless.
That's how I did it when the first tour happened and it stopped in Rochelle, Il. I went about 12 miles out of town and saw it as it passed by. on a rural crossing. A lot less of a crowd to deal with. I didn't go see it on this tour. I seen it and photographed it once. That was enough. I would go out and see it if it passes thru my town, but since its BNSF tracks, its not likely.
 


The UP Big Boy will be here tomorrow. I’m not even going to try to go to the old Reading train station to see it. Gonna head down the line and catch it as it passes by. Then I’ll race it to the Rockville bridge to catch it crossing the river. It’s going to nuts but I’ll have fun regardless.
I know law enforcement is strict on US 22/322 on the East side of the river, plan to mind your Ps and Qs, driving-wise, so you don't get a safe driving award there.
 
I watched videos of Uncle Pete's pride marauding around my old stomping grounds. I wisely stayed in Jersey, avoiding the heat and the crowds. I did catch a PFD Engine Company on the Market Street Bridge. The crew climbed on the roof of the rig to get a coming and going view of the train approaching and passing underneath, then moving on to the Navy Yard.

During the Bicentennial, in 1976, I was working day shift RFE at 30th St. I did get a chance to walk down and catch some of the parade. Good Memories. Watched the fireworks from the extended platforms over the river on the upper level. This is while Conrail still had operating responsibility.
 
Fireworks in Illinois without the proper display permit(s) are illegal. The only legal fireworks are sparklers, snakes, and smoke bombs. Nothing that flies or emits a fountain, sparks, report, or explosion is legal in this state without a commercial permit.

The cops in this town do nothing on the 3rd, 4th, or 5th of July regarding fireworks. I heard not one call for service regarding fireworks on the 4th. They just look the other way. I wonder how that would go over if a city block burned to the ground due to fireworks?
We had Darwin's finest on the coast the other day.

 
Well howdy there internet peeps!

It's Troy again.

I'm echoing the sentiments of my birthday buddy, Ringo Starr, today.

Sending Peace and Love out to everyone!
Screenshot 2026-07-07 at 4.59.32 AM.png


He's got more milage than I do. Just glad that I made it to 62 with my paternal side tending to pass young due to heart issues.

I've got my Canada coffee mug fill of magical bean juice. I've enjoyed a hunk of cinnamon bread that sweetie baked for me.

Here's an AI rendition of me about 30 pounds ago, hanging with some California hippies:

Peace and Love.jpg
 
Tractor Road? You're kidding.
"A while ago", they widened the road, and turned it into a racetrack for locals. I would see radar cars in some odd places on that road, in an obvious attempt to stop the speeders, allegedly because the "improvements" were relative, and it wasn't that much safer. Of course, the locals had a different take on the targeted enforcement.
 


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