Running Bear's June 2026 Coffee Shop

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Well howdy there internet peeps and those baking... firearms or other fun muffins

Its Troy again.
Having an interesting day as I dive down rabbit holes of what window brands and types are painted, powder coated, or anodized.

FYI: Pella and Marvin windows both offer Fiberglass framing. Pella says they powder coat theirs. Marvin says it's an Acrylic coating. Not sure if they're "painting" or using a heat process like powder coating.

I haven't found any other manufacturer site yet that tells me, but I'm still looking.

We're supposed to get walloped tomorrow afternoon according to the weather guessers. Rain will start this afternoon/evening, then supposed to get NASTY about 24 hours later. So I took my canopy down, and moved the patio table umbrella into the garage.

In other news, the podcast: A Modeler's life (with Lionel Strang) has an interesting interview with Ken Patterson and his two cohosts.


The problem is, this podcast should be half the length it is. Lionel's sense of humor tends to be like a pilot doing touch and goes at a runway. When a joke lands ok, Lionel keeps circling back around with the same joke, or a similar one over and over and over.

Also, from the start, he's trying to get Ken to talk about the fire, and give an explanation, with leading question. Ken is obviously tired of talking about it and they keep having to add the train whistle/horn sound effects to keep their G rating. Lionel can't take the hint and keeps pestering him without asking straight out: can you tell us what happened the night of the fire?

I wanted to reach through the headphones and shake Lionel. Then shake him again when he did his schtick in the middle of Ken not having a good reaction to the probing questions. It's awkward for a while because Lionel can't ask Ken a straight question with a definite point to it.

Eventually they do settle down and get some good info going. But it's in the second half of the episode.
 


Ok, this is too funny not to share! 🤣 🤣 🤣

1781636149617.png
 
On a lighter note, I did end up going Jeeping this past weekend up in White Mountains area. The place is called Jericho Mountain State Park and it has the only true public land available for Jeeps and ATV/UTVs in the northeast. The club that cut the Jeep trails has a brochure that the ranger station gives out when you register. I was kind of pleasantly surprised to see my Jeep on the cover, I was last up there in 2017. Granted it is a small picture, but still kind of cool.

Jericho Mountain State Park.jpg


My rig:
Jericho Mountain State Park Zoomed.jpg


I still lived in MA at that time. This is what the Jeep looks like now.
North Maine Woods.jpg
 
A classmate, his wife and I are making plans to visit Steam Town and the UP 4014 next week. It's a 2-hour trip from my house to Scranton PA. I haven't been to Steam Town in 20 years or more. I was thinking I haven't been there in 7 years but that's way off. I wonder if they still have the steam engine train ride where you go through a long tunnel and if you wear something white it won't be white on the return trip. Swal
Steam_Town_06_16_26_02.jpg
 


Well, howdy there internet peeps and those with two left feet.

It's Troy again.

I survived the HOA meeting.

Sounds like there are a very small minority of squeaky wheels in the community. Guys with no children and landscaping/horticultural degrees, who want everyone to conform to their way of thinking.

One of them, Chris, who ran for the board previously, and didn't make it, even comment that the dates to have holiday decor out that go a full month or more (Halloween and Christmas only), are too long. Because "Come On! Halloween is only a day. You just need two days for it."

I turned to him and said. "Dude! Halloween is a seasons that begins the day after labor day. The time allotted for decor isn't long enough."

Which got an eye roll from him.

A few moments later "Chris" complained that there are chipmunks destroying his front stoop, and burrowing under his unit. People need to stop feeding the animals.

People are feeding the chipmunks? people asked...

well, all the animals. stop feeding them all, the geese, the rodents, the feral cats.

I asked "Even bird feeders? get rid of them?"

He nodded enthusiastically as if that would make the chipmunks leave. And the geese leave. Never mind all the oak and walnut trees in the neighborhood.

Oh, he has a unit along the front row that overlooks the big pond. Next, he's going to tell us the fish in the pond are too noisy. The kids with the poles should stop feeding them worms.

After a lot of discussion, the prez cut it off, and had the board vote.

It was a look of utter exasperation on all of them as they voted to approve the new measures.

I would have voted no, but they need closure on it. They're trapped between Chris and a few others that say the rules don't go far enough. And a now vocal majority that say they're biting off too much, and we need some more freedom, or at least standards.

I've got a problem with some of the language in the articles. The grandfather clause for stuff that might have been approved on accident - like I've got a new 2-light window that used to be 3-light. Our plan was approved by the appropriates. But I'm going to have to submit a form so they know it's an issue and it was approved. New language approved said it can remain as is until major rennovations to the exterior of our unit.

Like redoing the concrete patio that we want to do in five years or so.

Or, slightly more than half the buildings are still scheduled for siding replacement. Ooops... sorry, your grandfathered stuff is no longer grandfathered. Shell out for new (whatever).

While I'd love to not have an HOA, we're three years away from paying this place off. And the housing market is inflated right now. I don't want to take a 3 year pay-off window, and turn it into a 15 year payoff. Wife doesn't want to pull from our retirement funds to make a move like that. And she likes the walking trails and no maintenance.

So, moving isn't an option. Especially with her arthritis onset, she doesn't want a yard to look after.

That means, I'll probably run for the board, and hope to keep Chis and his anti-chipmunk buddies off.
Sounds like "Chris" needs to roll a bad one, toke it, enjoy it and be one with the nature...not really sure if that would help.
 
And my day seems to continue to get more interesting. I just received a deposit in my checking account from a random person. I'm guessing this is the "accidental payment" scam. I'll wait a while before doing anything with the surprise money, and see if it disappears as suddenly as it appeared.
you sure you want to wait? i'd be calling the bank to trace this down before the account gets drained.
 
A classmate, his wife and I are making plans to visit Steam Town and the UP 4014 next week. It's a 2-hour trip from my house to Scranton PA. I haven't been to Steam Town in 20 years or more. I was thinking I haven't been there in 7 years but that's way off. I wonder if they still have the steam engine train ride where you go through a long tunnel and if you wear something white it won't be white on the return trip. SwalView attachment 267958
Unfortunately the longer trips through the tunnel (Nay Aug Tunnel in east part of Scranton) have only been done with diesels lately. But maybe you'll get lucky. The only resident steamer available and under steam, is a small 0-6-0 Baldwin switcher. When it pulls two cars, they only go to the tunnel portal and back to the station. But i highly recommend the Interurban ride, they go right through the 1 mile tunnel on the south side of the City and it's a several mile long ride towards Montage Mountain and back. You'll like the place though, a lot has changed in the past 20 years and it's a lot more presentable overall.
 


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