Running Bear's May 2025 Coffee Shop

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Just had our local air show here.
This weekend, the Joint base is holding an Air Show, featuring the Thunderbirds. As a prelude I have heard aircraft with different sounds than usual over head. Meanwhile the Marines are conducting their own air show, with almost daily flyovers of multiple CH53s and AH1Z Cobras.

Until a couple of years ago there was a guy who flew crop dusters from his field....Yes, we still have more than a few real farms here, not just farming for tax purposes. He sold his aircraft, when they began developing the properties around his, and people whined.
Didn’t catch or hold the wire. I’m not laying blame as it’s not clear if it was pilot error or mechanical failure.
Reported to be a tail hook failure....
 
My Catholic HS class had over 300 graduates in 1966. Our graduation Mass was held in the school Auditorium, and the diploma ceremony was that evening in a venue owned by Sun Oil, which was built as a USO center in WW2.

Fun Fact: Toronto is up 2 games to 0 vs. Florida, (which considering it's Toronto, means Zilch), Last time they won a Stanley Cup was 1966, the year I graduated....59 years ago!

Fun Fact 2: Mikko Rantanen of the Dallas Stars had his second consecutive Hat Trick last night in Winnipeg, vs. the Jets. Previously, he had one in game 7 vs. Colorado.

Have a Great Day,
 
I don't know what the reason is, but we have ticks this year. 23 years here and never had a tick issue. All the dog has to do is stick her head into tall grass there's a dog tick on her head. Thankfully she's white and is on preventative meds.

Over the last 2 months I've had 2 dog ticks crawling on my head. Just felt something itchy and crawling after walking the dog, scratched the area, and a tick would fall on my shirt. Thankfully they're dog ticks (big) and not deer ticks (small). We have herds of deer that stroll through the neighborhood too (mainly eating rose bushes), even bedding down in some yards, and never a tick issue.

I mentioned to my wife that I never brought a bed bug home after years of doing inspections, but I bend down to wipe the dogs feet and ticks crawl on to me.
 
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Popeyes chicken didn't even get a chance to change their sign

While we were out for lunch at City BBQ, we saw the smoke at Popeno change from black to white.

it's back to Pope-YES!

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Morning all,

At least it was when I started typing.

Met with the knee DR. About Mid July I'm going to get the left knee taken care of. Dr thinks I'll only be out about 3-4 weeks. Knees easier than shoulders.

Willie: When I was a kid, we had a 20-30 acre blueberry field that in the early 70's moved to arial spraying. Fun watching him from the 2nd story window of the house. He usually cam just after mom hung the wash out on the clothes line.

Looks like there is a new pope.
 
Mosquitos. Growing up in the desert of the greater Phoenix valley we didn’t have mosquitoes. Then when I was 10 we moved to 3 acres of mostly woodland with a pond across the street in Mass. lots of mosquitoes. More than a lot. So I got bit a lot. Nothing more terrifying than to have a mosquito in the bedroom and to hear it buzzing around in the dark. Or to be asleep and have one bit your toe that’s sticking out.

But one side benefit of having been bit so much as a kid is that now I don’t get bumps. Never even notice the mosquitoes or, unless I feel the bit itself, ever know I was bitten. I moved back to NH for 5 years late 90s early 2000 and lived in the woods next to a swamp. Mosquitoes didn’t bother me. And they claim there are mosquitoes here in Utah but I never notice them.

Willie: LH driving / RH drive cars. I’m pretty sure the pedals aren’t reversed but I’ll let you know. The shifter is. Not a big deal with an automatic but would be hard to adjust to on a manual.

I’ve been driven around in. RH drive car on the left side a lot but never driven there myself. I do have a days rental scheduled though.
 


Just had our local air show here. The long time crop duster was fertilizing a nearby Sorghum field and was making his turnaround over my house and property. I'm sure that many of you don't get this type of aerial display where you live.
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My estimation was that he was holding an altitude of ~250'. His Dad before him used to show off by flying between the fence tops and the power lines back in the 80's. Too bad that I didn't have a digital camera back then.
I get the same air show every year here in west Texas. Air Tractor, the folks who make most of the crop dusting planes, is based just a bit east of me in Olney Texas.
We also get aircraft from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. But they don't do much crop dustng. 😆
 
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Good afternoon. Fun time for some Chicagoans! My grade school was Queen of the Universe not too many miles from the new Pope’s.

Headline seen:

Chicago gets a Pope before they get a NFL qb!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++&&&&&++++++&+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Cool, NEVER have I thought a US citizen let alone a kid from Chicago would become Pope

This morning a crew headed north 53 miles to Baraboo Wi to do some demo work on a layout room. Had a good time, a few laughs and no injuries.

By time I get back (6 weeks) in late June the plan is that all the benchwork will be completed. The plan is in December to have at least the 800’ + of mainline in. He is using the new Walthers code 83 flex! The 2 guys in charge of building switch machines for the mainline, all #10’s, will start building them next week. We’ll get the code 83 mainline and passing sidings in and then test, test, test that the main line is flawless in January. He already has adjusted the normal vacation they take to Disney World in January to March! How’s that for dedication? I came home with a few kits, brick walls from buildings deconstructed and Sintra board to start constructing his 26’ long paper mill back drop. There will be 8 sections 3’ long and 18” high and 1 section of approx 2’. It will be a blue sky color backdrop with the buildings as fronts glued to it. I have a printout where everything possibly should go. When I get back the owner will have the actual foot print of the space done off of some software system so everything can be laid out on the butcher paper. Track work in the mill will mainly be code 70 and handlaid using the Central Valley tie strips. He got the last of his tie strips mailed in April. He ordered enough for 1000’ of track. Figures to use around 700’ but wanted to make sure he wasn’t short! The tie strips were almost a buck a foot for the 100’ I purchased a couple months ago via the LHS. He said he got a good deal direct. He is rethinking the track on his staging yard.

Thats 2 of the group layouts that need to be runnable/operational for May 2026. It started last Thursday but Thursdays will now be the work session for the Baraboo layout and Tuesdays are now for the Fitchburg layout. I’m doing the paper mills for both. With 3-4 guys plus owners getting the plans accomplished within the timeframes is reasonable. I’m probably the least accomplished and 2nd oldest of the core group of 5 of the layout crew. I personally have built 4 layouts so it’s a very skilled Crew. Fun times ahead…
 
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I get the same air show every year here in west Texas. Air Tractor, the folks who make most of the crop dusting planes, is based just a bit east of me in Olney Texas.
We also get aircraft from Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls. But they don't do much crop dustng. 😆
I think some of the F35’s out of Truax Field at the Dane County airport fly as low as the crop dusters. What a magnificent plane the F35 is, so fearsome looking when it’s low and close by
 
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