Running Bear's May 2026 Coffee Shop

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I've not been in for a long while. No real reason for that, other than I was finding too much time was spent on this debilitating, hypnotizing computer, and I wished to break that cycle. Now I get on with other things, of which I find I have far and away excessive interest.
Great to see you back in the Coffee Shop.

We have been wondering what you had been up to.
 
Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 67°. Rain has quietly been removed from our forecast until Wednesday. But surprise! When we returned home last night, there was 0.3" in the rain gauge that wasn't there when we left. Good thing that I closed the windows before we left.

We went to the Memorial Day BBQ and pool opening party at daughter #1's home yesterday. Brisket was very good, my Italian Pasta Salad was a big hit and daughter's Cole Slaw was also great. SIL mentioned that he ran the pool heater for 2 days straight to get the water up to a comfortable temperature...expensive party! I'll forgo my usual rant regarding the terrible drivers in the Dallas area. Serious mistake though as I had chosen not to take my own beer. Dealing with the cooler transfer at the car dealership wasn't exactly appealing. After wading through the cooler full of Cherry, Blueberry and Ginger flavored beers, I found something brewed in Kansas City! Not exactly the beer capital of the central states. Pretty generic with an ABV of 4%, like water! While the ABV wasn't really that important, I do like a hearty robust beer and not some tasteless (or fruity flavored) swill. I ended up drinking just one and had low-sugar Lemonade the rest of the time. I could have left and went a mile up the road to a convenience store if it really mattered that much.

Today looks like another beautiful only slightly warmish day here, conducive to outdoor tasks. The dew should be gone by the time Mass is over and mowing will be front and center.

No train shed time yesterday due to other activities. Probably today.

Troy -
Figures on the right are Woodland Scenics N-Scale. Gray dude in the center is a MiniPrints of Ron from Ron's Trains n Things.

Figure on the left is an (Old glory??) American Civil War 15mm soldier. Might be closer to 18mm than 15. The grid is 1 inch square for reference.

This told me I was correct in the switch. Even with the miniprints figure, there's just no detail. And while I paint better than the "slap it on" method of the Woodland Scenics kit painters, You can't do much with that small of a canvas.

As long as I print my own figures, I'll have details a-plenty in HO scale to paint.
You're overthinking this stuff. I disagree with you regarding the Woodland Scenics and MiniPrints figures, at least in HO. I have many of both, although I have many, many more Preiser unpainted ones. My MiniPrints are unpainted also. All three are top-notch in detail, even close-up. As Kusojiji pointed out, an average HO figure will be about 20mm tall. Get on with the layout, you've been dithering with it for the last 5 years or so.
half a million people flock to Indianapolis annually to watch it rain on a 2-mile piece of asphalt.
Where did the other half mile go when you were living there?
Guy - Welcome back. I knew that you were still out there lurking and glad that you finally made an appearance. I can relate to sitting in front of a computer screen for too long, I have been guilty of it on occasion. I posted a few days ago, that I always liked your nature photos as well as your trainyard ones, even despite the power poles sticking out of the roofs of the engines!;) A nod to Sherrel there. I think that we all miss him more than many are willing to admit.

Singer/songwriter Bob Dylan is 85 today.

Everybody have a wonderful Sunday. Be safe around those Memorial Day grillings.
 


Good Morning All. Partly cloudy and 67°. Rain has quietly been removed from our forecast until Wednesday. But surprise! When we returned home last night, there was 0.3" in the rain gauge that wasn't there when we left. Good thing that I closed the windows before we left.

We went to the Memorial Day BBQ and pool opening party at daughter #1's home yesterday. Brisket was very good, my Italian Pasta Salad was a big hit and daughter's Cole Slaw was also great. SIL mentioned that he ran the pool heater for 2 days straight to get the water up to a comfortable temperature...expensive party! I'll forgo my usual rant regarding the terrible drivers in the Dallas area. Serious mistake though as I had chosen not to take my own beer. Dealing with the cooler transfer at the car dealership wasn't exactly appealing. After wading through the cooler full of Cherry, Blueberry and Ginger flavored beers, I found something brewed in Kansas City! Not exactly the beer capital of the central states. Pretty generic with an ABV of 4%, like water! While the ABV wasn't really that important, I do like a hearty robust beer and not some tasteless (or fruity flavored) swill. I ended up drinking just one and had low-sugar Lemonade the rest of the time. I could have left and went a mile up the road to a convenience store if it really mattered that much.

Today looks like another beautiful only slightly warmish day here, conducive to outdoor tasks. The dew should be gone by the time Mass is over and mowing will be front and center.

No train shed time yesterday due to other activities. Probably today.

Troy -

You're overthinking this stuff. I disagree with you regarding the Woodland Scenics and MiniPrints figures, at least in HO. I have many of both, although I have many, many more Preiser unpainted ones. My MiniPrints are unpainted also. All three are top-notch in detail, even close-up. As Kusojiji pointed out, an average HO figure will be about 20mm tall. Get on with the layout, you've been dithering with it for the last 5 years or so.

Where did the other half mile go when you were living there?
Guy - Welcome back. I knew that you were still out there lurking and glad that you finally made an appearance. I can relate to sitting in front of a computer screen for too long, I have been guilty of it on occasion. I posted a few days ago, that I always liked your nature photos as well as your trainyard ones, even despite the power poles sticking out of the roofs of the engines!;) A nod to Sherrel there. I think that we all miss him more than many are willing to admit.

Singer/songwriter Bob Dylan is 85 today.

Everybody have a wonderful Sunday. Be safe around those Memorial Day grillings.

Never, I mean never count on there being good beer at a family gathering that has never been to Germany. Always BYO! 🍻
 
Good morning friends.

I've not been in for a long while. No real reason for that, other than I was finding too much time was spent on this debilitating, hypnotizing computer, and I wished to break that cycle. Now I get on with other things, of which I find I have far and away excessive interest.

A few recent photos of what I've been doing in retirement:

Still walking down to the creek everyday with my best friend 'Sky':
View attachment 266281

Still have my trains, although I seem to do what I feel like everyday, and the layout seems to be playing 2nd fiddle lately. Modern day grand-children don't seem to carry an interest in trains; for whom I started building it in the first place.
View attachment 266282

I'm still interested in plastic & resin modeling:
View attachment 266283

And, I'm still doing some oil painting, which has been my preoccupation over the past month. I'm working on this tugboat painting at this time:
View attachment 266284

I check in every now and again. Basically lurking in the shadows. Seeing what old friends are up to.

I'm very, very sad when I learn that one of our companions has left us. Sherrel used to email me some dirty jokes, and I quite enjoyed his sense of humour. He was a friend.

Anyway, I'm not going to take up too much of your valuable time. I fear, getting back into that loop where-in this PC eats my time away. Although, I do enjoy spending time with friends.

Time to get walking down to the creek. My dog knows exactly what time it is, and is beginning to push me.

See ya'll later.
Welcome back whenever you check in.

Totally understand too much online time. My forum of choice is here but the others are hit and miss. I was gone 2 full months from The Modeler’s Forum when one of the guys texted me asking if I’d be back. 2 months and I wasn’t missing it. Once you make the committment not to go online after a couple days, you don’t miss it.
 
Here is about the best new photo of the dyed frame that I think Im going to get today. Now tell which one you think is darker. The light is not exatly quite as bright as the before photo, but bright enough to be able to tell.

P99003.jpg
P99005.jpg
 
Here is about the best new photo of the dyed frame that I think Im going to get today. Now tell which one you think is darker. The light is not exatly quite as bright as the before photo, but bright enough to be able to tell.

View attachment 266289View attachment 266290
As long as it doesn't bleed onto sweaty hands or from cleaning solvent, it looks great. 👍
 
705178256_1543757103773145_5856498269603701490_n.jpg



Just got interviewed for a cozy mystery book club. That was fun, but I had a big case of wet armpits develop, knowing I was on camera, about to be viewed by hundreds of readers.

This morning I got to Lowes at 7:45am and realized they don't open on Sundays until 8am.

But, I was able to pick up two more sheets of 1" foam. Now how did he get those 4x8 sheets into the trunk of a Toyota Camry?

A lot of lube?

Nope.

Drywall T-square and a snap knife.
Screenshot 2026-05-24 at 2.10.18 PM.png


One older gent walked by and said "I wondered how you were going to make that fit in the little car."

"It's magic!!!"

but, I got the western leg of the Midnight Abbey shortline resurfaced...

Screenshot 2026-05-24 at 2.06.24 PM.png


Might as well put the gaming armies to work holding it down while the glue dries.

I will have to mark the reach in zone on the back (left end of the pic) and make sure all trackwork stays in front of that line.

Started working on the Eastern Leg. Expanding it from 2ft to 44 inches wide as well. That will give me 30 inch aisles minimum.
 
As long as it doesn't bleed onto sweaty hands or from cleaning solvent, it looks great. 👍

It shouldn't bleed. Rit says after it's dry, it's fixed. I haven't tried any barrel or other cleaning solvent on the frame, but I don't usually use that on a frame anyway unless it's really bad. I keep my guns factory clean after firing.

I'm just happy the way it turned out. I can live with this darker green instead of black, but the question of had I waited just another 15 or 20 minutes, would it have actually turned black? gnaws at me.

But I'm not going to detail strip it again to find out. At least not for now.
 
This morning I got to Lowes at 7:45am and realized they don't open on Sundays until 8am.

But, I was able to pick up two more sheets of 1" foam. Now how did he get those 4x8 sheets into the trunk of a Toyota Camry?

A lot of lube?

Nope.

Drywall T-square and a snap knife.
I know its to late, but for future reference .If you have a Home Depot, they sell the Owens Corning brand that has score lines at 12", 18", and 24".

Stand it up and put your knee on the backside of the score line and snap like you would drywall. No need for cutting it in the parking lot. But
yea, I have taken my square and knife and done the windy parking lot cut job too.

See the score lines on the edge?

 


Cool. That rain in Indy, which came and went, really did result in a lot of intense racing throughout the last third of the race: If they stop the race at any point, the positions are fixed, so there was intense competition to get to the front and stay there.

And in the end the closest finish in Indianapolis history. No one really hurt either. A good day.
 
And now the decks are cleared to get to the real meaning of this weekend. For me it often involves a refresh of, or learning anew, history. Of what was given so people like me can watch a race...and be free people doing it.

This year: "The Pacific." Peleliu has been in my mind of late, so this year it's the US Marines.

The Marines: [Many, many more than] "...a few good men."
 
Good Afternoon.
While I dislike throwing rocks at the weather guessers, our forecast for this afternoon is for partly cloudy and warm. Yet they have issued a "Severe Thunderstorm WARNING" for areas close to me! That's warning, not watch; which just means they are already occurring! Supposedly damaging wind and hail along with them. And so it goes!
 
Our weather guessers are off but only a little today. We will not see the 80’s+ they were talking about on TV but I’m on the front porch for the 1st time this season.
IMG_7133.png
I watched the last 42 laps of the race and of the names in the top 10 on screen I never heard of any of them. Interesting interviews of #1 & #2 finishers. But no one admitting to being hurt so all is good.
 


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