Good Morning All from a balmy Gulf Shore AL, where it is partly cloudy and 73°. We're still under the riptide warning here, and the Coast Guard and various land and air patrols are making numerous trips back and forth. Back home it's cloudy and 70° with major thunderstorms predicted for around sunset tonight. The forecast is showing 1.5" overnight with continued thunderstorms through Monday. The Weather Underground station around the corner at home shows a total of 1.3" yesterday to add to the 0.82" on Monday. I hope that it is not too late for the trees that were quite stressed when we left.
The vacation is going well for
some of us. Two unrelated housemates were sick and in bed all day. The three remaining beach dwellers basically had to spend the afternoon on the deck due to the blowing sand on the beach. Wife and I were at the model train museum in Foley, about 12 miles north. More on that later. While on the beach in the morning, we saw a shark that washed up on shore in a large wave, for a couple of minutes before another wave came along that was big enough to carry it back out to sea. Of course I didn't have the camera with me.
Supper last night was excellent at an upscale Italian place that we have visited before. Prices were outrageous. The beer price was only $4 apiece, and wife's wine was $13 @ for two glasses, but the total check with tip came to $175!
I didn't even have steak, just seafood alfredo.
The Gulf was rough all day. Here are the morning pictures.
By afternoon, it had subsided ever so slightly.
As I posted, we went to the Foley Railroad Museum in Foley AL. I have been there several times before on past trips. Years ago a local resident willed his large O scale Lionel layout to the museum. It came with the stipulation that had to be accessible to all ages, and it had to be free to all.
There's a group of about 20 local modelers who maintain and run it for the public three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I believe that the layout is 24'x80', or close to that.
A view of the south end.
A view from the same spot of the north end.
I have visited here for over ten years, seeing only minor changes to the layout. This year is different, as they had a new member who has scratch built several historical structures from downtown Foley, a block away.
Here are his first two.
The white structure on the left was the first hospital in Foley, and today is the Holmes Medical Museum.
Here it is from yesterday, I did not get a better picture since I was driving and there were no parking places anywhere nearby to stop and walk to a better vantage spot.
Here are a couple more random layout shots.
And in keeping with
Chris's post above, here is UP 844.
Joe - I am content to chill out on a beach chair, but just for a short time. I do like touring local stuff, as this trip will include three model railroad museums. I do get plenty of leisure at home as well as while on vacation.
That's it for a while, I'll be back later. Everybody have a great day.
