Good Morning All. Clear and 62°. A beautiful day in store with the high around 90°. That's pretty much the forecast for the next 10 days, except for cloudy on Monday. A gentle breeze is predicted for the whole time. Let's hope that the NWS is right on this one. This is our version of fall.
The rain last Sunday has really spurred the grass growth, so I spent another hour or so mowing yesterday, finishing up the south and west sides of the yard. Today I tackle the north side between the pool and train shed and all of the rest of the north up to my still dry pond. I won't have to hit the east side again until Monday or Tuesday. I don't miss the days when I worked and had to spend 4 hours in a single day every weekend mowing. Indeed, the last five years before retirement, I let about 1/2 acre get away from me and it took 2 years to get it cleared out again. Otherwise I spent some more time cutting and splitting firewood, my version of a visit to the gym. Probably will do more of that today.
Out in the train shed yesterday, I once again ran trains. Did a little change of pace with a local. Left the yard with 14 cars, both loads and empties. Dropped a few off at each one of the three towns that it passed through, then turned around and switched them and picked up others on the way back to the yard.
I also got the townspeople ready for the newest additions. I got notifications from both ScaleTrains and UPS that my package was on the way. Six new SD40-2's are on the way. Tariff cost was just $5/loco, so $30 more than expected. But a lot less than all of the naysayers were predicting. That's just a bit above 2%...less than the current inflation rate actually! Guess what I'll be doing on Monday!
Almost 100 posts in the Coffee Shop yesterday to review this morning. I already spent 90 minutes catching up on other threads.
Jaz - I love the various VW pictures that you post, both the bugs and vans. I owned a '61 model for 6 years back in the early 70's. Your pictures bring back a lot of memories. But mine was never upside down!

You're correct that I am not too far off the map where I live. The original landowner had this unfenced 70 acre field that back in the 40's and 50's was a wheat field. In 1980, he divided it into 7 smaller properties ranging from 5 acres to 20 acres. Mine is the 2nd largest at 15 acres. One is still vacant to this day, although it was sold and has had the same owner the whole time. It's like a small community here; only one of the lots has changed hands in the 45 years that I have lived here. The property on the north side of me now has three families there, all related but all of the others are basically the same folks so we know each other real well and everyone gets along with one another except for the one bad neighbor. They live in the place that has changed hands. Other than the couple that decided to develop their "country estate" 1/4 mile south , there are no other homes in a 1.5 mile radius of us. Of note, the next road to the east is 2.5 miles (4 km) away and a trip around the block is 8.5 miles (13.6 km) long.
Sorry that I don't have any advice regarding the pictures except this. I just copy the thumbnails from my computer folder and paste in the reply box, and have no issues. I don't use the download icon at the top of the reply box.
Todd - I also have a "Blue Eyed Blond Girl" who thinks that everything is easy, as long as she isn't doing them. That's why I end up doing all of those tasks!
Chad - Since you're not a beer drinker, let me give you my opinion. If it wasn't for the alcohol (not much at that), Bud light wouldn't have any taste at all. I agree with
Michael that it should be called "swill" instead of beer. Sadly that is the case with most domestic light beers.
Louis - How's Angela doing?
The late Michael Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf was born on this day in 1947.
Everyone have a great Saturday. Be safe around those grills.