Ye Ole Coffee Shoppe XXIII

[Secondhandmodeler]

Good afternoon everyone.

Stupid me I volunteered to staff the store alone today. We're not exactly busy today. Oh well, I wrote up two wedding parties for this fall. I guess that was worth turning the lights on.

I had a good weekend spent with family. In between get togethers I managed to cover a low relief, hillside/bluff with clump foliage. I now have one area that is finished with tree coverage. The rest of the hills need to be covered with super trees. It's taking quite a few batches to get the density I'm looking for. Though there are easier ways to cover a hillside, I want the actual trees instead puff balls or similar treatments. It sure is fun to see some scenery going in other than my trestle and city area.

The trains are on permanent stand down while the forestation goes on. The tracks are covered in blue painters tape until further notice. One of these days I'll be able remove the tape and ballast the tracks.

My wife is gone for a few days so I should be able to continue the project tonight and all of tomorrow. If the weather is nice, I may go golfing instead. We'll see!

Have a great day everyone.

 

[stationmaster]

lraK, Angela won't let me shoot the squirrels she feeds(all Fox squirrels). But, Pineys are fair game. I use an old Remington Model 121 pump with .22 shorts. In town even. Shoot them little critters right in the eye. No wounded critters scampering to get away. I cut off their tails to send to Mapps for lures, get about $.10-.25 each for them. The carcasses go in the burn barrel. Pineys have no meat. They will actually kill a bigger Fox squirrel. One shot, one kill.... one dead squirrel.

Bob

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I went to Lowe's today and got a new hand held size vac for use on the front area and extension of the layout. It's a Shop-Vac 'Hang-up' vacuum. When it's not in use I can just hang it on the wall by the door where it's more or less out of the way. At 2.5 gallons it's a lot smaller and lighter than my other Shop-Vac (4.5 gallons) that resides under the far northwest corner of the layout. It's used primarily for vacuuming the main part of the layout that I can't reach from the front. It's place of residence is between the front wall (far under the layout) and a large plastic storage bin where it's out of the way. It's used for cleaning those areas on the layout that are reachable via the access holes. That would be the back of the layout and as far as I can reach to the front. It's also used for cleaning the air conditioner filter. However dragging it out from under there to get the front area and extension was a major pain in the butt, hence the small hand-held unit (Dirt Devil) that I had until this morning when the motor decided to go up in smoke. That's OK, this new 'Hang-up' vac has a lot more power and is more convenient as it's right there on the wall instead of in the closet taking up valuable space that can be better utilized storing model railroad supplies. Best of all, it only cost $20.

 

[PNKFLOYD]

Ken- I hope you found your trip thru Bammer a good experience. I'm sorry I couldn't spend more time with you, too.

No problem with you being a Yankee.
You are the "good yankee" type, while Jim is a da** yankee.
The good yankee comes for a visit and goes home with a pleasant experience.
A da** yankeee comes for a visit and won't go home. LOL!

Did Rex show you any real live Bama cheerleaders while you were in T-town? Some of those Bama cheerleaders look like they were models of real cheerleaders, done by newbie modelers!

 

[Littlefoot14]

Well gents, we didnt wind up taking a ride today. We just went shopping and visited both sets of grandparents. We went swimming at the one grandmas house as well. Tommorow ill be doing some dive work for my aunt. While im not actually certified with my dive license, i have some experience and ive seen the area where ill be. My aunt or cousin will spot for me while i work and ill have a flag up. I beleive the water is only about 10ft. All im doing is removing milfoil and taking care of it with a net. I dont know how much is there, but hopefully ill be done in under 4 hours. Whenever im finished with that, its off to the restuarant to mow then i should be all set. I didnt get paid last week, so this weeks pay check will look pretty good

 

[kbkchooch]

lraK, Angela won't let me shoot the squirrels she feeds(all Fox squirrels). But, Pineys are fair game. I use an old Remington Model 121 pump with .22 shorts. In town even. Shoot them little critters right in the eye. No wounded critters scampering to get away. I cut off their tails to send to Mapps for lures, get about $.10-.25 each for them. The carcasses go in the burn barrel. Pineys have no meat. They will actually kill a bigger Fox squirrel. One shot, one kill.... one dead squirrel.

Bob

Not sure what type of squirrels we got here, (gray?) but the lil buggers get into everything! They go to the Walnut tree in the back yard, sit on the picnic table (where else) and crack them open. The table has to be swept off weekly cuz it gets covered in shells! Not to mention that they bury the nuts, and I have young Walnut trees everywhere!! I could spend a day (and I have) on Walnut patrol pulling them out of everywhere! We've even come home and found whole nuts stacked on the back step of the house! I'd get rid of the trees, but the do such a good job shading the garage from the afternoon sun. Otherwise it would be an oven in there!

Not to mention that because of the lil rats, I had to put the bird feeder on a squirrel-resistant hanger with a bolt on lid to keep them out of it! It takes 10 minutes to take it apart to refill it every week!

So, be vewy vewy quiet,,,,,,,,were huntin sqwiwwel! hehehehehe

 

[UP2CSX]

Evening, everyone.

LOL, Matt, either that guy from e-bay really is on drugs or he missed a decimal point. I'm sort of happy to hear someone else has my fishing luck, although I'm sure you're a better fisherman than me normally. What is this you'll be removing from the dock? Never heard of milfoil. You should go ahead and get certified. If I could do it at 52, you can do it at 14. Costs a few bucks, but you'll be a lot safer underwater, even if it's only 10 feet.

Jeffrey, Happy Birthday! Thought I'd better get that in now, since I'm off for Honduras on Wednesday. I think I got the same vacuum you did. I've been real pleased with it. The battery is good for about 45 minutes and it will suck paint off wood. You've gotta be a little careful with it around the layout, as it removed some ground cover and ballast I though I had glued pretty good.

Ken, 14 hour drives are way too much for me now. When I drove to Cleveland, which is only 12 hours straight through, I stopped in Louisville overnight. If Vicky swapped driving with you, I guess it's not so bad, but I think CJ has a good suggestion. Might as well make a little vacation out of it on the way back too.

Karl, I had a squirrel problem a few years ago, with them getting up under the eaves of the house and chewing holes into the attic. We have fox squirrels, gray squirrels, and flying squirrels. The gray squirrels are cute, and it's rare to see a flying squirrel, since they are nocturnal. The fox squirrels are huge, weighing in at about two pounds and two feet long, and they were the troublemakers. I have a Ruger 10/22, and a few weeks with some subsonic ammo (it's illegal to shoot in city limits, and I'm about 500 feet inside the line) either killed enough of them or scared them off, since I haven't found any holes lately. I was checking the weather earlier, and you guys are going to hotter than us for the next four or five days. It was still 83 in Baltimore at midnight our time, but it's 74 here. Just pretend you're in the Heart of Dixie and you'll be fine.

Mikey, it's not my fault I didn't leave - it's one of those Alabama girls that made me stay. I think they get trained at a young age how to use that accent on us unsuspecting Yankees.

Corey, you've got to do what my daughter does when she's working in the store and no one is coming in. She can pass out in about three seconds flat on the keyboard and wake up just as fast when the buzzer on the door goes off. I swear she had "QWERTY" on her face one day when I stopped my to see her. Only one more week of work for here though. She starts her nursing cliinicals next month, and there's no way you can get through that and work. She's taking a month off before school start and she deserves it. she's been working 25-30 hours a week since she was 16, paying for her car, insurance, and gas, and still got straight "A"'s the whole time. One of the rules I have for her is that 20% of her paycheck had to go into savings. she didn't like that idea when she was 16, but she's saved up about $7,000, which will giver her a nice cushion to get through nursing school. Of course, it was all her idea to save that money now.

Rex, I think I need to paint you up a few 'Bama cheerleader figures before the next ARG operating session. You can hide them around the layout and make a contest out of it. I think the winner should get that Y6B I ran while I was up at your place.

Chris, I hope you're doing as well as can be expected.

Went to the Biscuits game for the Fourth. The ballpark holds about 7,000 people and I think there was all that and more at the park last night. It's the biggest crowd I've ever seen. We were playing the last place Birmingham Barons and, of course, lost. On top of that, they lost again tonight, so instead of being solidly in first, we're now one game back. Had a good fireworks show, and did manage to see a few yard jobs on the CSX tracks, so it wasn't a total loss. There was one SCL 50' outside post boxcar, still in the original paint and the original herald, with just the reporting mark patched. I've see a few of them before, but they were always in pretty ratty condition. This one was faded but clean, and I swear someone had repainted the SCL logo. Must be an SCL mole still in the CSX organization.

 

[Littlefoot14]

Morning fellas.

Jim- Milfoil is a really invasive aquatic plant. Its not quite like seaweed though. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/plants/StemPlants/images/WaterMilfoilWFPS_C1839.jpg I havent seen the dock in awhile so im not sure how much there is or how far out she wants it removed. Ive always considered doing some divework, ill throw the idea by my parents tonight. My dad is always hiring divers to search for problems on the underwater equipment when his company has a job on waterfront houses. Theres a guy right in the next town over that does it, and my grandpa is certified i think to. Ill have to mention it to my parents

Well its hot. Yesterday was like 94 and today is supposed to be 96. The pool was 86 yesterday, and the water temps of the lakes are 68-74. Thats alittle chilly but ill live . Im glad i dont burn, the UV index is supposed to be 9 today. Can you tell i just watched the weather

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Jeffrey, Happy Birthday! Thought I'd better get that in now, since I'm off for Honduras on Wednesday. I think I got the same vacuum you did. I've been real pleased with it. The battery is good for about 45 minutes and it will suck paint off wood. You've gotta be a little careful with it around the layout, as it removed some ground cover and ballast I though I had glued pretty good.

Thanks for the early birthday wish. If your vac uses a battery we don't have the same type. Mine is AC only. I have to be careful with it around the layout. While the suction is like a tornado the exhaust is like a cat 5+ hurricane!

 

[tompm]

Good morning folks

It was a muggy 85 F as I headed in this morning. Our high today is supposed to be 101 F. We are under an Excessive Heat Warning and an Air Quality Alert. The bottom line is stay in air conditioning.

We had a good and bad holiday weekend. The good side was out trip down to Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Beach. The bad side was out trip down to Cape Henlopen and Rehoboth Beach. The beach was a lot of fun and not too crowded. The kids had a great time in the water. The fireworks in Rehoboth Beach were great and a lot of fun.

The bad side was the smokers especially the cigar smokers. The smoking set off my wife’s asthma to the point she had to be rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. We were waiting in line for the bus to take us back to our van which was parked outside of town. We encountered a person who insisted on smoking right in front of us even after we asked him if he would mind moving to the other side of the sidewalk. He was standing in the street which was upwind from us. He did not move. My wife went into a major attack. We were right in front of the Rehoboth Beach Fire House. While they got my wife to the hospital I have to say the ambulance crew was one of the rudest and unprofessional emergency crews I have ever encountered. They were arguing with my wife over her breathing instead of trying to calm her down. They threw her in the ambulance and told me to get in. When I asked what about the kids they told me they could not go and to leave them. When I said I could not leave a 14 and a 12 year old alone and asked how I could get them without a car they shrugged their shoulders. Next thing I knew they closed the doors and took off without telling us where they were taking my wife. Also right before they left one of the Fire Policemen asked if they needed the paramedics who were in the firehouse at the time. The ambulance crew chief said no. After a short discussion with a Fire Police officer and eventually a Delaware State Trooper we finally found out where they took my wife and got put on a bus to get the car. We then had to find the hospital and thanks to Tom-Tom we did. By the time we got there my wife was doing OK. Basically she needed some oxygen and a stronger abuterol treatment. Within an hour we were on our way home. We got home about 4 AM.

Yesterday was recovery day as we slept until past noon. I never did get any train time like I had planned.

I hope everybody has a good day.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Good morning. It's 75 and cloudy. There's a 50% chance of thunderstorms later. The high is expected to be 88.

Tried out the new Shop-Vac hang-up vacuum yesterday and I'm very satisfied with it. It has a very powerful suction that doesn't require the nozzle to be almost down on the surface. Within 3 inches works nicely. In fact, any closer than that and it has the potential to do significant damage as it could possibly pull up scenery that isn't as tightly secured as I would like. That brings up something else. While the suction is like a tornado the exhaust is like a category 5+ hurricane! I have to be careful about where the rear of the unit is facing as the exhaust blast can easily blow over a free standing scene many feet away. I may get another hose to use to direct the exhaust to a more desirable location. An extension hose wouldn't be a bad idea either. I could leave the unit on the wall that way and have both hands free to deal with the hose. It has numerous possibilities.

http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv186/Running-Bear/DSCN0349.jpg

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

I picked up an 8 foot extension hose for the Hang-up vac. With the hose that came with it that gives me a 12 foot reach, more than enough. I also got a dusting brush attachment for getting that stubborn stuck on dust to come off without having to hold the hose in one hand and a 1" paint brush in the other.

 

[Steve B]

Watch out for the little folk Jeff or they may be sucked up the 1/87 scale tornado your whirling round the MRR

 

[PNKFLOYD]

Jeffery- that sounds like a principle we could extend to certain people.
When a person goes from intake in the front to expelling the exhaust in the back, we could attach a hose to direct the exhaust to a non-hazardous area.
I wonder if we can patent this idea?

We will have to go partners if we develop the idea! Have a great day!

 

[IronBeltKen]

Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

Jim - stay safe during your trip to Honduras! I agree wholeheartedly with CJ's suggestion, but the kids and their cousins don't: Staying at a motel would mean arriving in 'Bama a day late and leaving a day earlier. Plus, the money I'd have to spend on lodging could pay for a few of the extra turnouts I'll be needing for my resurrected layout.

Tom - those paramedics' attitude really sucks; my wife was treated in a similar manner when she shattered her ankle last January. I wonder if nowadays they are being trained to brush-off anything the victims' family members say to them, since it might cause them to deviate from the "official" procedure? Doesn't make sense to me...

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Watch out for the little folk Jeff or they may be sucked up the 1/87 scale tornado your whirling round the MRR

I hear ya on that! That was part of the reason for getting the extension hose. Now I can leave the vac on the wall and only have to worry about the suction end of the line. I can put a 45 degree pipe in the exhaust port to direct the blast up toward the ceiling and away from the part of the layout the rear of the vac faces.

Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

That's actually tomorrow but thanks.

 

[UP2CSX]

Afternoon, everyone.

Found a few spare moments to sneak in.

Tom, I would be on the phone with the fire chief and the mayor. Your wife's treatment was not acceptable under any standard of care I practiced under. Given your wife's condition, there's no reason why the kids couldn't have ridden in back with her. It probably would have calmed her down some, and gotten you all to the same hospital at the same time. It sounds like these people were EMT's at best, and, more likely, First Responders. It's not their job to ever argue with a patient about their condition. You transport and let the ER doctor figure things out. I hope you got some of their names. I'd really be hopping mad about this if it was my wife.

Since I'm a smoker, I'm also appalled at the behavior of some my fellow smokers. I never smoke where there are lots of people unless I can get completely away from them. If I was close enough to someone that my smoke bothered them, I would put out my cigarette immediately. I won't die, but there's a chance someone like your wife might. Smoking cigars in a congested area like that simply shouldn't be allowed. Idiots like that guy are exactly why so many anti-smoking laws are being passed. If smokers would just practice some common courtesy, we could all get along.

Jeffrey, I went down and looked at mine and it's a Dirt Devil, but a pretty big one for being handheld and running on a battery. I have to be really careful vacuuming dust from my roads. If I put the nozzle right on the styrene road surface, it will pull it right up. Mine also has a hurricane like exhaust. Sounds like Tom could have used one at the beach. Blow the smoke away with one end and bop the guy over the head with the other. Mikey's idea might work too, although you'll need a BIG tube and a LONG extension cord.

Ken, I'm certainly planning to stay as safe as possible in Honduras, but that's kind of relative down there. If you come back with no diseases and no body parts missing, you've done good. I forgot about all the extra baggage you carry with you. It gets really nice when it's just you and the wife and everyone else is old enough to abandon.

Matt, it sounds like you've got enough underwater things going on to justify getting certified as a diver. Never heard of that milfoil before, but it looks like nasty stuff. It sounds like you already have most of your dive gear, so getting certified is only a couple of hundred dollars. If you start working on your dad now, maybe he'll take you to some place like the Keys for your certification dives. Lots nicer than a lake or quarry in NY, and you get to be in the ocean, which is what you're supposed to be good at as a diver.

It's warm here today (92), but not as bad as you guys up north are getting. At least your body gets a little used to the constant heat down here. This is exactly what I hated about Cleveland. Upper 90's with suffocating humidity one week and the 60's with a stiff breeze the next week. We always manged to pick the wrong week to take our vacation at the Lake.

I've got a friend from church who put his house on the market two weeks ago. He's building a new house north of Birmingham. His house sold in 10 days, which must be some kind of recent record in this market. He and his wife need a place to live while their house is being built, so I'm lending him the Trek. I'm waiting for Dianna to get home, so she can follow me over to the RV repair place. The Trek has been sitting for about three years, whcih isn't good for an RV. It needs new house batteries, probably one new tire, and the automotive A/C isn't putting out anything but hot air. There's also a rattle from the engine compartment that I think is a loose heat shield. Other than that, everything still works fine, which is amazing. The fellow who's borrowing it from me is paying for the house batteries and the tire, but I'll pick up the tab for the rest, since that's work that needs to done no matter when it gets on the road. She cranked right over on the first try. Sitting in the driver's seat, I realized there are still times I miss being on the road. Maybe I'll convert Dianna into an RV person someday.

 

[Cjcrescent]

...
Tom, I would be on the phone with the fire chief and the mayor. Your wife's treatment was not acceptable under any standard of care I practiced under. .

I would also call the State regulating board and report this. This is so below the standard of care for anyone, anywhere, that it needs at the very least a reprimand. If I had pulled something like this as a nurse the the state of Alabama, and it got reported to the State Board of Nursing, I very well could have had my license suspended for a time.

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Tom: I am totally appalled by the unprofessional manner in which the ambulance crew acted. That would NEVER be tolerated here. I know that for a fact because I took the same training they did and it was made clear that such things were severely frowned upon and anyone displaying that kind of behavior would be out of a job, no "if's" "and's" or "buts". I wasn't even allowed to do that as a First Responder. Report it to everyone you can get hold of. Keep rattling cages until you find someone who will do something, not just give lip service.

 

[RexHea]

Jim, Have a good trip and stay safe. Be sure and shake your shoes out each morning and keep all orifices tight to keep out the bugs .