It’s the day after Memorial Day, but we won’t forget our fallen heros, our vets, our troops, and their families.
JimCG … I was kidding you last night. You’re supposed to laugh. [(-D]
Lee… you can send a PM with info. There’s a coffe shop on Van Dyke Road near Hall Road (M59) where I met with Duke a couple of times. I eamiled him, but don’t know his schedule. Being June, there are good odds he’ll be riding his 2-Wheeler.
Hey! has anyone heard from PC?
Ulrich … Have you retained any of your old German currancy. It may be neeed after the Euro collapses. What a mess in Europe. … I think all governments can learn some lessons from events over there especially in Southern Europe. … Will governments learn? I doubt it. No government seems to have learned when Iceland’s financial system totally collapsed a couple of years ago. … So they’ll just keep on spending more and more money regardless of its lack of availability.
(Comes in whistling and with a slight smile on the face for the second day) Good Morning all. Day after Memorial Day and I hope that this weekend was not the only times this year we remember until Veterans Day. Also, don’t forget in 14 days (or 15 depending on how you count days) it’s Waylon Jennings birthday. No cards expected.
Well just been piddling around the house doing some odds and ends this morning waiting for the truck to arrive at the restaurant, then off for my multitude of things saved up for me to do on my “Day Off”. Bless their little ole pea-pickin’ hearts. That’s very thoughtful of them
Dyke… Just wanted to see if that’s the word Garry got starred out on. EDIT: Yup, guess so.
What’s that Zoe? Why was I smiling when I came in? Well, I had a couple PM’s with Jeff and it brought back some fond memories of the old cars from back in the ‘70’s and late ‘60’s that either me or my family had. And of course the others out there offered. Got me thinking about the “project” in the garage I started in the late ‘80’s. My favorite car I ever owned. I bought, in 1980 right out of high school, a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner coupe. Took it apart in or around oh, '86 '87 to rebuild it. Yup, still sittin in the garage. Nope, don’t run yet. Oh, since you asked, a 383 and yes it has a four speed and a dog leg pistol grip. Stripped down no option car except for an AM radio and 3-speed wipers. Figure that. Bench seat no console. Power steering or brakes? What’s that? Air conditioning why yes. Roll down the windows. Still warm? Pull that handle there, it slides the vent open. Still warm? Push your wing vent some more, ( we oldtimers will explain the wing vent windows to you whippersnappers some other time.) What? Still warm? I’ll push the right foot farther down. Sorry about the air flow in the back seat, those pop out rear windows help us, but not so much you do they. What’s that noise? That’s called the engine. No sound deadening material, real dual exhaust with less
we started the day with some nice weather, but now it is rather dull outside, with an odd spell of rain - time to stay inside and do some armchair model railroading.
My Mom is still very weak - there is no improvement. I am afraid, that she has lost her will to fight. What eats me up, is, that we do not have enough money to pay for the gas to go there. No news about that job, I am still condemned to wait for the hopefully positive answer. That would certainly help a lot to get things moving in the right direction. At the moment I just have a hard time to see the light on the end of that big black tunnel I am in.
Garry - people never learn! There has been many attempt in history to form currency unions and all of them failed after a short time. A currency union without a political union is doomed right from the beginning. Countries like Greece, Portugal, Spain and Italy never played by the rules set forth in the agreements. As a result, we Germans have to pay the bill - like always in the last 55 years. Germany is the biggest payer into the coffers of the European Union and much of our national debt (in fact, all of it) can be owed to that. We did not only have to shoulder the tremendous cost of the unification with East Germany, but also pay for the development of the countries I mentioned earlier. Germans are no people to take their wrath on the roads, like the French do. Lenin once stated, if the Germans were to make a revolution on a train station, they would buy platform tickets to be able to enter. Hitler was elected, because people were tired of the fighting between the Reds and the Browns in the streets of Berlin in the 1920´s, fostered by a weak government and the economical crisis following the Black Friday. Without “Outside Help” of the Allied Forces, we would not have been able to get rid of him, despite the over 100 attempts. The fall of the Berlin Wall was also not caused by the declared will of the people of East Germany, but a result of
Ulrich- I wish! [8D][tup] It’s the correct year and model but waaaaaay fancier. I’ll dig out an old picture of it circa the eighties before the second and current re do and post it sometime.
I haven’t done much work on it lately. Been too busy looking for parts. I found a steering column and steering gear box that will fit it in a 79 Dodge van. The gear box is a direct fit but the column while being correct mechanically isn’t a direct fit electrically. It has a different warning (4-way flasher) switch. I asked the owner to check into seeing if this can be addressed by changing out the 79 columns harness connector with the harness connector from the 81.
I got my new shoes last week and have been breaking them in slowly for 15-20 minutes a day while watching for red spots or other irritation on my feet that would indicate there’s a problem with the shoes. I have an appointment with the foot doc later today.
My, my, the place looks really nice! I see even the Rivet Counter has been repaired… Zoe I’ll have a slice of THAT Strawberry Rhubarb Pie and a mug of dark roast coffee in a FGLK Mug if you please. What? Yes for breakfast!
Big change here in the Finger Lakes from yesterday. Yesterday was bright an sunny most of the day with a high in the upper 80’s. Had a noisy thunderboomer pass through with some rain last night just about the time we sat down to dinner at my son’s house. Got a total of 1/3 inch of precipitation last night. This morning it is currently 68°F outside with the humidity at 92%. High will only be 74°F. May get another 1/4 inch of rain today they say. Everything is sticky and damp. I will likely start the dehumidifier down stairs in the train room for the year.
I will be doing some assembling of the first Turnout using the Fast Tracks jig today. Most everything in terms of skill level should be withing my abilities, so I am just going to take my time and follow the directions online… Hope to get most of the garden planted today as well if the rain holds off this afternoon.
Garry, sweet. that guy is a trip, I loved the article. If you ever get a chance please tell him that. Well, had two exams today. spanish was pretty easy, but geometry was TOUGH! my mind was ready to jump out and run off during it haha
Whew… the kids are back from college, a new pup that has to grow up to the size of his paws and me working on the layout. This will be a Reader’s Digest Version… I know I know… lol… hard to believe… but I’m short for time. I have decided to work on the layout and get some results here. So here goes… excluesively at the Diner only~
Ok… Lights… street lights for that matter.
With a Brawa street light far left from Germany. The ten on the right were extra sent to me with minor defects (bent) and from China. No biggie… some white glue and they’re fine. I like the detail.
Remember these two? Mother and son?
Some where in the back of my head, I remember some old Disney movie… and the one dog is describing the older dog… who is watching over them at night… “As if the genes for the very first dog were in her”
Der John… you wanted to see how I was doing the back side of the ‘lookout point’ ?
BTW down at bottom middle is my attemp at laying cobblestone street for th
You asked “What was your favorite car?” That’s an easy one for me to answer. It was a 1954 Pontiac StarChief Catalina convertable. What a boat. Powder blue with dark blue leather interior. Once cranked up, that straight eight did the job. It was a cherry when I bought it in 1958. Unfortunately, I hit a panel truck head on about a year after I got it. I loved it and so did the ladies. I really do wish I still had it.
Been a bit busy recently, so a belated Memorial day to all the veterans out there.
I have managed to fix the high idle on my car. All the fiddling with the TPS and throttle body didn’t do much (dropped from 1300 to 1100) so I disconnected the idle air bypass. Sure enough it dropped to where it should be (800-900). I’m gonna grab another IAB and use it as a template to make a restrictor plate. Also did a bunch more body work but I still have a ways to go.
I did learn something recently the hard way. Rember how I was drinking lots of powerade for dehydration? I ended up getting hives all over the place shortly afterwards. I looked at the ingredient label, and found coconut oil. Didn’t know that was in there but sure enough after switching to gatorade (no coconut oil) the hives went away. Gotta be more careful about coconut products…
Todd, having only owned 3 cars I really don’t have much to go by. I had an 88 mustang that was almost the same as my current 90 one (2.3l manual) , except powder blue with a blue interior and a sunroof. I bought it for $200 and my father was able to drive it home (I would have but I was 14). I ended up selling it for $400 because it would have cost much more to fix it then replace it. A year later I picked up the 97 Mustang (3.8L auto) I had for $800, but I had to supply a rear axle. Then that got wrecked and I picked up the 90 I have now for $1000 and drove it home. The 90 now has a bunch of parts from that 97. Guess I’ll go with the 97 because I did so much with it and it was my first actual car (never did drive the 88). If I could have any car as the favorite, it’d either be a 1969 mustang fastback or a 2011 mustang GT.
Good afternoon…plate of cheeseburgers with a Cherry RC Cola please 'n thank-you…go ahead and heap 'em on, whatever I don’t eat…Rerun will![dinner]
Welp, we got my truck back (finally!). The engine transplant has done wonders for the gal…she runs a lot quieter and much, much, much, much smoother! I also seem to have some power under the hood again. What a concept! The original engine made it to 209,942 miles. Not too shabby. Now, we save up for tie rod ends, wheel bearings, and recharge the AC. This weekend’s garage sale, Loving Wife hopes, will provide an infusion for all of THAT!
KEITH: Good to see you again Pally! I was starting to think maybe you had managed to trap yourself inside your layout… You’ve got some FANTASTIC scenery going on there, especially the shot where you said you felt like you were going to the beach. [bow]
SAWYER: Glad you survived your finals…geometry was NEVER fun in my book. I guess I could just never wrap my mind around why I had to “prove” the side of a triangle on a piece of paper. Just didn’t seem real useful in life. Yes, my grade reflected THAT theory…[V] Also, be sure to put a little tag on your brain: “If found, please return to…” Might come in handy someday. The Good Lord knows MY brain has been known to go on walk-abouts…[:-^] It always comes back…eventually.
VINCENT: Here’s a good “trick” to stay hydrated with the Gatorade. Try a 50-50 mix of H2O and Gatorade. I learned THAT from a bunch of Civil War re-enactors who were running around in WOOL uniforms on a 95+ degree day with high humidity. My girlfriend/fiance’ at the time was playing nurse in the field hospital. She had more real heat cases than pretend battlefield ones. The guys drinking the 50-50 mix were just fine and didn’t need medical attention. Also, drink frequently. If you wait until you’re thirsty…it’s too late. Interesting THAT Poweraide has coconut oil, didn’t know it. Heckuva way to find out you’re allergic to it 'eh? A l
I did some house painting, and getting the house ready to be “refinanced”. The BAD thing is our house interest rate is…10.9%. Yeah thats right!!! Its killing us!!! We called about getting the house redone, and the company said we can get it at 5% if the house comes back at $59,000 (with the house taxes, and insurance included). We don’t have that in the payment either. That’s also rough!! Also if the house comes back at $67,000, well can get rid of the credit cards!!! We have had the house appraised twice, and one was $70,000, and the other time was $60,000. So…We need to do some touch ups.
Hope everybody is doing good, and has a good evening.
Chris, I loved the proofs; now we got into all these formulas and junk. like the two triangles and the law of sines and law of cosines and junk…I’m expecting at best an 86
Haven’t been currebnt again though I do try to drop in and keep up on news. Got the trailer loaded Monday (my day off) and finished this morning before the monsoons hit. The rest of the day was a disaster with the CFO showing up sans brakes (broken hard line) and no water in the rad (dirty press cap). Then we had issues with the lift gate (bad cable) and finally the lotus 11 is now down with bearing babbit in the oil filter and two mushroomed front hubs. I finally went in the office so I could stop w…king before the shop roof fell in. They the rental truck showed up with the air seat broken and no air conditioning so it went back to Penske and just returned supposedly repaired. At least tonight I get to g to the museum and play with toy trains.[:D] Catch ya later, J.R.
Janie just a Hot Turkey Sandwich, fries, and the house salad, along with a cup of decafe for me tonight. I’ll have desert later tonight.
About 5PM I got a call from the Financial Administrator of my church. He is also the first one to fixing most anything needing fixing down there. He and I worked with a Christian Rock Group sponsored by out Presbytery and did Music Camp together for many, many years… Anyway, He called me to let me know that the church took a direct lightning hit during the storm that came through last night. Evidently hit the bell tower. The staff arrived this morning to find no working phones, half of the electrical circuits down throughout the church, and the router for the computer system fried. He spent most of the day getting as much back up and running for them as he could, and then went to see what else may have gotten hit by the surge.
He was calling me as the sound system is not working. When he turned on the sound, it started up with a loud hum… Not a good thing. So I just spent about 45 minutes down there trying to isolate the damage. The amps seem to come on and are clean if there is no input to them (good news), the hearing assist system is not working either. I think the surge must have come in through the ground and has damaged the mixer which is doing some BAD things! I unplugged all inputs to see if there was one of them shorting across and causing it, but it appears to be the mixer itself. I won’t know what else is hit until I bring one of my mixers to put in line and can check each input to the system. I hope I can restore sound temporarily as they have a wedding on Saturday. Fun and games! They just changed insurance companies two months ago, so they should have a lot of fun filing the claim. Hopefully everything will be covered.
***Keith, neat pics, Hey, do you see the side-view of the gator/dragon creature in the middle pic?
***Ray, sounds like your hands are full following that strike. Hope you get it all up and running without much trouble. At least nobody was in the church at the time, right?
The Langoliers showed up around the driveway today.[:-^] You can see pics of them (bottom row) here:
Happy late Memorial day everyone. A glass of Diet green river for me. Some of you may know that President Obama was at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Cemetery Monday, well, he flew right over my house in Marine Force one. That was kinda cool, but I’m republican.
“W” flew right over me, also in Marine One, post-flood in Cedar Rapids (June ‘08). That was kinda cool too. [tup] Back in high school, I was in the marching band. We were selected to play “Hail to the Chief” as REAGAN came off Air Force One at the CR Airport. Way freakin’ cool! [tup][tup] As a photog, I got shots of candidate Bill Clinton, VP Dan Quayle, and “W.” It is kinda cool being able to physically see the chief executive of the country, especially from close range. I’m sure there are some countries THAT just doesn’t happen. THAT said, I can think of one president I wouldn’t walk across the street to perform a biological function upon…even if he was on fire. Since I vowed to more-or-less leave my politics in my truck out in the parking lot…I’ll leave it up to you to figure out which prez I’d leave to incinerate himself…and the teleprompter he rode in on…[:-^]
Don’t get me wrong, I respect the office…but some inhabitants of THAT office…I just can’t.[V]
A good, rainy evening…uh, make THAT “morning” to you all.
ULRICH: Guten morgen (did I get THAT even close to right??).
SAWYER: Son…you just about put me into flash-back induced convoluted convulsions!!! For me, it boiled down to "where/when am I ever gonna use this crap in the “real world?” IF I liked a subject, or at least took an interest in it…I did well. If I didn’t like something…whooooooooo boy. Badness was imminent, at least as far as my grades were concerned!
ROBBY P: Was THAT you with the 10% on the mortgage??? YIKES![:O] Yeah, I’d be looking at a refinance post-haste and forth-with too!!! I fear the assessor… I figure Cedar County will send the idiot out again this year…it’s been a couple of years, at least. Either way, it’ll be bad news. 1) the value will go up…which is of course, good. BUT, then the property tax will
