The unofficial start to summer? Hard to believe it was snowing in northern Illinois last week... The long weekend is here and other than a few odds and ends, I don't have a lot planned for my model railroad or modules. I plan to get a bit of cleaning done and some maintenance done of both the Jeeps in prep for Summer. Jess the railfan Jeep was damaged in this past week's hail, so she is off to the body shop before her next railfan adventure. I'll sneek in a few small projects here and there I'm sure but overall I'll be spending time with the family doing some cooking on the grill, biking and hiking and most importantly thanking the men and women who sacrificed so that we can do these activities in freedom. So how about you? Any projects set a side this long weekend? Let us know with a picture or two. Because of Memorial Day, we all will come back on Tuesday the 27th to see how we all did. Until then, have a happy and safe Memorial Weekend. Despite what the car dealers and furniture stores tell you, remember why many of us have this coming Monday off. Thank those in continued service to our country, thank a Vet, honor those who served and are no longer with us. Happy Memorial Day NEVER FORGET!
My Dad served in World War II. He would have been a hundred. He bought me my first trains and my first 4x8 sheet of plywood. I've got a bathroom faucet to replace. That should be straightforward, but it never is. I've made a rule to never start a plumbing project unless the hardware store will be open for at least another 4 hours, preferably 6. So, tomorrow morning will find me 20,000 leagues under the sink. Hopefully, I'll get in a bicycle ride or two over the weekend. Grilling some steaks is high on my list, too. I've had the warped roof sections of the Railway Express depot flattening out between a couple of strong clamps all week. They looked pretty good last night. Perhaps they'll be just fine, but I think I'll add some bracing just in case. I'd like to get the depot building finished up over the weekend, and get a good start on the scenery around it. That's just a small patch of trees and a gravel parking lot, and probably some guard rails.
Heading out of town on vacation next week to Virginia Beach for 4 days. If I remember right there us only one train store in area there and it is extraordinarily overpriced. Might drop by next week anyhow to atleast look around again as it has been a few years. I've been drooling over On30 stuff most of the morning, its not too late to go that direction.... my wife likes the "cute" N scale. My heart is set on something "meatier" like HO, S, On30, etc but no room for big stuff. I just need to make up my darn mind ASAP. Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
we're half way through a major kitchen overhaul (I detect a trend) and so I have a multitude of radiators to strip and repaint. Sunday is Rolling Thunder in DC, and I have yet to find a better celebration of our military's sacrifices. I have about 8 new pieces of rolling stock to weather (my finally invoked New Years Resolution is to not let anything on the layout until its weathered). And sweet corn is starting to come in from Pennsylvania and Maryland, so that gets a good grilling.
Mine is 94 this weekend. Not counting transit times, he served three years, five months and two weeks in the PTO. Eight landings, weeks on end in the jungles of patrols and combat. He was an apprentice machinist for the Milwaukee Road in their Tacoma Shops, when called. I still have my very first (crumbling these days) model RR book, which he and mom gave me when I turned two. (I know it was his idea.) That was the start of it all, nearly sixty years ago now. Mindinao, (Zamboanga), Philippines. June, 1945: The book:
Sat. morning I'll help decorate graves at a local cemetery, I got some 50/50 solder and now it's full steam ahead (oops wrong cliche'), on the roundhouse. Racing cars all day Sun. Garden weeds. Reflecting on the holiday. Bobby
I stopped by to visit my folks today at the cemetery and planted flag pinwheels in their honor. I really need to replace the plastic poinsettias with something not so faded.
