The Bavarian and Rio Grande Railroad

 I have been into model trains for a long time, but have not always "played" with them.   My current 5' X 9' layout sat in boxes in the garage for 20 years, until I decided I needed to set it back up, or get rid of it.   Since I could not part with it, it is now a work-in-progress in my living room.

Logo by Sandie, my sister-in-law

The layout is built around two NTrak modules that I started building in 1987 while stationed in Germany.  The first is 2' X 4' and the second is a 3' X 3' corner module.   These module meet NTrak specifications, so that I could take them to meets and become part of a much larger layout.   This, I have not done since the early 90s.

Railroading is a hobby.   We all know that the word "hobby" comes from the ancient Greek, meaning "expensive"!   And it certainly can be.   I have been replacing switches (turnouts) that cost $15.00 in 1987/92, but now are in the $30.00 range.   The difference is I now have more disposable income, so I only wince when I drop $100.00 or more at the local train store.   In the 80s, this level of purchase would cause a major "family discussion"

I will post more pictures soon, showing details of the track, but I need to clean up the board before I take any more photos.   This layout truly is a work in progress.

Veteran's Day

 It has become a tradition, after posting the American Flag out front, that I try to see how much free food I can get due to my status as an Army Veteran.    My granddaughter compiled a list for me, and I headed for Denny's at 7:00am.    They offer the Grand Slam, and I paid for the coffee.    

For lunch I headed to a place I frequent, but although they had a very thoughtful display for the veterans, they were not staffed for the crowd that was there at 12:30.    I checked my list and went to the Lazy Dog on the old Texas Instruments campus in Stafford.    I was told I could have ANYTHING on their extensive menu, to include a bottomless glass of iced tea.    I went for the fish and chips.    I had never been there before, but I will definitely return.    The interior is quite beautiful and the service was top-drawer.

For Dinner, I met my family at the Pluckers in Stafford.   This time I had a chicken salad and more iced tea.   

These locations were well attended by veterans, and I felt very respected.   The offerings ranged from free donuts to a free haircut (my own barber would object) to a full meal, and all were within a short drive from the house.

A Preschool Fall Festival

 I took my ride-on train to a small fall festival Saturday that was being held by a new day care center.   These parents formed their own day care recently after their daycare center abruptly closed.   One Hope jumped through a lot of city and state hoops, and is now fully licensed.   A founding family has ties to our church, so I wanted to help.

They tell me about 40 families showed up, but most of my passengers were made up of about 5 kids, who, apparently, were watching the train for any opening so they could ride again.    One young man was rather insistent that he be allowed to ride continuously, but we finally convinced him to give at least three other kids a chance before commandeering the iron horse.  I also used him as a demonstrator for the more reluctant tourists.

Then there was a little boy who was fascinated by the train, but who absolutely refused our offers for him to ride.   He followed the figure-8, examined the wheels, and generally giggled as someone else rode.

I will state that the kids had fun.    There were all sorts of kid-friendly games.   The event next to me was a cake walk, geared to 3 year olds!    There was even a self-contained snow cone stand on wheels, with a very wide selection of flavors.

One Hope is located between my home and my church.   My plan is to offer storytime every Thursday, after I read to the kids at Meadows Preschool.

Ring-Tailed Tooter

 It occurs to me that I haven't blogged about my church.   Not sure why not, I drive there about Four times a week.    So, here is my first church-related story.

I have known our preschoolers all THEIR lives.   I have sat with them in the nursery and I work with them in Sunday School.   One of them sits with me in the sanctuary while Mommy leads the singing.   And, I offer the Children's sermon about once a month.

Little C........... is a rambunctious, rather active little four year old.   She tests all boundaries, to include her Mommy's last nerve.   She can be a RUNNER!    She has taken to sliding out of her seat on the piano side, during the hymns, and may slip down the way to sit next to me, who sits on the organ side of the worship center.   Her face tells me she believes she is getting away with something.

This past Sunday, she appeared on the pew, next to me, sat down, head barely above the back of the pew and offered an angelic countenance. I glanced over at her Dad, but he was focused on something else, and I did not see Mom.   Bless me Father, for I have sinned, but I kept my eyes open during the pastoral prayer.    Sure enough, Mom comes back down the aisle from looking for big brother, and I can see her mouthing to Dad, "J..., where is C...........?"    Dad gave the trademarked sit-com father look, and I knew someone was in Trouble.   I tried to get Mom's attention, which only got the attention of those behind me.    Mom finally spotted her daughter next to me, and shrugged.     The little darling, with the other angels in the congregation, then went up to the stage for the Children's sermon, and the excitement was over.

You will not see pictures of the children on these pages.    The Internet has a bad habit of reposting pictures, and not always for good purpose.   I guess we'll have to stick with pictures of trains and presidential homes.

I Voted Today

 

This is the first day of early voting in Texas.  I took a short drive to the closest early voting site: The Turkish Community Center on West Bellfort,    The parking lot was pretty full, but the line was moving pretty well, maybe because of the 30+ voting machines, and a large number of voting judges and staff.   

The elderly Vietnamese gentleman in the lobby was overseeing some kind of papers, but he directed me directly to the entrance.   After providing my picture ID (I was ready with drivers license, military ID and current passport) I was sent to a voting machine.   These new machines (ok, they are several years old) are so much better that the old ones with the magic wheel that I could never understand.   The gentleman supervising the actual ballot box greeted me with a wonderful African accent.   I saluted the box and inserted my ballot.   He replied "America!" with gusto!

The polling place had only been open for two hours, but everything seemed to be running smoothly

As I passed through the lobby on my way out, I noticed an elderly Orthodox jew, with yarmulka, having a very pleasant conversation with a Muslim lady who was wearing a nice hijab.   America, indeed!

I would have loved a picture of the two, but am pretty sure pulling out my camera in a polling place is "frowned upon in this establishment!"  (Quick, name the commercial)

I had several choices for voting.   I could have voted by mail, waited for election day, or voted at my leisure on a day of my choosing.    My problem with voting by mail is that is how we voted for 20 years while stationed in Germany, El Paso, and California.   Gore V Bush highlighted my concerns about voting by mail, when it came out that standard practice was to shove absentee ballots in a corner, and maybe count them a few days after the election.  Assuming my ballot actually got there.  Thanks, NO, I want my vote to count.

I calculated that this was my 14th presidential election, and my 26th congressional election.   I tried to figure out how many senate races, but my head started to hurt.  Google says seven senators have been elected on my watch.

So, I voted.   How about you?

End-of-September Trip

 

It's October 2, 2024 and I am back home after my 15 day trip to New England and Eastern New York.

My posts the last two weeks were all composed and published on my iPhone.   I made extensive use of the dictation feature, but you doubtless noticed it produced a very sloppy product.   I am now sitting at my home computer with a decent keyboard, and will attempt to make these posts a little closer to MLA (Modern Language Association) format.   As always, I welcome constructive comments.

Of the 46 American Presidents, I have now visited some-kind-of site for 34 of them.   Presidents Obama and Biden have not yet opened their museums, and the only Trump site, to date is his un-marked boyhood home in Queens.  

I will also assert that I have now visited 45 of the 50 US states, in my lifetime.

I am hoping to visit Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Western New York, and Kentucky, this coming Spring.

Dan

Calvin Coolidge and other things

September 30, 2024

I said goodbye to Troy, New York where I had spent the last three nights.   The Best Western is right on the river, downtown. They do a thriving business in weddings on the weekends since there is a large banquet hall/wedding venue across the street that also belongs to the hotel.   The bridesmaids and the bride have the hair done at the hotel and run up and down the halls, giggling and screaming, and then everybody goes across the street for the wedding.    The hotel also host a bus load of Danish electrician students two months out of the year as they come for the local junior college.   These young men are about as wholesome as you could possibly imagine.

I have never given it any thought, but in western Massachusetts I drove over the highest point on interstate 90, East of North Dakota! Approximately 1700 feet! Who knew?

My next stop was to the Calvin Coolidge Library and Museum, which should have meant a big whoop- de-doo.    In presidential things, the word library means the president's archives and personal papers.    What I found in North Hampton Massachusetts was a large room on the second floor of the Forbes Library,  It details a good bit of his life, but completely left out his ascension to the presidency after the death of Harding.   About the only souvenir they offered for sale is a T-shirt that says, “ I do not choose to run” Which apparently is what he said after his full term.   The library building itself is a public library.  The building would fit in very well as a Texas county courthouse.    Old, stone, very well maintained.   For an old Library, they offered jigsaw puzzles and musical instruments to check-out and they have an extensive collection of graphic novels and music on CD.   Northampton was chosen as the site as this is where he spent much of his political career, from mayor to state senator, to governor.  

From North Hampton I drove down into Connecticut and bought some gas and had lunch.   According to my personal rules, I can now say I have been to Connecticut.  I had pasta in a very nice Italian restaurant in Connecticut and would have liked to have stayed for dinner because the wine list included a German Riesling that the server said was very good.

I now pointed the car to the interstate and drove pretty much nonstop up and over Boston and into Maine.   I asked the gentleman at the visitor center to help me get a hotel. I told him my criteria was it had to be in Maine so that I could say I had been to Maine.  He liked that approach as he said he gets people who come in all the time, who walk into the visitor center, take a picture and get back in the car and go back into New Hampshire, telling themselves they’ve been to Maine.    He suggested a lighthouse and a decent restaurant where I could buy the requisite lobster roll.    I followed his instructions to the T and got a good picture of a lighthouse and a lobster roll with a very good cup of clam chowder.  The clam chowder met my Dad's standard, it was so thick my spoon almost stood up in the cup!    The lobster roll contained large chunks of tender meat.

I am back at the room, ready to go to bed, I’m pretty much intend to head from here, to Boston's Logan airport tomorrow.

I think I have gone to the Darkside as I have depended upon GPS for the last two weeks.   No paper maps, and even less idea of where I am at any given time.   I set my destination, it tells me where I currently am, and I tell it to go. It is rather scary if you think about it.

I have spent a lot of my life trying to understand electricity, television, how the heck a monarch can find my backyard; so I know I will never ever understand everything that goes into my iPhone. As far as I’m concerned, it is black magic.

Over the past two weeks I have purchased a lot of souvenir coffee mugs, and more than a couple of presidential history books.  Today I had to pay the piper! I took several bags of mugs and books into the UPS store and paid more to ship them than my hotel bill for the night! But it had to be done.  If you ever come to my house for breakfast, I will have your choice of coffee mugs and maybe even a cup of Teddy Roosevelt’s personal Bull Moose coffee!