Cholesterol Festival!

Or as we call it here abouts, the annual Butter and Eggs day Parade. My latest 15 minute Utube opus. 
Traditionally followed by loud drunken brawling in the streets, a period we are just now entering.

Tomorrow is the huge antiques street fair.

A criticism makes my day

I'm probably oversensitive to criticism in general. I recently got a comment on a utube video I did which was so out there (the comment) that I just had to laugh and share with all (both) of you.

"The United States is the only country with the archaic dating system of month/day/year. Everywhere else in the world it it day/month/year. So, your dates should read 17/04/12; or, to keep everyone happy, April 17 2012."


(The date was in the title of the video)  I feel any response would just spoil it.

Last big missing piece

     In what may be another sign of the apocalypse, Tim Lincecum getting shelled, Barry Zito pitching shutout ball being another two, the long gone cupola for our 1899 caboose has returned after being "rebuilt" by a master craftsman over the last 4 years. Darn few original pieces left, but he didn't have a lot to work with.

     I propose to name it "Francis Ford"

Here it's sitting on a dolly on a trailer

The whites of someone's eyes

How often do you REALLY see the whites of someone's eyes? Late this morning I got an excellent, all to close, view of someone's eyes when the driver in front of me, slowed slightly, pulled to the shoulder, then abruptly turned left (as part of a U turn) right in front of me. I can now say that I KNOW that my Prius has antilock brakes. I can say they saved this person's life, that, and the fact that at least he didn't stop when he looked out his side window and saw me coming for the first time. I would guess he was about 10 feet away when I passed the spot he had just vacated. The screeching tires would have been a nice effect, but probably would have meant my hitting him, likely quite hard. And side impacts have a high mortality rate.

The bright side I suppose is that some previous bad driving on his part meant I was watching him like a hawk, or a salt marsh harvest mouse looking for a hawk. About a mile previous, he was second in a 3 car line of cars, I was #3. I don't know our speed, it wasn't fast enough to notice or slow enough to notice, when he suddenly pulls out across a double yellow line with an blind intersection approaching, and passed the #1 car. The #1 car made a left at the intersection, and as I came around the corner, #2 didn't seem as far away as I would have expected.

This is an area where I usually set my cruise control at 57, still watching #2. I realize I'm catching up to him which seemed odd. Now his brake lights flash a couple of times, and as I get closer he pulls to the right at a paved driveway that just goes into a field, and while I'm pondering this, he does the abrupt left turn in front of me.

I hope he has smelly shorts

Oral update

Things are moving quickly here at the future house of pain.

I had a consult with the periodontist this am who described in excruciating detail the tortures she intends on inflicting on me, and all the pre op and post op instructions. The first available appt was 2 weeks away, then I made an appt for the final crown, 3 weeks after that.

Just got a call, they have an opening tomorrow early. I'm "happy" to get that, less anticipatory anxiousness and all that. Rescheduled the crown appt, fortunate that they had another opening. The only down side, is I had a cleaning appt a week BEFORE the surgery that will probably have to be postponed.

But in a month I should be mo bettah.

And the sprained wrist I acquired Saturday, which feels a lot better anyway, I surely won't notice after tomorrow.

I was offered a prescription for Vicodin, but I had a bad experience with that before, so we're going to try some version of codeine I think.

Another Genealogical tsunami

I just looked, and it was just short of a year ago that I last got a lead that led to a flood of new ancestors that had to eventually be capped off.

I had spotted a new lead for my 3X grandfather, my paternal great grandmother's paternal grandfather, the Cleary line. (Originally Clary) It goes back to England/Ireland in the 1750's.

Once again it leads back to South and North Carolina via Arkansas. Once again there's a will talking about disposition of slaves. At least the Wilkinson's (my male lineage) were Quakers. sigh

There's a lot going on in the genealogical world these days as the 1940's census comes on line. And Ancestry.com is having a lot of free access to 1940's era info. I signed up for a month before this and found a whole lot of interesting info. Pretty sure I found the year my paternal grandmother died ('63) and where she's buried. Found where she lived and that she worked in a garment factory and may have been widowed (2nd marriage) in the mid 1930's.

I was about to sign up for some research into a missing uncle when my root canal issue reared it's head, so that's put off until that's paid for. The Ancestry.com research system seems to have become much more formal and business like. I paid once before and they just connected me with someone in South Carolina who did a great job. This time as I started down the road it seemed less personal and more commercial. I'll still do it when I can.

Also just today I may have found someone who might be my missing uncle. He was adopted (as was my father) but hasn't shown up in the census with the people who adopted him.

Meanwhile I've been doing a lot of video taping of the reestablished rail freight service in our area. My videos are on utube as "nwppzler". I'm enjoying learning skills in getting shots, editing videos w/audio etc. And there is also an element of "the hunt", many times waiting hours for nothing, other days constant action, having to make quick decisions what to shoot and where.

And the reconstruction of the old railcars goes on. There are videos of that also.

I'm not sure anyone is actually visiting here anymore since I haven't posted in such a long time....

A new day, another broken temporary crown

This is the 3rd, and lasted longer (9 days) than the first two (24 hrs, 36 hrs)

Good news is it doesn't hurt, bad news I still don't have an appt for the permanent one.

Not sure I should bother with another.

Thoughts?

Restoration of P&SR Caboose #1

Baltimore work time pt 2

Baltimore work time pt 1

It wasn't all fun and games, two of us had to video all the hard work!

Sightseeing in Baltimore

Baltimore Trolley

Parts is parts in "Balmo"

     So last Wednesday myself and 3 cohorts flew to Baltimore (Balmo) to strip metal components and trucks from an 1868 railroad coach made by the same manufacturer as our 1869 coach. We had help from three east coast member/volunteers who were invaluable.

This (B&O car 20) coach was crushed by the 2003 collapse (due to snow) of the roof of the B&O railroad museum leaving almost exactly the parts we need. It had a sister, so the need to repair it was very low priority compared to all the other damage.
     We got a miraculous break in the weather. Rain was predicted Thurs, our first work day... no rain. Heavy rain/thundershowers predicted for Friday. Shortly after we went for breakfast all hell broke loose. "Thunderbolts and lightning, very very frightening" and we drove to the work site through torrential downpours, but as we arrived it stopped and that was the end of it. It was however very cold all three of the works days, and the two days we spent sight seeing afterwards.

The "floor" assembly (upside down)

 Cutting in half to get it on the truck

 Two trucks, one badly damaged

 Almost ready to go.

Happy New Years from the left coast

I've been playing with imovie

So I redid the Gran Fondo video. More pictures!, Music! Sound effects! Titles! SPANDEX!

There were 7500 people signed up, not all of them went through here. Sadly, this years (2012) course will not include going by here.

Title page picture

After this was taken there was a MAJOR wind storm that blew over the light pole and ripped the plywood and canvas covering off the top of the caboose.

Well, speaking of things train restoration related...The good news is we "found" this, and it's been donated to our group for "free". Its all the stuff that goes underneath the car in the next picture, built by the same manufacturer in 1868. (It's upside down) and includes the trucks (wheel assemblies)

The bad news is, it's in Baltimore and has to be removed by mid February (or it gets scrapped) and the trucking estimate alone is $10,000

There is a lot of scrambling going on, and I'm sure it will get saved, but it's providing LOTS of excitement in our little group.

Post Thanksgiving update

Had a nice Thanksgiving, went to a wine club that has excellent food who had a pot luck dinner where they provided the Turkey, Ham and mashed potatoes. The guy next to me was a close match to Keith Richards, mannerisms, appearance. Just lacking the accent. Great wine of course. (Lost on me, I don't drink)

Today was very productive, a trip to town, Yoga class, paid ATT bills, signed up for Comcast phone service. (Which, combined with the internet and TV we already have, SHOULD result in a savings) I'll believe it when it happens. Then shopping, then a call(via cell phone) that the phone tech was enroute. It took 4 hours and many trips to other places (for the tech) but about 6pm we got our dial tone back. There was a break somewhere else. When I asked earlier on about just using a different pair of wires, I was told they were all full. So more good news, next week there will be a pair available! Tech was very nice.

Comcast person confirmed my deceased mom was STILL listed as primary and showed me that he had changed it on the computer. I was shown the same thing years ago the last time this issue came up. Color me dubious.

But for now all is good (other than the 49rs loss, which they deserved)

Thanksgiving Telecommunications Hell level 1a

We're spending some time out at the coast over Thanksgiving. When we got here late Monday, the phone was not working.

Went to a neighbor's house to report the problem. There was never any option to talk to a real person, and they wanted a contact # to confirm we would be home between 8am and 8pm. HELLO! OUR PHONE IS OUT!!!! And there is no cell phone coverage in this area.

Tuesday no repairman. So Tues night I went online and went around and around trying to report it but was unable to get a confirmed report. This morning I was able to get another 12 hour window, so we wait.

Meanwhile I got to thinking, why not go with Comcast who provides out TV and Internet out here? We can get a discount on top of it! So after much gnashing of teeth and fingers I get to an online chat person to confirm everything, "What's the name on your account?" Myname. Uh oh suddenly I recall the hell that is Comcast. When my mom died in 2006 I transferred the account to myname. Since then, every time I want to do something they say I don't have the authorization because I'm not MyMom. I eventually get it straightened out and they assure me that her name has been totally and permanently removed from the account, WE PROMISE! Lying sacks of turkey dung!

Where's that cop with the pepper spray when I need him?

Time to take a break from reading obituaries

If there's anyone not already at "that age", at some point many/most people start reading the obituary section, "To see if I'm in there!"

Age, natural selection, bad luck all take a toll.

There are a number of people I knew in high school that I have lost track of, and have been curious about. Last week I saw an obituary for an older woman with the same last name as a "missing" friend. Indeed it was his mother, and, sadly, he was listed as having predeceased her.

His parents had been missionaries. He was in the journalism clique, although I knew him from band. He had convinced a local church to let him set up a weekend coffee house in the basement. I spent a lot of time there helping with this and that. It was there,after closing one night, that we got robbed at gunpoint. I had 4 quarters, which got dropped by the gunman, and I retrieved. But it went into the report and I got repaid a year or so later. The gunman was an AWOL airman from the local base. The gun, BTW, was a .22 pistol that looked like a shotgun to me! I met a lot of interesting people and had some very interesting experiences there.

We had hung around together a few years in high school, but by senior year he had lost interest in our friendship it seemed. The last time I saw him was immediately after our graduation ceremony when I called out to him. He waved and said "catch you later". I never saw or heard from or about him again.

I posted a message on Facebook asking if anyone had any info, and one classmate responded that he had killed himself in the early or mid 70's.

So sad

New pastimes and retirement advice, not in that order

First bit of retirement advice is if you are asked to be on a Board of Directors, this is NOT a Sally Fields Moment (They like me! They REALLY LIKE ME!) They have you pegged for a sucker. Do it if you really want to, but have your eyes open.

So after I retired, and after some consideration, I got involved in a railroad historical society that was doing restoration of an old caboose near where I live. (BOD #1) My skill sets lean more towards deconstruction than fine woodworking. This came in handy when two additional cars were acquired.

I have an interest in historical preservation/documentation, so it has evolved that I have done much of the still photography documenting of the reconstruction. We also have a videographer. And it happens that my digital camera has a video function. In the last year, freight service has been re established in our area after an absence of many years and trials (literal trials in some cases) and tribulations in the interim. So I began documenting some of the return with the video function, and how better to share that Utube?

It turns out that there are quite a few people who are REALLY into trains. This has encouraged me to video the local trains. I've branched out a bit into our  local waterway (Also very historic, basically the reason for our towns founding) I came across a site that tracks maritime traffic, (http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/) and has pictures of many of the vessels. You can upload pictures of the ships. A local company has a number of ships, so I have been taking pictures of them and uploading them. If I can ever catch them moving/unloading a barge, I will video that and post it on Utube. I also did a utube video of the Sonoma County Gran Fondo bike ride as it passed a spot on the coast.

All this is leading up to my posting of two of the most viewed videos I've done. I don't guess there are train buffs here, but you might enjoy them anyway (they're short). The first is popular because of the audio I think. The second has some historical significance. And despite what you see here, I think these are the only times the two locomotives have run together. Enjoy!

For dog lovers (from a cat owner)