If you dare...

https://www.zipworld.co.uk/

A big H/T to BW!

As I was putting the gang in for the night on Sunday I spied a RAT scurrying from under the coop to the Rubber Maid bin where I store the hay in bags! We have been up here for nine years and that was the first one I have ever seen!!!  We see mice once in a while, but NEVER rats. We went to Tractor Supply on Monday. Hubby put one under the coop, one in the hay bin and one in the pen after Charlie and the girls were locked in the coop for the night.

A bit of interesting info here:

https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/worlds-oldest-largest-cork-tree-the-whistler-tree/

A  whopping BIG H/T to Donna!

..... gloomy, wet Sunday:

A personal favorite....

Duane Eddy!!

Early life and career

Born in Corning, New York, he began playing the guitar at the age of five. In 1951, his family moved to Tucson, and then to Coolidge, Arizona. At the age of 16 he obtained a Chet Atkins model Gretsch guitar and formed a duo, Jimmy and Duane, with his friend Jimmy Delbridge (who later recorded as Jimmy Dell). While performing at local radio station KCKY, they met disc jockey Lee Hazlewood, who produced the duo's single, "Soda Fountain Girl", recorded and released in 1955 in Phoenix. Hazlewood then produced Sanford Clark's 1956 hit, "The Fool", featuring guitarist Al Casey, while Eddy and Delbridge performed and appeared on radio stations in Phoenix before joining Buddy Long's Western Melody Boys, playing country music in and around the city.
Eddy devised a technique of playing lead on his guitar's bass strings to produce a low, reverberant "twangy" sound. In November 1957, Eddy recorded an instrumental, "Movin' n' Groovin'", co-written by Eddy and Hazlewood. As the Phoenix studio had no echo chamber, Hazlewood bought a 2,000-gallon water storage tank which he used as an echo chamber to accentuate the "twangy" guitar sound. In 1958, Eddy signed a recording contract with Lester Sill and Lee Hazlewood to record in Phoenix at the Audio Recorders studio. Sill and Hazlewood leased the tapes of all the singles and albums to the Philadelphia-based Jamie Records.
"Movin' n' Groovin'" reached number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1958; the opening riff, borrowed from Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man," was itself copied a few years later by the Beach Boys on "Surfin' U.S.A.". The follow-up, "Rebel 'Rouser", featured overdubbed saxophone by Los Angeles session musician Gil Bernal, and yells and handclaps by doo-wop group the Rivingtons. The tune became Eddy's breakthrough hit, reaching number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It sold over one million copies, earning Eddy his first gold disc.
Eddy had a succession of hit records over the next few years, and his band members, including Steve Douglas, saxophonist Jim Horn and keyboard player Larry Knechtel would go on to work as part of Phil Spector's Wrecking Crew. According to writer Richie Unterberger, "The singles – 'Peter Gunn', 'Cannonball', 'Shazam', and 'Forty Miles of Bad Road' were probably the best – also did their part to help keep the raunchy spirit of rock & roll alive, during a time in which it was in danger of being watered down."On January 9, 1959, Eddy's debut album, Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel, was released, reaching number 5, and remaining on the album charts for 82 weeks. On his fourth album, 'Songs of Our Heritage' (1960), each track featured him playing acoustic guitar or banjo. Eddy's biggest hit came with the theme to the movie Because They're Young in 1960, which featured a string arrangement, and reached a chart peak of number 4 in America and number 2 in the UK in September 1960. It became his second million selling disc. Eddy's records were equally successful in the UK and in 1960, readers of the UK's NME voted him World's Number One Musical Personality, ousting Elvis Presley.
In 1960, Eddy signed a contract directly with Jamie Records, bypassing Sill and Hazlewood. This caused a temporary rift between Eddy and Hazlewood. The result was that for the duration of his contract with Jamie, Eddy produced his own singles and albums.
Duane Eddy and the Rebels became a frequent act on The Dick Clark Show.

Later career

During the 1960s, Eddy launched an acting career, appearing in such films as A Thunder of Drums, The Wild Westerners, Kona Coast, The Savage Seven, and two appearances on the television series Have Gun–Will Travel. He married singer Jessi Colter in 1961, the same year he signed a three-year contract with Paul Anka's production company, Camy, whose recordings were issued by RCA Victor. It was in the early days of recording in the RCA Victor studios that he renewed contact with Lee Hazlewood, who became involved in a number of his RCA Victor singles and albums. Eddy's 1962 single release, "(Dance With The) Guitar Man", co-written with Hazlewood, earned his third gold disc by selling a million records.
In the 1970s, he produced album projects for Phil Everly and Waylon Jennings. In 1972, he worked with Al Gorgoni, rhythm guitar, on BJ Thomas's "Rock and Roll Lullaby". In 1975, a collaboration with hit songwriter Tony Macaulay and former founding member of The Seekers, Keith Potger, led to another UK top ten record, "Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar". The single, "You Are My Sunshine", featuring Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, hit the country charts in 1977.
In 1986, Eddy recorded with Art of Noise, remaking his 1960 version of Henry Mancini's "Peter Gunn". The song was a Top Ten hit around the world, ranking number 1 on Rolling Stone's dance chart for six weeks that summer. "Peter Gunn" won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental of 1986. It also gave Eddy the distinction of being the only instrumentalist to have had Top 10 hit singles in four different decades in the UK. (Although his 1975 top 10 hit featured a female vocal group).
The following year, Duane Eddy was released on Capitol. Several of the tracks were produced by Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, Ry Cooder, and Art of Noise. Guest artists and musicians included John Fogerty, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ry Cooder, James Burton, David Lindley, Phil Pickett, Steve Cropper, and original Rebels, Larry Knechtel and Jim Horn. The album included a cover of Paul McCartney's 1979 instrumental, "Rockestra Theme". In 1992, Eddy recorded a duet with Hank Marvin on Marvin's album Into the Light, with a cover version of The Chantays' 1963 hit "Pipeline".
In the spring of 1994, Eddy was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eddy's "Rebel Rouser" was featured that same year in Forrest Gump. Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers used "The Trembler", a track written by Eddy and Ravi Shankar. Also in 1994, Eddy teamed up with Carl Perkins and The Mavericks to contribute "Matchbox" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Eddy was the lead guitarist on Foreigner's 1995 hit "Until the end of Time", which reached the top ten on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In 1996, Eddy played guitar on Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for the film Broken Arrow.
On April 5, 2000, at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, the title "Titan of Twang" was bestowed upon Eddy by the mayor.
In 2004, Eddy was presented with the Guitar Player Magazine "Legend Award". Eddy was the second recipient of the award, the first being presented to Les Paul. Among those who have acknowledged his influence are George Harrison,^[3] Dave Davies, Hank Marvin, the Ventures, John Entwistle, Bruce Springsteen, Adrian Belew, Bill Nelson, Mark Knopfler, and Ben Vaughn.
In October 2010, Eddy returned to the UK at a sold out Royal Festival Hall in London. This success prompted the subsequent album for Mad Monkey/EMI, which was produced by Richard Hawley in Sheffield, England. The album, Road Trip, was released on June 20, 2011. Mojo placed the album at number 37 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011." Eddy performed at the Glastonbury Festival on June 26, 2011.

What every FNSer really, really wants:






Source: RC RC RC!!!


***XXL and huge model locomotives in detail and motion!! Great model work! Enjoy watching*** Model Railroad size 5 inch / 5 Zoll / 127mm Locomotive in scale: 1:10 to 1:11 7. Dresdner Echtdampftreffen / Organizer: Minibahnclub Dresden e.V. and many guest driver Event: 13. Erlebnis Modellbahn - Messe Dresden 2017 Organizer: Modelleisenbahnclub „Theodor Kunz“ Pirna e.V. *** © Thomas Petschel, RC RC RC!!! ------ Model Railway Fair Dresden Germany 2017, Model Fair Dresden 2017, Modellbau Messe Dresden 2017, Modell Eisenbahn, Modellbahn, model railway, model train, Echtdampfmodelle, Live steam meeting Dresden Germany, Echtdampf Modelllokomotive, Echtdampf Modelleisenbahn, Gartenbahn

Sorry, the one I had here did not work.... This one does!

.... of pics that I never posted from this past month...

I've heard of it, but have never seen one before - Boy! Have I been missing out on a great sound!




Tons of detailed information about this wonderful instrument here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy-gurdy




More very interesting info here:
http://hurdygurdy.org/pdfs/hghistory.pdf


And if you really want one, you can build a working model  yourself:

After a foggy morning, the sun finally came out!


The gang was let out of the pen an wandered all over the place!

What an interesting little creature!



Delta Journal
by Bob Thomas

It is easy to walk down a pretty sand beach, with waves sloshing back and forth, and imagine that there is little life along the edge of the sea. There is no vegetation growing – there is just sand.
Actually, the margin of the sea is alive with a host of organisms who have figured out how to exploit the unique environment and its seemingly invisible wealth of organic foods.
One of the masters is the mole crab, Emerita portoricensis. Not the large edible variety to which we are accustomed, this inch or so long critter looks more like a shiny bullet, being smooth shelled and tapered at both ends. They do not bite or pinch humans, and they cannot walk. Their limbs are adapted for burrowing and swimming.
Mole crabs make their living in what is called the surf zone where waves die as they move up the beach face, then slide back into the sea. When there is no water, the sand seems impenitrable. A person can walk across it and not sink. When the water washes across the sand, any slight aggitation easily separates sand particles and the sand becomes a thick fluid. This is called thixotropy, and allows access to the sand as a place to hide as well as a place to dine.
This is where the mole crab excells. As the water momentarily covers the sand, mole crabs appear in the water, swim about frantically looking for a new dining room, and disappear beneath the surface, leaving only their antennae exposed on the surface to funnel food particles into their mouths. If one squats and looks down the beach face, the antennae appear as little Vs along the sandy surface.
Mole crabs normally feed on plankton and other small organisms in the water, but they are also known to eat the toxically armed tentacles of Portuguese man o’ war, a jellyfish whose stings are very painful to humans..
Mole crabs are an excellent example of an animal that has perfectly adapted to living in a specialized environment. Be sure to look for them on your next visit to the beach.

Rod Stewart.....

Chuck Berry!!!!

Just listen to those whistles!!  Sigh.....



Source:
C&O 614 has the opportunity to show her stuff during the Fall spectaculars in 1996-98, running on track speed on the former Erie mainline between Hoboken NJ and Port Jervis NY, typically 22-24 cars with NO diesel assist!.

2. Chesapeake and Ohio 614

   From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

   Chesapeake & Ohio 614
   Chesapeake and Ohio 614 in 2012
   Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Lima Locomotive Works Serial number 9306 Build date June 1948
   Specifications Configuration: ​  • Whyte 4-8-4  • UIC 2′D2′ h2 Gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Driver dia. 74 in (1,880 mm) Length 112 ft 3 in (34.21 m) Adhesive weight 285,200 lb (129,400 kilograms; 129.4 metric tons) Loco weight 482,200 lb (218,700 kilograms; 218.7 metric tons) Total weight 868,330 lb (393,870 kilograms; 393.87 metric tons) Fuel type Coal Tender cap. As built: 21,500 US gal (81,000 l; 17,900 imp gal) water; 50,000 lb (23,000 kilograms; 23 metric tons) coal Current tender: 18,200 US gal (69,000 l; 15,200 imp gal) water; 100,000 lb (45,000 kilograms; 45 metric tons) coal, Auxiliary tender: 31,800 US gal (120,000 l; 26,500 imp gal) water Firebox:  • Firegrate area 100.3 sq ft (9.32 m2) Boiler pressure 255 lbf/in2 (1.76 MPa) Cylinders Two Cylinder size 27.5 in × 30 in (698 mm × 762 mm)
   ]Performance figures Maximum speed 125 mph (201 km/h) Power output 5,000 hp (3,700 kW) Tractive effort 68,300 lbf (303.81 kN) Factor of adh. 4.13
   [hide]Career Operators Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Class J-3-A Number in class 5 Numbers C&O 614, C&O 611 Retired 1952 (revenue) 1999 (excursion) Restored 1976 Current owner Iron Horse Enterprises Disposition Temporarily On Display in Clifton Forge, Virginia. 4

   Chesapeake & Ohio 614 is a 4-8-4 steam locomotive built by the Lima Locomotive Works in Lima, Ohio, in June 1948 for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O) as a member of the J3a class. As one of the last commercially built steam locomotives in the United States, the locomotive was built with the primary purpose of hauling long, heavy, high speed express passenger trains for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway such as the George Washington and the Fast Flying Virginian. Retired from active service in the late 1950s, the 614 was preserved and placed on display at the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1979, the locomotive was restored to operating condition and was used for extensive mainline excursion service from the 1970s until the late 1990s. Today the locomotive is on temporary display at the C&O Railway Heritage Center in Clifton Forge, Virginia awaiting a potential return to steam.

   Background

   Most railroads called their 4-8-4s "Northerns," which is short for the railroad first using the 4-8-4 type, Northern Pacific Railroad. The workers of the C&O could not see naming these locomotives "Northerns" as the railroad was based in the southeast. The famous Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, a major resort on the C&O main line, was the inspiration for the name "Greenbrier" applied to these 4-8-4s.
   
   
   
   C&O 614 on display in Clifton Forge, VA.
   The C&O had a total of 12 4-8-4s, with the first five numbered 600-604 built in 1935, with the designation J-3. In 1942, two more were ordered from Lima numbered 605-606. In 1948, the design changed slightly and the 610-614 were produced, with the J-3-A designation. In 1952, 614 was retired from service and sent to a storage track in a Kentucky roundhouse where she sat for more than two decades. During the time she sat, 614 was renumbered to 611 when there was a power shortage on the C&O as to alleviate any confusion with a leased 4-8-4 that was also numbered 614.
   

   Excursion service

   In 1976, 614 was sent to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland and was cosmetically restored.
   During 1979, the 614 was sold to Ross E. Rowland Jr. She was restored over the next 18 months with a cost of $1.5 million. During the restoration, 614 was given an auxiliary tender, doubling her water capacity to 50,000 gallons. This allowed the 614 to run for longer times without having to refuel as much. The Chessie Safety Express was 614's first major run, bringing her a bit of spotlight in the process. After the successful system tour, 614 was kept in Hagerstown, Maryland until 1985. American Coal Enterprise was developing a modern steam locomotive to be used as an alternative to rising oil costs by burning coal, known as the ACE 3000 Project. The 614 was modified for better performance under the guidance of David Wardale, and fitted with testing equipment to measure the performance of the engine. For several weeks in January and February 1985, 614 (now 614T, symbolizing it as testing) hauled coal trains between Huntington and Hinton, West Virginia. The 614's fuel consumption costs were actually lower than most diesel locomotives operating at that time. Throughout 1996 to 1998, 614 pulled many successful excursions between Hoboken, NJ and Port Jervis, NY
   
   
   
   C&O 614 engine cab.
   In 1992, Rowland's vision of the 21st Century Limited was taking shape. To give the public an idea of the train, one side of 614 was decorated in a futuristic way with a blue streamlined shrouding and centered headlight. In 1995, 614 was moved to the New Hope and Ivyland Railroad in Pennsylvania for a complete overhaul. It was then used for a series of popular excursions between Hoboken, New Jersey and Port Jervis, New York in conjunction with New Jersey Transit (NJT) between 1996 and 1998.
   

   Current status

   614 was required to pull 26 cars at 79 mph on some sections, and maintain speed up several hills. During this time, 614 was equipped with cab signals, 26L brakes, speed control and an MU stand. The 614 was moved to storage on the Reading and Northern Railroad in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania. In 2000. Rowland put 614 up for auction at the NJT maintenance facility, but no buyers were interested. The locomotive is still maintained by Iron Horse Enterprises, the most recent servicing of the locomotive being in 2006.
   In 2010, discussions began between Rowland and Jim Justice, owner of the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia. The resort owner had been interested in running steam-powered excursion trains from Greenbrier to Washington DC. To be known as the "Greenbrier Express", Justice planned to use steam and diesel power in the project, but would have needed cooperation from CSX Transportation, the Buckingham Branch Railroad and Amtrak. In January 2011, 614 was moved to the Virginia Museum of Transportation for its Thoroughbreds of Steam exhibit. In May 2011, 614 was again moved to the C&O Railway Heritage Center in Clifton Forge, Virginia. From there it went to Clifton Forge, Virginia where it was repainted in preparation for display for the Greenbrier Presidential Express. Unfortunately, the Greenbrier Express project was cancelled in May 2012 due to lack of funding and capacity problems on the CSX portion of the route, where a lack of passing sidings makes it difficult for Eastbound trains to gain headway against the flow of Westbound empty coal trains. The diesels and passenger cars were auctioned off, and 614 continues to sit on display at Clifton Forge. The website for 614 states that once an opportunity to run the engine is finalized, Iron Horse Enterprises will invest the necessary funds to overhaul the locomotive for operation.
   

   References

   1. 
      
3. quicktastic (July 3, 2008). Chessie 614 in Port Jervis. YouTube.
4. 
   
"History of C&O 614". CO614.com.

She even has her own web site: (and be sure to watch the video)!

 http://www.co614.com/


UPDATE: -

Terry has a great video of this beauty posted on his blog: http://jterryt.blogspot.com/

And while you are there, take a wander around his blog - lots and lots of good stuff there!!! :o)