Weekend Steam: Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Thank You, Merle!  Another couple of winners!

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Scholastic Action Shooting Program

Ruger's latest auction item is a stainless .45 Colt Vaquero built in 2000.  This revolver has never left the factory, being used as a demonstrator at Newport, NH.  CLICK HERE to read the full description and to place your bid.  This beautiful revolver will sell mid-day, Wednesday, March 11, 2020.

                                                                                $830

Tuesday Torque: A Few After Action Photos From The Crankup

Gary's office in his barn sports a few special items, one of them is this advertising banner from the Gas Engine Magazine, with the 5 HP Falk featured.

Remember the paintless Hercules; a before picture is at the end of this post.  Most engine guys would not have even bothered taking it apart for the parts, but Gary made it work very well.

A Stover.  These are common enough that a person new to the hobby could find one, and parts, plus lots of advice from other engine hobbyists.

This Armstrong is a rare bird.  The push rod for the exhaust rocker goes through the mixer; mighty odd!

Here is the before picture of that Hercules.  Gary bought this off a pile in a junkyard.

"Pretty Hard Matter To Keep Corn..." Morgan Sexton

Here is a fascinating look at a vanishing (Vanished?) way of life in Folkstream's film by Anne Lewis.  The video is not shareable by embedding, so click the screenshot for the link.  Corn footage starts shortly after the 6 minute mark.

                                                           Back To The Old Grind!

Gary Bahre's Crankup, 2020

The weather was perfect for friends to gather outside and to enjoy watching Gary's engines run. Gary and Peggy put on a great feed for the crowd, and it was wonderful to visit with engine friends again.  Thank You, Gary and Peggy!

                                                              Click the photo to enlarge.

Weekend Steam: Cumbres And Toltec Plowing Snow!

Spring is fast approaching, so we are going to finish out Winter in style.  Merle knows how to pick them.  Next week we are going to continue on our Around The World Tour with steam in faraway places.  Thank You, Merle!

Happy Pups

The Schipperke pups were pretty scared and wild when they came into our lives, but they are feeling much better now.  They are even staying clean and dry overnight, and Susan can get them out the door first thing in the morning. They are light sleepers, and if Big Jack needs out during the night, we get a howlout in the basement.  The pups like to play with toys, with the other pups, or just do a zoomie to entertain themselves.

Your Words Will Reveal You!

Decades ago, I was at a small gathering, and the host brought out a bottle of good wine.  He poured everyone a bit and one of those gathered (a fellow forestry student) remarked enthusiastically, "Boy, that hangs in your mouth!"  A country boy has a hard time hiding that!

Recently I heard a commentator on an entertainment show pull a similar stunt.  They were looking at a video of a flooded gymnasium in a prison, with the inmates splashing about and having a good time.  The young lady remarked, "Apparently the drain be plugged!"  At least it didn't happen during her interview, but she should remember that every show is an audition.

The best comes last.  Our friend Michele is a Schipperke breeder, and she is the driving force behind Midwest Schipperke Rescue.  There was a specialty and an all-breed show in St. Louis this last weekend and Michele ordered a cake to welcome the Schip people.  The cake decorator obviously is not a dog person, but now Michele has to come up with a funny cake idea for the next show. The bar is high! Here it is, with Michele's permission to share her photo.

Ruger's Auction To Benefit The Scholastic Action Shooting Program

                                                                                $1325
This Ruger Mini-14 Law Enforcement Only Carbine has some neat history.  It was shipped to the Secretary of Defense in Mexico in 1998 and returned to the factory in 2004.  It appears new in the photos, but it is marked with a U; designating it a used firearm. The LE Only expired 9-19-1994, so bidders need only to stay within the lines of your state and local regulations.  This fine little rifle will sell mid-day, Wednesday, March 4, 2020.  CLICK HERE to read all about it and to place your bid.

Tuesday Torque: Going To Visit Some Old Friends

Done Dancing?

                                                            Back To The Old Grind!

Almost Like Old Times

I opened the garage Friday morning to take big Jack outside, and there was Tom, our contractor with his trailer up on a jack and one wheel off.  His right side spring broke about two miles before he got here, and luckily, the wheel did not quite rub the fender.  I volunteered to tear it down so he wouldn't lose a day working on our projects, and went to the farm to grab a few tools.  Tom called the trailer place in Mt. Vernon and they had parts in stock, so I got a new spring, shackle bolts, and had it back together for him with no sweat.  Take a good look at the breaks; this trailer was running on one leaf for some time.  The shackle bolts had significant wear, so Tom is going to rebuild the other side as preventative maintenance.