LCCA Convention

Anders and I are attending the Lionel Collectors Club of America convention in Kansas City this week. We drove down here from Minneapolis on Sunday. He likes our room at the Hilton with two queen-sized beds. He made a point to tell his folks (via Facetime) that his bed had four pillows!

Yesterday, we had a day-long tour including a train ride (of course) and a couple of museums. BNSF offered to host an LCCA special train ride out to Topeka and back. A bus picked us up at the hotel. The first part of the tour was of the Argentine switching yard, the second busiest rail switching yard, after Chicago, in the U.S.

Among other things, we saw the "hump." A continuous stream of arriving train cars is pushed up one side. Each is decoupled and rolls down onto a fanout of separate rails, each of which becomes a consist of cars headed for new destinations. As each car rolls down, it is switched onto the appropriate set of rails. There are some fascinating technologies that retard or speed up the cars, depending on requirements for coupling appropriately with the other cars in the consist.

I like the livery (paint scheme) of the BNSF engines. One of my favorite electric train engines is a BNSF diesel engine. The train on which we rode had a BNSF engine at each end and a set of passenger cars in between. One engine pulled us to Topeka and the other returned us to the Argentine yard.

I know all of you have seen graffiti on train cars, and although I almost always dislike this disfiguration of the cars, I realize that some of the graffiti can be colorful, even artistic.

In the afternoon, we were bussed to St. Joseph, which I have to say is a very interesting city and one worthy of being a fun destination for a weekend or longer outing. There are magnificent homes there, lots of history, and several good museums. One that we visited was the original eastern headquarters of the Pony Express. Here is Anders outside that museum. We earned quite a lot there about the short-lived effort to provide rapid delivery of mail to the west from St. Jo.

Sacramento was the endpoint of the route for the mail delivery. Very young, very lightweight (think jockeys) men rode segments of the route. Buffalo Bill Cody was a rider for a short time. The service existed for only 18 months before being overtaken by rail and other services.

Next we visited the Patee House Museum, which houses an eclectic collection of city and western history, including some very nice pieces. Originally a fine hotel, the building was overtaken during the Civil War by the Union Army as a headquarters in the west.

Associated with the museum is the home of Jesse James, the notorious bank robber.

Inside you can see the original bullet hole left behind when James was killed (or so it was claimed). A nearby painting depicts the event. Anders was quite intrigued by this tale of a "bad man."

There is an old, operating carousel inside the museum, so Anders had a ride. I should have stopped in Story City, Iowa on the way down here to have him ride the famous antique carousel there. (Click here for information on that one.)

We are interacting with other electric train buffs and will be viewing various train layouts and taking other tours over the next several days.

Rattle (Updated)

OK--I'm leaving the original posting in place below, but we are now pretty sure, after researching numerous web pages and talking to several officials, including a Forest Service officer, that we have a Fox Snake and not a Massasauga. I guess we over-reacted. The officer said that Fox Snakes are very good at making a sound somewhat like a rattle or buzz and that this is one of their standard defense mechanisms. That this is a Fox Snake is reassuring, and in fact, a good thing, because a Fox Snake is welcome to live around our lower deck area and eat all those pesky mice and extra chipmunks that show up under there from time to time. (I still stand by my last sentence below, however.)

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Actually, it is more of a buzz than a rattle. Tighe started barking at the rock wall at one end of the yard on the lake side of our cabin. When Kathie investigated, she discovered this guy/gal tucked away in one of the nooks between the large rocks. We looked it up, and we are pretty sure it is an Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, about which you can read more by clicking here. I took pictures with my telephoto camera lens and present the best of them below. They do make it look sinister, but the sad thing is it is an endangered species, and we don't want to see it destroyed. We also don't want to simply chase it away, because then we won't know where it is! The best thing would be for it to be relocated, but so far we are having trouble locating someone to do that, especially on the weekend. Stay tuned to this channel for additional information in the future. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to call it Donald Trump, because this is another living entity I would like to see relocated.

Catching Up

We've been very busy lately--all through June and into July, actually. That makes keeping up with my postings here difficult. On top of that, I've missed some opportunities to take pictures and now regret that. Oh well. Here is a bit of catch-up.

Rolland and Peg visited us while we were still at the cabin. As with Richard and Rina, we tried fishing for Northerns using big minnows and bobbers and saw quite a bit of action. Here is a bit of that outing.

We came home for the 4th of July and enjoyed seeing Betsy and her family before she and Pete headed off for Switzerland and Paris. Among other things, we attended the Iowa City Jazz Fest one afternoon. On Sunday morning I fixed strawberry pancakes for everyone, including Rob's family. Failed to get any pictures of any of this, unfortunately.

On Wednesday, I helped my good friend Richard finish the deck railing we started in May. Mostly this involved putting a cap on the railing. Richard took this picture when I wasn't looking.

Then it was a kind of cousins's week for me. We had breakfast with Rex and Chris on Thursday, but again, I failed to take a picture or to have one taken. Always enjoy getting together with them at the Bluebird Diner and catching up on things. Friday night, Phyllis and Bob invited us over to have dinner with them plus Ed and Karilyn. Hadn't seen them in quite awhile, so the laughs and memories were so much fun.

We intend to get back to the cabin later this next week.

Nine Holes of Golf

Peg and Rolland are with us for a few days. We haven't done much fishing yet, due to weather conditions. The one evening we were out resulted in more interesting bird sightings than anything else. Peg took this photo of two eagles who chose to grace the area we were fishing by joining each other in this dead tree. They sat there for the longest time making their fun clicking and chirping sounds.

Rolland got this photo of a Loon just before it dived. I think the image of the water and the bird is quite fascinating.

Yesterday, it was overcast all day and quite cool but with no serious threat of rain. So, we decided to play nine holes of golf, something Kathie and I had been wanting to do for awhile. Peg and Rolland hadn't played in several years. We all had such fun playing a variation of "best ball", laughing about not-such-great shots and cheering for the good ones we managed to get. I thought Kathie and Rolland showed really nice form in these two shots.

Kathie and I did this selfie using a regular camera, and even without being able to see what we were shooting, it turned out pretty well.

Then there is this demure look from my significantly better half.

Peg also showed good form on her shots.

Here is the foursome just after finishing our round of nine holes. By the way, the men beat the women by only two strokes.

We stopped for a few groceries on the way home and someone shrunk Rolland and Peg! I like the symbolism of the Honey Weiss Leinie's and the kiss.

Remember, "Leinie's! It's not just for breakfast anymore!" (That's a line from the very funny musical entitled "Guys on Ice." Click here for further information, and click here for one of the songs from the musical.)

Visitors and Guests

This time of year, turtles are moving around everywhere around the northern lakes. Snapping turtles and painted turtles are often seen attempting to cross a road, sometimes not successfully. We see them as well on or near our property. They are seeking sanding, gravelly spots in which to lay their eggs. This big gal (about 16" across) thought a shoulder of the road near the entrance to our area to be ideal for that purpose. Our kind-hearted neighbor later placed a protective marker over the spot to try to keep people from disturbing the nest. So far, no critters have found the eggs either, so maybe in 90 days or so, we'll see tiny snappers emerging and scrambling for the lake about 100 yards away.

My sister, the artist, is always looking for things to use in her creations. When she and Ron were here recently, we were asked to take her out on a drift wood hunting expedition. The boat ended up with a pile of pieces of all kinds that she took home. This past week, while visiting with friends who live nearby, I learned that taking wood from the lake is illegal since it is considered part of the lake habitat. So, sorry Paula, that will have to be the end of these hunts for us. Enjoy the pieces you have!

Then there are those of us who unintentionally take wood from the lake, at least temporarily. My first catch of this season was this swell piece. I thought Paula should see what she missed. Not the lunker I was hoping for.

Richard and Rina have been with us this past week for their annual visit to the cabin. For one of our first fishing excursions, we decided to travel to the far west side of the lake to fish for Northerns. This time of year they can be tempted by large minnows. Those we used were 6" to 8" suckers that can move around quite a bit below the big bobbers we used. Kathie and I had tried fishing this way a few years ago with little success, but the four of us had more luck this time. Rina caught the biggest one, which was probably about 30" and 7 pounds, although we didn't take the time to collect the actual measurements.

We fished over weedy lake bottom, and occasionally we caught salad along with the fish, as Richard did with this one. The water on the west side (mostly spring fed) is very clear compared to that on the east side of the lake (mostly tannin stained river sources).  So it is fun when you hook a fish to watch it deep in the water as it struggles to elude being landed.

We had lunch at Pat's Landing on Chief Lake (part of the Flowage), and the girls posed for me there.

On Sunday, we were all invited to visit friends Joe and Jan, who live on Moose Lake just north of us. Rina worked with Jan when everyone was then in Iowa City, so this is always a chance for some reminiscing. Joe and Jan had suggested a pleasant cruise on their pontoon boat, which was really fun for all of us. Kathie and I had not been out on Moose Lake except for one early canoeing experience, so it was nice to get a much better orientation to the lake and the geography of the area.

Richard tried a few casts of some Muskie lures. Each year we hope that during their visit we will finally succeed in catching one of these big fish, but unfortunately, that will continue to be a goal rather than an achievement. Acquiring some new lures is always necessary, and Richard seems to enjoy working his very nice rod and reel and seeing the different kinds of action each lure provides almost as much as he would enjoy actually catching a fish. One of these days I'll maybe be able to post a story about the first Muskie.

Turns out that Rina was the champion angler this year. In addition to the big Northern she caught early in the week, she also landed this big Channel Catfish. We often catch these fish early in the season, especially up near the river that enters the lake near our property. This one was probably four pounds and a really nice, fat fish. There was enough meat on it for all four of us to have a really tasty lunch.

Alas, they are heading home today. Kathie and I are lucky to have such good friends and to be able to recount so many memories and stories of our times together. We certainly added a few more this year.

Pink Unicorn

Thought I'd share the Pink Unicorn story with you. My granddaughter, Eleanor, has a favorite stuffed animal toy called Pink Unicorn. Several years ago, after visiting us at the lake, Eleanor accidentally left Pink Unicorn here with us. Before boxing the toy up and mailing it back, I took a number of photographs of Pink Unicorn having extra fun here at the lake with us. In a letter to Eleanor from Pink Unicorn, I included the pictures and explained all the fun that Pink Unicorn had during her extended stay. This letter accompanied Pink Unicorn back to Iowa City. Evidently, Eleanor enjoyed that first letter, because Pink Unicorn has been "accidentally" left behind two more times, most recently after this past Memorial Day weekend with us.

Here are some samples of how Pink Unicorn enjoys her separate vacations. She likes bicycle rides with Kermit the Frog.

Hanging out with Tighe while watching (guarding?) the bird feeders.

Playing with my electric trains can be fun.

Milk and cookies for an afternoon treat.

This year, Pink Unicorn insisted on taking a "selfie" of herself and Eleanor's grandpa.

After Pink Unicorn got back to Iowa City this year, Carrie shared this photograph of Eleanor reading Pink Unicorn's letter to her sister Penny. That's the kind of picture that can easily make an old grandpa's day!

Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake

Well, our summer at the lake is off to a rousing start. Will's, Rob's, and Betsy's families all came to spend the time with us. Counting Kathie and me, that was eight adults, six grandchildren, and three dogs. We had a wonderful time, even with mostly rainy days. There was lots of coloring and picture making, including a giant birthday card for me that all six grandkids contributed to.

There was lots of use of the hot tub. We lowered the temperature for the kids, and we even managed to keep it mostly full of water, in spite of lots and lots of splashing and other nonsense.

The porch was a good place for the grandkids to eat. I guess Will thought some supervision was required, although it isn't clear that was needed.

Kathie volunteered to stay home alone with the grandkids one night, so that I could have a birthday dinner with my kids and their spouses at Chippewa Inn. We had a great time, and I understand the grandkids and Kathie did too. She played Blind Man's Bluff with them, which they thoroughly enjoyed, and fixed simple spaghetti and a vegetable that they ate without much fuss. I definitely owe her big time for all of this!

Prior to the mandatory s'mores event out at the fireplace, I got the big kids to pose for me on the deck. Nice, huh? Good looking bunch!

I consider s'mores to be a poor way to enjoy a Hershey's chocolate bar, but I'm always overruled. I guess the roasting of marshmallows, etc. adds to the festivity.

Got this group photo with a self-timed shot from my camera. That's a wonderful bunch of people!

Couldn't resist including this picture of Penny. I don't actually know who took this picture. It might have been Anders, who grabbed my camera at one point and began taking lots of extra shots. Is this a charming granddaughter or what?

Will has an extra part-time job building canoes with a friend. He brought two of them along, one of which is a Rob Roy. A Rob Roy, he tells me, is really a canoe with a covered hull, even though it has a strong resemblance to a kayak. Both were very lightweight. Anders took one out alone. At eight years of age and with all his mom and dad teach him to do, he has already become quite the skillful outdoors person--cycling, cross-country skiing, canoeing, etc.

Clara wanted to try the Rob Roy, and she did very well too.

Shortly before the last family headed home (Betsy's family), I got a little extra lap time with Frederick. Now they are all back at their respective homes, and I miss them. We are looking forward to other visitors this month though. So there will be more stories to tell.