No Post Week! (Almost...)

We're so tied up this week with the pending neighborhood garage sale that this will be the closest thing to a blog posting I'll even attempt.  Seventeen houses in the immediate area are all having garage sales on Friday and Saturday from 8 AM until 2 PM.   

We are still digging for other items to sell and we seem to be constantly reorganizing our garage sale offerings... We did sell one set of ladies golf clubs already.

Laurie caught 'some old guy' in this photo of one side of our garage.  We have signs on all the upper shelves stating that nothing on those shelves is for sale.  We've also covered our yard tools...rakes, shovels, etc. as they aren't for sale either.  I did sell a sledge hammer and an axe to one of folks from the crew that washes our windows a couple times a year.

This is a view of the other side of the garage.  Note the hanging items on the wall plus all the fishing rods and reels along the wall.  More golf clubs too.  That couch/love seat at the left by the garage door was sold today and it's gone.

I am selling a bunch of 'collectables' including some Olympic Games vendor's pins... This is a Vons Grocery Store pin from 1984.  I have lots of them from Atlanta and even a couple from Barcelona.  In addition, since I spent my career in retail security and loss prevention I have over 100 security badges bagged for sale.  Who knows?  I might sell a few of them.  Also on sale are 3 Montgomery Ward collectable trucks in their original boxes...

We did manage to sell a set of Mikasa China on-line and we just pulled a scattering of these Czechoslovakian plates and serving pieces out of storage, even matching boiled egg cups.  My mother inherited them from my great aunt Elsie ca. 1951 or so.  Someone might buy them... If not we'll find a home for them in a thrift store.

This rain-style shower head came with the house when we bought it.  It's been in the garage ever since... It will sell or it will become recycled metal!  We are running out of things to put out for the sale.

We have sold a number of furniture items in addition to that love seat previously mentioned.  This antique table came from my mother's house where it served her well for years.  We also sold a buffet, a baker's table with an attached hutch and 2 rocking chairs.  Basically the big stuff is gone and the sale doesn't start until this coming Thursday.

The weather forecast for the sale is that there is a 40% rain on the first day and 60% chance of rain on Saturday.  Whatever will be, will be!

All I know for sure is that this will be our first and last garage sale!  We are looking forward to 'just chillin' with a beverage on our screened porch after the madness we're expecting to take over the neighborhood.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  I'll be back with a new post on 6/10.

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave and Laurie

Home, Stuff and Food...

After looking at my photos, I either had to label this post as "Miscellaneous" or, as I ended up doing, "Home, Stuff and Food".  I also considered "Angry, What to Do, Scary and Experimental".  In any case this post is an mix...a mongrel...with a variety of different issues and challenges. 

Home ownership is an investment, a significant cash drain and a source of frustration.  Our home was built in 1999.  Our neighborhood is built on rock...mostly limestone.  Issues arise with older homes.  Example: When one of our HVAC units needed attention, the good news is that despite its age, the problem was resolved for a relatively modest sum of money.  However, the owner of the HVAC company told me that a replacement unit for this particular Air Conditioning/Heat Pump, would cost $7,900.00!  Nuts!  

Anyway, back to the photo shown above.  We have a home inspector/builder who is doing some work for us.  Unrelated to his work he spotted some beginning separation of some foundational cinder blocks at one corner of the house and suggested that we should have someone come out and fix it to keep it from getting worse.  We checked around and contracted with AFS (American Foundation Service) to fix the problem.  It was not inexpensive!  In any case, despite specific warnings from my better half, the AFS crew not only made a mess, but they also severed our sprinkler system's main line.  We had a 2-story fountain until they figured out how to turn the system off.  Now we have mud everywhere with the broken line directly under that rock.  Laurie is all over AFS to have the repairs made, with a meeting with them scheduled today as I compose this post.  Aggravation!

On to more "fun", this time related to our upcoming garage sale.  

We keep finding things that we forgot we had and that we've been carrying around for many years now.  One recent 'find' was this Mrs. Stevens Candies Antique Christmas themed round tin box that is just packed with embroidery thread or floss, as it's sometimes referred to.  Pricing it for the sale is going to be a guesstimate at best. 

When I first moved to East Tennessee, I did a bit of fishing.  Before that, Laurie and used to take fishing vacations to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and up into northwestern Ontario in Canada.  It was a cabin in Michigan with a fishing boat...cook your own meals, etc.  In Canada, it was an all-inclusive deal...cabin, meals, guide with a boat and, in one case even a float plane fly-in to an isolated lake. (The pilot was no more than 19 years old)

So now our fishing days are over... How to price this this tackle box full of all kinds of gear and a plethora of lures for our garage sale?  

The same question applies to this tackle box and an even greater assortment of lures!  Then we also have a couple small tackle boxes, a small suitcase with more gear in it including a couple of reels...and let's not forget the 8 fishing rods with reels all ready to go fishing!

Next we have a family related note to report on... Unless you live under a rock by now you have heard about the tornado that came through St. Louis Missouri.  Major damage at the iconic Forest Park and the St. Louis Zoo.  The core group of Laurie's family lives in the St. Louis metro area.  Her sister Bonnie and Bonnie's husband Bill rode out the storm in a parking garage near their home.  This was to avoid hail damage to their new Subaru.  They live about 3 blocks from the area where the heaviest tornado damage was evident.  Even so, they were without power for almost 72 hours.  They transferred perishable foods to coolers or to the refrigerators/freezers belonging to their kids.  Laurie's other sister, Karole and her husband Bob were in Kansas City when the storm hit St. Louis.  When they returned home, the power was still out and they had to throw away all of their perishables.  Scary...but lucky compared to some.  No major issues...just threats of major storm damage here in East Tennessee. 

Now onto some food items...

We continue to try out/test the 'fast food', prepared food items from Costco.  We're looking for winners that we can rely on.

Caribbean Food Delights Jamaican Style beef patties/turnovers in a flaky cornmeal crust were not spicy...not by anyone's definition.  The 'ground beef' had a mushy texture with close to zero flavor.  No amount of the 4 different sauces we tried could save this product.  This is not a 'food' product that we would ever purchase or eat again.  I rarely throw food away, but I made an exception with this item!  Bye Bye!

The next item on the prepared food menu was this 'new item' that we bought at Food Lion.  This Shrimp Penne Pasta comes in individual servings.  Laurie liked it quite a bit and I thought that it was a decent meal.  There were enough shrimp in each of our dinners, one could pick up the bacon flavor and the pieces of jalapeno gave it a modest little pop of heat...just enough that you knew it was there.  To me it was a bit like an upscale mac 'n cheese with shrimp.  It had enough going for it that we will purchase it again... There was plenty of food for almost any level of appetite.

I didn't take a photo of the pack of thin sliced salmon that we'd purchased from Costco so I can't tell you the brand name.  Actually it was a twin-pack of salmon...almost too much salmon for two people to consume in a relatively short period of time.  On more than one occasion we had salmon in a swirl and salmon on crackers or thin sliced bread with and without crackers and capers.  Then I finished off the second packet of the salmon with the above breakfast entree.  My very enjoyable and satisfying breakfast consisted of a thin slice of rye toast, smeared with cream cheese, topped with 2 or 3 thin slices of salmon and topped with an over easy egg.  This is one time that I didn't use Tabasco with my fried egg. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

More about the Family Visit...This Time its Lakeside

...continuing with a recent visit by my cousin Nathan and his better half, Janice.  We'd been out driving around, exploring and doing a bit of shopping.  Then Janice requested an opportunity to be down by Tellico Lake's shoreline just to enjoy the views and the relaxing impact of being next to a large body of water.

Always trying to please any visitors, I opted to visit a local bar and restaurant on the shoreline of one arm or bay of Tellico Lake.  Might as well enjoy some refreshments and an appetizer or two while enjoying the lakeside ambiance... This is The Mudpuppy Restaurant in Vonore Tennessee.  The restaurant literally floats on the lake.

Mudpuppy is not just a restaurant!  It is part of what was formerly knowns as Sequoyah Landing...which also includes a 200 slip commercial recreational marina on Tellico Lake and it features upscale rental cabins, pontoon rentals and fuel sales...in addition to the Mudpuppy Restaurant.  Sequoyah Landing Resort has been renamed as the "Cherokee Outdoor Resort" and, in collaboration with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, a major expansion is planned. 

Note: The marina is located right at the one of the head of navigation for commercial barges and larger yachts on Tellico Lake.  Several major boat and watercraft manufacturers are located close by this location.

I borrowed this drone photo of the cabins available for rental by folks on vacation who want a lakeside location...that's located close to boat slips, boat rentals and a restaurant.  It doesn't show in this photo but guests can see the Smoky Mountains from the cabin's lakeside porches.

OK...back to The Mudpuppy Restaurant.  This is a view of the bar.  Lots of TV screens and apparently a popular place to down a brew (or something stronger) while relaxing or watching a sporting event.  

This view is looking from the water's edge back through the indoor/semi-outdoor dining area at the Mudpuppy Restaurant.  Given that this large crowd was here mid-afternoon on a weekday in late April before the boating season really begins, speaks to the popularity of the restaurant. 

Nathan doesn't exactly pose his photographic subjects.  I don't know who that grumpy looking old man is but at least Laurie was happy!  Underneath that grumpy look, I was smiling...it was just internally... 

The good news is that neither Janice or Nathan were smiling when this photo was taken...so I feel vindicated given my photo.  Janice wanted a lakeside experience and you can't get much more 'lakeside' than in this photo.

 Others stopped by looking for a snack or appetizer at the Mudpuppy.  This female duck (or hen) didn't seem at all bothered by those big carp cruising around underneath her.  I can tell you that carp like these have broken many of my fishing lines over the years...making off with hook, line and minnow.

Time for some food and beverages!  Keep in mind that this was just a 'mid-afternoon snack'.  We started out with this giant Bavarian Pretzel accompanied by beer cheese and a mustard dip. ($15.50) Adult beverages were served as well... The pretzel was very nice indeed...even if it seemed a bit pricy.

If deep fried pickle chips are on the menu and my better half is present, you can count on an order of pickle chips!  In any case, these were our Mudpuppy's Crispy Fried Pickles with ranch dressing for dipping. ($9.50) They were better than average.

What the heck!  Let's order just one more appetizer/snack item... For one member of our group, this is the favored treat.  These were our Loaded Cheese Fries. ($12.00) This heap of seasoned French fries was smothered by the Mudpuppy Queso, crispy bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and scallions...and then topped with sour cream.  I will admit that I really enjoyed this heart stopping appetizer!

This was our first visit to the Mudpuppy Restaurant and there is an extensive menu to explore during future visits.  To view the menu, just go to https://www.mudpuppyrestaurant.com/menu.  To learn more about the Cherokee Outdoor Resort in Vonore Tennessee, go to https://cherokeeoutdoorresort.com/.

I thought that I'd end this post with a water view up stream on Tellico Lake as seen from The Mudpuppy Restaurant.  Being lakeside is so calming... That lone boat speeding up the lake will soon be joined by many others as the boating season is almost upon us.

Tellico Lake is part of the Tennessee Valley System of dams, power plants, reservoirs and locks.  This portion of the lake is fed directly by the Little Tellico River as it flows from the Smoky Mountains.  From the lake adventurous boaters could conceivably cruise to the Gulf of Mexico, the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, Minnesota, the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and even to Lake Champlain and beyond.  Tellico Lake itself is 33 miles long and has 357 miles of shoreline. 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Focusing on Railroad...Depots and a Little History (#4)

Yet another look back at some of the hundreds of railway depots that I've photographed over the past several years.  The following series of photos begins with September 2018 and goes back to September of 2017.  I touch on depots I checked out in Tennessee, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Scotland in the United Kingdom.  Once again, I've shied away from derelict depots that once upon a time were the center of activity in many towns, but now have been forgotten and neglected.  Railroad fans love railroad history but they also care about the preservation, furbishing and reuse of the thousands of depots here and abroad that no longer serve railroad systems.

Where possible, I have included old time photos of the depots included in this post.  I find them interesting, especially when juxtaposed against the current condition and use of the depots today.

This was the former Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad combination passenger and freight depot in Paris Tennessee.  As per the papers filed with the US National Park Service in order to establish the Paris Tennessee Commercial Historic District, this depot was built ca. 1910.  Other sources provide different dates ranging as far back as 1896.  Passenger service to Paris Tennessee continued until 1951.  

I found a photo on-line that I couldn't copy that showed that the depot was being used as an antique shop sometime in the latter part of the 1900s.  When I took the photo shown above in June or July of 1918, the sign on the building advertised a Tax Service.  Apparently the owner/proprietor passed away in February of 2019 and the business closed.  Consequently, I don't know if this old depot is still being repurposed.  

In my search for updated information about the Paris Tennessee Depot, I discovered that by the 1890s this city in western Tennessee also served as a repair shop hub and rail yard for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.  Love the old postcard.

I recently discovered this old photo ca. early 1900s, showing the Tomahawk Wisconsin passenger and freight depot.

This is the repurposed depot as it appeared when I took the photo back in 2018.  In northern Wisconsin growth and prosperity in the late 1800s was all based on the timber industry.  In order for the timber business to grow, railroads were needed.  Both industries arrived at about the same time...in September of 1887.  The first train from the Wisconsin Valley Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad arrived in September of that year.  I couldn't determine when the depot was built by it appears to have been completely abandoned by ca. 1980.  

The exterior of the former depot has been restored by Tomahawk Stove Junction, LLC.  The restoration work was completed in 2006.  The building now serves as the company's office, warehouse and store.

The city of Tomahawk also has this Marinette, Tomahawk and Western Railway Company locomotive on display.  Locomotive #19 was built in 1923 for the Charcoal Iron Company of America for use in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  This tough old 2-6-0 type locomotive later served a Wisconsin lumber company from 1927 until 1947.  The lumber company then sold it to the Marinette, Tomahawk and Western Railway and ca. 1960, it was donated to the City of Tomahawk.  The M.T. and W. Railway never had more than 50 miles of track.  By the 1930s, the railroad's trackage was down to 13 miles and the railway had earned the nickname "Miserable, Tired and Weary".

This photo was taken in Plover Wisconsin's Heritage Park in the summer of 2018.  This park is just one of the 4 Portage County Historical Society's properties.  The park is home to a number of historical buildings from the area that have been relocated to the site and which are preserved for future generations.  The exterior and first floor of the depot were restored by Central Wisconsin Model Railroaders, Ltd.  They use the basement for their clubhouse.

The depot was moved to the park from nearby Bancroft Wisconsin.  It was built by the the Wisconsin Central Railway in 1898.  Subsequently it was served as a depot on the "Soo Line", aka the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad.  The caboose sitting next to the depot was originally operated by the Green Bay and Western Railway.

This large conjoined Prairie school style structure is the former Wisconsin Central Railway passenger and freight depot which is located in Stevens Point Wisconsin.  It was built in 1918.  The Wisconsin Central Railroad first arrived in Stevens Point in the 1870s and was instrumental in the city growing into a lumbering center.  Passenger train service to Stevens Point ended in the early 1950s. 

As you can imagine, just based on the size of the building or buildings, Stevens Point was once a key rail center in central Wisconsin.  Other buildings and trackage still exist in the vicinity...from back in the times when railroads ruled land-based transportation.  Canadian National Railway Offices, doing business as Wisconsin Central Limited, are located in the old depot.

Now off to central Tennessee... This is the old Tennessee Central Railway Depot in Cookeville.  The railroad ceased all operations in 1968, but like with hundreds of towns and cities across the USA, the railroad was key to Cookeville's development and growth.  In 1909 this structure replaced the original Nashville and Knoxville Depot that had been built in 1890.  With its pagoda style roof and all brick construction, it was unusual for the Tennessee Central Railroad.  Passenger service ended here in 1955.  

 

I really appreciate old photos showing the depots back in the days when they were still a critical part of so many town's and their economies.  This photo probably dates back to the late 1930s or early 1940s.

The old depot was in dire straits when a group of local citizens decided to preserve it as a museum.  The city of Cookeville purchased the property and depot from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1975.  By 1985, preservation efforts were completed and the Cookeville Depot Museum became a reality.

                              

The locomotive and rolling stock shown above are just a part of the exhibits that belong to and are preserved by the Cookeville Depot Museum.  That locomotive is a 1913 model 4-6-0 Ten Wheeler that was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works.  After a career working for a couple of local rail lines in Louisiana...and being knocked out of service after a collision, it was sidelined until the Friends of the Cookeville Depot Museum acquired it in 2002.  It was then painted to match the fleet of 4-6-0s that had been operated by the Tennessee Central Railway Company.  

Moving on from central Tennessee in the USA, the recap of railway depots I've photographed will now cross over the Atlantic Ocean to Scotland.  

This lovely little depot is owned by ScotRail and it's located at the Village of Bridge of Orchy.  The village dates back to 1751 and it has a population of 152 residents.  The depot was completed in 1894.  At last check, the depot was being utilized as a resting point or bunk house for hikers along the West Highland Way, a popular long distance trail in Scotland.  Passengers have to buy their tickets in advance or from the guard on the train.

Given the tiny population of the Village of Bridge of Orchy, it's a bit stunning that in a 12 month period from 2023 /2024, a total of 7,286 passengers, (almost 20 passengers a day) were served at this stop on ScotRail.  The West Highland Way trail plus the fact that the River Orchy is one of the finest white water rivers in the UK must be the sources for most of the railway passengers.  Monday to Saturday there are 4 trains in each direction serving this depot, 3 from ScotRail and 1 from Caledonian Sleeper.  

The Dalmally Railway Station opened in April of 1877.  For some time it was the western end of the Callander and Oban Railroad.  This solid looking station is laid out with 2 platforms, one on either side of a passing loop past the station.  In earlier times, the Village of Dalmally also had a small railroad engine shed and a turntable.  

The Village of Dalmally grew up around an Inn that was built in 1782 which was followed by a church being built by a local Earl in 1811.  The advent of the railroad and the popularity of tourist steamers on  nearby Loch Awe accelerated the village's growth.  Today the population includes about 400 people.  

Today the Dalmally Depot is served by 6 trains in either direction Mondays through Saturdays.  An additional train operates from this station to Oban on weekdays.  More trains stop here during the summer/tourist season.  As is common in the USA, no real services are offered at the station.  Tickets must be purchased in advance or from the guard on the train.  A total of 15,298 passengers were served by this station during a 12 month period from 2023 - 2024.

Talk about a railway depot that seems to be in the middle of nowhere!  That's Laurie's brother-in-law Bill wandering down the depot platform at Upper Tyndrum in Scotland.

The Village of Tyndrum, population 167, actually has 2 railway stations...Upper Tyndrum and Lower Tyndrum.  These stations service 2 different rail lines with both depots constructed to match the contour of the countryside they service.  Upper for the highlands and Lower for the lower elevations.  The two stations are about a mile apart...a 15 minute walk.  The Upper Tyndrum station currently houses the offices of Scotgold Resources Ltd., an Australian company that recently reopened a gold mine in the hills just south of the village.   

The Lower Tyndrum Station provided rail service to 6,382 passengers in the 12 month period from 2023 to 2024 and the Upper Tyndrum Station handled 5,878 passengers.  There were also about 1,500 interchange tickets sold between the 2 stations/rail lines.  ScotRail trains service the Upper Tyndrum Station 3 times a day in either direction Monday through Saturday and Caledonian Sleeper provides service once a day on the same days.

The Village of Tyndrum is thought to have begun ca. 1740s as a crossroads of old drover routes.  Its growth was enhanced by a brief gold rush in the early 1800s.  The Village, a popular tourist spot, was built on the battlefield where Clan MacDougall defeated Robert the Bruce in 1306.  The Village is located on The West Highland Way hiking trail.

Moving along, this is the railway station located just outside the Village of Plockton in Scotland.  The depot was built by the Highland Railroad and it first opened in 1897.  The station was privately renovated ca. 2010 and it now serves as a self-catering holiday cottage.

ScotRail serves this depot with 4 trains each way Monday through Saturday and 1 train each way on Sunday.  In the 12 month period between 2023 and 2024, a total of 10,816 passengers were boarded at this station.  As with the other stations described previously, no services are actually available at the station.

The Village of Plockton is situated on the shore of Loch Carron.  With the warm North Atlantic Drift current just offshore and the village facing away from the prevailing winds, the village has a very moderate climate.  New Zealand cabbage palms thrive in town.  Plockton was established as a planned fishing village ca. 1800.  Locals had been removed from their lands and villages as part of the plan to clear the way for sheep grazing to accommodate the wool industry.  Considered to be perhaps the prettiest village in the Highlands, Plockton has served as the backdrop for at least one movie and two TV series.  

To learn more about the Highland Clearances (Removals) and to learn about the impact on Scottish culture, go to https://www.britannica.com/event/Highland-Clearances. 

Onto the last of our Scottish railway depots... This is the ScotRail station at Garve on Kyle of Lochalsh Line, one of the most heralded great train journeys of the world.  The Garve Depot opened in 1870.  Despite its size and the double tracks, a 1,300 foot long loop, this is the least used depot we visited in Scotland.  I was unable to determine what the old depot is currently being used for...

In the 12 months from 2023 into 2024, only 4,264 passengers were served at this depot.  Perhaps the fact that it is the next depot on this scenic line, with the Kyle of Lochalsh's start at Dingwall, only 11 miles away, is the primary reason for the depot's modest use.  There are 4 trains in each direction Monday through Saturday, with 1 train in each direction on Sunday.

The village of Garve has a population of about 250 people and its named after nearby Loch (Lake) Garve.  It is a quiet place made up of small stone cottages with their pleasant gardens behind the usual low stone walls.  Quality fishing in the Loch and nearby river are the key attractions.

Note: ScotRail or ScotRail Trains Ltd. is held by Scottish Railway Holdings Limited, a publicly owned company under the control of the Scottish Government.  ScotRail, just one of several passenger rail services in the United Kingdom, boarded 81,100,000 passenger journeys in the 12 month period of 2023 - 2024.  

Back to the United States!  Also, earlier in 2017, Laurie and I traveled down to Waco Texas and then came back up through Oklahoma.  This is the Amtrak Depot located in Ardmore Oklahoma.  Located at 251 East Main Street this southwestern style building with stucco walls, brick accents and a red clay barrel-tiled roof, was completed in 1916 for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad...  Later in its history it was used by the Rock Island Railroad.

As in Scotland, the station offers only shelter, no passenger services.  The structure is owned by the Ardmore Main Street Authority, which restored the station in 2015.  It currently serves as an event venue and a public park, aka "Depot Park" was opened adjacent to the station in 2022.  

The station platform is serviced by the daily Heartland Flyer, which travels from Oklahoma City to Fort Worth Texas...a 4 hour trip each way.  A single daily trip is made in each direction.  The Flyer is operated by Amtrak and its funded by the states of Oklahoma and Texas.  In fiscal year 2023, the Flyer was used by 72,379 passengers.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for this journey by rail...then and now.

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave