Weekend Update - 4/19/2009

[wazzou]

I went to go visit the family in Philly, and TODAY had the most Philadelphia thing possible: a Cheesesteak on a soft pretzel.

What about the Flyers 6-3 win over the Pen's?

[Wlal13again]

I went to go visit the family in Philly, and TODAY had the most Philadelphia thing possible: a Cheesesteak on a soft pretzel.

What about the Flyers 6-3 win over the Pen's?

priceless....

[wm3798]

I was in Philadelphia on Friday so my daughter could visit Drexel.  Nice neighborhood... the college overlooks the back end of 30th Street Station!
As for cheese steaks, we went to Pat's original, allegedly where the delicacy was invented.  I had mine wit wit da whiz.  Added some sauce from the tub on the table, and I admit, it was mighty tasty.  Next time I go up, I'll check out Geno's across the street, which looks like it uses a better cut of meat, and had a much bigger crowd.  Ed recommended John's Pork, but I had to wonder what a premium cheese steak would be doing in a place with Pork in the name...  Anyway, as much as I enjoyed your Philadelphia cuisine, I have to admit, I prefer the pride of Baltimore, Polock Johnny's a whole lot better.  2 Polocks with the works and a fresh squeezed lemonade...  My mouth waters just thinking of it!  I'll be up Tuesday for a morning meeting, and I'll be taking a couple of my colleagues to Caton Ave. to share this incredible treat with them.  If I can scare up $25 between now and then, I'll pick up a 5# box of sausages and a quart of the works to bring home...

Meanwhile, back in the layout room, I got a little more work done today, as the weather turned crappy and chased me in from the garden.

First, another Edmenity for the yard...

Yes, I added a strip light to illuminate the yard a little better.  This may be enough to keep the yard running for a night session!

I also took care of a pesky chore that had been driving me nuts for months...


This older shot points up the issue...  I had a bunch of line poles that were going to get painted "one of these days" and they always seemed to show up at the most inopportune moments.  Well, today ended up being one of those days!  I dug around in the junk boxes, on the floor, and anywhere else these little buggers might have been hiding, and painted every last one of them, including white insulators, and grey transformers.



I also took one of them to cure another visual issue I was having...


I took a series of photos a couple weeks ago of some steam engines I'd worked on for a few people, and it occurred to me that something vital was missing.  Power lines to the bridge.  Now, I'm not interested in adding "wires" to all the pole lines on the layout, but in this case, it's out of the way, and enhances the scene a bit.  Plus Walther's is nice enough to provide the little spinny aroundy thingy on top of the bridge, so I figured why not?  I clipped an Atlas line pole, carefully applied some CA gel to the insulators (taking extreme caution not to foul the spinny thing) and attached some simple thread.  I tied them off to a spike sunk into the homasote behind the pole to give it some oomph.  After adding a dot of LaBelle oil to loosen up the spin, it works perfectly.

I also spent some more time experimenting with the damn camera.  I've been trying to figure out how to stop down the F stop, but the number seems stuck on 2.6.  The S-2 got me up to 8, which was great for long exposures for depth of field.  I'm sure this crap master can do better, I just don't remember how to do it!

Here's the results...


and...



I think I like the second one better... more moody...

I really miss that old, broken camera

Lee

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Ok, first off, just because it SAYS Roast Pork, doesn't mean that they don't make the best steak in the city (where's Gonzo to second that). Now, their pork IS amazing, but the cheesesteaks are tops. Pats was a good call. Sorry I couldn't direct you to John's, it was a busy day.

You're now using the same camera I am, right? Just set it to "M" then use the "function" (I think) button to select either the f stop or the exposure length.

[wm3798]

Pat's was recommended by the guy at Drexel.  He's a Philadelphia native, and a pretty hefty guy, so I felt confident he wouldn't steer me wrong.  He kind of sneered at Geno's and their neon signs and touristy feel...  I have to agree.  The difference between the old Connolly's Seafood diner that used to cling to the bulkhead next to the Power Plant vs. Phillips at Harborplace...  Real Chesapeake seafood vs. deep fried rubber crabs...

I've tried 9 ways to Sunday to get the f stop to budge, but none of the settings or functions buttons seem to get to it... Grrrr.

Lee

[Wlal13again]

Ok, first off, just because it SAYS Roast Pork, doesn't mean that they don't make the best steak in the city (where's Gonzo to second that). Now, their pork IS amazing, but the cheesesteaks are tops. Pats was a good call. Sorry I couldn't direct you to John's, it was a busy day.

You're now using the same camera I am, right? Just set it to "M" then use the "function" (I think) button to select either the f stop or the exposure length.

Thats true, I prefer Nicks Roast Beef at 20th and Jackson over all of them. Great beef sandwich and gravy fries on the side. served with an ice cold Vitamin Y...

[Ed Kapuscinski]

I've gotta try Nicks. I keep hearing good things.

[inkaneer]

I got a parking ticket written by a Philly cop.  Trouble is I have never been in Philadelpia.  Apparently I am not the only one either.  Apparently the ability to read a license plate is not a requisite in that town.  Never had a cheese steak sandwich either but from what people tell me its the best thing to come out of Philly.  Govenor Ed [Fast Eddy] Rendell was second on the list.  One of the top ten things to do in Philly was drive about 300 miles west on the PA Turnpike to see six Super Bowl Trophies.

[wm3798]

That's just wrong... ;D

Lee

[Wlal13again]

I got a parking ticket written by a Philly cop.  Trouble is I have never been in Philadelpia.  Apparently I am not the only one either.  Apparently the ability to read a license plate is not a requisite in that town.  Never had a cheese steak sandwich either but from what people tell me its the best thing to come out of Philly.  Govenor Ed [Fast Eddy] Rendell was second on the list.  One of the top ten things to do in Philly was drive about 300 miles west on the PA Turnpike to see six Super Bowl Trophies.

I can see why you`ve never been to Philly, you keep missing the exit because you`re looking for "Philadepia"....  ;D

And you got that ticket from a Philadelphia Parking Auhority Officer, I`ll give you a dollar for every citizen here that has something nice to say about the PPA, in the end you might have enough to buy a can of soda....

[Bob Bufkin]

The cops there must have been doing this for years.  Back in the late 60's I was stationed in the Pentagon and got a traffic ticket from Philadelphia.  Except for train travel I have never driver there.  I was working in the Pentagon at the time of the ticket.  Send them a nice letter with navy endorsements and never heard anything else about it.  Got to thinking that maybe someone was making fake plates.

[John]

Baltimore did the same crap to me .. sent me a ticket for a vehicle I no longer owned .. on the day the citation was issued ..

[Iain]

Saturday I had two funerals to attend, one of which was for Dr. John Costlow, the man that hooked me on Beaufort and Morehead.

Sunday I was in a boat.

[Caleb Austin]

Just got this done...

I've added a fence in one of the pastures and stuck in some tuft's of dry grass, made from Sycamore tree seed clumps.

The seed clump...


The stuff from inside it on the layout.


The whole scene...

[up1950s]

Those stuffed tufts look crazy great .