A Grand Old Train

Here at "Camp" Duncan" we are located across from the "Elkhart Yard", allegedly the busiest train switching yard in the Mid-west. The squeal of the train track is a constant background noise here, as the trains slow to either refuel or reposition and await their turn for switching. It sounds much like the scraping of fingernails down a chalkboard as the trains slow to a mere crawl while they enter the yard. At first we found this sound very annoying, but we learned to use background noise (humming fans) to drown it, and as we've been here a bit longer, we've just become accustomed to it. Doing a Google Earth search shows the train yard to be huge, appearing to have as many as fifty tracks and a large diesel fueling station.
The other morning as we were heading out, we noticed an unusually attractive, older train stopped on the outer rail. As we watched, white SUV's began pulling in and men in suits alighted to board the train. Stopping to take some photos, we conversed with a gentleman, who confirmed our suspicion that this was the Norfolk Southern Executive Train out of Norfolk, VA.

A grand old train graces the Elkhart Yard

My sister, Brenda, and brother-in-law, G. L., retired from Norfolk Southern executive offices in Norfolk a few years back. What do you bet G. L. could chime in here and give us the real skinny on this beautiful old train???

We have enjoyed the trains in this area and we'll actually miss all the "train sounds" here at Camp Duncan!
Hugs!

What's next??.....

What's next here in Elkhart is more work needs to be done. One of the things we had scheduled here was the replacement of the rear slide out seal, as it had developed a small tear on the right side, resulting in a little leak at that corner. Duncan replaced the seal as requested, but in the course of the work, they discovered an area where the other side of the seal had leaked and caused some water damage to the side, in an area where we could not see or detect it. So we will be in Elkhart a few days longer than we had hoped to have this corrected. We will move to the Monaco Service Center building tomorrow to let them begin this correction.


On the topic of service and repair, it is worth mentioning that we have had a great experience here with Duncan RV Repair. The staff is just great and the techs are good at what they do and keep you informed. There's a nice campground and lounge area, and you're treated very well. Angela is the receptionist/concierge/girl friday who can accomplish almost anything for you and is a pleasant and bright spot in everyday. We have really enjoyed being here and having them work on our coach. Can't say that about too many places these days! And so far, the folks up at the Monaco Service facility have been amazing. More on that later. But, it's all good!


What's next in the news and the future of the good 'ole USA???

Here's my favorite article for today from The Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122342293714213269.html

Barney Frank...he gets the Bull Butter Award of the day. Who is he kidding???? Barney Rubble would serve us better. But kudos to Artur Davis, Alabama Democrat. At least he gets it, and admits it....refreshing for a change amongst the teflon coated legislators!


And here's another interesting tidbit on the OpEdNews site.



http://www.opednews.com/articles/The-missing-SNL-bailout-sk-by-waronyou-081007-240.html

Read it all. They put the real "spin" on the mortgage mess and give you "faces" to go with it. Think the Sandlers will help with our portfolio losses.....NOT!! (Sure hope none of you owned Wachovia stock) How do you spell "C R O O K"?

(Sisters: what would Mom say about this??? Hope you cashed your checks, quick!)


This exposes NBC at it's (liberal) "roots".
By the way, NBC put the SNL video back on the site today. Watch it. It's a hoot!


Thanks to all of you who made great comments on the blog the other day. This is such a crucial time for our country and there is so much bull butter out there that one can hardly wade through it...and that's on both sides of the aisle!!





Truffles for President!!

Hugs to all!

Is any one tired of "Political Correctness"?

Carlyle's huge and lovely Amish Astor

October 6th was a laid back day here in Elkhart, but it seems there was a lot happening in New York, once Jim Cramer yelled "Sell, sell!" on the Today show, Wall Street took off on it's downhill tumble. Did anyone really expect anything different? The bailout will not bring the answer until individuals and businesses return to sound financial practices, and that is going to be a long, bumpy road. Too bad he didn't yell "Sell" about a month ago!! Hindsight is always 20/20!!

I only wish you'd hear them (pundits, candidates and talk show hosts) begin to talk about some of the origins of relaxing the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae standards. No one will mention the lobbying by the Democratic Black Caucus, strongly supported by Barrack Hussein O'Bama, as well as other Democrats and Republicans (it was the Politically Correct thing to do), for the loosening of credit standards in order for minorities and the poor to obtain mortgages for homes. Don't get me wrong, I want to see everyone have the chance to own a home.....what possible difference could color or race make??? If you have saved your down payment and proven yourself credit worthy, then you deserve the credit opportunity. If, on the other hand, you have not yet managed these items, why in the world would anyone want to risk investing in your home? And since when did the ability to obtain a mortgage for a home become a "right"? I was under the assumption that it was something we all "earned" in some fashion or another. I subscribe to the "responsibilities" regime and reject the "entitlement" theory. The only thing we're really entitled to is the right to show responsibility for ourselves and our loved ones. Nope, you won't hear this in the News media, because it is not Politcally Correct to talk about the "mess" in these terms. Seems like Political Correctness has dampened the future for our kids, and any children they may have, for a long time to come.

And on the other end of the spectrum, the corruption and greed of the CEO's and Exec's of the mortgage brokers is unacceptable. They KNEW they were extending loans with poor prognosis of repayment...but what did they care??? Their fees and costs were collected up front, (almost to the point of extortion) and the loans were then sold to investors with the guarantee of Freddie and Fannie to bail them out....Oops, big mistake when you make bad loans by the billions!! Of course, they "took the money and ran" away from the lousy loans they'd been not only allowed, but encouraged, to make at the behest of our legislators. Politically Correct legislators, no less!

I, for one, am tired of Political Correctness, and think we need a little more Personal Responsibility in this great old country of ours.

My apologies if I offended anyone who reads the blog today. No offense intended to anyone, and Big Hugs to everyone!!

Lake Michigan and signs of Autumn

Elkhart, Indiana almost adjoins the state line of Michigan, about an hour Southeast of Lake Michigan. Around the Southeastern shore of the lake there are many tall sand dunes and quaint towns, that we've been wanting to see, so off the little Saturn went, to Lake Michigan and the town of Saint Joseph, with lots of shore side villages in between.

The day was just a little coolish with a grey sky when we departed Elkhart, but as we neared the Lake, it became quite brisk and the wind really picked up. We learned the true meaning of "lake effect", as you could see the cloud formations in the sky and feel the temperatures drop as we traveled north and closer to the lake.

"Lake hair" up on the dunes at Lake Michigan

At the shoreside town of Bridgman, we found our way to the dunes and our first sight of Lake Michigan. It seemed as if we were really at Myrtle Beach, as the lake looks much like an ocean, with a wide beach, waves rolling in and no shore in sight!! We hopped out for a walk and Whoa...what a surprise..the wind was howling and it was freezing!! Tossing on the light jacket that was hiding in the Saturn, we hustled up to the top of the dunes for a look-see.

A dune along the shoreline

It is indeed, a beautiful lake with a lovely shoreline. We took some photos, but didn't tarry too long, because it was freezing!! It would be hard to imagined winter up here. We noticed that all the fire hydrants had tall rods attached to them....the better for the snowplows to see them!! And there were just a few too many snowmobiles in the yards for my comfort! Nope, I think heading south is the antidote..."lake effect" stuff is just not enticing to us!

We had lunch in the lovely town of St Joseph and drove through Silver Beach, adjacent to the town. The "downtown" area seemed pretty lively, with many restaurants and trendy store fronts. There were painted "sailboats" on the street corners, in the fashion of "signature" icons that are frequently seen in towns and cities.

Decorated sailboat on a St. Joseph street corner

Making our way back, it got sunny and warmer as we traveled south. Upon arrival in Elkhart, it was quite sunny and pleasant. Elkhart seems to get a little of the "lake effect" snow and rain, but it's nothing like being close to the shore!

The leaves were beginning to show their colors and it made a nice palette as we traveled.

What a pleasant diversion from the mess on Wall Street and Washington. Thanks to all of you who commented and emailed from the last blog. We still haven't found anyone who was in favor of the huge payout Congress just gave away. What an interesting dilemma. Grannie would have just loved all this....she was an avid fan of Fox News, (and other news channels), and followed the politics and antics "inside the Beltway" closely. Always up to date on current events and ready to have a conversation with you about them, I wonder what would she have to say about it!

Big hugs to everyone!

The Wave...and the Seven Hundred Billion Dollar question...

Marcia, Joe, Fay and Jay and the "Molly Wave" !

Speaking of great RV'ers, the other day the above photo was sent by Bobbie and Jim, along with the following email:

Molly:

Attached is the photo we took as Jim and I drove away from visiting with the Carters and Jones' in Tulsa. The "Molly Wave" is alive and well in Oklahoma.

Miss you and Bob so much!!!

After shoulder surgery last winter, I had to lift my left arm with the right arm and hold it up. Many in our group began to do this and christened it "The Molly Wave". It really did help, seeing everybody else doing this little exercise. I was grateful for the comrades!! Thank you so much, Bobbie, for sending this...it really made my day!!!

Here's another little email that brought a good chuckle:

The Crowds.....
On television today a Democratic operative pointed out that when Obama holds a rally 25-30,000 people show up, whereas when

McCain holds one he only draws 10-15,000.

The Republican spokesman replied........."That's because McCain's supporters are at work."

Well, the news is dominated everywhere, as well as most conversation, with The Seven Hundred Billion Dollar question, and it isn't pretty. Newt Gingrich's proposition seems best, give 'em some rules, take the gamble, make it a "work out", not a bailout. It seems everyone we have come in contact with is opposed to the bailout, despite the possible damage to Wall Street and the economy. Is the bailout just a band-aid that only delays the coming fall of the market, due to the artificial inflation of our economy? Back-to-basics is what needs to happen, for Wall Street and everyone else. No handout is my vote; I'll take my licks with everyone else. One of our fellow campers here at Camp Duncan suggested that we need the American version of the French Revolution. After reading about the hundreds of million dollar payouts to the CEO's, Execs, and board members of the failing corporations, there may be some wisdom in that!!

Hmmmm...... What do you think??