Good Morning!

Will be taking the week off - Hubby and I have a ton of projects to be done in Coopville! 

Now is the perfect time as the weather has turned a wee bit cooler!

Have a wonderful, blessed week!

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Friday Night Steam

Another beautiful video sent in by Pastor Bob!

NICKEL PLATE ROAD STEAM LOCOMOTIVE NO. 765

Historic steam locomotive no. 765 is a high-stepping, fourteen-wheeled, time machine that stands 15 feet tall, weighs 404 tons and can go over 70 miles an hour. It was one of famous class of steam locomotives called the Berkshire, one known for its “superpower” technology and aesthetic charm.

STATS

Serial Number

8673

Builder

Lima Locomotive Works

Type

Berkshire · , S-2 Class

Wheel arrangement

2-8-4

Height

15ft, 8in

Weight

404 tons

Length

100ft

Horsepower

4500

Boiler Pressure

245lbs

Maximum Speed

80MPH

For the wonderful story of this engine, see here:

https://fortwaynerailroad.org/nickel-plate-road-no-765

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Today's funny :o)

Don't. wanna. get. up.......

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Stormy weather...

Yesterday was a beautiful, hot but humid day. Some of the gang enjoyed taking dirt baths:

Even blabbermouth was feeling lazy:

Our local weather guru said that later in the evening we would be getting rain, 

maybe high winds and hail!

 So I took some video of the sunflowers just in case they got damaged:

After dinner, the clouds rolled in:

We did get the rain, wind, thunder and lightening.....

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Wonders of the deep

Deepstaria Enigmatica

Deepstaria enigmatica is a very rarely seen giant jellyfish of the family Ulmaridae first described in 1967 by F. S. Russell. The bell of this jellyfish is very thin and wide, and resembles a translucent, undulating sheet or lava lamp as the animal moves. They are usually found in Antarctic and near-Antarctic seas but have been spotted in waters near the United Kingdom, at depths of 600 to 1,750 meters.

Source: Wikipedia

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Today's funny :o)

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Bossy Benji

Yesterday Benji chased all the girls into the coop!

 They didn't even get a chance to finish breakfast!

Here is is giving them a stern lecture:

The sunflower patch:

These are by the two boulders:

A rose!

A lady bug eating a new kernel of corn:

Only a couple of weeks left to enjoy all the flowers!

That is the longest egg I have ever seen!

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Remember these?

The Sunday comics were always the best!!!!

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Today's funny :o)

H/T to Donna!!!

This is Sara. She’s 56, has two kids, and she’s never exercised a day in her life. She eats anything she wants and occasionally stays up until 3am drinking and partying. What’s her secret? Nothing, she is the woman in the background.

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They're back....

..... darn damn deer

The herd is getting BIGGER!

Nice little buck in there:

Hubby painted the old shed:

It dried quickly because it was:
(again)

A shorter new sunflower:

Buella has a boo-boo:

The other girls were pecking on her - has to put some Blue-Kote on it.
That stuff works wonders!

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Friday Night Steam

Oh, such sweet anticipation!

CP2816 works her way up the "Big Hill" immediately west of Lake Louise, Alberta. This unique hill climb HD footage of CP2816, includes a CP consist ONLY with NO diesel. It was filmed on a cold, still morning..... "A STEAM Locomotive at it's Best!"

Canadian Pacific 2816,

 

 also known as the "Empress", is a preserved class "H1b" 4-6-4 "Hudson" type steam locomotive built by the Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR); the only non-streamlined H1 Hudson to have survived into preservation..

After being used for heavy passenger service, the locomotive was retired in 1960 and donated to Steamtown, U.S.A. at Bellows Falls, Vermont, in 1964. After an extensive restoration, the locomotive returned to service in 2001 and was used by the Canadian Pacific Railway in occasional excursion service until the discontinuation of the steam program in 2012. Since then, the locomotive has been stored in Calgary, Canada.

First career

No. 2816 was one of ten H1b-class (the "H" meant the 4-6-4 wheel configuration, the "1" was the design number and the "b" meant it was the second production run) 4-6-4 "Hudson" type built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in late 1930.  It was first assigned to the line between Winnipeg and Fort William, Ontario. Later, it was transferred to service between Windsor, Ontario, and Quebec City, and finally it ran a commuter train between Montreal and Rigaud, Quebec.  It made its last run on May 26, 1960, after more than 2 million miles (3.2×10⁶ km) in active service.  In January 1964, the locomotive was sold to Steamtown, U.S.A., which evolved into the Steamtown National Historic Site in 1986. 

Restoration

When Steamtown, U.S.A. moved from Bellows Falls, Vermont, to Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the 1980s, No. 2816 was relocated to the new site with the rest of the collection.  When the National Park Service took over from the Steamtown Foundation, No. 2816 moved to the Steamtown National Historic Site, and the NPS decided to divest itself of foreign locomotives. In September 1998, the Canadian Pacific purchased No. 2816 after hearing of its availability from the crews who were running the Royal Hudson No. 2860, who had been looking for parts for 2860 and were offered the entire locomotive. 

The locomotive was transported from Scranton to Montreal via Binghamton and Albany, New York, before being shipped cross country to the BC Rail steam shops in Vancouver for restoration. The locomotive was completely stripped down and rebuilt, "the most thorough rebuild undertaken on a steam locomotive in North America since the end of their era" according to CPR News.  

  The restoration team was able to use over 800 technical drawings of CPR Hlb class locomotives from the Canada Science and Technology Museum to completely restore 2816 to its 1950s appearance and to its original specifications. During restoration, the locomotive was converted to burn oil and equipped with modern amenities such as a radio and a diesel control unit. The restoration took over two years and cost over $2,000,000, making it one of the most costly locomotive restorations in Canada. CPR was confident in the restoration enough to announce on April 19, 2000, that 2816 would become an ambassador for the railway in the railway's new heritage steam program.

Excursion career

In September 2001, the locomotive made its first trial run from the BC Rail steam shops to its new home of Calgary, Canada. It then rejoined the Canadian Pacific fleet as a special excursion locomotive and for public relations. Among other uses, 2816 is used to raise money for school lunch programs and the Children's Wish Foundation. 

Between 2001 and 2012, 2816 traveled across Canada and the United States. Today, the 2816 is one of the most well-known steam excursion locomotives in North America, along with Union Pacific 844, Union Pacific 3985, Union Pacific 4014, Southern Pacific 4449, Santa Fe 3751, Milwaukee Road 261, Norfolk & Western 611, Norfolk & Western 1218, Frisco 1522, Chesapeake & Ohio 614, Pere Marquette 1225, Nickel Plate Road 765, Southern Railway 630, Southern Railway 4501 and Royal Hudson 2860.

At the end of the 2008 season, Canadian Pacific put the steam program on hold (with exception of previously promised engagements) due to financial issues caused by the poor economy. 2816 did not operate at all in 2009, although the steam program was able to take advantage of this down time to do some extensive maintenance work on 2816 and its passenger car fleet. 2816 returned to operation on June 6, 2010. It was used in Rocky Mountain Express , a 2011 IMAX film which follows the locomotive on a journey from Vancouver to Montreal while telling the CPR's history.

In late 2012, Canadian Pacific CEO Fred Green stepped down and E. Hunter Harrison succeeded him. Harrison had no interest in running steam locomotive operations and discontinued the steam program, forcing No. 2816's excursion operations to be ceased and the locomotive placed in storage in Calgary, Canada. Even after Harrison stepped down in early 2017, being succeeded by Keith Creel, the locomotive remains in storage.

Preservation and other remaining H1 Hudsons

Of the five surviving Canadian Pacific Hudsons out of the original 65 built between 1929 and 1940, the 2816 is the only survivor of the non-streamlined H1a and H1b classes built in 1929 and 1930 numbered 2800–2819. The four other remaining sister engines to 2816 are the semi-streamlined Royal Hudsons numbered 2820–2864. The remaining 4 Royal Hudsons are numbers 2839 (H1c), 2850 and 2858 (both H1d) and the 2860 (H1e). Currently, 2816 and 2860 are the only 2 operating 4-6-4 Hudsons in North America; no American 4-6-4 Hudsons are operational.

Source: https://wikimili.com/en/Canadian_Pacific_2816

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Today's funny :o)

H/T to Glenn H.!

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Another one!

Can't wait until they ALL bloom!

Autumn is just around the corner...

Hey! Where are all the TREATS????

Back to the pen:

Everyone in except.....

...... naughty Louise!

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Saigas!

Saiga Facts

Saiga is a type of antelope. There are two subspecies of saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica and Saiga tatarica mongolica) that can be found in Asia and southeastern parts of Europe (Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). Saiga inhabits grasslands, savannas, shrublands, deserts and arid areas. Number of saigas dropped drastically in the last couple of years because of uncontrolled hunt, habitat loss and due to increased competition for grazing with other species. Local people kill saiga because of its meat and horns. Horns are used in traditional Chinese medicine. Saiga is listed as critically endangered species with less than 50 000 animals left in the wild.

Interesting Saiga Facts:
Saiga is sized like a goat. Males are larger than females. On average, saiga can reach 42 to 57 inches in length, 22 to 31 inches of height at the shoulder and 46 to 112 pounds in weight.
Body of saiga is covered with cinnamon-colored fur. During the winter, coat becomes thicker.
Saiga has long, thin legs and robust body.
The most distinctive feature on the head of saiga is its nose. Long, humped nose covers the mouth. Although it looks weird, nose prevents dust from entering the lungs during the summer and warms the cold air before reaching the lungs during the winter.
Only males have horns. They are ringed at the bottom and positioned vertically. Unfortunately, hunters kill saiga because of the horns and there is great disproportion in the number of males and females in the wild.
Horns are used for fights during the mating season. Fights are very aggressive and they usually end fatally. Mortality rate (number of deaths) can reach 90% during the mating season.
Saiga is an herbivore (plant-eater). It grazes grass and eats different types of lichens, herbs and shrubs.
Saiga lives in herds composed of 30 to 40 animals. Herds consist of large number of females (that live like in the "harem") and males that guard them.
Saigas are very famous for their long and exhausting migrations that take place each year. Migrations start at November and they are directed toward the winter grounds in the south.
1During migrations, couple of thousand saigas travel up to 72 miles per day.
Saiga is very fast animal. It can run up to 80 per hour, especially when it is trying to escape from the predators.
Main predators of saiga are wolves and humans.
Mating season of saiga takes place during the winter. After exhausting fights, winners (males) get opportunity to mate.
Pregnancy lasts 5 months and ends with usually two babies. Babies depend on the mother's milk during the first 4 months of their lives.
Saigas can survive between 6 and 10 years in the wild, but their lifespan is usually much shorter.

Source: https://www.softschools.com/facts/animals/saiga_facts/331

Lots of information about this fascinating animal can be found here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saiga_antelope

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Today's funny :o)

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Some Coopville critters...

  Naturally: the damn deer:

A bee so heavily covered in pollen it couldn't fly!

He even goes in the coop!

A pretty butterfly:

Bees on the big sunflower:

More damn deer:

And, of course, the gang!

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