Mostly about my backyard chickens. (Boring, I know), but there are a lot of us out here. Mine are only kept as pampered pets. I could eat a neighbor's chicken, but not MINE. There may be a comment on current events only if I get riled up enough. And there will always be a cartoon or a joke to cheer us. I promise to try my very best to respond to comments. Now I have to figure out how this blogger thingy works....
The Breda breed originally came from France although some consider
it to have emanated from a Dutch breed. Recent statistics show that the
Breda breed is still currently non-existent in the United States
because of certain standards unmet by the breed. Also, researches still
have unknown study on its origin and how it was bred and produced.
The Breda is a large chicken breed and its size makes it a good meat
option. They are strong chickens. They produce medium sized eggs which
are white in color.
They are very calm, easy to handle and take care of.
Not hard to breed because they don't have much problem when they change
partners for reproduction. Not competitive at all.
The Breda's head is shaped with its crested tassel, it lacks a comb, and
has large shell nostrils that looks like a crow. This is why they are
called Breda or "Crowhead" in Dutch.
Another interesting physical
characteristic of the Breda is its feet are feathered. They come in
black, white, hemmed blue, cuckoo, and black-spotted colors.
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He was hatched on June 2, 2019 and is definitely gonna be BIG one....
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Bengi is small now and Wilma and Louise are always pecking on him. I have to keep him in a separate cage in the pen where he will be safe until he gets a lot bigger.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the Lake George Steamboat Company owned and operated two ships on Lake George. They were the Ticonderoga (II), a retired navy ship from World War 2, and the Mohican (II),
a dieselized steamer who was built by the Steamboat Company in
1907-1908. During the 1960s, these two ships would make daily trips on
the lake. The Ticonderoga would make trips up and down the lake, while
the Mohican would make two trips into Paradise Bay.In 1968, with the increasing volume of tourists to Lake George Village, the primary docking point of the Lake George Steamboats, requests for hour-long cruises became more frequent.
It became evident that a third boat was needed to satisfy the people
who did not have time for the longer cruises provided by the "Mo" and
"Ti". Wilbur Dow, the company's owner at the time, wanted to make the
boat itself an attraction and that it should be powered by steam.
A sidewheeler was originally considered to keep with the tradition of
the older steamboats on the lake, but the ship, at an estimated 100-foot
design, would have appeared to be too wide and short. It was then decided to construct a sternwheel steamboat.
The ship was designed by H.M. Tiedemann Company of New York City. The construction started on October 2, 1968, at the Steamboat Company's shipyard in Baldwin, which is located near Ticonderoga, New York, on the other side of Lake George. The hull of the new ship was launched on December 6, 1968, and it was towed by the Mohican to the Steel Pier, her future dock, in Lake George Village.
The building of the boat was then continued there, and completed over
the winter at a cost of $270,000. The new boat was 103 feet long, had a
30-foot beam, and a draft of 3.5 feet. She had a displacement of 200
tons and could go up to 7 miles per hour. Wilbur Dow's wife, Ruth, struck the champagne bottle against the boat on July 30, 1969, and the ship was christened Minne-Ha-Ha, meaning "laughing waters".
She is the second boat by the Lake George Steamboat Company to have
this name, sharing it with a sidewheeler that served from 1857 to 1878.
Starting
from August 1, 1969, the "Minne" has made six daily hourly trips during
the running months, and over its years a seventh hour cruise has been
added, as well as a moonlight cruise on Saturday nights. She also
sported a calliope that played soothing tunes after each cruise. The
fact that it was not only a true steamboat, but also provided short,
slow-paced cruises showered the new ship with immediate popularity.
Renovation
The
ship became so popular over the years that the current owner of the
Steamboat Company, Bill Dow, Wilbur Dow's son, decided to modify the
"Minne". Since she did not fit the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act,
meaning she was not handicapped accessible, and she also had to be
navigated quite carefully because of her low speed, the only option was
to lengthen the vessel.
On September 14, 1998, she sailed up to the drydock at Baldwin and her
hull was redesigned and replaced with a well-designed and shaped hull.
She was then cut into two pieces, and 34 feet of hull was added to
connect these two sections. On December 9 of that year, she was put back
into the lake and was towed by her sister ship, the Mohican, who towed
the "Minne" back in 1968, to the steel pier. Here, her superstructure
was completed, and in late May 1999, her renovation was complete.
Aside
from her being lengthened and her hull being redone, she was also given a
handicap access elevator to connect her first and second floors. A
propeller powered by a Caterpillar
Diesel engine was added in case the ship were to lose steam in the
middle of the lake, and to assist the much larger "Minne" in its
difficult docking process. The Minne-Ha-Ha, however, is still
solely powered by her steam paddle wheel during her trip. Her signature
twin split-stacks were removed and replaced by a 30-foot-tall sleek,
single stack, but they are still viewable from their spot on the steel
pier. She retains her steam calliope and still plays it after every
cruise. A 12x20 foot skylight was also put on her top deck. She is now
137 feet long, with a beam of 30 and a draft of 3 feet and 9 inches. She
has a top speed of approximately 8 mph.
21st Century
The
"Minne" has continued in Lake George. In 2001, her paddle wheel was
rebuilt. After the 2007 season, her skylight was removed and replaced
with an elevated seating area, which provides more seats with an
escalated view. In 2008, "Happy Birthday" was played on her calliope to
honor the 100th birthday of her sister ship, the Mohican.
In 2013, the Steamboat Company revived an old tradition of the
steamers playing their calliopes as they enter Lake George Village, as
the "Minne" would do just that, in addition to when it would be played
after each cruise. As of 2015, the Steam Ship Minnie-Ha-Ha II has been in service for 46 years, and serves with her two sister ships, the M/V Mohican II, and the M/V Lac du Saint Sacrement.
Coopville is alive with critters again! (and lots and lots of chicken poop!)
Just want to say "Thank you!" to all of our dear, dear readers for your continued support through our most difficult time. We have no works to express our sincerest gratitude to you all.
Life is very, very hard sometimes, but it does thankfully, always go on.....
He was killed a short time ago protecting the girls when a hawk or a falcon flew right into the pen.
I'm stopping the blog for the time being. There is just way too much heartache in my life right now.
I just want all of you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you that have followed us here in Coopville for the past six years. You kindness, wonderful comments and encouragement have been a blessing to us and there will never be enough words to express our gratitude.
"The Story of Trains" presents the story of America's railroads as they appeared in the 1940s. This patriotic movie shows steam and diesel locomotives, as well as electric railroads and mining trains, to present the history of American railroading. It's full of fantastic images of railroad depots including Union Station in Los Angeles (at the 6:34 mark), turntables carrying massive freight locomotives, one of Southern Pacific's G-4 Locomotives 4443 pulling the Pacific Daylight, harbor activities (18 minute mark) and much more.
We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: "01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference."
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
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We would take to train to visit my Grandparents in New Hampshire
