The AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room 09

[TarnishedPenny]

Given the weather, I will risk having Himself turn in his grave and put some of that good brew over some ice.

 

[Duleigh]

Watching a special on the Indian Pacific - a train that runs from Perth to Sydney... I would LOVE that trip!
I'm amtraking from DamnNearCanada to Florida later this year, can't wait for that trip

 

[NotWise]

Watching a special on the Indian Pacific - a train that runs from Perth to Sydney... I would LOVE that trip!
I'm amtraking from DamnNearCanada to Florida later this year, can't wait for that trip

My mother-in-law rode that route west from Adelaide. A brief summary of her story: "Some of the stops were quaint. Otherwise, it was the most boring thing I'll ever do on a vacation."

 

[Duleigh]

My mother-in-law rode that route west from Adelaide. A brief summary of her story: "Some of the stops were quaint. Otherwise, it was the most boring thing I'll ever do on a vacation."

The locomotive has a built-in frying pan between the engineer and the conductor so they can have a fry-up while driving - how could that possibly be boring?

I am a died-in-the-wool, life long Ferroequinologist and there's so much to study! There's miles of dual gauge rail!!! Just the ride would be a feather in my cap. Collecting bits of conversations with my fellow passengers to better make fun of the Aussie language in my next story is just a side benefit.

 

[MrPixel]

Watching a special on the Indian Pacific - a train that runs from Perth to Sydney...

I recently saw a special about The Ghan - Darwin to Adelaide. Similar to NW's MIL story - a handful of quaint stops with a whole bunch of eye-glazed boredom in between. They ran it like a cruise ship, though, with a special stop to watch the sunrise, with coffee and pastries.

Given that we used to take Amtrak excursions, we priced The Ghan...

 

[Rustyoznail]

The locomotive has a built-in frying pan between the engineer and the conductor so they can have a fry-up while driving - how could that possibly be boring?

I am a died-in-the-wool, life long Ferroequinologist and there's so much to study! There's miles of dual gauge rail!!! Just the ride would be a feather in my cap. Collecting bits of conversations with my fellow passengers to better make fun of the Aussie language in my next story is just a side benefit.

The Overlander (Melbourne - Adelaide), Ghan (Adelaide - Darwin), and Indian - Pacific (Sydney - Perth) are still nominally public transport, but the private operators heavily lean to the tourism experience. With the Ghan and the IP, you need to pick the time of year when the desert blooms.

@Duleigh, have some tissues handy. Here's some TRIPLE GAUGE that used to be in service around Adelaide, but has been moved to the National Railway museum.

Dual gauge is just so common...

 

[JuanSeiszFitzHall]

Yeesh, nothing posted here for seventeen hours? What are you people doing? Writing fiction?

I'm here in the Shop/Room as always, at the card table near the far wall, in another edit pass for my next story. Yet I can still find time to berate the rest of you, for failing to waste time to the extent that I do.

 

[litfan10]

Peach tea today.
I'm licking my wounds as the remnants of Beryl are hitting us today so the pain is up to eleven.
Have a great day everyone. Happy writing.

 

[NotWise]

Weather conditions here are highly normal.

Got a comment on a little-read older story -- one of my few contributions to Group. The whole story takes place at a party, and of the three people who've commented, two want to find a party like that.

 

[Duleigh]

What are you people doing? Writing fiction?

re-writing fiction. I'm re-editing my longer pieces like We're a Wonderful Wife and publishing them as novels. I'm shocked at how my writing style has changed...

 

[MrPixel]

Our son is in town on a pause between deployments, so forum and writing time is curtailed.

Obligatory weather report: Sunny, high of 86°. Beryl swept through here yesterday, leaving a whopping 1-3/4". Mowing will have to wait until tomorrow.

 

[Duleigh]

leaving a whopping 1-3/4"

Down here that would be called a "Sprinkle"
We get about 2 to 5 inches every day about 4:00 PM

 

[Kumquatqueen]

Someone went and put cards saying "we will buy your car" on all old cars near me, including mine.

Unfortunately they used plastic ink of some sort that didn't stick to the card, so the letters and numbers mostly washed off in the rain. It's been quite wet recently, the rainclouds swapping from north to south, mostly as I've gone the other way.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I am a died-in-the-wool, life long Ferroequinologist and there's so much to study! There's miles of dual gauge rail!!! Just the ride would be a feather in my cap. Collecting bits of conversations with my fellow passengers to better make fun of the Aussie language in my next story is just a side benefit.

Victoria has a lot of dual gauge, but all of the interstate lines are all standard gauge. The tourist trains RustyOz mentions are all standard gauge.

The Indian Pacific track across the Nullabor is, as we say, five fifths of fuck all to see. The Ghan would be more interesting, depending on season, but stupidly expensive. Visually, the lines from Victoria to NSW and up to Brisbane are the most varied, but you only do them once, with your car on a trailer wagon up the back.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Yeesh, nothing posted here for seventeen hours? What are you people doing? Writing fiction?

I'm here in the Shop/Room as always, at the card table near the far wall, in another edit pass for my next story. Yet I can still find time to berate the rest of you, for failing to waste time to the extent that I do.

Yeah, I was feeling ok last night, then the latest covid variant beat me around the head with a bat. Horrible night. No sleep. Thumping headache, but no respiratory issues (yet).

I spiked a fever which I think has started to burn the fucker out of my system. I'm actually feeling like getting a coffee...

 

[Duleigh]

Victoria has a lot of dual gauge, but all of the interstate lines are all standard gauge. The tourist trains RustyOz mentions are all standard gauge.

The Indian Pacific track across the Nullabor is, as we say, five fifths of fuck all to see. The Ghan would be more interesting, depending on season, but stupidly expensive. Visually, the lines from Victoria to NSW and up to Brisbane are the most varied, but you only do them once, with your car on a trailer wagon up the back.

I've seen the Nullabor on TV and I've lived in Saudi Arabia. I prefer the Nullabor. Just watching how the country evolves as you get further east is amazing.
The Nullabor is South Kansas.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Yeah, I was feeling ok last night, then the latest covid variant beat me around the head with a bat. Horrible night. No sleep. Thumping headache, but no respiratory issues (yet).

I spiked a fever which I think has started to burn the fucker out of my system. I'm actually feeling like getting a coffee...

 

[AloneTooLong]

Two days after Beryl visited: 5 inches of rain; garden had pretty well given up except for basil and Lemon Grass; pollinator garden still going strong, butterflies back hovering around.

Kiddo and family finally got to board their cruise ship (out of Galveston) yesterday around 5:40 PM instead of noon on Monday!

Youngest daughter keeping me company, running errands, she is taking care of animals (3 dogs, 5 rabbits) and I am taking care of all my plants plus kiddo's plants. No damage here except a few branches (that were dead already) fell in the yard, and my zinnias were horizontal for a day.

We never lost power but Monday afternoon 2.5 million in the Houston area were without power; some won't get it back until the end of the week, if then.

This was the fourth storm (where lots of folks lost electricity) in about 3 months. Hoping the rest of the year is 'calmer'!

 

[MrPixel]

...then the latest covid variant beat me around the head with a bat.

Yuck. Hope you can beat it back soon! Speaking of...

...at lunch today our kid was recounting spending two weeks in Wuhan, a temporary assignment at the consulate a couple of months ago. He enjoys walking and sightseeing in his off hours. On one such walk he stumbled across a heavily guarded obviously government building. Yes, that building. He said he was in full fast-walk to get out of there as quickly as he could.

"I guess your being an obvious unescorted foreigner near that lab would raise eyebrows."

"Uh... an obvious foreigner who happened to work for the US government."

Oops.

 

[Duleigh]

Ok for those of you who wonder, all coffee served here at the AH Coffee Shop and Reading Room is VIRUS FREE!
The only thing you can catch from our coffee is insomnia

 

[MrPixel]

The only thing you can catch from our coffee is insomnia

Not if you let me make it. Too weak. Heck, I'm about done with my third cup, and the next thing on the agenda is a nap.

I almost forgot about the next episode of my serial, Barstow. It was done over a month ago. I intended to upload it before the Nude Day story that was to follow, but that was snagged trying to conclude a group-sex scene. It's still stuck there, and probably won't even make the Summer Lovin' event.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Was there a general sweep last night?

 

[Duleigh]

Was there a general sweep last night?

I had a few stories swept. There were some that should have been swept better but I'm happy

Pre monthly contest sweep?

 

[Duleigh]

Pop Quiz!
What was Thomas Jefferson's middle name?

 

[MrPixel]

Was there a general sweep last night?

Not that I detected. There was one shortly after the Nude Day event that bumped mine by almost a whole point after dealing with the usual LW garbage bombs. Nothing else in my list appeared to be touched, and I know there are a goodly number of bombs expressly intended to kill the red 'H' (on the threshold).