Victorian with a View

It's been on the market a while, and the location is just above the uptown parking lot with its fresh tree planters and cleaned up appearance. In fact, I took this picture a year ago, and the signs are still there, and the place looks much the same. If I could afford it, I'd probably go a little nuts with colorful trim paint.

Happy Christmas!

Detail of the Christmas Caboose

Meanwhile, Back at the Engine House...

People kept warm any number of ways at the Holiday Express event. I'm always amazed at folks who seem to have shirt-sleeve metabolisms no matter what the temperature, especially kids. The hot chocolate was the best I ever tasted.

Even in the cold, the homemade peppermint ice cream was irresistible.

The Christmas Skunk Train

I can't help but look at the lines.

Skunk Train Depot at Christmastime

Predictably, more trains. The Skunk line is running a full schedule for the Christmas season.

       

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

... but oh, so difficult to decorate.

A Ride on a Christmas Caboose

TPL Co 3 Speeder

Speeders are little self-propelled rail cars, used primarily to transport workers to a construction or repair site on or near the tracks. Sort of a passenger van for trains. This one is currently on display inside the engine house of the county museum, and belongs to Roots of Motive Power. This one just has a long bench seat down the middle, behind the more padded driver's seat. Maybe that allowed them to use it as a stretcher/ambulance if need be.

Historic Bluestone Co. Locomotive

This locomotive was manufactured by Heisler, so around the Roots yard it is referred to by that company name, or the name of the mining company that owned this one, Bluestone.

Roots of Motive Power Christmas Locomotive

Each year, Roots of Motive Power organizes a Christmas train event in conjunction with the Mendocino County Museum. The weather cooperated with a very cold, but clear afternoon, which really shows off the steam. This big Heisler locomotive traveled around the loop track all afternoon, with pauses for water refills. I'm lucky to be in a town where upclose and personal views of such antique machinery in action is so freely available.

As always, I'll be posting more from this event here soon.

End of Harvest

The season for deliveries from Live Power Farm has come to an end for this year. Gloria's van, parked in front of the look-alikes, traveled in darkness to bring our pre-Thanksgiving bounty, along with hugs goodbye from her, here at the drop-off house where we always await her arrival. The winter squash will keep for a few more weeks, but it will be back to mainstream shopping again, at least for a while.

Suffering for Art

Sort of a deadly pie-in-the-face for these infant monocots, the curb of the handicapped parking space at the post office got a fresh coat of bright blue paint, with some to spare. The dicots seem to have escaped with their lives.

Rail Tie Code

Looking underfoot while exploring an isolated section of the old NWP railway, I spied some ties bearing letters and numbers stamped into the wood. I wonder what they mean.