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NorthGeorgiaWX

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  1. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Diorama Part 15

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    12/11/23 - Update
    Ok, we back to the the present time, and all I really have to share are a few more updated pictures. The main changes were the addition of three cars, lamp post for the park, and more trees. I've also rearranged the people a little bit and added more snow. This pictures are from 2020 until present.
     
     
     
  2. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 14

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    01/23/18
    Here are the latest updated images. More changes coming that include lamp post in the park area (LED like the street lights), probably 3 vehicles (like the vehicle in this image) that have working headlights and taillights, more trees for the background, and I may re-work the frozen pond. 

     
    Just wanted to give you an idea of the size of things.... click on any image for a larger view.



     
    2023 Note - This was the last of the original post. I'll make one more post that has the latest images in it, and I'll be done. 
     
     
  3. NorthGeorgiaWX
    I decided to combine October 27, 29, and 30 into one post.
    -----------------------------
    10/27/16 - More Changes
    I've decided to pull up the deciduous trees. I originally wanted to go for a late fall/early winter type of look, but that just isn't going to work with this winter layout.
    I have ordered new tree armatures so I can make 5 (5-7" tall) new deciduous trees with no leaves. It will be more fitting to the winter look of the diorama. I should have those early next week and it will take me an evening to get the trees formed and to add "snow" to them. It's a pretty simple process to pull the old ones up and glue the new ones back in place, and it really doesn't mess up anything. Once I get them back in I'll re-snow around them and you'll never know anything happened. 
    I did get the remainder of the stone wall in for the park, and I got that painted and installed. I also went back and re-snowed the entire layout, but mostly focusing on those areas that didn't have much snow to start with, and I really think that it looks much better now. 
    I also have a few more people on the way that are three older couples in coats (click on image), and I'll place them on the sidewalks once they arrive. 

    I'm still seriously considering adding a "Just Plug" car to the scene. The Just Plug vehicles have working lights and would be a great addition to the diorama. All of their current vehicles are generally from the 1940's to 1950's era and I'd really like a vehicle a little older, so we'll see. (2323 Note - I added three cars to the scene)
    I'll have some additional images that will reflect all of the recent changes once I change the trees out.

    10/29/16 - Making trees
    The tree armatures arrived today, so while I was sitting around watching a football game, I decided to make and paint the trees. 
     
    The Woodland Scenic's armatures came in a package of 12 and are 5-7" tall and they come flat in the package. I used Woodland Scenic's Flex Paste to add snow to the trees after I twisted and bent the branches into shape. I'll lightly spray them with Scenic Cement and dust them with the fake snow just to add more texture to the Flex Paste. The bases don't get used as the armatures have pins on the bottom that I can just press into the plaster, but they are a great way to hold the trees while they dry. If you were actually making these deciduous trees, the stands would be great for holding the trees after adding the leafy material. These trees are going to be a better fit for the rest of the layout versus the fall colored deciduous trees. 
    The six little old people arrived with the trees, so those will get glued down tomorrow along with the trees. More pictures then.
    10/30/16 - Done?
    Other than gluing down 2-3 little people and re-dusting with snow... I declare this thing done. 🙂
    Leafless deciduous trees were added last night along with a 4 little people, so there really isn't much left to do! I'm sure I'll nitpick little things along the way,  but everything that I wanted to do has been done. I would like to do something different with the bonfire (I need flames) and still considering adding a vehicle. I'd love to find a horse pulling a sleigh but I've come up empty handed so far. I still need to glue down two more people.
    It's been a fun project. I had no clue what I was getting into when I started and I've learned a lot along the way.
    I've had people ask me how much did it cost to build this. A lot! 🙂 I still have materials left over and I initially had to buy some tools, but I've spent more than $600 from Woodland Scenic alone. Granted, most all of the products and accessories I used came from Woodland Scenic, so it was the majority of the build. But if you include the frame materials and the things that I've purchased elsewhere (I bought some Woodland Scenic products at Hobby Lobby), and not including the houses, I probably have $800 in materials. We purchased the houses off of eBay and those were approximately $50-65 each, and there are 7 of those on the diorama. I added lots of detail to the layout, so you could do it cheaper, it all depends on how you want it to look. 
    At this point, I wouldn't  be afraid to tackle a larger, more complex project (trains?) in the future. I think I will be taking our Nativity scene and building a diorama around it... 🙂 Can I have it done before the holidays? 🙂 If you'd like to find out... stay tuned! 
    The pictures in the first gallery below were taken with a GoPro Hero4 camera. It was set to 7 mp medium perspective and set to night mode. I used the GoPro app on a tablet to control the camera and take the pictures. I just set the camera down and look at the tablet screen to see what the camera is looking at and readjust my view if necessary. The shutter (if you call it that) stays open quite a while on the night pictures, so it's nice being able to do all of the camera control from the app. 
     
     
    Next post:
     
  4. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 12

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/23/16 - Well... is it done?
    Well, added the last coat of paint to the front of the base, glued down all the little people, added the skaters to the pond, finished the snow around the pond.... there really isn't much left to do. 🙂 I will go back and add more snow to the fall colored deciduous  trees and I'm still waiting on the rock wall to arrive so I can finish the left side of the park. 
    The night pictures don't really do it justice, I need a better camera to capture that. I may even try my GoPro in low light mode to see how those images look. If you click on an image, they will display larger and you can go through them one at a time.
    Lots of pictures in this album.
     
     
     
  5. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 11

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/22/16 - Close now
    Today I painted the foam surround, or the sides of the base of the diorama. Now your eyes focus on the diorama because you're not distracted by the ugliness of the unfinished surfaced. 
    I added more white tint to the pond and I think I'm done with that feature. Once the water dries (tomorrow) I'll finish the landscaping and snow around the pond and add the skaters. In the end it will get a light dusting of snow, but that will wait until after the skaters are added. 




     
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  6. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 10

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/21/16 - The Home Stretch
    Just a few items left to finish up before it's done. 
    The two main items to finish are the pond and park area, and the outside edge of the entire diorama.
    I have covered the front and part of the sides with 1/4" thick pieces of sheet foam as well as adding handles on the sides to help in carrying it around.
    The foam was glued tot he sides and hopefully today (Saturday) I will get it painted. I'm going with a dark forest green color, I think the dark color will help in taking your eyes to the layout. I want the sides to fade away so that they aren't really noticed. 
    I added the "ice" to the pond yesterday. I think I'll go back over it one more time today with just a little bit more white pigment. It looks icy right now, but not thick enough to skate on, it needs to look "thicker". After I add that layer and it dries, I'll lightly dust it with snow and it should give me the look I'm after. Before I do the snow dusting I'll go ahead and add the skaters. I have 7 little people with ice skates, and I think I'll have 4-5 on the pond with a couple standing at the edge watching. 
    I added a little pile of wood for a campfire and have a few people standing around it. I have a plan to make the fire look like a fire, but it probably won't happen on this first go around. Woodland Scenic's makes some "Just Plug" nano LED's that flash. My plan is to drill a hole underneath the pile of wood, and secure the LED's about 1/2" below the surface. I would then cover the hole with a flat piece of foam with a small hole that's maybe 1/8" and put the wood back on top. If the plan works, the flashing LED's would appear to be coming from the wood and the random flashing would look like fire. We'll see. 🙂
    Once the water part is done, I'll go back and add more snow all around the edges of the pond as well as the rest of the park, right now there isn't much there and it looks a little out of place with the rest of the diorama. 

     
    I also took some random pictures today. Since I'm been moving the diorama around, some of my little people that haven't been glued down have fallen over. 🙂 They'll just have to lay there until the end. 
    Also, I would not use these fall deciduous trees on a winter layout again, and at some point I will replace them with trees that I've made. These were pre made using a poly fiber product that is like a carpet. When I added the snow and Scenic Cement, it made the poly fiber sag once it was wet. To me, they just don't look like real trees.  Next time I'll buy the armatures (the woody part of the tree) and glue my own "leaves" on the branches. I've already got a stack of these armatures so it's just a matter of getting some fall foliage to glue on them. It's kind of funny, but when I got started I decided NOT to make trees and just go the easy route and buy the pre-made trees. And don't get me wrong, there are different levels of pre-made trees and some are very nice, but also very expensive. I think you are better off buying pre-made evergreen trees due to the density of the plant material. There are also varying levels of quality for these trees as well, and I have about 3-4 different qualities on this layout.
    If you ever decide to try to build a diorama, you'll find yourself doing more and more from scratch instead of using the pre-made materials, trying to make it look as realistic as possible. 
    Pictures are in this album.
     
     
    Next post:
     
  7. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 9

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/18/16 - Adding final touches
    I started putting foam sheeting around the outsides of the box holding the diorama, and I bought some dark green paint to cover it all up. More water was added to the pond, and I went out and bought a blue LED light to give the snow a moonlit glow... I think it works pretty well and matches the example in the previous group of pictures perfectly.









     
    Next post:
     
     
  8. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 8

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/17/16 - Almost done

    I figure I'm about 90% done at this point. The park area needs more snow and the area around the pond needs more landscaping. I'm still adding the fake water to the pond and that may take another 5 or 6 days. By that time, the extra stone wall pieces and  4 trees, one that will be a Christmas tree, should be here.  I also have to add a little stack of wood that will be a bonfire.
    None of the little people are glued in place yet, and some not in the places they will probably go. I also have 7 skater figures that I need to put out after the pond is done. 
    I snowed in the road today and pushed a Matchbox car over the road surface to make it look like cars had driven on the road. 
    I've found some blue LED light bulbs that I will be using over the diorama at night to make it look like moon glow. The last picture on this gallery will give you an idea about what that might look like. at least what I hope it will look like. 🙂
    I still need to enclose the entire edge of the diorama with something... and still debating that one. I may use 1/4" sheet foam and then paint it black, my wife mentioned wrapping it in something like dark green felt. It is my very last worry in the build though. 
     
    Next post:
     
     
  9. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 7

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/16/16 - Working on The Park
    These images in this particular gallery don't necessarily appear in the proper order of assembly but you'll get the idea...
    Spent time today working on the Park feature. It's right in the front of the layout so I wanted it to look as good as I know how to make it, which at this point, probably isn't all that good. 🙂 I kept putting it off simply because I wasn't sure how I wanted it to look. I'm not sure why I have that fear... maybe it's just because this is all new to me and I don't want to screw it up at this point, I don't know.  So I went ahead and forced myself to jump right in and it seemed to have gone pretty well. 
    I added a stone wall around the perimeter of the park and I still need to go back and black wash some of the sections where I joined the pieces of wall together with plaster. I use a stone grey paint to paint them, and once that dries I go back and use some diluted black paint over the top. The black "wash" runs into the cracks between the rocks and gives them definition, and makes them look more like rocks. I've ordered more stone wall for the other side of the park so I can't get it all completed until that comes in. I will be adding a small Christmas tree to the center of the park as well as a bonfire with people standing around. Details make the difference. 
    Once I get the landscaping done, I'll then go back over everything with snow and cover it all up. It's almost ashamed to cover up my landscaping but hey... it is suppose to be winter time! 
    Filling the pond with water is coming along but it's a slow process. I actually tilted the whole diorama today to get more water in places where I don't have it right now. I'll keep tilting in different directions until it fills up like I want it, and then I'll then go back over it with a some white tint to make it look frozen. I do have HO scale figures that will be skating on the frozen pond. 🙂
    I hope to have my street lights plugged back up today as well. I had three lights connected to one junction connector and when I unplugged the one street light to replace it, the wires for the other two street lights came out as well. These wires are SO tiny you can hardly see them, so it takes me a while to get them back in the holes. 
    Since there are a lot of images, I've added those in this album:
     
     
    Wow... can't believe how much I've gotten done today, I'm getting pretty close to being finished! Today I managed to get pretty much all the snow down on everything except the road and park. All of the structures got "snowed in" so you can no longer see the base of the building, it's all blended in by snow. The park got a light dusting of snow but I need to wait until the pond is done before I finish that part. I can start adding certain figures to the layout, I just need to decide where I want them to go. I haven't decided if I'm going to have a vehicle or not, I'm back and forth about that right now.
    So, what's left?
    I'll try to get the three street lights hooked back up later today (done) Install the  4 trees and some stone wall pieces I ordered today Finish the pond Snow in the park/road/detail Add figures  Next Post:
     
     
  10. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 6

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/13/16 - Construction Accident
    Started added Realistic Water today. I thought I would use E-Z Water until I heard some bad stories about it eating up foam, and changed my mind. So it's going to take more than a few layers to get it where I want it. The roads around the pond will not be in the position you see now, I'm just playing around with placement. Started adding snow to the all areas of the layout where there are shrubs and plants, and that required me to take the two left houses off to keep them from getting sprayed by Scenic Cement. 
    The "construction crew" got a little careless when taking some of these pictures, and the camera strap caught one of the street lights... so now there is some utility repair work going on. Luckily, I had a spare street light, so that will get installed tomorrow after the pond dries. 
    I'm also playing with icicles and the waterfalls. I'm redoing the icicles to be smaller but they are easy to make, so if I mess up, no big deal.  
    There seems to be a creature in my forest... 😉
     
     
     
     
     
    Next post:
     
    \
  11. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 5

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/12/16 - Work continues...
    I painted the pond today, so that's going to dry for 24 hours before water goes in. I also added another layer of snow to the background hills, but I'm not sure how much I want to add.  With each layer, I spray Scenic Cement over what's already there, lay down the new snow, and then add another spray of Scenic Cement, so it takes some time to build it up. 
    Most of the stream has had it's last layer of water before the final "ice" layer. It's mostly the pond that will be icy, but certain places in the stream (near the waters edge, etc) will be icy as well. I'm still adding layers to the section just before the bridge. 
    I'm making icicles for houses and for the waterfalls if all goes well. If it doesn't, nothing lost, just try again. The white "Water Effects" dries clear in 24 hours. 
    I took a bunch of pictures today, again, no snow on anything but the hills right now.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
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  12. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 4

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/11/16 - Yes, I will redo the pond. 
    Last night I started adding snow to the hills behind the houses. It's going to be a multi-layer process to get it just right. I want to make sure I pay attention to how the snow "falls" on things so that it really looks like fallen snow. It's almost ashamed to cover up all of the landscaping, but hey... that's winter.  If I had to do it over, I would also add more deciduous trees into the mix, and I would make it thicker. I may still add a few more trees just to try to make it more lush.
    The pond... yes, the pond has been a pain in my arse. I've learned a few lessons about water features. First, don't use any slope in the stream or creek if you want the water to have any depth. If you have a slope, the Realistic Water will just run down to the lowest level and not pool. What I've had to do to get around this issue is add dams to sections of the stream so the water collects instead of running off. Second, make sure you thoroughly cover the water feature in plaster. The Realistic Water will seep through any holes or other porous areas of the layout, and make it difficult to build up any depth. And speaking of depth, they really only recommend a 1/2" or less of Realistic Water. You might think that's not enough to make it appear deep, but it really is.  Woodland Scenic's makes a product called E-Z Water that you heat and pour and it can be used to make deeper pours. Unfortunately, I can't use it on top of the Realistic Water, but I can use Realistic Water on top of the E-Z Water. So I think I'll raise the pond back up some, and then use E-Z Water for the main pour this time, then maybe add some Realistic Water over the top. E-Z Water has to be used in one pour, you can't go back and add more or it will leave a transition line in the water, so the pour needs to be planned and setup ahead of time. 
    Icicles will be my next first time part of the project, but that will be easy, and  I will use a product called "Water Effects" to create those. You simply get a piece of wax paper and with a toothpick, draw out of lines of Water Effects on the wax paper. Once they dry (and they dry clear), you peel those off and tack them anywhere you want icicles.
    I'll have more pictures tonight as demolition begins on the pond. 🙂
    I added more plaster to the pond and covered up the water I put down. I needed to raise the bottom of the pond by about 1/2", so I mixed up some plaster and covered everything  up. I'll let that dry and then paint it a darker color before re-adding water. I do think I'll use E-Z Water on the pond so I can get it a little thicker. If I need to, I'll give it a top coat of Realistic Water mixed with a little white pigment to make it look like ice.
    Two days of snowfall in the mountains... 🙂 I'm starting to get a better accumulation of snow now. Not sure how deep I'll go, but I have a real desire to have a blizzard. 🙂 Of course that's probably just my own personal "what I'd like" kind of thing but hey... who's building this? 🙂
    The water in the stream is starting to look good and get some depth to it. At some point I'll add a little white pigment in places so it looks like certain areas are frozen. 
    The last image in this group shows the house with some snow that I added just a little around the base just to show how the edge around the base of the houses will be covered up. It looks really good too. 
      
      
      
     
    Next post:
     
  13. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 3

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/10/16 - Night Scenes


    I took some pictures with the lights off for the first time, just to see how things were going to look in the dark. The houses all use a C7 Christmas light bulb for light. I've replaced some of the incandescent bulbs with LED's, but I'm not happy with the light output. I have some new ones on the way and hopefully they will work out better.
    The "Just Plug" street lights look awesome and cast a light that makes them look like real street lights, I'm very pleased with that addition.  In the future I'd like to add more "Just Plug" lights and possibly a couple of vehicles to the scene. I'm also going to find a blue LED light to cast a faint glow (like moonlight) over the entire layout to enhance the nighttime look. For an example, see the last image in this gallery. 

    There is no snow on the roads right now but it almost looks like there is. The roads were formed with Smooth-It, a product that provides a nice smooth road system. I need to fill in the gap between the road and sidewalk with some grass like material before I cover it all up with snow.  
    2023 Note - I did end up finding blue lights to illuminate the scene, which you'll see in later posts. I have also added cars and more street lights to the scene since this 206 post was made.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
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  14. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 2

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    10/10/16 - Busy Weekend
    Much more accomplished this weekend. Most of the landscaping except for the park area is done, although I find myself going back and adding and enhancing what I thought I had already completed. Can't help myself. 🙂 I've started adding the realistic water to the layout but it has to be added in layers so it's a slow process. I should have used a different water product and I still may on certain sections. And while it may look like snow, I haven't added any of that yet, that will be the last step before completion. I have used a product called Flex Paste for some of the snow areas and more will be used to create drifts etc., but the final product is powdered snow that will go over everything.  When that is done, you won't be able to see where the house fits in the Styrofoam. 
    I'm getting ready to landscape the "park", the area in the very front of the display. I've saved it for last so I wouldn't tear it up working on the other areas. The park is where the pond is located, so I'd like to get my "water" in place before I do that final landscaping.  I am re-thinking the water material I'm currently using. I started by using Woodland Scenic Realistic Water, but it requires 1/8" increments and 24 hours drying time.  Instead, what I should have used is Woodland Scenic E-Z Water.  E-Z Water is used for deep pours and dries in 15 minutes, but it must be done in one pour. The only problem at this point is that I can't pour E-Z Water over Realistic Water. Learn the hard way. 
    When creating the layout, you have to build it like a regular landscaped non-winter scene. All the plants, shrubs and trees have to be added before any snow can go down. The one thing I am not adding is grass, as that will be covered by snow anyway. 
     
    2023 Note - One thing you'll notice are fall trees. I though I wanted to do a late fall/early winter scene, but I later abandoned that idea. And like I mentioned above, that is not the snow you're looking at, it's just the foam and white paste.
    Click on the pictures to enlarge.
       
     
       
       
      
      
      
     
      
      
     
      
      
     
      
      
     
     Part 3 coming up!
     


     
    Next post:
     
  15. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Christmas Village Diorama - Part 1

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Christmas Diorama
    I wrote a blog post on my old blog site back in 2016 about a Christmas Village Diorama that I was building, so I figured since we were coming up on Christmas, I would move the contents over here. Instead of one big post, I'll beak it up into several. 
    ------------------------------
    I apparently have more hobbies than I thought I had. 🙂
    My wife and I bought a bunch of Thomas Kinkade Hawthorne Christmas Village houses and buildings off of eBay to use as a Christmas display.  We put them out last year on some fluffy cotton stuff but being picky like I am, I just wasn't satisfied with that look at all, I wanted something that looked "real".
    My interest in model trains goes back to when I was a kid, and I had started looking at creating a detailed and realistic train layout when I remembered the Kinkade houses. I started searching the internet for some examples of designs where people had used the house in some designed setting but I couldn't really find anything, so I started thinking about creating my own winter scene. 
    So....here is where I'm at. First, I've never done anything like this before, so it was all new to me. Second, I spent a lot of time watching videos, reading up on materials, finding examples, and collecting images of scenes I wanted to duplicate, etc. After a lot of thought and consideration, I jumped in head first. And yes, I have messed up and still messing up. 🙂 The great thing is that if you don't like something, you rip it out and start over. 
    The Kinkade houses aren't exactly HO scale, but that's the closest scale to what the the houses are, so that's what I used. I don't have a lot of before images, but even these images are "before" as it is still in the working stage. I'll try to break these images into groups to help show the progression of the build from this point forward.
    I wanted to quote a piece from the Thomas Kinkade website, and it says perfectly what I was trying to capture in creating this diorama:
    "The look of Christmas, with its trees and garlands and twinkling lights, is of course well known. But for Thomas Kinkade, the challenge in painting Christmas scenes was capturing the spirit of the holiday – the warmth, the joy, the good fellowship and family feeling. He loved the contrast of the cold gleam of moonlight on snow with the warm radiance of golden light pouring through the windows of a festively decorated cottage. That golden glow is truly the light of love."
    These are some of the images that I used to help me in the inspiration and design of the Christmas Village, and of course they are all Thomas Kinkade paintings. I tried to incorporate as much of his scenes as I practically could into the diorama. 
          
         
      
    This first group of images were taken after some very basic landscaping had been done. The original pond had to be redone when I realized that its elevation was higher than the stream that was feeding it. 🙂 I blame the clown that is working on it now... :-). I may need to redo it again as I probably dug it too low this time. 😞 I'll get it right eventually.  
    I created a wooden frame for the base and glued sheets of foam over the top and the dimensions are 60"x24". The elevated areas were created using wads of paper and plaster cloth along with pieces of foam cut to shape.  Almost all of my supplies comes from Woodland Scenic and they probably have the most complete set of supplies and materials anywhere. Not only that, they have tons of how-to videos that show you how to use their products. There is no way I could do this without those videos showing the way.
        
     
    The remaining post will follow. 





     
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  16. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Another highly recommended adventure. What a historic town, and it's great to have someone that knows all about it to walk you though it, and they have multiple tours that take you through various parts of Boston. Great way to learn about the history of our country as well as the city.
    I don't have any videos, but I do have lots of pictures.
    New England - Boston - June 4, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 178 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
     
  17. NorthGeorgiaWX
    This day was a lot of fun, and we saw lots of whales, seals, and other life out in the Atlantic. Again, I didn't write anything, so all I have are pictures and videos. IF you ever go up to the new England States, this is something you need to do. This particular tour left out of Barnstable, just north of where we were staying near Hyannis Port. 

     
    New England Trip - Whale Watch Cruise - June 5, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 98 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
     
     
     
  18. NorthGeorgiaWX
    I guess I quit writing, because I have nothing for day 6 except pictures and videos. I have some days after this, but this day or the previous day (whale watch tour). I guess I'll just have to make it up. :-) Martha's Vineyard was beautiful, even though the day wasn't so nice, but I got lots of pictures and some videos, so I'll share those.
    New England Trip - Martha's Vineyard - June 6, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 270 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
     
     
     
     
  19. NorthGeorgiaWX

    New England Trip 2019 - Day 4 - Nantucket

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    New England Trip
    This was our first big adventure (and our first blog post together!) after arriving in New England. Exploring Cape Cod on Sunday was nice and scenic and the National Seashore was very awesome, but our Monday Nantucket Island trip was even better. 

    This also happened to be our first ride on the high speed ferry. Because we were staying just a few miles from Hyannis, we were close to the Hy-Line ferry terminal. Hy-Line operates a fleet of high speed ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard and is the company we used for both island trips. 

     
    And high speed is an appropriate adjective to use as I clocked the Nantucket ride at 36 mph. This is not a little boat (158 feet) and it probably had at least 200 people on board, not to mention all of the luggage and other "freight" type baggage.  Being a guy... I was really interested in how they made this thing move so fast... and the reason is below.
     
    The Grey Lady IV is the newest vessel of the Hy-Line fleet. It is one of the few high speed ferries that has 3 passenger decks, and when fully loaded, can carry 493 passengers and their baggage. 
    Measuring 153.5 x 34.5 feet and a draft of approximately eight feet loaded, the vessel is powered by four Cummins QSK60-M EPA Tier 3 diesel engines, each delivering 2,200 Bhp at 1,800 rpm. Each engine propels a Hamilton HM721 water jet through a Twin Disc MG61500SC horizontally-offset gearbox. The ferry’s top speed is more than 34 knots (39 mph) with a fully-loaded deadweight of 64 metric tons.
     
    We arose early to depart at 5:12 am for the first High Speed Ferry to Nantucket. We arrived at the ferry at 5:20 am under some fog and high overcast skies and a temperature of 59º. Most of the other passengers were sleepy workers commuting to work with an early 6:10 am Monday departure time.

     
    On this ride, Amy and I paid extra to sit in the "Captain's Seats", the top level passenger deck with more room and larger forward facing seats, and the views were great. All of the pictures and videos that I took traveling to Nantucket were taken from inside the ship from these seats, and I was pretty happy with the way they turned out.  You can also get drinks and snacks on board during the ride.  The trip was about as smooth as it gets.  Other than the vibration from the engines there was no motion at all unless you happened to cross another ships wake. This water can get very rough and visibility can drop to nothing, so days like this are a treat. I spoke with a tour guide that travels back and forth on a regular basis and she told me about one trip where it was so foggy you couldn't see in front of you. She said they blew the horn continuously through the entire trip. They do stop the ferry if the seas get too rough, but I don't know how they determine that. 
    I have a few short videos of the ferry leaving the Hyannis Harbor and cruising across Nantucket Sound just to give you an idea of the views and the calm water. 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    As we approached the island the skies were dark from the rain clouds that had passed earlier in the morning. Here are a few pictures of those clouds as we approached Nantucket. 


     
    When we arrived on the island at 7:40 am, we were the life on the island! After the hustle and bustle of the ferry passengers settled, Nantucket was still asleep. It was cool, tranquil and quiet. It was so serene that the still beauty stops you in your tracks. The calm AFTER the storm feeling… PEACE that surpasses ALL understanding. It may be true that a picture is worth a thousand words and this one captured the moment perfectly.

     
    Our bus tour of the island wasn’t until 11:00 am so we had some time to explore a little of the town on our own. Of course, food was of interest. While scouting looking for something that was open, we walked around looking at all the cool shops and gorgeous old houses/buildings. Since it was so early, there really wasn't much open, so we headed back to this cute little place called "Provisions" that we saw after stepping off the ferry. We ate a wonderful breakfast sandwich  that was just what we needed. "The Original" consist of herbed egg frittata, cheddar, bacon and house-made tomato chipotle jam. They have all kinds of coffee as well as sweets, juices and other light food. Keep in mind, everything is more expensive on Nantucket, but with drinks we paid $19 for our breakfast.

     
    Remember... if you get to Nantucket too early... NOTHING is open, it's almost like a ghost town. This may have been one of the reasons it was so surreal. Take the 6:10 am ferry and see what I mean 🙂

     
    Once we were fed and we located the bus tour spot, we were ready for adventure. We pretty much scoured the town while Steve was able to capture some incredible images. The sun began to peep through just as the town seemed to wake up. PERFECT in every way! It actually warmed to 74 degrees later in the day. Below is a link to the album with all of the pictures. Notice that many of the buildings will have the date they were built on the front, and you'll see a few here but there are more in the link further down the page.
     
    New England Trip - Nantucket - June 3, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 136 new items added to shared album  

    The 11:00 am tour guide was with Billy from Australia. LOL. He was AWESOME!!!!!!! I wish we had a recording! (EDIT: We found it!) Now I HAVE to return. Here are a few items I learned:

    There is a HUGE Preservation Society in charge of everything. Even 2% of real estate sales go to this establishment. Not sure of the political inclination, but if they are responsible for actually preserving this incredible island, then they are doing a mighty act. Only 12 colors can be used on exteriors and Billy spouted them off like the days of the week. The average home is $2.5 million (and I’ve always considered myself above average. HA! and Zillow sales confirm. LOOK!) and they just got squirrels. Can you believe that? Only sweet animals allowed here. I think rodents came over as stowaways. Gasoline is $4/gallon, there are NO traffic lights (Steve can put it on cruise and never stop), there has only been one murder in 150 years, one stucco house (before the conservation society), and CRANBERRY bogs galore. There are 11,000 residents year round and 60,000 during the summer. Oh, and the two hotels run $1000-$1500/night, so this sheds new light on the phrase “DON’T miss the BOAT!” You may end up sleeping on a bench!
    The history was fascinating! It embraces you and makes you a part of the island story. So much has stayed exactly the same since the island was placed on the National Historic Landmark District in 1966. It is considered the "finest surviving architectural and environmental example of a late 18th and early 19th century New England seaport town". I LOVE that.
    This is where naming your vessel began to identify the numerous shipwrecks. The island is referred to as the “Little Grey Lady of the Sea” and our ferry boat was the “Grey Lady IV.” There is a Whaling Museum with a remarkable scrimshaw collection and the quaint shops are curiously inviting. We saw the little airfield where “Wings”, the TV show, was filmed. Our stop at Sankaty Head Light and exclusive golf club was spectacular. The most amazing views and lighthouse stamped golf ball (found courtesy of Steve) were the bonus takeaways. 
    This island tour was an additional service available through Hy-Line cruises and was $25 per person. It is highly recommended by both of us in order to gain an understanding and appreciation of the total Nantucket experience . Billy’s narrated tour was truly a MUST in our schedule.

     
    The tour was about an hour and fifteen minutes, allowing us plenty of time to tour the town of Nantucket again on our own. Nantucket is the smallest of the two islands and is only about 48 square miles, so it would be real easy to navigate the island by bike. Both islands also have car rentals, so if you chose to get around and explore on your own, you have options. The video below is from the Sankaty Head Light over on the east side of the island. As you can see, there is a reason there are so many lighthouses in New England. Warm land and cold waters make for some pretty dense fog. 
     
     
     
    We purchased lots of goodies from several shops and also visited the Whaling Museum.  I had lots of pictures from this place and I have somehow lost them along with a few others. Hopefully I'll find them misplaced in another folder. I do have a video of an old restored clock that is on display there and I've included that video below. A little history of the clock...
    "In 1881, William Hadwen Starbuck presented the Town of Nantucket with an E. Howard No. 3 flatbed striking clock. Manufactured by the E. Howard Watch & Clock Co. of Boston, it was installed in the tower of the Unitarian Church and began operating on May 28, 1881. It powered the four clock faces of the south Tower and the church’s familiar bell, 52 chimes, three times a day, until 1957, when the dials were electrified.

    The Howard clock was donated by the Town to the NHA in April 1972 and was moved to the Peter Foulger Museum. It was restored in 2004–2005 to be installed in the glass-enclosed three-story stairwell of the Whaling Museum for its grand reopening in 2005, a location that displays the clock and its intricate mechanism in full view. Today, from the lobby to the museum’s rooftop belvedere, visitors can closely observe the clockworks chime the hours."
     
     
     
     

    It was afternoon and time to eat, so we went back to a location near the ferry dock and secured a lovely patio spot at The Tavern for a late lunch consisting of clam chowder (we were committed to having it every stop), roast beef sandwich, fries, and beer ($54). Yes... no seafood here, Nantucket is a little pricey and we were saving up for points north. 
    With newfound energy, we footed on, did a little more shopping, and enjoyed all that we could before leaving for Hyannis on the 4:15 pm ferry. We had planned on returning on the 5:40 pm, but by that time we were done so they let us swap.
     

    Finally, we have two short videos of the return trip. It was sunny but very windy and the back of the boat had lots of people on it until we got out in open waters... and then the wind and the spray chased everyone inside except for us, a couple of Hy-Line employees and this one girl. Every now and then she would get blasted by a COLD spray... and she never flinched. One person even came out and asked her if she was ok! 🙂 We talked with her after we pulled in and discovered that she had moved from Miami to just north of Boston and was here for the summer to work on Nantucket, and on this return trip she was headed back to the mainland. Amy just KNEW that she must have lost a bet. 🙂 Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow let these people know you have a picture of them? I wished I had gotten a video of her getting sprayed. 🙂
    So a great day with great weather, and it just so happens that this wonderful weather will be our traveling companion over  the following 9 days. We were both  blown away by the beauty and charm of the old seaside port and the staggering amount of documented history. It's amazing and not uncommon to see building's from the 1700's that are meticulously maintained and still in use today. The fact that the brick and cobblestone roads and sidewalks have withstood the wind and weather and 300 years of use is amazing. Overall, our island trip was surreal and exceeded our every expectation (as each day has so far). I came as a visitor and left as a faithful friend, and this visit would be tough to beat.  But what we didn't know was that the next few days would end up being even better. 🙂
     
     
     



  20. NorthGeorgiaWX
    We made it! We arrived in West Yarmouth about 4:30 pm on Saturday.  Along the way we stopped to visit two lighthouses in Rhode Island and eat a lobster roll. 🙂
    I've added a few pictures and a couple of videos below. Most were taken at the two lighthouses or on the way to them. Oh... and my lobster roll. 🙂 You can't forget the lobster roll. 
    We're just getting started so I'll have lots more pictures and videos. Now is when it starts getting good!
    EDIT: Here's the link to the photos for this day.
    New England Trip - Rhode Island/MA - June 1, 2019 - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 180 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
    Here are a couple of videos I took on the ride, and both of these are from the Beavertail Lighthouse. I'll have more later. This first video is from the dash cam and the second video was taken using my S7 with polarizing filter. 
     
     
     
     
     
  21. NorthGeorgiaWX
    After the fiasco from yesterday, we have decided to skip the stop in Philly to see Independence Hall, and I think that decision proved to be a wise one.
    Also... if you travel and use Google Maps... just know that the drive times you see is probably not going to be the time you actually spend on the road. Obviously Google doesn't know how many times you're gonna stop, and it doesn't know how fast you'll travel among other things. 

     
    The bridge you see in the picture above is one of many on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut. Each bridge is a little different, but each one is very fancy. Those were kind of cool. Here's a link to the picture album with images of 33 of the bridges.
     
    New England Trip - Merritt Parkway Bridges in CT - Google Photos
    PHOTOS.APP.GOO.GL 31 new items · Album by Steve Brueck  
    There are a total of 42 bridges that cross over Merritt Parkway. We will do another blog post about the bridges, there is a great story and history behind them.
    Today we end up in Shelton Connecticut at a Hampton Inn. (EDIT: this was a GREAT place to stay). Tomorrow... onward through the fog!
    EDIT: The bridge and the bridges I talk about below were actually the next day, June 1. They are in Connecticut... I do know that. 🙂 We arrived at Shelton CT and stayed at a Hampton Inn (the best one of the whole trip) and then continued driving the next day on the road you see above. I think. The days all ran together. 🙂
    Here's on video of us crossing the Hudson River on the Tappan Zee Bridge.
     
  22. NorthGeorgiaWX
    Here we go! Up early this morning for one of our two longest continuous stretches of driving. Our destination today is the Hyatt Regency at the inner harbor area of Baltimore Maryland. Thanks to @mudrun for all of the great information about the Baltimore area!
    This leg of the trip is about 650 miles and Google is estimating about 11 hours on the road, so it's going to be a long day. The plan is to leave at 4 am in order to miss rush hour traffic in Charlotte and DC.  The original plan was to travel I-85 to I-95, but after noticing that the back roads through Virginia only take 20 minutes longer, I think that's the route I'll take, and that's the route you see in the map above.  We'll get lots of pictures and videos along the way, and I'll be posting those as time permits. 
    We wanted to get past Washington DC to find a place to stay for the night, because early the next morning (Friday) we are going to Philadelphia to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. I didn't want to have to battle early morning DC traffic and we need to be at Independence Visitor Center when it opens (you need tickets), so Baltimore was a good stopping point.   From our place in Baltimore, it's about 100 miles and a little less than a 2 hour drive to the Independence Hall parking. We need to be there at 8 am as they start selling tickets at 8:30 even though it doesn't open until 9. 
    I don't mind the long haul driving, we drive 8 hours one way to see my parents in Sarasota, and when I go to the SCCA National Championships in Lincoln Nebraska we drive for 14-15 hours. My longest drive was 22 straight hours from Atlanta to Boston once, so 11 is very pretty doable. And since I don't normally like to ride with other people driving, so unless I can't keep my eyes  open, I'm it. 🙂 With lots of different things to look at, the side roads won't be as boring as the interstates, so staying awake in broad daylight shouldn't be a problem.
    Update Friday AM: Well, we made it to Baltimore. No, not in 10-11 hours as planned, but instead it took us 15 HOURS to get here. If you think Atlanta traffic is bad, try DC traffic.  Let me say this... if you ever thought you might like to live in northern Virginia/Maryland... you'd better drive those roads before you decide. 
    One 14 miles stretch took 1:10 and after that the next 39 miles took 53 minutes. So 2 hours to go 53 miles. For those in Gwinnett that know the road, we took Lawrenceville Hwy all the way through Virginia. 🙂 Yes, highway 29 goes all the way through Virginia (NC too). For the most part, Hwy 29 was an awesome drive. The speed limit is lower, but it's a 4 lane divided highway, and you can sit back, stick it on cruise and relax. It's nothing like taking I-95. 
    We're off to our next overnight stop in Connecticut, this drive will be a lot shorter and we're going around NYC instead of through it.

  23. NorthGeorgiaWX

    New England Trip 2019

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    New England Trip
    I found this old blog post on my old blog site, so I'm going to get it copied over here. I'd really like to get rid of the old site since I don't use it except to keep some old blog post. 
    ------------------------------------
    This is going to be the story of our two week vacation through the New England states, complete with all of the places we will see, things we will learn, and memories that we will make.  Amy and I will include as many pictures,  videos, links to the places and things we do, as well as any other information we can find to help document the  entire trip. (You know, just in case you'd like to go sometime 🙂
    When I was 16 years old my parents took us on a trip to the New England states and I still remember parts of that trip to this day. Since my wife Amy has never been to that part of the country (except for a trip to NYC), it will be a new experience for her and a great refresher for me, and there are a lot of places that we'll be going that I've never seen as well, so this ought to be fun!
    This is going to be a driving trip.  We thought about flying up and getting a rental car up there, but there are so many great places to see along the way, it would be a shame to not take the scenic route by driving versus flying. The total round trip length is about 3000 miles, so it's going to be a long haul with many days in the car. And since I didn't want to put that kind of mileage on my own vehicles,  we are renting a SUV (Ford Explorer supposedly) for the trip. We have most of the itinerary planned now, so I'll be posting maps and more details as we get closer in time. 
    Basically, we pick up the rental vehicle at on Wednesday the 29th, start the trip on the morning of the 30th,  and we return home on Wednesday, June the 12th.  During the time we are gone, we will pass through a total of 15 states, 11 of which Amy has never seen. On the way up we will travel through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and into Massachusetts.  We will set up home in West Yarmouth (next to Hyannis, see map below) in Massachusetts for a stay at the Holly-Tree Inn condo. From there we'll spend almost an entire week exploring Cape Cod and the surrounding area before we embark on a two day drive up the coast to Bar Harbor Maine where we'll stay another two nights at the Coach Stop Inn Bed and Breakfast. We plan on getting off the beaten path and hug the coast as much as possible in order to see all the sights along the way. Our route will pass through a very small section of New Hampshire (Portsmouth) on our way into Maine, and we will be stopping at numerous places all along the coastline before staying at Kennebunk Friday night. The next morning (Saturday) we take the back roads that will lead use to Bar Harbor. Sunday morning after arriving in Bar Harbor, we have to get up REAL early so we can go capture the sunrise (the sunrise is 4:50 am!!!)  from Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. From there we will drive up to the US-Canadian border at Eastport Maine, maybe see the "Old Sow",  the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere, and eat a lobster roll at Quoddy Bay Lobster before heading back to Bar Harbor. 
    The return trip begins after breakfast on Monday the 10th, and the first day on the road will lead us across the beautiful forest and mountains of northern New Hampshire. We stop for a three hour round trip ride on the Cog Railway to the top of Mount Washington before continuing the trip south along the Vermont/New Hampshire border where we'll stop to sleep in Woodstock, Vermont.  After an overnight rest, we get up early the next morning to begin a long day of driving  toward the Cave Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast in Virginia. Rising with the sun on Wednesday the 12th, we'll drive on a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina before hopping back on the interstate to finish the trip home. 
    We have a lot of things planned while we're gone, like stopping at the Independence Hall in Philadelphia, taking the ferries to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard islands for day trips, a  4 hour whale watching tour, a guided walking tour in Boston, a trip to the top of Mount Washington, and stops for what is supposed to be some of the best seafood ie... lobster) and lighthouses anywhere.  In between, there will be a thousand other things to see and do, and I hope we can capture it all so you can follow our fun.  
    I'll break all of this out by making a new post for each day of the trip, so we should end up with a minimum of 14 different post. I'm sure I will also create a special post or three for those special side trips, highlights, and activities that we do.  I'm also sure the post will be delayed since I can't spend all my time writing blog post 🙂 Who knows... I've never documented  a two week trip before.  I'm just winging it right now 😉

  24. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Thursday, December 7

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Front Yard
    Progress is continuing, and it's all digging. Today they are digging for the footings for the big wall, so more dirt coming out. Due to the height of the wall it's going to have to be 16" wide. These are a few pictures from yesterday, and I'll have more later today. Two more trees will need to come out, one at each end of the drive. 




     
  25. NorthGeorgiaWX

    Tear it Down

    By NorthGeorgiaWX,


    Home
    So.... the first day was fun to watch! They ripped out the boulder wall, all of the remaining shrubs, tree stumps, and other debris. 
    They started around 11 AM, taking the boulders that made up the old wall, and placing them on the other side of the driveway. That side was pretty steep and I wanted to shore it up as much as possible, so that my driveway stays where it's suppose to stay. That process took about three hours, and after than they ripped everything else out. 
    In these two pictures, you can see the boulders that are being moved.


     
    Here's a good before and after, minus the boulders.

     

     
    The small tree on this end of the drive will have to come down.


     
    I was hoping to keep this tree on this end of the drive, but I'm afraid it will need to go too. It's a beautiful maple, and I hate to lose it. 


     
    All of those boulders that made up that wall, ended up here. It was a perfect fit, as all of the boulders got used.  These will really help to reinforce the bank. 


     
    The rocks have since been covered with dirt and daffodils will be planted all over the bank.

     
    What we're putting down on the bank.

     
     
    I managed to get a time lapse video of the first day of demolition, and this is what it looked like.
     

Various Links

These are links to various pages on my Daculaweather.com site

NWS Links

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