From the humblest of beginnings........The Shack!

As you can see from the photo, this small world of my model railroading empire is aptly called "The Shack". Since all the rooms of the house is taken up by one person or another and the garage is more for the storage of cars, bikes, tools and the like, I am delegated to this small 10'X12' building that has become my escape from the hustle and bustle of the daily drag of this journey called life. It has been a long time in coming, almost two years to be exact from when the idea was implanted into my brain by one of my best friends who had built one along with his son a few years back. This "Shack" started out as nothing more than a storage shed for lawn mowers, tools, yard tools, and anything that wasn't needed daily by being in the garage. It started out as an uninsulated, unheated, non air conditioned shack to something now that can stand the rigors of 105 degree days and still keep me quite cool. Since we haven't really had a "winter" in the past two years I haven't been able to find out just how well the heat works but I am sure it is ready if needed. Anyway, I digress. Let's get back to the beginnings and show you where I began.

As you can see from one of the beginning photos, this shack had no insulation, no sheet rock, nothing that would be considered creature comforts. The lights hung on chains from the ceiling and were only a foot above my head when standing under them. The wood you see on the wall was my first idea of what I was going to do with the walls but that changed as time progressed. I decided that if I was going to be in there for any length of time other than the fall or spring months then the place was going to need to be insulated along with heat and air. Thus the divergence from the path I was on. I decided before I went any further I needed to do some insulation and change over to using sheet rock. Of course, by this time I had framed the layout so it was either tear it out or insulate and sheet rock everything above the framing. In hind sight it would have been better had I thought everything out and had ripped all out and did a full insulation and sheet rock job. So much for that thought. Still, all in all, the atmosphere in there is better than I expected.

Here you can see where I had built the framing and started insulating about the layout and sheet rocking above it. I would continue this on up into the rafters but as you can see the bottom section below the layout remains uninsulated and no sheet rock. For now it will do but look at doing the bottom section farther down the road.

While this particular blog is not about the framing of the layout, per se, I did want to give an idea of where it is headed. This is the final paint on the sheet rock and part of the shelves I built into the framing. I plan on using curtains, skirts, you name it on rods to hide the lower portion when not in use. Still, overall I am liking the looks of how this is coming along. I must admit though, there were times where I almost stopped and said no mas. With putting a son through college while trying to keep any loans almost non existent, this hobby of mine takes a back burner when it comes to funding. Needless to say, it seemed at times that I was making no progress, that nothing was being done or I couldn't gather up the materials quickly and abundantly enough to go out and do anything.........and this is just getting the physical building ready! Had I been framing this in the house there is no telling where I would be with this layout but I can guarantee it would much more of an operating layout than it is right now.

Then began the ceiling construction. As you can see from this photo, because of the way the rafters are in this building and because of height restrictions, I could not do a flat ceiling. Also because of the center rafters that tie in the rafters coming from the wall are straight, it created a three angle ceiling to deal with. Still, overall I am happy with the way it turned out. I was worried that it was going to make the room feel more closed in, more claustrophobic but it has actually seemed to make the room look bigger than it is inside. I put insulation up between the rafters and then put the sheet rock up. I did most of it myself but did have some help with the longer pieces as it was hard to hold two ends up while drilling sheet rock screws in. As someone had told me when I started this hobby, I would be learning a good bit more than just modeling trains. Needless to say, I didn't know I would be gaining experience putting up sheet rock and mudding it in.


 This a view from one end of the shack to the other. As you can see, the ceiling is done and painted. I thought I had a photo of the lights that I had installed but apparently I don't. I flush mounted two four foot long energy efficient T8 lights in with "daylight" bulbs to give me as much "natural" light as possible. I have them connected to a switch at the door and can turn them off easily instead of having to pull two strings all the time to cut them on and off.




Well, for now that ends the tour of the "Shack". I have other pictures that I will post in a later blog showing the actual buildup of the layout framing itself. Just wanted to give a general view of where I started from as to the building itself. I haven't shown the heat or the air unit but I think this gives you a general idea as to where this is going. More to follow.

A new direction....

It has been a number of years since I have used this blog to post anything. Some of the post from a number of years back I have deleted. If you followed any of my prior postings, you will know why. I have decided to go into a new direction with this mainly because my life, but especially my interest in a certain hobby, has changed. I have taken on model railroading as a hobby and will be posting some of my endeavors on here. I am nowhere an expert nor do I consider myself as an intermediate hobbyist. No, I am a newbie, just learning the hobby, and if any of my trials and errors save anyone some of the torment that I may go through, then my purpose here is complete.  Does this mean I won't offer other thoughts about various subjects other than my new found hobby? No, I will still ramble on, offering what I am sure will be electrifying and eloquently stated words of wisdom on here. LOL. If I haven't ran you off by now, just sit back and let's enjoy the ride together.

My best friend's daughter...

It is hard to believe that it will soon be five months since my best friend, Chip, was killed in an SUV/motorcycle accident. While I have started coming to grips with it somewhat, and as life has moved on, the daily pain has lessened, but the memories still linger. I still catch myself from time to time thinking of calling him, of wanting to talk to him, only to realize there is no chance. Still, I like to think that he hears me when I do speak out loud to him, and that he understands.


Still, this is not about him, in a sense. This is about his daughter Erin. She is graduating from college in two weeks. There was some strain between the two because of the fact that she wanted to further her degree by moving to the other side of the country almost, when he felt she could do just as well in state. It wasn't about the money, as I think she had some promise of scholarships. Maybe it was a little, come to think of it, as she would have to have a place to stay, food, clothing, transportation. BUT, more so, I think it was more about her being so far away. She was a daddy's girl in a sense, as she was the one of the three that learned to scuba dive, she hung around when he worked on his Harley, so I think he watched over her a little bit more tightly. I think that she didn't really see it, seeing it more as a just because kind of thing, but I know he really cared. He loved his daughters, and was never hesitant about praising any of them. Anyway, she graduates next month and he is not here to see it. That I am sorry for. But, and Erin, if you are reading this, close your eyes at this part, I am planning on being there for him. I am going to ride upstate to be there for her graduation. She doesn't know it, and if she does find out, still, I am sure she would be surprised that I am going. I feel it is my duty, as his best friend, and as Erin's "Uncle Gicky", to be there. I have watched her come up from the day she was born, and I just want her to know how proud I am of her. I am sure Chip would have it no other way. Way to go Erin, you have did your father proud. I am sure he is beaming from above right now.

Attempting to move on...

Next week will mark a month since my best friend passed away in a horrifying motorcycle collision head on with an SUV. This month has been nothing, if not a total blur. The first week of the month was spent with his family, getting all the arrangements made, the cemetery site picked, surviving the funeral, and then dealing with seeing his bike for the first time, and finally bringing it home. I came home thinking that I would have time to mourn, time to gather myself together, only to be getting up with his brother for coffee, and breakfast another time, talking on the phone with his brother, his wife, and all three of his girls. All along with trying to maintain a regular schedule of working and taking care of things at home and with my own family. I find myself getting angry, at God, at Satan, at family and friends, knowing that it is my inability to come to terms with his death, to truly mourn and deal with my emotions, with my loss, that is causing all this. How do I go forward, when the friend that I shared everything with, all my thoughts and secrets, my fears and worries, the man who knew me better than anyone and had done so for 36 years? That is a friendship that you can't replace, nor would I want to. I have been back down to Charleston along with his brother to visit Chip's family. Also to talk to his wife about a headstone, as Chip's brother Dan is a graphic designer with a local memorial company. His family has pretty much decided on a black granite stone with laser etching of his Harley V-Rod done on it. I am sure Chip would approve. I know that another trip will come soon as Dan will want me to ride with him as we go down to show his wife the design. Each trip gets, .........well...........I guess I can't really say easier, but at least a little more desirable as I want to see his family, to know they are okay. I feel it my duty, my tribute to my friend to be there for his family. I know that sometime in the near future, I am going to have to take some time off, away from the job, from my family, and from his family, and get away to myself for a few days. I haven't had any down time, any time to look inside, to look at that deep, dark place that I am afraid to go to. I know that once I open that door, it cannot be shut, and that I will have to deal with it then and there. And no one can do it for me. But, I have to have the time to explore it, to deal with it, and to be able to move on from there. Maybe then, I can come back to my regular life, with a little more patience, a little more togetherness, and hopefully a lot less anger and pain. I know that it will never fully leave me, but the ability to deal with it is all I ask. I hope for anyone that ever reads this, that you never have to deal with this, that you, my friend, will always have your best friend with you until the end. Of course, we all must come to that end sooner or later, and whether it is we who have to deal with it, or our friends who will have to deal with our loss, all things come to an end. Thanks for the memories, Chip, and being the best friend anyone can ever have.

RIP, my dear friend...

December 04, 2006 has to be one of the most devastating days of my life. That is the day that my best friend of 36 years was killed in a motorcycle accident. That Monday night I was home, just having gotten off work a short hour or so before. My wife walks in after answering the phone, her face an impenetrable mask, walking towards me as if she is struggling against gravity to come into the room. She stops at my feet, looks at me, and tells me she has some terrible news. My first thought is for my sisters, and thinking that something has happened to one of them. Then she proceeds to tell me that my best friend of 36 years has died. That he was killed in a head on collision with an SUV. Needless to say, I get up and get dressed and head to his parent's house. It is almost too much to bear as I look at his frail parents, both in their seventies now, and listen as his father talks about it's not right for a parent to bury their child. And he's right. It is not fair. But unfortunately, this is not a fair world. The next day I go to work, mainly in a daze. I tell my boss I need a few days off, as I am heading to Charleston to where his family is. His wife and kids live there, and I need to be there for them. I have known his wife since they met, and she has been my friend for 26 years. I have watched each of his daughter's, 25, 21, and 14 years of age, as they have grew. One, married, another, a senior at Clemson, and the other, an eight grader, They are my surrogate family. I love them as my own. I stay with them for four days, trying to share their burden, trying to ease their pain, trying to do what I can do, only to have to leave and come home to my own grief and pain. Chip was my best friend and the brother that my mom and dad never gave me. We met in junior high, graduated from high school together, went to all kinds of places together. I was shy during those early years, and he was my middle man as to telling young prospects how I was interested in them. And never once made a snide remark, or refused to do so. He was my best man at my wedding, there when my son was born, and shared with me each of his three daughters as they were born. I helped him in raising them, being their "Uncle Gicky", and love them as my own. We rode bikes together starting off on "crotch rockets" racing around like we were invincible, drag racing on roads and at the drag strip, going to road races, going on trips to the mountains and just enjoying life. We both got away from riding for a while, but the lure drug us back in, this time in the shape of a V-Twin. We both had admired Harleys for a while, I with the Road King and he with the V-Rod. Of course, for him, it was about the performance. With me, it was the comfort. I accepted my age, while he fought it all the way. But, we made a great pair. We made trips all over, with Daytona and Laconia being the biggies. We had talked of Sturgis, but I had put him off with the thought that 2007 would be the year I had three weeks, and I could take two of them to go. Unfortunately, that was not meant to be. He was a Road Captain with the local Charleston chapter of the Harley Owners Group, a diver that volunteered for the SC Aquarium, a treasurer with the Telephone Pioneers, a wonderful husband, father, and friend. He was the epitome of what a true friend is, and I will miss him for the rest of my life. He also was my brother, and as such, he is irreplaceable. His ride was a 2005 Harley Davidson Screamin' Eagle V-Rod, and he cherished it to the end. It allowed him to soar about the clouds of despair, the clouds of what was known but to a few. That cloud was Parkinson's disease, and the clouds were gathering worse every day. He wasn't one to complain, and he refused to let it stop him from what he loved to do. He fought the good fight, and in the end, he died doing what he loved to do. He didn't lay down, he didn't give up, he didn't quit. He gave it full throttle and outraced the disease to the end. Chip, your pain and suffering are gone now. Your frustrations at what was happening is over. Thank you for the greatest 36 years any friend can ask for. I will miss you, my brother.......my friend.

My first time......

What do you write the first time you put sometime out into the void of the internet for anyone on the planet to read? How do you know that Hans in Germany will want to hear your thoughts, or that Gina in Australia will care that your dog can roll over on command? I guess most of the blogs out there will be read by a number of people, commented on by few, but the main thing will be that the one who posted will have gotten something off his or her chest. Kind of makes you wonder what it is going to be like a hundred years from now with all these thoughts just rumbling around the world, and maybe beyond. I can see it now, someone on Alpha Centauri scrolling through blog postings and coming upon your blog, talking about rebuilding the motor on your 2.5 horsepower Briggs Stratton lawnmower. "What is a lawn mower? For that matter, what is a lawn?" will be the question maybe. Who knows, maybe the blogs we post today will be the "dinosaur bones" of the internet that will be found in the future. ~Sigh~ Well, stay tuned for more of those bones, as I will post more as I finish reading my book, or answering my email. What's a book, or an email? ~sigh~ Those people in the future are going to love us!