Sunday, February 28, 2010

Devotions


But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.


Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley. ---from The Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions Arthur Bennett

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Original Ad Saturdays...


My quest for period billboards and other signage for my models can lead to some seriously funny ads from the past...

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Yes, it's all coming back to me now...I distinctly remember winning over my future bride in just this way while we were courting at Bible college...

...and this one...

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Oh yeah...nothing to keep the heart fires burning for your beloved then to let her chuff down a pack of Luckies every day...just to keep that wedding day figure you fell in love with---no doubt shedding a few pounds here and there coughing up a lung or two through the years of blessed matrimony...Oh, yeah that's right, no throat irritation and no cough because, after all "It's toasted"...

Model railroading, 1929...


...two months before Black Tuesday. Note the early effort to get away from the unrealistic middle third rail by using a wire run down the center of the tracks. Note also the use of "Armstrong" levers for controlling the turnouts. For all its obvious faults, this was a very serious effort at realistic model railroading long before the hobby as we know it came to be.

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Somebody needed to tell them to lighten up though, with those stone faces, you'd think model trains was a chore on par with cleaning a stable...yeesh...

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Mamod TE1a...again...


As I reached for my tractor to pose it for last week's photo,it dawned on me that it has sat unfired for over two years. Since one of our family friends was having their last civilian home cooked meal before going off to play in the big sandbox for the next few months, I fired it up for them last night.

Almost immediately, the smell of the burning alcohol and hot lube oil filled the air and I got drawn into the mystique that attracts those who enjoy these little machines for a hobby. The hearty staccato of the piston as it sent the flywheel whirling about, the vortex of steam rising from the stack, the heat radiating from all over...it was a good night, the kids were thrilled, our friend thinks I'm a couple french fries short of a Happy Meal, and all topped off with my beloved's meatloaf and mustard greens.***



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...still at 200+ degrees, searing oil and hissing vapors...sweet.



***Oh, yeah...if I had any Yankee in me when I moved down here, it disappeared after those first plates of collards and mustard greens. Come on over the house for some raccoon next week...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wednesday's Word, 1Corinthians 15:35-58...


But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body.

All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.

Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.




Sunday, February 21, 2010

Psalm 1


Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.






Saturday, February 20, 2010

Mamod TE1a...


...and my favorite Star Wars character, Salacious Crumb.

"Yeah, I'm 50 years old...and your point is?" ;-)

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A video birthday card...


...from a reader in Maramures County in Romania...



...those link-and-pin couplers would have OSHA reps wetting their beds over here. In my ornery construction daze, I made sure I always had a white hard hat---because we were on high rise buildings, the guys above could only see the white hat, an OSHA trait, and have to go on a mad scramble to find theirs, "...before that @#%$& OSHA man gets up here."

Oh yeah, I was a bit of a stinker back then...now the only fun I can have on my job is to leave the seats up in the women's bathroom after I clean it.

Friday, February 19, 2010

I enjoy stop motion films...


The History of the World from a Stone’s Point of View

From the site... "This is an amusing video produced by Filmakademie in Germany. Stone (really in this case rocks and outcrops) have a much longer lifetime than humans. Humans and animals evolve, civilizations rise and fall but the rock that makes up the earth continues to exist on a whole different time scale."


Find more videos like this on STONEMAD


On turning 50...


Saturday is my fiftieth birthday. Only two American locomotives saw 50+ years of service, the GG1 and a tee boilered shay known as Mich-Cal #2 so, I guess that means I can be propped up in a corner of some museum and buffed and polished every so often to keep the visitors coming...sigh...

With that, my model "bucket list"...

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...that's it, third down on the right...

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Oh...and a PFM/United HO scale model of Mich-Cal #2...I won't be sad if I got the Aristo-Craft live steam model though...

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Road Champs 1:87 scale tractor/trailer "Mayflower"...


...purchased at a thrift store the day before the Super Bowl, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of the prophetic in finding it. Anyone familiar with the Indy/Baltimore story knows that it was 12 Mayflower vans that moved Baltimore's beloved Colts away on a snowy, rainy March 29, 1984.

Payton Manning probably could've used one to haul the look on his face---all 74 yards of it---home when Tracy Porter snagged that pass...

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...of course those sad toy wheels had to go...

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...replaced by ones salvaged from Reader's Digest firetrucks*** and battered NASCAR 1/87 team rigs found in yardsales.

True, it's not a cab-over tractor but hey, I'm not picky...

Laissez les bons temps rouler.

***If you're willing to part with a sawbuck for one, I can dig up a couple for you---and make a 900% profit off of you to boot. ;-)

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Wednesday's Word...


Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. (Deuteronomy 8:5-6)

Monday, February 15, 2010

Saints Sports Illustrated cover shot...


...now that's just too cool.

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From one of my oft read news bloggers...

After seeing that picture, not even the wintry, windswept soul of a life-long Vikings fan can find the necessary wherewithal to begrudge the New Orleans Saints their incredible Super Bowl victory. Not unlike the unforgettable image of Kaka after winning the Champion's League, this picture of Drew Brees with his son is a great reminder of the proper place that even the greatest temporal victories hold in the hearts of the champions. How awesome it is for a man to be able to share a moment of triumph, however large or small, with his son.

I couldn't agree more...

As for Indy...wow. I guarantee that there would not have been one less Saint fan at the airport had they lost.

Humbrol "Shark" CO2 motor...


...now mounted on an as yet unfinished stand. I'm hoping to get the little booger running as soon as I can figure out how to get one of the chargers I have to work properly.

I've since learned that the Humbrol line of motors were fairly poor products that were copied from the Telco line of motors...sigh...at least the stand gives it an air of drama. Many thanks to Shag over at R/C Groups for helping me identify this motor.

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Sunday, February 14, 2010

Exo 3:1-15, 4:10-12


Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations...

...And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.


Saturday, February 13, 2010

Original Ad Saturdays...


Ambroid ad, Model Railroader magazine, March, 1951...

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Are they saying that one must paddle one's son and cop his toy train set so that one has a test track to run their newly finished kit? Not a good way to get the family into the hobby, wouldn't you say? Just a thought for the PR dept....

Video: FREMO americaN modular model raiload...




Friday, February 12, 2010

CO2 engine chargers...or...


..."How to blow through 5 gas cartridges before one humbles oneself and asks for help."

Obviously I'm missing something here so, because my knowledge of the Russian mother tongue is just this side of non-existent, I beseech the aid of one of my more fluent readers to point out which of these parts...

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...these instructions here are referring to, especially around parts 4, 5 and 6...

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...you will have the undying gratitude of an anxious boy and his son.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Excellent home video, R/C electric motored "Kestrel"...


From the notes:

This was my first ever RC plane. I taught myself to fly it the hard way with no instructor, buddy box or simulator. It is called the Kestrel, although it is made by several different companies under different names, such as Jamara's Cessna 182, or Megatech's Freedom Flyer. It has a very small toy like apperance and is very quiet, allowing me to fly in areas unsuitable for other models without upsetting anybody. After gaining confidence in my flying i put in a Parkzone 480 motor and a 1400mah nimh battery, giving it a lot more power but also made it very heavy for the small airframe, which made it harder to fly and very unforgiving at slow speeds especially at landing, where it had a vicious tip stall. This is a compilation of clips taken over 5 years, hundreds of flights and many crashes later. It is still flying and is still great fun!



Walthers HO scale Russell plow...


...been pining to be finished for a couple years now, I've already replaced the grabs with wire ones...guess I should think of finishing it before the snow hits tomorrow---here on the Gulf of Mexico.

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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Wednesday's Word...


Just crank it up and let the world go for 11 minutes...





I weep for a mere fraction of the authority that S. M. Lockridge spoke in that sermon...oh, do I weep...


Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Modela #3700/Russian DP-30 CO2 motors...


Picked these up at the R/C swap meet. One is a Czech made Modela model 3700, one is a Russian DP-30---as soon as I find a translator---and the third is an unknown maker. I had never heard of CO2 powered engines until Saturday and the price was way too good to pass up for an old tinkerer like me...

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This is the Czech Modela #3700, new in box and complete with motor rebuild kit and CO2 charger. Both engines came with chargers that use 8 gram, rather than the more common BB gun type 12 gram, cylinders, found in most liquor stores to power drink chargers.

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This is the Russian. I'm wondering from the way the manual is written if it isn't perhaps Soviet era. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

UPDATE: It's been pointed out that the copyright "CCCP" supports the pre-Federation Russia, making it a Soviet era item and all the more fascinating. Even the Styrofoam container is a high quality product normally reserved for only the best merchandise.

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This is the unidentified model. Though it is brass sleeved, from the plastic cylinder head, I figure this one is probably a lower end model. It was a freebie (always a nice price, no matter the quality) and came with a broken expansion tube that was easily repaired by drilling out the head and re-soldering in a fresh, clean end. Because it's expansion tube is rather rumpled from use, it won't be used to power a model. I'll simply build a stand for it and use it as an operating desk piece.

UPDATE: Thanks to some help over at R/C Groups, this one has been identified as a Humbrol "Shark", from a line of Telco knockoffs from the mid 1970s.

CO2 engines are expansion engines that require a kick start in the right direction, much like most Mamod steam models. They apparently were popular free flight motors in the late '80s and early '90s until the arrival of much easier to control micro electric motors. They are still popular with purists who prefer the more realistic putter to the whine of electric motors...




Here is one in powered R/C flight...

Monday, February 8, 2010

Northwest Florida Modelers swap meet, Feb. 6, 2010...


Yes, I primarily do model trains---but---I enjoy models of all kinds, I can easily get addicted to model engines...and...I do write a modeler's blog, which kinda obligates me to visit such places...oh, the sacrifices I must make...alas...sigh...

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This Proctor #701 "Antic" monoplane caught my eye, the gentleman was well on his way to the finish line, there was very little left to do on it...beautifully finished to this point and one of the better deals to be found there to boot.

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With woodwork like this, I'd hang it from the ceiling to admire before I'd skin it over.

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Somehow, I managed to get through there without the desire to empty my wallet and stuff my pockets full of engines, there were some nice fixer-uppers there.

I was disappointed at the lack of 4 strokers...there were at least three twins but, alas, no 5 cylinder rotary honkers I've been wanting to see. There also was a single cylinder 4 stroker there for sale at a decent price, but it was one of those closed in models---must see the monkey motion of the rockers to impress me. I did pick up a couple of facsinating engines I'll post a little later and my beloved finally found her Renwall #800:498 "The Visible Man" anatomy figure for her homeschooling work.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Lamentations 3:1-58


I am the man that hath seen affliction by the rod of his wrath. He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, but not into light. Surely against me is he turned; he turneth his hand against me all the day. My flesh and my skin hath he made old; he hath broken my bones. He hath builded against me, and compassed me with gall and travail. He hath set me in dark places, as they that be dead of old. He hath hedged me about, that I cannot get out: he hath made my chain heavy.

Also when I cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayer. He hath inclosed my ways with hewn stone, he hath made my paths crooked. He was unto me as a bear lying in wait, and as a lion in secret places. He hath turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces: he hath made me desolate. He hath bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow. He hath caused the arrows of his quiver to enter into my reins.

I was a derision to all my people; and their song all the day. He hath filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood. He hath also broken my teeth with gravel stones, he hath covered me with ashes. And thou hast removed my soul far off from peace: I forgat prosperity.

And I said, My strength and my hope is perished from the LORD: Remembering mine affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall. My soul hath them still in remembrance, and is humbled in me.

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it upon him. He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope. He giveth his cheek to him that smiteth him: he is filled full with reproach. For the Lord will not cast off for ever: But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not.

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens. We have transgressed and have rebelled: thou hast not pardoned. Thou hast covered with anger, and persecuted us: thou hast slain, thou hast not pitied. Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through. Thou hast made us as the offscouring and refuse in the midst of the people. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us.

Fear and a snare is come upon us, desolation and destruction. Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission, Till the LORD look down, and behold from heaven. Mine eye affecteth mine heart because of all the daughters of my city. Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause. They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and cast a stone upon me. Waters flowed over mine head; then I said, I am cut off.

I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon. Thou hast heard my voice: hide not thine ear at my breathing, at my cry. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee: thou saidst, Fear not. O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life.


Saturday, February 6, 2010

1/24 scale model automobiles...


...just click and enjoy.

PS: It runs itself, just hope you have DSL or a cable modem...

Original Ad Saturdays...


Varney war ad, Model Railroader magazine, March 1951...

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Not to get all gung ho or anything...but...could anyone name an American model train manufacturer that would post a similar ad in MR today?








...I didn't think so...sigh...

Friday, February 5, 2010

Roundhouse 3-in-1 rotary plow kit...


...I'm hearin' ya'll up nawth are fixin' to need a couple o' these---reeeeeal quick like...

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It's a shame ya know, all that global warming and stuff, buryin' you guys like that...

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Wednesday's Word, Psalm 127...


--A Song of degrees for Solomon.-- Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.


Monday, February 1, 2010

OS Max SF .40 engine...


...with Master Airscrew 10/6 prop and Coverite 1 1/2" prop cone...

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...almost ready for the test stand.