Hi Susan,

Here is one that was online. The top 3 floors have lots of terra cotta, which is dang hard and expensive to replace. Few companies manufacture it anymore. We received permission to use Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC).  I could not tell the difference holding it in my hand. The engineer could, but probably not when it's 200 feet above ground. 

I'm glad the program went well. 

Paul

Good morning Susan, Paul, and all.  Still snowing here from yesterday around noon but usually light.

Think we have 2-3 inches so far.  The storm Sunday night into Wednesday is the one to watch.  Could

turn into a snowy noreaster with a low coming up the coast to join it.  They are the ones we sometimes

get feet of snow and drifting.  At least we can take our time getting out and I don't have to listen to

corrupt managers protecting their friends digging out and harressing people they don't appreciate.  I didn't

have that problem anymore the last 17 years of my career but was a pain earlier and still remember.

I remember drifts we shoveled that were over our heads. 

I still love the freedom of having a car, coming and going as I please.  We pay the expense because we learned

about the freedom as teens and still want it.   Walking miles or trying to get a ride, or sometimes just skipping

events we wanted to go to.  Still remember the day of my driving test.  Hope you get some good rotors Susan,

don't want to be back here any sooner than necessary.  I got the best Auto Zone sells.  If I wasn't going down south

to the farm I would be driving about the same as you Susan.  Takes more than half a tank to go down and back.  Last

time had to fill up to go, then filled up when I returned, then had to run right back down for defective frig, now I'm

down to a quarter of a tank again.  Would have been much more expensive to drive the SS with it's 383 cubic inch

stroker engine but lots of fun.  Has a lock up torque converter for overdrive so 2200 rpm on the highway but still

low miles per gallon and needs premium fuel. 

I was about to return to church and got an email they just had two people with the virus quite a while back.  I'm not

afraid of the virus but no use pushing it.  I don't want the flu either. 

Paul, the building looks fantastic.  Can see why they want to preserve them.  Don't know if I've ever seen anything

like it.  The tour I got of the city was at night when we went to some classes just over the border in NJ. 

Finished the heavy duty antenna mount for the Baja but still have to install it on the vehicle when we get some nicer

weather.  Have many projects to move onto.  Might try to shovel up the little snow we got so it doesn't add to the next

storm. 

Don't think I will jog with the dogs this morn.  Lots of salt and chemical spray on the roads and my knee hurts from tripping

couple mornings ago.  Probably use the elliptical this morning.  I wash off the dogs feet when we get back from salty roads.

Enjoy the day all.

Ernie

Granddaughter years ago.

Raining in NYC, I'm sure we're done with snow. Only had a light snow once this season. Headed to Red Cross at this ungodly hour. 

Enjoy the day, everyone.

Paul

Hi Paul,

That is a very impressive apartment building.  The inserts are quite lovely and they enhance the building.  I think I spy a tree at the top of the building??   A most lovely place to reside.

What do you do as a volunteer at the Red Cross?   My daughter, Megan, is enjoying her job working with the immigrant population ~ very hands on and that is what she has chosen to do over over her previous job in the medical sector.

On we go…..smoke free!    Susan

Hi Ernie,

Yes, several people (neighbor and his daughter) and others are coming down with COVID, despite the booster shots.  We are fully boosted.  Guess we wait until we see what the Dr. says next year about additional ones.  Many younger people are opting out of it.

Yes, the spouse drives far more than I do….two cars that take premium gas I believe.  I’m happy to just have my regular gas and fill it up once or twice a month (unusual).  Previously, I drove back home (120 miles) far more than I do now.  It’s been 15 years since we moved up to the Cleveland area and that is hard to believe!

Enjoy the week-end.  I have not heard about snowfall coming.  It’s cold here….   Susan

Good morning Susan, Paul, and all.  17 here and dropping so no run again for dogs and I.  Drew the line

here and if even a slight breeze would be lower.  To bad, stayed back yesterday because of the storm and

tomorrow morn, storm again.  Says it will start around 1 AM Monday morning and goes on until Wednesday

morn. 

Yeah I run premium in the SS and burns it fast but not as bad as some.  450 horsepower is lots to me but

they're building much higher.  Usually run medium grade in the bike.  If very hot out or I hear a spark knock

I change it up to premium. 

Guess we are getting the storms up from the southwest in between Cleveland and NYC.  The front coming up

the coast will be rain in NYC, I think.  I did shovel the driveway yesterday, not enough snow to get the backhoe

out and the gravel isn't frozen, like most of the Winter, so makes a mess of the gravel.  I do have skids on both

sides of the buckets to prevent gouging in the gravel but with it just lose it makes a mess.  When we aren't getting

a low front seems like we are getting lake effect snow on and off.  But don't mind Winter weather that bad and

both our daughters live within 15 miles so we are blessed. 

I don't get on until the next morn Paul so I can't see the hour you are posting.  Impressive volunteering for the Red

Cross.  They helped us some after the tornado wiped us out o=in 83.  Nothing like the people in the more widespread

storms.  They brought us sandwiches while we rebuilt but didn't supply us mobile homes for 9 years like I hear about.

We lived here in two truck campers my relatives had from May until August.  We built a shed to store stuff in out of the

weather and tore it down when we had finished (sorta) rebuilding.  Really rebuilding went on for years because no endless

money supply.  Got 3 loans to rebuild along with some insurance money.  Insurance company tried to give us less naturally.

Didn't expect it back then.  These days I expect people to try to cheat us.  Took months to settle with the insurance company

with the help of the local newspaper.  Red Cross also got us some beds and a couple dressers.  Paid for wife and kids to stay

in a motel for 3 nights.  I had to stay out here lots because nothing was secured so slept in the car.  Sometimes I was down

at the motel studying for college finals.  I just barely made it through Physics, needed more time for that final.  Thieves took

lots of stuff from my brother's abandoned home.  Just recently noticed a new 5-6 foot John Deere mower deck missing.  Was

hung up on a shed wall and was very heavy.  Two strong people might have been able to lift it off the wall and load it into

a truck.

Only did a little work on a ham radio besides shoveling yesterday.  Got the radio set up for power and antenna.  Think it just

needs additional programming, not sure yet. 

So we need to get groceries today in front of the storm.  Will be very busy at Wegmans being Sunday and a storm coming.

Enjoy the day all.

Ernie

Part of the lab I used to work in, messy.

Hi Susan,

Most of the disasters in NYC are home fires, some flooding, but no hurricanes, tornados, twisters, volcanoes, etc. So primarily in the city, RC is responding to fires to house people who can't stay in their homes. We go to a fire, determine whether it is habitable, register the residents, and arrange hotels, give them a prepaid cash card. Also try to assess whether they need emotional counseling. If the fire affects many people, set up a shelter. 

There are 3-10 fires in the city most days.  In an 8-hour shift, sometimes there are 3-4 fires so it's nonstop, sometimes there are none. If I go early, I'll be done by 2PM, and tell myself I'll have most of the day, but generally fall asleep when I get home :)

The first picture in the attached is from 1904. At the time an elevated subway line was adjacent to the building. Eventually subways were moved underground.  At 15 floors it towered over everything else, but now it's one of the smaller buildings in the area. 

http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1942.pdf

 

A shame, Earnie, about the thefts at your brother's home. Probably not much you can do about it. I'm not sure cameras would work well. 

Enjoy Sunday,

Paul

Good morning Paul and all.  Snow just starting here but at 32 is wet.  Probably won't be able to run the dogs.

Might stop for a while but not supposed to have a break until later.   I did take them up the mountain yesterday

while wife was getting groceries and she took them up the hill for another walk later.  Got groceries out in front

of the storm.

It's to late for the abandoned home but thinking about cameras for the garage at the farm house.  He has lots

of equipment there and they only have to break a window to get access.  It's a bit of a run from the garage to

the house.  Don't think my cameras would work, must be 100 yards.  My cameras probably won't work past 100

feet, might work longer, haven't tried it.  I have motion lights on my cameras because want to ward people off

and they're already recorded when the lights come on.  The thieves have long ago used up what money they

got for stuff at the lower place.  The one trying to steal the air compressor either came back with help or different

people came for the mower deck.  The mower deck people could have gotten the air compressor out.  We managed

to get that before they could get it out of the shed.  Will talk to brother about cameras but, believe it or not he's running

out of money even with his pension, social security, wife's social security (gone now), and cleared about $140k selling

the best land on the farm.  He never was any good at budgeting and not paying property tax on the farm house now.

We ran our home without wife's SS for 6 years and still use little of it to run our home after we retired.  She does pitch

in for stuff often on her own. 

Saw the article on your building, lots of history.  City looks dirty back then.  Guess you usually won't dose off on your

Red Cross shift.

I did little things again yesterday.  One thing, got started on waterproof coating our boots.  Kiwi Camp Dry is supposed

to work on suede like the boots I got wife for Christmas and putting couple coats on my Summer and Winter Army

boots also.  I spray them outdoors, then bring them into the basement to dry.  Doesn't seem to be discoloring anything.

Got a 3 can set from Amazon. 

Wife is busy growing African Violets.  Separating large groups of plants in larger pots into smaller pots until they can grow

some.  I guess we're going to have lots of them. 

We had a house fire when I was 2 months old back in the 50s.  All got out uninjured but lost lots of things in our families

history.  That's when we ended up on the family farm.  Cost was $8000 back then.  It was crude, had a well house instead

of a drilled well.  I remember growing up the well house smelled bad.  Half the house was moved in back then so no

basement under that section.  The basement there is is still a dirt floor and rock walls.  Some of the wood beams are

starting to fall.  Think some pictures were lost in the fire but had few, I think. 

Have a great day.   Snowing out still here now.

Ernie

Very small picture but farm soon after my parents bought it in mid 50s.

High 30s so all rain here.

Hectic day as Silicon Valley & Signature Banks are customers of my company. I occasionally talk to them so feel bad. Eventually some of them will be let go.

Have a good dry evening,

 Paul

Good morning Paul and all.  Snowing here, just got to be solid snowing as I woke up and the radar

shows it snowing hard until past 8 AM.  Probably no run for the dogs and I again, they will be restless

all day again.  My knee needs the break, tripped and fell last Thursday morning, hit my knee on the

pavement.  I wear supports on both knees now so didn't tear it up to badly.

Sad for the companies in trouble, usually caused by the people that don't work at the top.  At least

the workers won't be let go in an unemployment disaster.  Should find employment easily.  When I

got laid off in 1994, the employment chances were a barren desert for years.  Took me 6.5 years to

get a good job.  There were lots of us so when a job turned up many were trying for it. 

Started getting my dirt bike going, to run it some on what's left of dad's farm.  Dad got me my first

little Honda 100cc, learned to ride in dad's fields.  The field that's left could still be lost.  Won't want

to take the Baja and dirt bike down when good weather so trying to get it ready for Spring.  Got the

new battery filled and charged, was surprised the bike started.  Changed the engine oil and cleaned

the oil filter, doesn't have a replaceable filter.  Got foam to replace the air filters.  Haven't replaced

the foam for about 27 years.  I did take the dirt bike down to the farm in 2001 and rode for a while

when the farm was still whole.  Still remember that day.  It's a 1972 Honda SL350.

I guess the city is getting washed in the rain. 

Have a great day all.

Ernie