Allentown's OGR Spring Thaw Breakfast

Very nice breakfast this morning. Thanks for opening it up to a guy you don't even know, I appreciated it. I stayed until a little after 12:30, and it was snowing like crazy when I pulled out. Streets were pretty well coated. It took me just under 3 hours to get back here to Hammonton, which it a little more than an hour longer than it took to get up there. Almost all of that was due to the trip from the fair grounds to the N.E Extension, and from the Jersey Turnpike to home. We were moving very well on the highways. Didn't find what I was looking for today, but I don't care. Can't wait for the next one.

Breakfast was great as usual, as was the show. It was crowded though, until about 12. I left at 12:30, and it was fairly empty.

I was going to go to the North Penn's open house, but after traveling at 30mph on Route 22, I decided to go north for home before things got worse. Oh well, maybe next time.

Breakfast was at the HamFam as usual. Service was much better than last fall and the food was hot. No customers were forgotten this time...

Here is Chuck impatiently waiting for his foo-foo pancakes. I never did see them...

Some of the early arrivals. I had to leave early to get the layout running, so I missed the later arrivals.

Here is out famous 11:00 meet shot. This year it was taken at "The Non-OGR Booth" location due to the last minute announcement that OGR would not be there.  However, as photographic evidence shows, Ed and Don were indeed present. I wonder how they are going to get out of this one...

BTW, attendance for the picture was a little sparse due to the impending weather.  Snow started falling around noon and by 1:00 the halls were emptying out. I'm guessing there was 3/4" of new stuff on the ground when the show closed at 4:00.

Chris

LVHR

Gee, what do you know...Don and I really can be in two places at once! Don said we could do it and now I believe him.

Darn, we are good!

Ed and Don

Yes i had a great time as well finally got to me the great Guy,s from the forum.Did not know where your layout was setup, but i looked at everything! really had a nice time, Can't wait till next time.

You're all a Great bunch of guys and Jokstars made me laugh.

Alan Mancus

P.S. i did not see anyone after about 1130 when i started to head out, actually got back home quicker in spite of the snow, even had time to go tm my local Hobby Shop and shoot the Breeze!

I'm glad the breakfast crowd was large and well behaved. It really is a fun couple of hours. I had to bail from the breakfast to get to NYC for daughter's physical therapy (she inherited her father's loose joints). Got on the 8 a.m. bus from Allentown, then returned on the 1 p.m. bus. Was back in front of the fireplace at 3 p.m. Thank goodness for express buses. (The often begged for, but not by me, low speed train to NY from Allentown would take about 3 hours or more.) 

Hope to see some of you guys tomorrow at Spring Thaw. Hey, expecting 40 degrees so it really is a 'thaw.'

Chris, you missed the manly man blueberry pancakes.

And the photographic proof???

Chris

LVHR

I'm insulted!   That's a blueberry. 

Not good enough. We need fresh self incriminating evidence with which to mock you!

Chris

LVHR

A good time was had by all that made it I think.  I'll be back in the fall, and I hope the weather is a little better next time!  I'd have liked to spent a little more time in the halls, but I wanted to get back to the NPOG open house.

We actually closed the place, I left around 5:30 from our open house.  Plenty of snow on the roads, but very few people, so it was pretty easy to get home.  I followed a plow that was salting as well for about half the trip, he was moving right along.

Chuck,

Thank You again for making the arrangements for our breakfast and thank you for making the rounds with tickets prior to your departure. I was wondering why I did not see you anytime at the meet. Sounds like you had quite the full day. I hope your daughter is doing well. Breakfast was very good this time the food was served fast and hot and nobody was missed. I think we should stick to this service format. It was nice to see everyone again and meet some new faces. Always a pleasure to see Jean and Pat.  Has anyone heard from Devlin ?......... It is unlike John to sign up and then not show up. Perhaps he heard that Jessica was not coming and decided,.... Why Bother?

Seriously I hope everything is OK

The show was great. I found three excellent Lionel per-war 800 series and 2800 series freight cars. A 2811 flat car with original lumber load a 3811 operating log dump car and a 2815 Shell tank car which I had been looking for for some time. The Shell tank car is hard to find in excellent condition at a reasonable price, so I was pleasantly surprised to find such a nice gem today at a very fair price, then I turned around and found the other two cars right across the aisle. So I was done    "shopping " by 9AM. Had delightful conversations with Mark, Mike, Brian, and Greg of our breakfast group and with several vendors I know as well. The crowd was thick by then and with bad weather closing in I decided to skip the photo as luck would have it Judy and Dave came along as well as Ted and the good conversation continued. Soon it was 10:40 and I said whats another twenty minutes especially when I found out Ed and Don of OGR had arrived........OK so they were in a plastic bag on sticks but hey its the spirit that counts and it helped fill the huge void left by the non presence of the OGR crew.  After the photo ( thank you Judy for a wonderful Job as always ) I went to the Farmers market for some Kiffles and headed back to NJ arriving home before the snow. A wonderful day of friends and trains. 

Speaking of snow....its snowing rather heavy right now......since I don't have to be anywhere anytime soon it looks nice. I think I will go run some trains.

Enjoy

Frank

P.S. Blueberries are very good and very healthy, an Excellent choice Chuck. You are indeed a very wise man.                        

Bad weather or not, I'm sorry I missed it. Instead, I had to eat fried fish at Alabama Jacks in Key Largo.

Glad you all had such a good time.

Ahh, what a shame  

Art

Chuck, around here we call comments like that "snow blindness".  Lol

Frank, I'm doind fine and thanks for asking.  Once the world stopped spinning I was able to make it to my train club open house for a little while.  This Vertigo is a pita.

John

John,

Thank You for "checking in". Glad to hear that you are feeling better my friend. 

You were missed. I am already looking forward to November

Sincerely

Frank