I hope you're all having....

[Tom]

As good a week as I am. I am getting ready to do a months worth of locomotive engineer and brakeman training in Jamaica of all places in a couple of weeks. This makes all of the dirty, snowy, cold, dank, crapholes I trained at all winter worth it! I just found out I saved $6,000.00 in lodging expenses due to a mix-up with the client (I thought I was going to have to pay lodging at their corporate lodging, turns out, THEY pay it), I just started a new business relationship with a large rail company this morning on a conference call, and got great news from another one I am working for that they just aquired 30 new sites. More work than I think I could handle, so I may have to call a friend of mine out of retirement to help out. Always a great feeling to have that problem in today's economy! I got an email that my 2 new custom Bachmann Centennials are now in the mail and headed here, I just got offered a great deal on a low mileage immaculate 2006 Chrysler Sebring for Alicia (Candy Apple Red, her favorite color!), and now I get a call from the son of a late friend of mine that the family wants to sell me his collection of Old West Firearms (I do Old West Gunfighter shows) and am going over there in a couple of hours to pick them up. Bob was a GREAT man, a wise old man who had a HUGE impact on my life and inspired me to take life one day at a time and enjoy it. He was loved by EVERYONE who he ever came in contact with in the Old West Reenactment community, (<!-- w --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.spiritsoftheoldwest.org">www.spiritsoftheoldwest.org</a><!-- w -->) as he was the legendary, infamous "Bandit Bob Missouri". To be given his custom made leather rig to go with the pistol is a real honor. His trademark pistol is an identical twin to one I already have. Ruger Vaquero, .45Colt, Stainless Steel finish, ivory grips with conchos replacing the Ruger medalion, and a competition trigger spring and main spring kit for quickdraw competitions. We bought them at the same time, he got one, I got the other. Beautiful pistols. Together, we were "The Missouri Gang" as that is where we are both from. He passed away suddenly 2 years ago, and I miss him dearly, our whole team does. I didn't have the cash to get the collection, and was kinda bummed, but my little brother (himself a gunfighter) called my dad and they both called and insisted they loan me the money until we collect on the Jamaica job. Not a bad day considering it started with severe indigestion, a sleepless night and an abcess over one of my teeth this morning huh?

I hope ALL of you, my friends here at the Gauge have been having as great a week as I have been so far. I pop into several model railroad forums, but THIS is "HOME". I really enjoy your company and commaraderie, and really appreciate your kindness and friendship. May you and yours, ALL, be blessed ALWAYS.