Remembering Dad

My dad and I used to send each other model train videos we each discovered. I am not a model railroader and really have no interest, other than it was my dad's passion. Yet I loved to send him train videos and books I thought he may not have seen yet. Three times, I actually sent videos he had never seen, and that was a HUGE shock for me!!! He had almost always seen every train video on YouTube.

I was a bit more lucky with books. I was able to find several books he enjoyed all the way up until the end. Most notably, a history of the Gorre and Daphetid model railroad. I think he read that one several times, and the copy I sent him was his first reading!

The last four or five times I saw my dad, he wanted me to photograph his layout, which still to this day takes up the entire garage of the house where my mom continues to live. Many times, my dad had me proofread articles he wanted to submit to model railroad magazines. I introduced him to blogging so he could share his train memories and accomplishments. He was huge into kit-bashing. And he was a legend on model railroading discussion boards. He didn't put any store-bought houses or people on his layout. EVERYTHING was painstakingly crafted to scale by hand. Literally painstaking. He battled arthritis increasingly as the years wore on. Yet he never stopped, not until the day he could no longer get out of bed due to cancer.

When the below video popped up for my suggested viewing, I couldn't resist watching. It caused me to visualize how my dad must have set up his own layout. He was constantly upgrading it and trying to improve things. My dad would have enjoyed this video so much. I really miss sharing stuff like this with him.

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Wordless Wednesday

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For Dad

Back in June, I bought a fancy schmancy Ride the Rockies polo shirt for my dad for his birthday. It was made out of the same fabric they use for cycling jerseys, so he could stay cool in summer while working in his yard, and he could stay warm in winter while working on his kitbash projects.

I mailed it to him three weeks early. I screwed up. I trusted regular mail. I did not use tracking. Or first class. I should have.

Here it is, four months later, and my dad still hasn't received his birthday present.

So Dad, it's not much of a substitute, but here's a replacement gift. I found this in the most unlikely place. Nestled away in the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame in Crested Butte. During a thunderstorm. I wiled away the lightning bolts while snapping these photos for you.

My dad, an avid model railroader, has loved trains since he was a tot. His dad, my grandpa, gave him a train set for Christmas in 1945, and in 1951, a neighbor arranged for him to ride a real train. My dad has been hooked ever since. He blogs about his projects and even asks my opinion on photography and blog layout every now and then. It's been a lot of fun and bonding, both my dad and me sort of publishing our own electronic newspapers together.

Happy belated birthday, Dad!

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