I didn't actually grow up in Lapeer. Saginaw, Michigan was home after our family moved from Detroit in 1960. The neighborhood was brand new. Ours was one of several houses on the block that didn't even have grass. It was a great place for kids, with lots of streets for bike riding, an elementary school …
Month: December 2022
It’s Always Hard to Turn Off the Christmas Music
When is it time to stop listening to Christmas music? I just thought of something, and I'll have to think about it for a while. We talk about Christmas being about Jesus coming to earth as a baby, being born in a manger, the shepherds, the star, the wise men, Mary and Joseph. I believe …
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Grandchildren Watching the Maple Valley Short Line is the Reward of Model Railroading
Hours and hours invested in a model railroad often result in a few moments that make the entire effort worth every moment working. For a model railroader, the work is fun so it's not as though I don't love every minute with my layout. The Maple Valley Short Line Model Railroad is my third layout …
Married Forty-Nine Years to the Love of My Life
We were married on this date, forty-nine years ago. It was a Friday night, an ice and snow storm blew in during the day. The ceremony started late because my wife's brother, mother and step-father had not yet arrived, and her brother was giving her away. My mother-in-law was bringing the wedding cake. Mary and …
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Detail Scenes of the Maple Valley Short Line HO Scale Model Railroad
Maple Valley Manufacturing is a large facility just outside of town. Three Tower Bridge stands between the small town of Maple Valley and the factory. Close-up views of the inside of the factory provide detailed scenes on the HO scale model railroad. To create the illusion of depth and detail in the facade, I built …
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Licking Beaters and Bowls
None of us should be alive. Several generations of ignorant kids who ate raw cookie dough and cake batter should have died off before the age of ten. Licking mixer beaters was a normal part of growing up. Absolutely no one yelled, “Don’t eat that!” Two beaters dripping with delicious chocolate cake batter was like …
Thoughts on Christmas Morning
I couldn’t sleep last night. What little sleep I got was interrupted by waking, feeling it was surely time to get up. I couldn’t sleep, not because it was Christmas Eve. Although, I remember many Christmas Eves sleep was impossible. I stared into the darkness, dreaming of all the presents I would open the next …
Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad: Christmas Wonderland
We were afraid it wasn't going to happen. We had reservations to ride the Christmas train at Huckleberry Railroad, which is part of Crossroads Village, near Flint, Michigan. The weather people were forecasting a horrendous storm that would likely be the worst the state had ever seen. It didn't happen quite that way. We were …
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Blizzardus Maximus: Thank God for Generators!
It was the last day of school before Christmas break, 2013. Our school staff Christmas party was Friday night, and we had a blast, knowing we wouldn't be back for two weeks. Weather forecasters were telling us an ice storm was coming. Yeah, right. It’s going to be bad, they said. Yeah right. Get those …
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Getting Ready for Christmas
A huge snowstorm! It’s a snowpocalypse! There hasn’t been a storm like this since the big one in 1978, or 1967, or 1919! The heavens may run completely out of moisture! Snow plows will be of no use! Snow blowers? Don’t make me laugh. Salt? Pllleease! We may not be able to get out until …
A Coffee State of Mind 