It’s significant to me, as a lifelong fan of model railroading, that on the first Christmas morning I remember, there was an American Flyer train set on the living room floor. It was a present for my brother, but that didn’t matter. It was still the neatest thing I had ever seen, and my love …
Continue reading The Undeniable Magic of Christmas Train Sets
It began as many stories do, with nothing. I wasn't planning to write an endless saga with characters no one has ever heard of. It just happened. Sheriff Pete Terkinberry, and all the other good folks from Maple Valley politely introduced themselves and took over. I was helping to clean out a small barn that …
Christmas is such a wonderful time in Maple Valley. All the old recipes no one uses at any other time of the year come out of the recipe tins. Neighbors ask each other for spices they don't have and don't want to buy. Eggnog shows up on the menu at Ya'll Sit Cafe. Shorty Cloverton's …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 33: The Christmas Miracle
The Maple Valley Short Line is a work in progress. As I shared in "Mistakes I Made on my HO Scale Model Railroad," model railroading is a great teaching tool because there is always something to learn. I suspect that any serious model railroader would say the same thing. This is the pencil drawing of …
Continue reading Things I Did Right on my HO Scale Model Railroad
Maggie joined our family in 2011. Mary found a breeder in Indiana who offered mini-golden-doodles, and we were immediately hooked. We visited the puppies to meet their parents and the owner. There were a few little fluff balls left, but someone else had first pick between the remaining two females. I noticed one had a …
One of the great things about HO scale model railroading is that the modeling never ends. I suppose that can be true of any scale, but for me, HO scale is a perfect example of a modelers dream. I started building the Maple Valley Short Line model railroad four years ago. My train room is …
Continue reading Mistakes I Made on my HO Scale Model Railroad: The Maple Valley Short Line
It finally happened. Quintin O'Dillmotte has lost his marbles. The wheels fell off. The cows went to pasture. The dog left home. The last chicken's been plucked. While Sheriff Pete Terkinberry works feverishly to solve the greatest mystery to ever grip the good folks of Maple Valley, Quintin O'Dillmotte, of O'Dillmotte Funeral Home, "Where we …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 32: Quintin O’Dillmotte for Sheriff
It really is amazing how great a firestorm a few bones can create. The good folks in Maple Valley are falling into old routines that have not been put aside in honor of Thanksgiving Day. Maple Valleyans are thankful for many things, please don't misunderstand. They're thankful for the Ya'll Sit Cafe where they can …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 31: Tongues are Wagging, Again
It's difficult to say what has become of our happy little community in Maple Valley. Gossip has always been one of our strongest characteristics, but it's getting ridiculous. Last week, Vee Burthrap was convinced Shorty Cloverton was having an "uncommon relationship," as she called it, with Wilomena Shermer, the good reverend's wife. Vee Burthrap doesn't …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 30: The Bones Investigation
Sixteen months doesn't really seem like a long time. One summer, one Halloween, one Thanksgiving, one Christmas. The new year is not so new and will soon join the list of forgotten others. For close friends of Sylvia Meisner, months have been years. One day Maple Valley folks were happy, greeting each other, opening their …
Continue reading Scandal at Maple Valley – Episode 29: Bones
A Coffee State of Mind 