Everybody needs a good wingman, and when it comes to celebrating the beauty of aviation, I’ve got a great one in Hen. Much as we’ve done the last couple of years, this month we first took in the air show in Salinas, featuring the USAF Thunderbirds…
…followed by the Blue Angels buzzing Alcatraz & the Golden Gate at Fleet Week in San Francisco.
In both cases we were treated to some jaw-dropping performances—from a hovering F-35 to choreographed walls of fire—from some of the best aviators in the world. Check ’em out:
Well, it’s official: we count Finn among California’s newest batch of licensed drivers!
After practicing quite a bit this summer on the roads around Leadville, he passed his test with flying colors, and he’s already been driving himself & Henry to school (much to the latter’s delight). Here are a couple of pics of their first commute together:
Finn’s also been practicing his Miata-shifting skills, and he took us on the twisty & challenging drive to and from Alice’s Restaurant:
Here’s to many years of (safe) motoring adventures together!
We’re so excited that Finn is now officially on the Bellarmine hockey team, getting out on the ice with them for the first game yesterday! He’s really been grinding & his hard work shows.
I’m still (happily) processing the unexpected phenomenon of being a Sports Dad™. 😀 Check out a gallery of shots from the game.
Raise high the roof beam, Bellarmine carpenters: our handsome sophomore (!) and junior (!!) are striding in. Here they are in casual mode…
…and then getting set for the first Mass of the year:
Always being one for nostalgia, I thought I’d gather up some previous “First Day of School” pictures into a gallery, as well as the posts below. “The days are long but the years are short,” always…
I’ll again pass the mic to Henry to recount our rail adventures. —J.
On Saturday, we woke up early and went to a bridge we had scoped out the previous day to watch the empress go by on its way out of town. We waited for a while when it came thundering by! I managed to get some really cool shots of it.
After that, we embarked on a 2-hour-ish journey to Lufkin, TX, where we would meet up with my friend, Israel, and see his amazing collection of railroad signals and related items. When we arrived, we first noticed how brutally humid it was. The next thing we noticed was all of his amazing displays.
He and his family welcomed us in and we began looking at everything he had around, including but not limited to: railroad signals, an tornado siren, insulators, traffic lights, electric meters, and about a million other great things.
After seeing his train layout and grabbing some lunch, we drove out to the local railroad to see the last remaining signals from the 1950’s and 60’s. There, we found an abandoned relay case, where we grabbed some old electronic railroad relays. We explored and abandoned caboose before moving on to our next destination, a bit outside Lufkin.
When we arrived, we found two incredibly intact 70+-year-old diesel locomotives, built by Baldwin, a manufacturer that has been defunct since the early 1960s. We also stopped by another industrial plant to see their very small switcher locomotive, which of course had cattle horns mounted on the nose (it was Texas, after all). We went back to their house and said our goodbyes, and headed back to Shreveport. All in all, it was a fantastic day!
Wow, can it be—our once-small beamish boy Henry has been with us for a full decade and a half? Madness!
We’re so happy and lucky to have this charming chap in our lives. He spent part of his day exploring the rails (of course!), then returned for a feast featuring Chicago dogs, one of Mom’s famous KitKat-infused cakes, and some opening of presents. We put a bow on things with a spectacular sunset photo-walk with Seamus.
For this post I’m proud to pass the narrative baton to NackFam Railfan-in-Chief & Adventure Catalyst Henry. —J.
In late May of 2024, my dad and I set out on a journey to Shreveport, LA, to see Canadian Pacific 2816, “The Empress,” on its tour from Canada to Mexico to celebrate the merger of Canadian Pacific & Kansas City Southern.
The Empress is a steam locomotive built in December 1930 for the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was retired in 1960 & has been used off & on by CP for excursion service over the decades. Our neighbor Severn, who many spent years as a railroad machinist, was recruited for his knowledge to be part of the crew. We’d originally planned to meet up with him in Shreveport, but he ended up joining just the northbound leg of the tour some weeks later. Either way, it was a good excuse to make the trip!
Our arrival proved to be interesting, as the “accommodations” Dad selected were… lackluster, to say the least. Even before getting to our room, we observed burnt-out alcoves on the side of the building and sheets plastered to the window! Dad insisted that we go in and not waste the princely sum of $30/night he’d prepaid (!). We were treated to dead roaches, copious filth, and missing roof tiles. Once we got to the room, things failed to improve: the piece de resistance was the grimy soap nub thoughtfully stuck to the shower dish.
Thankfully Dad saw the light (and the roaches!), and we hightailed it to a nearby Holiday Inn. “Oh, Mr. Nack,” said the sympathetic receptionist, shaking her head, “$30/night? You’ve got to have a better knack than that!” She helpfully noted that the gross motel had until recently been called “The Plantation”!
Moving on, we visited a couple of local railyards & made our way to downtown Shreveport. We saw a few more trains before retiring for the evening.
On Friday morning we headed to the tiny but charming local train museum, which had a lot of great artifacts on display—neon signs, old tickets, and even a model train layout. Because our car got trapped behind some construction, we ended up visiting the adjacent Shreveport Waterworks Museum—way more fascinating than you might think! Our charming tour guide Kevin showed us around the giant old machinery, and tried my hand at blowing the old steam whistles.
After that we carried on to a big local park where we visited an old steam locomotive in dire need of restoration.
Finally, a few hours later, it was time to see the 2816. We arrived shortly before it did, and we watched it and its entire train full of railroad executives & dignitaries back into the yard. I took a bunch of close-up shots of the train & locomotives, then went to see the diesels that followed & assisted The Empress.
There I ran into my friend from California, Scott, who works for locomotive builder EMD. We’d met through Severn, and he had recently joined joined the crew for the southbound leg. He allowed me to stand on the steps of CP 7013, a locomotive painted in one of Canadian Pacific’s old paint schemes from the 1960s.
We decided to take a break & head downtown for some railfanning by the old train bridge that crosses the Red River. (It was indeed a very red river!) We saw two trains—one pulled by Norfolk Southern locomotives, and one pulled by CPKC locos.
After we’d dried off a bit from the sweltering humidity, we headed back to see the Empress’s sunset departure for the night. It was very beautiful and spectacularly loud pulling out!
And so concluded a long and fruitful day of railfanning. Stay tuned for our next installments from the following days.
Hey all—greetings from 10,000 ft. After lots of crisscrossing the nation in separate groups (Henry & me to Shreveport & South Bend, Margot & Finn to New England), we’ve all reuinted—together with Seamus & the Lingles—in Leadville.
As usual we were treated to the town’s super charming Fourth of July parade, followed by a cookout at the airport and then a great dinner at home featuring Uncle James’s pulled pork. As I type this we’re listening to Rhapsody in Blue and awaiting the fireworks.
Between starting a new job & taking some delightful journeys in our new Airstream, we’ve been remiss in actually updating the ol’ Micronaxx blog. So as not to let April get away entirely without an update, I’ll mention some highlights from my inaugural outing with Finn & the trailer—the gallery from which you can see here.
“MNK” (Margot Nack’s Kid), as he’s known, was an incredibly resourceful, level-headed companion on what was inevitably a slightly intimidating outing towing more than 3,000 pounds of bucking metal behind us. Happily we were able to overcome a few teething problems and make our way safely out to the desert.
Highlights included:
Glimpsing a rare lake (!) in the driest place in North America. All those early-year rains made for quite the sight of kayakers paddling around the foot-deep expanse. Compare that to my previous visit with Henry, during which we crunched around the dry lake bed with our vintage Lego spacemen & simulated the lunar surface.
Camping in a 31-person town that featured a single restaurant staffed by “Stressed Uncle Ted” (as Finn dubbed him), the one-man waitstaff.
Catching a beautiful sunrise at Zabriskie Point, then driving up to the funky communities of Beatty, NV & Goldfield, NV (home to outdoor sculpture gardens, art cars, kooky locals, and free-range donkeys).
Checking out The International Car Forest (see link in case the animation below doesn’t play), where Hen, Sarah Murray, and I had photographed fire breathers back in 2022.
Hiking up to “The Star of Siam,” which Finn & I had previously summited with our friend Maria back in 2017. I think he found the climb far more tractable at age 16 than at age 8!
Anyway, check out the gallery if you’re feeling it, and here’s to many more epic roadtrips with the fam!
Last Saturday—technically the day before St. Patrick’s Day, but close enough—Henry & I grabbed our little Lego selves & hopped aboard a Caltrain packed with green-clad revelers to attend the parade in San Francisco.
Highlights of the two-hour+ (!) festivities included a phalanx of giant Irish wolfhounds; a gathering of the one Irish-produced automobile (the DeLorean!); a float commemorating the Chinese & Irish Railroad Workers; a bowler-clad mini BART train; numerous traditional dance troupes; and—why the heck not—a twerking St. Patrick.
We wrapped things up by enjoying Irish coffee & live music in the stunning old Hibernia Bank building, the sight of which made Hen proclaim, “This must be what heaven looks like!!”
We of course can’t quite believe it, but our big (as in, 6-foot-plus) guy continues his march up the charts of age & height, marking a full sixteen trips around the sun.
We’re so happy & grateful to have this funny, wry, driven, studious, self-starting hockey lover in our home, and we’re excited (if a little scared!) that he’ll soon be behind the wheel, squiring his brother (or similar-sized hockey bag) in the Miata.
Here’s a handful of shots from our recent Death Valley sojourn (more on that soon!), plus a little set showing him opening gifts. Highlights of the latter included a beautiful handmade beanie from Auntie Laura & some delicious Lou Malnati’s pies courtesy of Grandma & Grandpa Nack.
Oh Westy, we love you so… but sadly the old girl gave out during the first phase of our post-Christmas trip to southern California. Fortunately we were able to limp to an exit in Salinas near a whole cluster of car dealerships, and after a few hours of effort, we were able to have the Westy towed to a mechanic while we continued our trip in the last available rental car (a “cozy” Tesla crammed with four adult-sized humans + Seamus).
Fortunately the rest of our trip was much more restful than eventful. Highlights included:
Stopping off in San Luis Obispo, home of Finney’s Kitchen.
Finding our way to a quaint AirBnB cabin in Montecito (not on the property of Oprah or Prince Harry, which must’ve been nearby).
Walking around lovely Santa Barbara, checking out the beautiful Mission & train station while I nervously checked the score of the Irish game (happily a beatdown of Oregon State!).
Capturing sunset drone & Lego photos.
Exploring a shoreline butterfly grove with Seamy & friends.
Scoring some vintage records & exploring funky shops.
Meeting a friendly Navy captain-turned-Googler at a historic train trestle (below).
Having just returned from Thanksgiving in Galena (more on that soon), the Macro- and Micronaxx opted to stay home for Christmas this year. Happily, our pal Maria—accompanied for the first time by her canine co-pilot Tippy—flew out to join us. Highlights of the holiday included:
Visiting the typographical Shangri-La that is The Box SF—an old curiosity shop run by a colorful designer named Mark who happens to have been born a few blocks from where Maria now lives. The two of them know many of the same Kansas City artists & Hallmark folks.
Whipping up cookies & pies—which fared far better than on previous trips that featured more, um, freeform interpretations of the recipes.
Taking in the San Jose Nutcracker in the beautiful California Theater.
Finding an orchid shop & adding a new member to our brood.
Cruising around the Los Gatos “Fantasy of Lights” with the boys & Maria hanging out the sides & top of the car.
Sharing & unwrapping many thoughtful, generous gifts, including the “MJB” coffee can that Hen & I found for Maria (initials: MJB) during our first visit to The Box. Margot’s new otter Irma was a hit as well.
Stopping by Severn’s house to check out his caboose & backyard train.
Watching Die Hard—which is, conclusively, A Christmas Movie™!
The gang trekked up to SF yesterday to visit the Museum of Modern Art (SF MOMA), thanks to Margot securing tickets to a wild new immersive installation that lets visitors walk through colorful rooms full of trippy, pulsating lights. We had a blast beholding & discussing the offbeat “art,” contemplating our reactions (ranging from bewildered amusement to genuine appreciation).
Thanks to our ultra-connected friend & neighbor Dev, Henry & his train-club pals were able to visit the cavernous local Caltrain maintenance facility. Hen rocked the white hard hat he was recently given by our neighbor Severn, and we all donned high-viz vests and protective footwear for an informative two-hour tour by Caltrain COO John Hogan. Check out our gallery of photos & vids!
The last couple of weeks have seen our handsome gents escorting their lovely dates (Lilian & Mandy, respectively) to homecoming dances. First up were Finn & Lilian…
…followed by Henry & Mandy, whose very friendly parents provided transportation & chaperone services. Check out this gallery to see the dapper crew in action!
For the last couple of years, Henry has been an absolutely voracious reader of Crown Jewels of the Wire, one of the two main periodicals devoted to the hobby of insulator collecting. At the National show in June, he regaled the members with stories of our successful hunt on the salty planes of Utah, and one of the guys suggested that the magazine feature his great narrative & photos. Fast forward a couple of months, and presto, here we are!
Our man Hen wasted zero time co-founding—with his new buddy & fellow train nut Peter—the Bellarmine Railroad Club. The boys first met a few months ago at the freshman welcome BBQ when Hen spotted Peter rocking a shirt from the Nevada Northern Railroad where we had our winter photo workshop. The meeting was meant to be, and ever since then, the guys have been planning to inaugurate the club.
Today they hung their shingle at club day and got sixteen sign-ups! Check out a little gallery of the event.
We’re so happy that as of today, we have a pair of Bellarmine Bells in our midst. Henry started his first day of high school while Finn kicked off his sophomore year. Check out a couple shots of our handsome scholars: