Man, it’s surprisingly bittersweet to realize that our dudes—who’ve started school together since what seems like the dawn of time—have just had their last joint FDOS (First Day Of School).
With the Finnster starting his senior year (!) and Hen being a junior, this marks what’ll almost certainly be their last joint starting day (well, unless Hen follows in Finn’s footsteps to a school to be named later!). Sigh… the days are long but the years are short, always.
As you know, our man Henry is a huge railroad enthusiast – whether it’s actual real-life railroads, garden railroads, model railroads, or movies about or including railroads. This summer, he took his love of all things railroad to the bank!
Walthers, a model railroading company who makes and sells all things train and train-adjacent, sponsors the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-off every year. There are several categories for adults and kids. This year, Henry entered the Adult: Silver Screens category. The object was to build a railroad-related movie scene using Walthers scenemaster products (trees, grass, telephone poles, tracks, etc.).
Henry picked a scene from one of his all-time favorite movies, the classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He chose a scene where Butch and the Kid have just blown up the train car holding a safe full of money. He hand-built the landscape, and the exploding railcar and associated shrapnel flying out through the cloud of smoke. He painted the smoke orange and lit it from within using a battery-powered LED filament. He custom-ordered 3-D printed tiny human figures which he then painstakingly painted and expertly positioned being blown back by the explosion.
As you can see from the pictures, he did an absolutely incredible job. My rough guess is that he put at least 40 hours into the scene, and it could be quite a bit more. He submitted his entry in June, and we’ve been waiting with bated breath to see if he won a prize…and he DID! Walthers emailed him on Monday to let him know he’d won 2nd place in his category, and will be receiving a $500 prize check!
From Walthers: “Your Butch Cassidy entry was outstanding in every way and brought back so many wonderful memories to all of us.” We should be seeing his model on the Walthers website and in their physical catalog soon!
The whooping and hollering from 983 Delmas must’ve been audible for miles as John and I celebrated his win. We are so excited for him, and he is so deserving of the prize! Way to go, Henry – we knew you built a winner!!
We’ve long been intrigued by Donner Pass—named after the ill-fated (as in, cannibal) expedition that became stuck there, and which the transcontinental railroad was able to surmount through immense skill, effort, & will.
Hen’s buddy Peter had previously hiked the 3-mille trail that now runs where the original rails once lay, and on Saturday the three of us made the long drive (nearly all the way to Lake Tahoe!) to hike it ourselves.
As you can see in our gallery, we enjoyed the immense tunnels & snow sheds, popping out perodically to enjoy some spectacular views en route to the current railroad—which we caught in action!
Yes, we’re terribly behind on updating the ol’ Micronaxx—but in our defense, as soon as Hen turned 16 (technically earlier, even), we skipped the continent! 🙂
Here’s a quick gallery of El Segundo celebrating in Leadville with the fam, including cousin Kristen visiting from Illinois:
And, making up for a bit of lost time, here are a couple of galleries that gather shots Hen & I took on the Fourth of July—first at the parade, and afterwards at the airport BBQ.
And boom goes the dynamite! For the last what feels like forever, Hen has been dutifully squirreling away in the basement, building up an amazing Butch-and-Sundance-themed diorama to enter into the Walthers National Model Railroad Build-Off.
As you can see in this gallery, the plan really came together in a spectacular blaze of glory, re-enacting one of the movie’s famous train robbery scenes. Way to go, Henry—we’re so proud of your hard work and craftsmanship! (And as our friend Jodi just remarked, “There is no person more qualified to create a model train diorama!!!!” :-D)
PS—Mom adds, “OMG SO FREAKING OUTSTANDING!!!! Hen, I could not love this more!”
As I type this, Finn is working to distribute food from the Bellarmine garden to area folks in need.
This is the culmination of his year-long project that focused on remedies for food insecurity in our area, which included a group trip to Washington, DC to advocate to lawmakers. On Tuesday he and his classmates shared their work at Presentation High School. Check out some photos as well as his great short speech below (written copy).
We’re so proud of this articulate & socially conscious young man, and we love that he’s stepping up next year to lead the group’s ongoing work!
On Sunday we wrapped up Finn’s first season of hockey by celebrating with his teammates. Little did we know that he’d be honored by them as the “Most Inspirational” player of the year! It was great to see his courage and hard work recognized, as you can see in this little gallery of shots from the day. Way to go, kiddo!
On Thursday night we had the pleasure of walking around San Francisco’s North Beach area, getting a guided tour of the area’s rich design history from the preservationists at SF Neon.
From the famous City Lights bookstore to Golden Boy Pizza & beyond, we loved hearing the many stories behind the faded facades—and then getting out of the chilly SF night & into a cozy Italian restaurant. Check out our gallery to see the sights.
On Saturday, the whole fam (including Seamus) had the pleasure of heading over to Santa Cruz to meet up with Finn and help him get prepped for a super fun prom with the lovely Brianna.
Finn had gotten to spend the day on the beach with pals, and the rest of us transported his formalwear over the mountains to help him look sharp. As he headed off to the dance (at the historic Santa Cruz Boardwalk) with Brianna & her mom, the rest of us drove off to explore sunset in Capitola and Santa Cruz.
Much as we did last year, Hen & I brought ourselves (Lego & human) up to SF for the annual St. Paddy’s parade. This year, though, we had the pleasure of Margot/Mom joining us. From bacon-wrapped street dogs to Irish coffees at the Hibernia, we took in the treats & sights. Thanks largely to Hen, we’ve got some fun photos & vids to share from the beautiful day.
And just in case you’re feeling nostalgic, here are some celebrations from years gone by:
A couple of weeks ago, I took the dudes (under some good-natured protest) over to Bellarmine’s annual “Bell Wars” (father/son tests of ironic-athletic skill). Finn utterly crushed us at the “high striker” strength test, and he got me on the first of our best-of-three arm wrestling contests—until I deployed devious mind games to prevail in the final two!
Now that I’ve finally gotten the blog train rolling, let’s keep the momentum going!
For the last three days of Bellarmine’s appropriately named Ski Week, I headed up to Tahoe with Finn & his pals Malachy and Leo (a teenaged human, not a beloved old stuffed lion). Our 48-hour whirlwind featured donut-shop refueling, ironic pogo stick acquisition, and way too much hip hop (“Not nearly enough” — Finn, probably :-)).
Finn hadn’t skied in two years, and prior to that he’d been out for lessons just twice as a tiny dude—first at age 5 and then at age 10. Thus I was genuinely impressed at the rapid progress he made over two days, as you can see in the video below & in our gallery.
Honestly it’s not that far to get up to Tahoe, so we’re hoping for many snowy returns!
Man, it’s hard to believe that fully 17 years ago today, “our little Finnmaster General” (as we called him in the very first post here) came storming into the world at 4:54am. Our adventures with him in just the last year—to say nothing of all 17—have been too numerous to count, but we’ve put together a not-so-little photo gallery covering the last 12 months. Highlights include:
Our inaugural Airstream adventure (out to Death Valley)
Our family camping trip to Yosemite
Grandpa Liggett coming to town & taking in a Sharks game
Finn-Dad adventures around Lake Shasta
Finn-Mom explorations of Boston, Rhode Island, and Maine
High times in the mountains with cousins (and foul fish!)
The Changemakers class trip to Washington, DC
Thanksgiving in Galena & Chicago with all manner of fam
Finn’s inaugural season of hockey, of course!
Our great, weird Christmas road trip down to Palm Springs
Snowy fun in Tahoe with the Ski Amigos
…and, finally, cake & presents with pals at home this weekend (see vid below).
We sure love you, Squirrel/Squire/Finno. Here’s to another terrific year ahead. 🙂
Man, amidst all the hustle & bustle as we closed out the year, I’ve hardly had a chance to update the blog. Let’s change that up!
We enjoyed a whirlwind tour to Illinois over Thanksgiving, staying at a great AirBnB on Printer’s Row before heading to Galena. Here’s a gallery of images from the trip. Highlights included:
Brunch with the family: On Sunday morning Liz & Jim were terrific hosts at their house, fueling us up with bagels, bacon, and more. It was great catching up with Sarah, Andy, Katie, Ryan, Young John, Jimmy, and Mary.
Skating at the Bean: Our resident hockey player literally skated circles around his brother & me while Mom wisely looked on. This episode was special enough to warrant its own photo gallery!
Touring the Art Institute: Finn re-enacted a famous scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (getting up close & personal with a pointillist masterpiece) as we enjoyed everything from “Nighthawks” to the Thorne Rooms.
Walking around Chicago: We traversed downtown, dropping by Marshall Field’s, grabbing German chow & souvenirs at the Christmas market (where Henry & I had a long chat with ND football super fans), taking the Lego Blues Brothers to the Bean, and hitting Harry Caray’s with Finn.
Meeting up with the Aunts: On our way to Galena we met up with Aunts Judy & Mary Kay at Portillo’s. After getting past some transportation drama (“We’re going past Guzzling Guzman!” reported Aunt Judy was we watched them drive by :-)), we had a lovely time seeing them again.
Thanksgiving dinner with Ted & the fam was a ball. Jenna, Austin, and Morgan were their cheerful & energetic selves.
Exploring Galena, East Dubuque, and Dubuque: revisiting Mulgrew’s for chili dogs! (watching trains & dropping by the lock & dam). Later Henry & I toured the breweries in Dubuque and Potosi, WI, and sourced some squeaky-fresh cheese curds.
Milk truck rides with Uncle Ted: Each dude got his own session with the big guy, with Finn doing 8+ hours (and subsequently sleeping for 15!). Nothing like meeting some dirty dogs (literally) and funky farm cats.
Exploring the fort: Henry & Grandma ventured to the Apple River Fort in Elizabeth, then enjoyed some deli sandwiches & pickles nearby.
Visiting with Kristen: We joined Margot’s cousin and her husband for breakfast in Freeport on our way back home.
All in all we feel so grateful for our families and for the chance to spend time with them!
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!
