Happy to pay the difference

Our family’s blessings have overflowed the lake cabin. When we just had adults and older children, everybody was happy to bunk anywhere: beds, couches or on the floor. But now that we’ve added babies to the mix, we can’t fit them and all their stuff into one location. Now when we visit the lake, we sleep at a small nearby motel. This price is right, but the amenities are modest. After a week our backs were pretty sore. Deciding to take two days for the drive home so we could visit the trains in St. Louis, we stopped at a Sleep Inn in Washington, Missouri for the night. The hotel sparkled like a new penny and the beds were big and comfortable. The boys enjoyed the pool and another opportunity for swimming. I like saving money, but it’s nice to splurge a little once in a while.

Blog #1000

For the historian, technology must be a double edged sword. With each new advancement, historical media sources are lost or replaced with new technologies. For instance, the telephone’s appearance must have been a disappointment to historians. Prior to that event, people communicated long distances via letter which left a written history rich in details and contemporary ideas. We have a few old family letters which bring us a little closer to knowing the ancestors we’ve never met. Of course telephone conversations could be recorded, but few were. E-mail revived the art of letter writing and is often saved for history, but now texting has surged in popularity and is not a saved media. As I look back over 1,000 blogs, I am so proud that Sandy and I have invested the time to record our history, and maybe through this work, our children and many succeeding generations will know our family and friends.

Jefferson City Mystery Caboose

Some things you can’t let go. It’s like a dare that challenges your intelligence and pride won’t let you be defeated. This caboose’s location was listed as Henwick Lane off of Heritage Highway near Highway 54 outside Jefferson City, Missouri. The problem was Henwick Lane is on one side of Cole County and Heritage Highway was on another. The roads do not intersect. After a lot of head scratching, I hit on the idea of Google Earth. Using satellite photos on maximum magnification, I scanned the terrain along Heritage Highway until I found a red roof that looked like it could be a caboose. It was on Renick Lane. Our minivan’s GPS took us directly to this Missouri Pacific Railway Caboose #13570 sitting in a location right out of American Pickers. Thanks literally to space age technology, I met the challenge of the typo.

Play Rail Yard

Before visiting the Lake of the Ozarks last year, we purchased two play yards and sixteen foam mats. Together this created a 256 square foot, fenced and padded play area that we set up on the family’s cabin porch. Last year Benji and Trey Davey grudgingly accepted this limitation on their liberty, but this year’s reaction was markedly different as they embraced the area. One difference is the toys Mommy packed for them. She brought their Geo Trax trains and tracks, which continues to be a major fascination for them. We also moved the picnic table next to the yard allowing the boys the freedom to stand and play. When Grandma directed a nice fan generated breeze across their tracks, even the oppressive heat didn’t slow them down.

A Priceless Baby Shower

MasterCard's current advertising campaign tagline is "Priceless". The slogan associated with the campaign is "There are some things money can't buy.” We first nicknamed Wesley and Kristin’s baby “Priceless” as a spin on their last name, but over time the title came to represent the personification of God’s blessings. Priceless also is the time we shared together at the baby shower. Rituals like these bond a family together, and sharing the gift opening with the twins helps them prepare for a new little cousin. We passed along to “Priceless” a number of the boys’ outgrown baby items, and purchased many new items for the baby, but one of Grandma’s gifts was the hit of the shower. She passed on the baby blanket that Great Grandmother Mac made for her three quarters of a century ago. Accordingly, that heirloom is priceless.

Ballad of the Castaways

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from our Midwest port

Aboard our tiny ship.

The mate was a mighty sailing man,

The skipper brave and sure.

Six passengers set sail that day

For a one hour tour, a one hour tour.

The engine started running rough,

The tiny ship got cross,

If not for the courage of the fearless crew

The family would be lost, the family would be lost.

The ship was moored to the dock of this

Abandoned summer home

Where we found some shade

And played it cool

While Wes and Jim, checked the boat

The motor died

Then we covered up and called for help

On our cellular phone

So for a short time we were castways,

But we didn’t wait a long, long time,

We tried to calm the children down,

Taking uphill climbs. Taking uphill climbs.

Soon we saw the site of our rescue boat

Mr. Kennedy aboard

Just as we made our way back on the lake

The rain began to pour, the rain began to pour

He returned us all without a scratch

Trey Davey fell asleep

Benjamin just took it in

He didn’t make a peep, he didn’t make a peep

The Skipper and the first mate soon

Had our ship repaired

And we asked if we could go again

We were never scared, we were never scared

Can’t Leave Fish on the Sand

Benji’s injured hand gave us pause. What if we couldn’t swim? It was so hot; there wasn’t much else to do at the lake other than swim. The doctor said if the finger got too wet the glue might dissolve and the wound might reopen. Aunt Kristin suggested covering his hand in a surgical glove, and Granddaddy suggested wrapping it in waterproof tape, so we did both. Sandy bandaged his injured finger, then Uncle Wes cut one digit off a rubber glove and taped it to Benji’s hand. He covered two fingers for stability and because they were so small. Then, we all hit the water and marveled as we watched the twin’s swimming skills quickly advance.

Vacation Day One

We found another small community park caboose in Russellville, Missouri. As we were leaving after taking photos, Benji fell on the sidewalk and screamed in pain. A kiss wouldn’t fix this boo boo. I heard Sandy shout “he’s bleeding!”, then turned to see blood dripping profusely. Thankfully it wasn’t his face, but he did badly cut his right pinky finger. I clamped his hand to stem the bleeding while Sandy retrieved a towel. After loading Davey in the car, Sandy held Benji on her lap during the 20 mile ride to the Jefferson City Emergency Room. Benji was such a brave little boy during the whole emergency and Davey understood the situation by saying “Benji’s hurt”. Over the next several hours the doctor super glued Benji’s hand back together and confirmed by x-ray that no glass or broken bones were imbedded. Benji leads Davey in Emergency Room visits 2 to 0.

Planning Expansion

Our Geo Trax train set has become the dominate focus of the twin’s play time. Its flexibility and plentiful accessories allows for an infinite number of configurations. Each time Sandy adds something or redesigns the layout, the boys attack the toy enthusiastically as if it were totally new. It was during one of these redesign sessions that Sandy ran across a Geo Trax parts catalog tucked into a box. As I was examining it, the boys crawled into my lap and began excitedly pointing to the photos and explaining which pieces they owned and which ones they wanted. I don’t think they’ll be satisfied until the toy completely takes over their room.

Happy Birthday Grand Da Da

Each year we gather at the family’s Lake of the Ozark’s cabin to celebrate Granddaddy Roe’s birthday. It is always fun to observe a birthday, and while we love the decorations and food, the balloons are our favorite. This year we also used this get-together as an opportunity to give Granddad his father’s day gift. We bought him a coffee table book on steam trains. As a boy, he rode the Union Pacific from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City to visit his grandparents. From that first ride, he began a life long interest in trains, which he now shares with his grandsons. Together, they reviewed every photo on every page, and he explained all about each different type of train.

Livermore Depot Park

On the site of its former railroad depot, the City of Livermore built this park. A Louisville and Nashville Railroad caboose stands to commemorate this history. The Owensboro and Russellville Railroad’s first section opened in 1870 connecting the Ohio River at Owensboro to the Green River at Livermore. Two years later a new Green River bridge allowed the line to be extended to Central City where it connected to The Elizabethtown and Paducah Railroad. When the O&R experienced financial troubles, L&N purchased the railroad’s assets and completed the line through Russellville to end at Adairsville on the Tennessee line. At Russellville the O&R line connected to the L&N mainline. For many years business was brisk, but competition brought an end to passenger service in 1941 and eventually freight service in the late 1970’s. In Owensboro, the railroad right-of-way was used to create a new city thoroughfare, J. R. Miller Boulevard.

Checker Mates

The night or two before we leave on vacation, we usually dine at The Cracker Barrel. It’s not only one of our favorite restaurants, but they also rent audio books for travelers. You can rent a book from any Cracker Barrel and return it to any other location. Since it was a nice evening, Mommy and the boys waited outside after dinner while Daddy searched inside for a good audio book. The boys found fun rocking chairs placed beside an extra large checker board. While they have no idea how the game is played, they did find the game pieces’ size and colors exciting. Sandy hopes a competitive fascination with board games will one day be more popular with the equally matched twins than the idle television viewing.

Sunset Park Serendipity

We thought it might be fun to call our friend Dawn, who lives in Evansville, and see if she would meet us in Henderson for dinner. We met and enjoyed a fine Mexican dinner that left us feeling a little heavy. Sandy suggested that we take a relaxing stroll along the riverfront. We parked by tennis courts, walked past a caboose, read historic signs, examined a John James Audubon statue, watched boaters at the dock and saw children playing in a spray ground. As we walked towards an old railroad bridge, Daddy spotted something interesting nestled under a grove of trees down by the shore. The boys cheered when they saw a beautiful new playground, and they hurried down to play before it got too dark.

Travel Training

The Scout Motto used by millions of Boy and Girl Scouts around the world since 1907 has been “Be Prepared”. While I admire people who can fix it on the fly, winging it all the time is exhausting and sometimes disastrous. When anticipated events occur, a prepared person need not have to analyze various choices before making an appropriate response; they need only react quickly as they have been trained. Sandy and I try to anticipate the typical issues the boys will face and help prepare them to respond appropriately. For instance, we realize active toddlers will become restless quickly when strapped into car seats for a long vacation drive. Accordingly, we have been practicing this trip every Saturday morning stocking the car with food and toys, playing games, singing songs and stopping often for exercise and potty breaks. Hopefully, this preparation will make our trip more pleasant for everybody.

Happy Birthday Uncle Wes

It has been a full year since we have seen fun Uncle Wes, and we were happy to be reunited with him. He’s a cool guy who loves to play and is very patient around ranunculus toddlers. This will serve him well when he becomes a first-time father later this year. He and Aunt Kristen are expecting a baby on our birthday, and we can’t wait for another cousin to play with. We are dedicating ourselves on this summer’s visit to whipping Uncle Wes into fatherhood shape. He needs to become accustomed to children climbing on him, competing for his attention and happily screaming in his ear.

Two Bugs on a Rug

Sandy owns a sharp 2000 Volkswagen Beatle Turbo, which she purchased new. In the last few years the car hasn’t gathered many miles. Working from home means no mileage gathered commuting to work, and backseats too small for car seats means all family drives are taken in the minivan. But while the twins have never ridden in Sandy’s bug doesn’t mean they are not aware of it. In fact, every time they see a bug they yell “look, silver Mommy car” or “look, yellow Mommy car.” Their favorite toy automobiles are also Mommy cars. When rolled backward a few inches, the cars’ engines will wind then thrust quickly forward. Having recently discovered this trick, the boys raced Mommy cars all afternoon.

That’s Not A Poker Face

One look at this photo and you can tell Benji is contemplating mischief. Unfortunately, this transparency is something that he inherited from his father, who has never been an apt bluffer. Like me, Benji is very easy to read and far too often wears his emotions on his sleeve. He is very expressive and doesn’t hold back. When he’s happy, it’s written all over his face and when he’s upset, all the world knows. Now, there are worse shortcomings than honestly and openness, but it might limit his career opportunities. He should probably reconsider any plans to become a politician, spy, actor, lawyer or used car salesman, where spinning yarns are part of the business. Also, he should definitely stay out of any poker games.

Alsop Lane Trains

Every time we board the car these days, the boys want to go to Alsop Lane to see the trains. CSX maintains a small terminal and rail yard, and they usually have a couple of engines and a few dozen rail cars parked there. On some occasions, like today, we’ll catch a freight train passing through. Trains first traveled these lines in 1888 along the ambitiously named Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad. Locally known as the “Texas”, even after being later renamed the more accurate Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis Railroad, this rail line has survived while all the rest have been abandoned. The tracks lay just seven blocks from our home, and we hear the current CSX Railroad engines’ passing through town several times a day. Hearing the trains is fun, but seeing them is better.

The Midsummer Classic

For as long as I can remember we have gathered at Great Uncle Gene Ray Edds’ home to watch the Major League Baseball All Star Game. I haven’t attended every year, but I’ve seen the majority of them. This year Pa and Granny had plans, so it was just Sandy, the boys and me joining Gene Ray and Great Aunt Gay Nell. Wearing our St. Louis Cardinal’s caps, we did our part to support the National League, who has suffered a 13-game losing streak to the American League in as many years. The boys behaved very well for 5 scoreless innings as the league’s top pitchers battled. Just as bedtime approached and we prepared to leave, the action picked up, and the National League triumphed 3-1, breaking their winless streak.

Traffic Jam

Usually you can find Trey Davey engineering trains all the live long day, but it was cars that fascinated him today. Sandy found these mats at a yard sale for a dollar and thought the boys might enjoy them. Printed on each of the nine interlocking squares is a different road design, which can be attached in various combinations to build custom cities. We have two other rugs with smaller roads, but Davey recognized that the scale of these mats’ roads fit his cars better. He added cars to his streets until it resembled Manhattan at rush hour. Let’s hope he doesn’t begin construction of a subway.

On The Run

Panther Creek Park has a Nature Walk through a wetland preserve. Our recent visit followed shortly after a period of flooding in Daviess County. The high water marks were still visible on the trees and came about a foot above the path. From the elevated walkway visitors may observe wildflowers, all types of birds and animal life. It was pretty quiet during our visit, although at one point we heard a noise and turned to see what could have been a large cat scurry into the woods. The feline was larger than a house cat, but smaller than a panther. Given it’s speed, we all decided that it was surely a Kentucky Wildcat. After reaching a main junction, bugs began bothering us, especially Benji. Mommy then decided we should all exit the nature area double time.

Old School Swing Set

We bought the boys swings over a year ago, but lost the trees we planned to use. Next we set our sights on one of those large multi-story wooden activities centers that are all the rage now. They can be quite pricey when purchased new, but can be picked up second hand in very good condition at a fraction of the cost. Apparently, when children outgrow them, parents will practically give the behemoths away in order to regain their yards. Last fall, we encounter several of these units at yard sales, but have not found a suitable one this year. Today Sandy ran across this simple old A-frame for just five dollars. These were the standard swing sets when we were toddlers. While we continue looking for a modern unit, this will get us swinging, and we can always resale it to recapture our investment.

The Goods

Most Saturday mornings this summer the family has gone to garage sales. It’s a fun adventure that takes us to new places where we meet people and sometimes find wonderful trinkets. The newspaper is like a treasure map offering valuable clues to where the bounty might be. We keep a list of items to look for as we go. Usually, Mommy shops while the guys wait in the car. She’s the least impulsive. Davey and I want everything. While she’s gone, Daddy plans our next stop. Sometimes he knows right where to go and other times he uses the GPS. Seldom does she buy anything, but when she does it makes her very happy. During the quest we enjoy listening to the radio, especially computer advice from Kim Kommando. Today I became a little restless, so Daddy let me look at the newspaper where I know the goods are.

No Waiting

Carol had a sick day today, so the twins had Daddy all day long. Although very hot, it was a beautiful sunshiny day, and we decided to take this opportunity to explore a new park. Our goal is to play at least once on all of our community’s public playground equipment. Today we visited York Park located on Owensboro’s west side on York Drive. As the sign indicates, the park was founded in 1949 and occupies 5 acres. As a boy, it was one of my favorite parks because it wasn’t too far from our house and was seldom crowded. We could usually find the basketball or tennis courts free and wouldn’t have to wait to play. Some things never change as we had the park to ourselves again today.

The Whitesville Depot Park

The Western Kentucky coal fields provided an abundant resource, in high demand, that needed a faster market delivery system. With this in mind, Owensboro chartered its third railway in 1882 as the Owensboro, Falls of the Rough, and Green River Railroad. The first 26-mile segment began at Owensboro’s riverfront, extended through Whitesville and stopped in Fordsville. After visiting the Fordsville Depot museum we were heading home when Benji yelled “Caboose” from the backseat. Like the others, this caboose commemorates Whitesville’s railway history. When this line was purchased by the Illinois Central Railroad, the line’s second segment was rerouted to Horse Branch to join IC’s mainline. This gave the small town of Whitesville in the 1890’s passenger service twice a day north to Owensboro and south, with connections, to Louisville and Memphis. The IC dropped passenger service on this line in 1928 and abandoned the line in 1981.

No Good Deed

Cousin Levi is a sweet child. When he visits us, he is usually reserved probably due to the unfamiliar people and surroundings. He does love his little cousins and becomes clearly excited when he sees them. Yesterday, we were playing in the backyard with all the toys out. At first, Levi was a little reluctant to get very wet. He watched the twins run through the sprinkler and jump into the pool from a safe distance while preferring to explore the slides and playhouse. At one point Davey drove his Cozy Coupe over the sprinkler and stopped. With his tire crimping the water hose the spray stopped as well. Hearing Davey say “I’m stuck!” Levi generously walked over and offered a push to free his little cousin. Once the obstruction was removed, the sprinkler returned to work at full pressure which soaked our Good Samaritan.

Birthday Benchmark Photo – 2 Years 7 Months

I consider this photo to be a major accomplishment. It stands as clear and convincing evidence that Daddy is learning and evolving just as the boys are. For over a year we’ve been struggling to take the twin’s monthly benchmark photo. I’ve danced, bribed, yelled, pleaded, and enlisted Mommy and Carols help to get a usable photo. Sometimes, I’ve taken close to 100 photos over several sessions to get one decent shot. Other times I’ve photo-shopped two photos together to produce a product with both boys looking at the camera. The most successful recent trick I’ve used is to turn on their favorite TV show and photograph them from behind the TV. I gave up trying to get smiles. This month, I promised to play a Thomas the Train movie. They instantly became very happy and cooperative, which produced a good photo. Three cheers for the old dog’s new tricks.

Independence Day Spray

We had a ball with Cousin Levi over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. With the temperatures cresting in the mid-nineties, the best thing to do was play it cool in the water. Mommy pre-filled the pool so the water temperature would be comfortable and set the sprinkler on high for maximum benefit. The boys decided to invite the slides to the party and pushed them under the sprinkler’s spray. They soon learned a lesson on friction, namely that a wet slide has very little. After their initial surprise, they loved the faster function of the wet slide. While Levi was mostly content to enjoy a cool pool bath, Benji preferred sliding and diving into the pool while Davey ran repeated through the spray and failed miserably to avoid the water drops. By the end of the day, our little patriots had been thoroughly baptized in Independence Day fun.

The Wheels on the Train

With each visit the cousins grow closer. This morning, we gathered early in the backyard to play before the day grew too hot and humid. After enjoying a nice lunch, the boys were in the mood for a song or two. First we taught Levi and Pa one of our favorites, “There were Ten in the Bed”. The twins enthusiastically sang their parts as we counted down to one. The next selection was our own composition based on the old traditional “The Wheels on the Bus”. Since we like trains better, our song focused on that transportation form adding verses like – the conductor on the train calls “all aboard” – all complete with hand gestures. On his next visit we’ll sing it in three part harmony.

Panther Creek Park Caboose

As we continue to find more old cabooses to explore, I began to wonder why so many examples are around. Until the 1980s, laws required that all freight trains have a caboose and a full crew for safety. In an effort to save money and survive in a competitive marketplace, railroads eventually made their case in the courts that technological advances in communications, reliable equipment design and failure detection devices made the need for cabooses and their crews obsolete. Rather than scrapping these popular icons, the railroads made a brilliant public relations move by making many of these suddenly retired cabooses available for public purchase. As a result, cabooses have become attractions for railroad museums, city parks and other civic uses, such as visitor centers. We found this one at Panther Creek Park just a few miles from our home.

Ground Control

Some people don’t mind getting their hands dirty, while other folks live for it. Trey Davey Edds belongs to the latter group; he loves the dirty work. Give him a shady spot and a place to dig, and he’s as happy as a clam (in butter sauce). Look away a moment at the playground, and he’ll start digging under the slides. Take him to the blueberry picking patch, and he’ll slip behind the bushes to dig in the soil. Turn your head a moment while resting on the back steps, and he’s burrowing in the flower pots. This dirty business is not popular with his mother and tests the limits of her new and improved laundry detergent, but it may one day become profitable should he choose to become an archeologist, excavator, miner or farmer.