You Are Welcome, Moms!
OK, Moms, listen up.
How would you like to get Dad and the tribe out of the house tomorrow in a way that INCLUDES fresh air and sunshine and DOES NOT include video games or television? You'll be able to take a nap, read a book (hopefully, Warnings, here's another great review at Amazon), plant a garden, or just have a few minutes to yourself. Sounds good, right?
So, all you have to do is get Dad over to the computer, have him click on the link below, and you're all set. Happy Mother's Day!
Dad, click on the movie link below. It is very short and it'll set the mood for the rest of this post. This was inspired by a article in today's Wall Street Journal:
According to the article, things trains and railroads are having a revival. Your kids love Thomas the Tank Engine, right? OK, since it is now fashionable to go watch trains, take the kids tomorrow!
Go find an active train line (if you don't know where one is near your home, just call your local model railroading hobby shop, they'll be happy to guide you), gather up your girls 3 to 9 and boys 3 to 11 (younger, the horns and bells might alarm them; older and this is a dorky idea, Dad), turn off the Blackberry, and go have fun. Caution: Everyone stay off the tracks and a safe distance away.
On some heavily used lines, you can expect a train about every 30 - 40 minutes (more on Fridays and Saturdays, usually). In between, you walk hand in hand with your kids and pick daisies, look at clouds, whatever. Then, take them to Dairy Queen for a mid-afternoon cone (don't tell Mom, you'll spoil their dinner!) and they'll be asleep in the back seat on your way home with a smile on their faces.
You, and they, might get hooked and have a new father-son and/or father-daughter activity. Regardless, you'll have a great time doing something different tomorrow.
So, take the kids. And, thanks for being a great Dad for spending quality time with your children!
UPDATE Sunday Morning: Parade magazine today has another story about train watching with kids!
How would you like to get Dad and the tribe out of the house tomorrow in a way that INCLUDES fresh air and sunshine and DOES NOT include video games or television? You'll be able to take a nap, read a book (hopefully, Warnings, here's another great review at Amazon), plant a garden, or just have a few minutes to yourself. Sounds good, right?
So, all you have to do is get Dad over to the computer, have him click on the link below, and you're all set. Happy Mother's Day!
Dad, click on the movie link below. It is very short and it'll set the mood for the rest of this post. This was inspired by a article in today's Wall Street Journal:
Kinda gets your blood going, doesn't it?
Go find an active train line (if you don't know where one is near your home, just call your local model railroading hobby shop, they'll be happy to guide you), gather up your girls 3 to 9 and boys 3 to 11 (younger, the horns and bells might alarm them; older and this is a dorky idea, Dad), turn off the Blackberry, and go have fun. Caution: Everyone stay off the tracks and a safe distance away.
On some heavily used lines, you can expect a train about every 30 - 40 minutes (more on Fridays and Saturdays, usually). In between, you walk hand in hand with your kids and pick daisies, look at clouds, whatever. Then, take them to Dairy Queen for a mid-afternoon cone (don't tell Mom, you'll spoil their dinner!) and they'll be asleep in the back seat on your way home with a smile on their faces.
You, and they, might get hooked and have a new father-son and/or father-daughter activity. Regardless, you'll have a great time doing something different tomorrow.
So, take the kids. And, thanks for being a great Dad for spending quality time with your children!
UPDATE Sunday Morning: Parade magazine today has another story about train watching with kids!
Heck Mike, I would love to do this myself and I'm the Mom of 3 adult children! It seems to me that both weather and trains are the perfect go-together! I love to go to my sons house, he lives in eastern Kansas, and besides enjoying the Grandbabies, there's a walking bridge over 2 sets of tracks, one goes to KC one leaves KC. I can't think of a better day than doing all that! I love pictures of trains and weather together, like the one video I'm sure you have seen of a train in Northern IL that derailed because a tornado's winds knocked the cars over! Awesome video! I grew up in the Chicago area and lived close to the N/W set ( of 3) tracks and spent a lot of time there even when I was 12 years old.! Anyway, great idea you have here but maybe more Moms love both weather & trains ( like me!) and would love to go to the tracks and take lots of pics!
ReplyDeleteOK, Mom above here is a shout-out for you: IF YOUR MOM WOULD LIKE TO GO TRAIN WATCHING -- TAKE HER! (And, you can still stop for ice cream on the way home!)
ReplyDeleteIt was nice to see some BNSF units! I now live in Iowa near a UP main line (0.25mi), so I see trains every day. As a student I worked for GE Transportation on the Distributed Power controllers, out of the BNSF yard in North KC. Those were fun times working primarily on the EMD units. I still go out and walk along the road parallel to the right of way sometimes with camera in hand to get some interesting shots.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, and visit often.
Thank you, Richard!
ReplyDeleteBe careful videotaping near rail lines. The government will probably come and get you thinking you're a terrorist plotting an attack...
ReplyDeleteSad state of affairs we are in for sure...
See my posting about the TSA above and the "Home of the Brave, Land of the Free"? posting above that.
ReplyDelete