Hey, I confess it was actually fun!

Well, I have returned to school to obtain what - I don’t know. To expand my knowledge to earn a degree and move forward in a career. All that sounds good and yet I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. So as I swim through the pool of basics that are needed in any degree you pursue I am encountering some interesting things.

Two math classes behind me, I had to switch and take something other than math. I chose “Introduction to Social Sciences”. It sounded interesting, and so far has proven much more interesting than I had thought it would be.

We were given two options to earn extra credit. One of which my husband and I went too today. The train show at the local National Guard Armory and it was put on by the Lions Club, it is an annual thing.

We went in and having not thought ahead scrambled for the entrance fee/raffle entry. I’m not known for having cash on hand but I did happen to have a $10 bill, and my husband had two dollars.

What we were to look for I admit I am a little unclear on, the professor advised us to look for the “norms”. My twisted mind thought, I’m going to try and find a guy with the name “Norm” and take my picture with it and tell him – “I found a Norm does that count”. Alas I found no Norm. The closest I got was a “Neal”.

I was not sure what to expect, having heard two different experiences from people. Our experience had parts of both. We went on a Sunday afternoon, and one vendor told me that they usually don’t get a big turn out on Sunday. Aside from the vendors and the members of the Lions Club selling hotdogs and raffle tickets there were, maybe 50 people give or take. I would say the vendors were all of retirement age, although these days that varies since I work with officers that are 50ish and retiring. So let’s say most of the vendors were I would say mid sixties. All seemed quite friendly, although I would think it would to their benefit in effort to sell their wares. The ages rather varied of those attending the show. There were the young couples with their children. There were the diehard train collectors. There were grandparents with their grandkids. Of course couples like me and my husband, middle aged – ouch.

In a separate room they had a couple of trains set up running on tracks which was so fascinating. You could see on the faces of those running them and the many observing them that it was something that really held their interest. It was easy to see that train collecting is something that appeals to all age groups. As I was leaving that room it was actually touching to watch one young boy eagerly showing his father what he bought, obviously an interest that the father and son shared.

It was a vast variety of items, so many cars that brought to mind songs “Chattanooga Choo-Choo”, “Wabash Cannonball” or cars with names that you would see on a Monopoly board, "B & O Railroad". We both said “hey look at this” at least a couple of times.

I had actually forgotten that my husband has a train set, one he has had since he was a child. He used to put it up to run around the Christmas tree. He even made a purchase to add to that set. My husband will be 53, and that boy I saw showing his new found treasure to his father was about 12 so, yes I would say it is safe to say that train collecting appeals to a wide range of ages, young and old. Even the degree in which people are interested in trains, a mild interest in it, like mine pure fascination. To that of an avid collector who is a member of a train club such as The Ocala 3 Railers.
(The addition to my husband’s set)

I think this was meant to be a train kind of weekend my husband is in the kitchen making gumbo singing “The City of New Orleans” – as I finish this.