Rockin' Around -2k11

Tony and I got the layout up this past weekend- and it's a little scaled back. Only room for Santa's Village, the farm, and the manger. But most of the holiday trains are out, and even the trolley managed to make an elevated appearance! The [relatively] new snap-together Lionel tracks are a breeze compared to the old days- I may have to make the switch myself one of these years... Not getting cotton-snow stuck in the wheels is more than worth it.

On a slightly random tangent- let's call this 'Analogies Gone Awry." If you're a Sports Radio listener you've probably heard this rant from Coastal Carolina's David Bennett. I understand the old cliche of dogs-versus-cats, but the way he gets to it here is just... hilarious. And that was before I saw the video version. "Cat in the house?!" Enjoy.

Rockin' Around

Light it up!

With yours truly's holiday-birthday, Christmas has always been kind of a big deal in the Matteson homestead. Aside from the seasonal decorations on every wall/ledge/handrail, there're usually two trees: a real pine in the family room for Santa to drop some gifts under, and an artificial tree in the front living room. The latter has our 'town'.

As any real boy should have an electric train set, I was no exception. Around my 5th birthday I got a traditional Lionel Trains starter set, and every year the collection has grown. Nowadays my younger brother is in on it as well, so the layout surrounding the tree has slowly annexed more and more living room floorspace... perhaps slightly encroaching on the dining room's capabilities to host Christmas Day Dinner.


These photos are from the past 2 years; those with keen eyes will spot the differing track layouts. Lionel puts out a new seasonal boxcar every year, and the Christmas Trains usually replace the typical freight cars after Santa drops off a new addition. Department 56-esque buildings provide a small town center, North Pole, and farm/countryside to fill in the gaps between tracks.

Long-exposure + trains running = Cool