Another Year at the Steamup.

Well we went to the Steamup on Sunday. The weather was perfect.

Max doesn't see the toy Beetle at the flea market.

Some steam tractors.

Tractor driving rednecks love country music and Yakisoba.

Ready to drive with a bellyfull of noodles.

Max scored the firemans hat for free.

Henry and I ride the tiny train.

Big man, tiny train.

Yarding scale logs.

Up ahead a train derailed.

Jenny overtakes us.

Henry and I enjoy the breeze as we ride the streetcar.

On the streetcar.

Showing a boy how to use a bazooka.

A scout car.

Felice will not buy me one for my birthday.

A Hong Kong trolley car.

The old electric trolley moves along.

Max drives the Caterpillar.

Another year, another picture in front of the huge bulldozer.

1936 Cord

Max heads off to have a look.

A nice old engine.

G scale trains.

Gregg has his engines on display.

His pump.

Graduated engines.

Max ate some sort of horrific shaved ice that made him cyanotic.

Riding the rails...

Just a Heads Up!

For those of you who have tractor, train, machine obsessed kids, the Steam Up is this weekend and the next in Brooks, Orgeon:
Brooks Steam Up

It's a really fun event. We're not sure whether we'll go this Sunday or the next.

New Helmets, Big Trains

Derrick the Ohioan, master bike mechanic and fellow airgun nut, sent Henry and Max new bike helmets.

"See, this is what my cheapskate parents used to make me wear."

Max is delighted.

Henry and Max set off for the open road.

This can't help but make us nervous.

Max struggles to keep up...

Henry was a bit bored the other day so I decided it was time to dig the LGB train set out.

Sitting back and controlling the big train.

I amassed a large amount of track through careful and lucky estate sale purchases. You don't want to know what a basic train and circle track would cost new...all that track is even more expensive...say $5-$10 a piece...

Oh no! Derailment at high speed.

The G-scale trains are easy for a child to rerail. Henry and Max really love it, and it's a good way to get them outside.

I should have had pictures from this weekend when we went to daVinci Days festival in Corvallis, but being on my lonesome with the boys, I forgot to take the camera. A good time was had by all, and much stealth learning was done. Between the Children's Village and the other exhibits, we managed to spend a good 6 hours.

Wild Kingdom

I spotted some wildlife out the kitchen window.

Two fawns (one back between the two sheds).

Munching on dandelions.

The 2nd fawn trots down the path...

And noses over...

No sense of self preservation...

The mother comes around the corner...

And collects her children.

The 4th and 5th

On July 4th we went to the parade in Corvallis and the kids rode their bikes all around town.

Friday evening we went to Amy and Ryan's house for dinner and (legal) fireworks fun out in the street.

Setting the street on fire. Notice the guy in the red shirt with the propane torch. I was pretty impressed with the pyrotechnics, some of the "fountain" type fireworks were very explodey.

On the 5th, while Felice was suffering at the Saturday Market, I took the kids to the Philomath Classic Car Show.

These pictures make more sense if I remind that Max is obsessed with VW bugs because of the Herbie the Love Bug movies. Henry is begging to go look at the other cars.

Max fits right in the engine. Notice my well behaved child who kept his arms behind his back and did not touch any of the cars.

Listening to what the bug says.

Henry likes monster (or in this case just a semi jacked up pickup) trucks.

This was my favorite, a 2CV in mint condition.

Max explains the engine to Henry.

Max talks a bit with the Beetle.

A good way to spend a few hours with the boys.