Thanks for continuing to be part of my world, Dad!

My Father passed away several years ago. It's been a rough process for me, but I have so many happy memories of him that it's been bitter sweet - leaning more towards the sweet side than the bitter.

He actually survived a heart attack a while back and was with us - retired, happy and healthy - for close to 20 additional YEARS. Over that time, he got to see three grandchildren brought into the world and was able to get a super solid and spectacular relationship with me - something that had been rocky before the first heart attack and recovery.

So...there's a silver lining to the tale for sure.

Recently, my Mother found a bunch of bonds that my Father had purchased for me over the years. Just a few that he had popped some extra cash on here and there.

I joked that Dad could fund my hobby from the beyond and my Mom thought it was a fun idea and something that he would have really liked. So, I cashed the bonds in, split some of the funds with the house, then placed the rest in a sort of TRAIN FUND I could pull from for my redesign. And, it's come in handy.

I was able to finish off some purchases I've wanted to make and get the layout redesign purchases dialed in without having to strain the Home coffers. This was a happy little birthday gift for me for sure and something that really put a smile on my face after many somewhat sadder moments wishing my Dad were around to help with my hobby pursuits. He would have loved being a part of it and now he has been. A major part of it, really.

So, aside from the track items, the Kato 3034-3 EF210-100 Late Type Single Arm Pantograph Loaded Car will be added to the roster as well as more cars for the Kato 10-848 Series E259 `Narita Express`  to round that out.

I plan on building a kit that my Dad might have liked and dropping it onto my layout, but knowing these other items are now here because of my Father brings a smile to my face every time I see them now.    <3