Summer Is For Play

The past two weeks have provided numerous opportunities for recreation for me. I started with a weekend in Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa taking in their annual “Omaha Railroad Days”, a celebration of all things related to trains. For railfans, Omaha and Council Bluffs are natural destinations. The headquarters of the largest railroad in the country is here, there are several museums located here that celebrate trains, and the Dodge House is also located here.  I didn’t have time to see all that’s available, but I do plan to go back in the next few weeks and finish my tour.

A quick video of one of the garden railroad exhibits I visited at Lauritzen Gardens is here:

There is more in a series of posts I have started over on Researching the Railroad.

My next opportunity for recreation came in the form of a four-day vacation. My parents invited me to visit the Black Hills on a trip they were planning. I gratefully accepted their kind invitation and returned to the Black Hills of South Dakota for the first time in about twenty years.  Much has changed, but many things remain as I remember them.  Bonus:  Our tour of the Badlands inspired the new header image.

I thoroughly enjoyed my last couple of weeks of leisurely summer fun, and I’m looking forward to a few more enjoyable breaks before fall.  To my folks – thank you, the invitation came at the perfect time and it couldn’t have been any better.