Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

As I looked for the more traditional photos of my mother, maybe one of us together, her at The Feast of the Hunters' Moon in period clothing, and so on, I came across this old picture.

Mom, the beauty queen! Although actually, she wasn't queened for beauty, she was a railroad queen. Miss West Lafayette for the Monon Railroad, 1947!

That's her in the white dress alongside Miss Lafayette, the mayors of the two towns, and an official from the Monon Railroad. Oh, and a Monon engine behind her on the tracks. (She would soon climb into one of its cars and set off on a whistle top tour along the Monon line.)****

Look closely at her dress - someone sewed arrows onto it that would point to her banner! I think that is hilarious.

There's a fun story behind her being a Queen of the Monon and you can read more here. (Here she is in the front row with the other queens, one from each town the train passed through.)

My day looks to be a very nice one and shared with those I love most.

Sarah sent me this lovely bouquet yesterday (ironically sitting next to my Grandpa Martin's railroad lantern; he was a conductor for the railroad.)

This morning Mila will be singing a Mother's Day song in a quintet at Church and then Lisa is cooking me my favorite comfort food for dinner (porcupine meatballs!) while Craig will make homemade mashed potatoes to pair with them.  I'll talk to my kids on the phone and enjoy a nice, reflective day. 

Me with Sarah, Kyle, Jessica, Curt, Lisa, and Cole in Salt Lake City, 1989.

I am excited that I can finally share Titan's most recent musical video.

It's a Mother's Day song, but it is inclusive and acknowledges the way that all women, mothers or not, influence and make our world a better place.

Jessica (front row in khaki) was invited to be in the video, too!

The Ones Who Mother Me by Angie Killian

Enjoy the video, and whether you are a mom or not, I hope you also enjoy this day that recognizes the bright spot that women are in our world.

**** Interestingly enough, in the 1980s my mother was a leader in Lafayette's Railroad Location Project, a $186 million dollar project that moved the active railroad lines out of the middle of the streets of downtown and to elevated tracks.

 

I See Horses

Sometimes your perception is influenced by your interests and you see things or make connections that others do not. Case in point? This sign at a local gas station:

I have no idea what FAS rewards are. But I do have a lot of FASs!

Breyer's FAS, also called the Family Arabian Stallion, in Appaloosa. And for the record, I am up for FAS rewards any time if they are this kind of FAS!

My town was anchored by the Monon Railroad so we have lots of tracks, bridges, and overpasses crisscrossing town.

I didn't see the train cars on this overpass; I saw the NAME on the trailers being transported.

Secretariat winning the Belmont and Triple Crown, 1973. Photo from Bloodhorse.

No doubt aficionados of other things do the same thing - see connections to their interests in otherwise everyday, normal things.

And I'll bet that those connections make them smile, too, just as they did me.

Queen of the Monon!

I am trying to curb my enthusiasm for bridle rosettes, but I do check eBay every now and then, "just to see." (Honestly, I'm not even fooling myself.) I've looked at (and resisted) many pairs including the neatest Wizard of Oz rosettes, but I simply could not resist these.

 Monon, the Hoosier Line!

Why was this pair so irresistible? Check out this photo.

That's my mama, Fern Honeywell, in the white dress. (I did not add the arrows; aren't they an odd trim for a dress? But I love how they point out her banner!) Mom was West Lafayette's Queen of the Monon Railroad in 1947. The girl on her left was Lafayette's queen, and the mayors of both cities are at their sides. I don't know the man on the far right; my guess is that he is an official from Monon.

The occasion was the 50th anniversary of the railroad, and to celebrate, they did a whistle stop tour all along the route from Chicago to Louisville, stopping in all the towns along the way for pictures, autographs, food, and fun. A four man band from Chicago was on board the train, playing at the stops, too.

Posing with other queens. My mother is on the front left.

As you might imagine, I really wanted those Monon bridle rosettes, and so Cole bought them for me for a Christmas gift. They're a nice addition to my original pair and my Barnum & Bailey/Ringling Brothers  circus rosettes.

But really, I am not collecting them. Not yet, at least.