Hit the Rails

 We have this project hanging around the house because we can't bear to get rid of it.  It represents a lot of hard work by our son. When our kids were in elementary school they were in a year-round program that started school in mid-July, had three week breaks between quarters and got out a week later than everyone else.  It was nice when all the kids were in elementary school together.  We took our vacations in March and October and in those breaks we were also offered some mini-classes for kids to help fill up their time.  They also offered some of these same classes in the summer and one summer I signed all the kids up for a week long class and the one I had Nathan take was railroad building, and what they did, was build a piece of scenery using the supplies and techniques that model railroad builders use.

When we saw the finished product we were astounded.  The quality of the work is amazing.  I had no idea Nathan was so talented with his hands. I think this was done in the year between 4th and 5th grade when he was 10.

I love this thing so much, I took pictures of it and am just now getting in a place where I can go back and look at them whenever I want, since someday, it will HAVE to be thrown out.  It measures about 12" wide and 16" deep.  We even found a little trolley car thing to ride on the rails.

View from the top

Down in the Valley

 Close-Up

Rugged Terrain

Close-up Again

Over the Top