Earning my Name

When we're born, one of the first things our parents do is give our name. This is what we are know by for our entire life and that name, generally, never changes. As we get older and our personalty, likes, and interests form, we sometimes get a nickname. I have a cousin who goes by "Bubba" and it almost sounds strange to hear his actual name used.

I just normally stick with Joel and don't use a lot of alter personalities. However, I do also get referred to as the "Barefoot Preacher" and, as the address of this blog shows, "trainman" or similar variant. I have never preached while wearing something on my feet, so this name fits as long as I'm able to preach. The second name has been getting neglected for quite a while, making me start to wonder if it still applied to me.

When it comes to trains, I generally enjoy most aspects of the hobby. I like watching trains, doing model trains, discussing rail related topics, and some history as well. However, it is a hobby that is like all others and requires time. For me, it also requires assistance from someone else. 

Dad and I mainly enjoy the same hobby, but he has many different projects vying for his attention nearly simultaneously. As a result, it has been many months since we have done anything on our train layout other than occasional "testing" to see if engine sounds still work. It has been even longer since

Steel Highway's camera showing one of our sightings

we've gone on an official outing with the primary goal of seeing trains. Running errands to nearby towns that have active tracks may result in a train sighting, but not from seeking them. My family spends almost every evening meal with a camera from Virtual Railfan or Steel Highway Railcams in the background, but it isn't the same.

Yesterday, after literal years of hiatus, dad and I finally got to sit beside the rails and wait for trains. He had misplaced something while running errands the day before and retrieving it made a perfect excuse for leaving plenty of time to watch trains. In less than two hours, we saw four trains and part of a fifth we missed due to the classic railfan error of leaving a few minutes too quickly.

It was a cool day, but sitting in the van with the sun on us kept it from becoming too cold. We could have seen the same trains through live camera feeds at home, but it felt good to be out in person again and not have distractions and other interests interrupt.

In the quad life, or any life, it can sometimes be the calm activities that get neglected first, but provide the most benefit. I'm doubtful railfanning will be a frequent occurrence in 2025, but it at least happened once.