Last week we visited our good friends, Howard & Corene, our train buddies.

I met Corene years ago when I was teaching music at ECA.  Corene often practiced the organ in the chapel above my classroom, and one day she wandered down and introduced herself.  We began chatting about music in general and the piano lessons I taught.  Corene expressed an interest in taking lessons, and soon we were meeting weekly for a piano lesson.  I SO enjoyed lessons with Corene!  She is very talented at the piano and I found her lessons a breath of fresh air after teaching small children all day.

Corene continued lessons for several years and during that time we discovered that our husbands were both into trains.  She mentioned that their model train layout took up the majority of their basement and they would love for us to come over sometime to “run” trains!  That was all it took and we’ve been meeting at their house several times a year for operating sessions.

November 2007

When we first visited their house, I had no idea what an operating session was.  I assumed (incorrectly) that running trains meant turning them on and letting them run around a loop for awhile.  I was greatly mistaken!  Howard and Corene have modeled different parts of Colorado in their layout, and an operating session involves picking up and delivering various train cars to different CO towns and switching yards.  I also assumed you could just pick up the cars and move them where you wanted to, but to run trains correctly, you move them the way an engineer would by switching the cars using the locomotive.  So, an operating session can last for several hours!

November 2007

Kenny was in heaven and I quickly discovered that I enjoyed “running” trains, too!  Howard, Corene, Kenny, and I would run trains for awhile, and then Corene would always serve some delicious treat before we left. We would take the the time to sit down at the table together, enjoy food and drink, and have some very enjoyable conversation catching up with each other.

January 2008

While I enjoyed the trains, I soon came to love this time together at the table.  Upon entering their home, I always noticed that Corene had the table set with placemats in anticipation of our time together.  This time spent together was more than trains and more than food.  It was two couples taking the time out of busy schedules to stop, get to know one another, and enjoy sweet fellowship together.  For several years we continued meeting with Howard and Corene, enjoying our trains and conversations.  And, once in awhile Corene and I would slip away to their music room and play piano duets together.  What fun!

July 2008

Then, James and Anna came along, and now they are quickly developing a love for trains, too.  When James was a baby, Howard and Kenny would head to the basement while Corene and I entertained James upstairs.  After the operating session was over, we would all enjoy some snacks and conversations together.  Now James understands the process of an operating session and  accompanies Howard and Kenny downstairs to the layout.  Eventually Anna will be old enough to head to the basement, too.

September 2009

Both kids are learning what it means to really “visit” with other folks.  We don’t go to Howard and Corene’s to play with other kids, we go to enjoy their company and discover through conversation how they are doing and what is new in their lives.  This isn’t always easy for young children, but it’s oh, so vital!  We think it’s important for children to learn to sit and visit with other adults.  It’s also why we hound our kids at home about good table manners!  So we can take them to someone else’s home and trust that they can politely behave at the table.

August 2012

August 2012

Howard and Corene, we love you both, and are so grateful for your friendship!  We LOVE running trains with you, LOVE our conversations and delicious food, and look forward to many more years running trains together with the kids.  Thank you SO much for the hours you have dedicated to our family.  We appreciate it so much!