I've Got Mail!

When I was a kid, it used to be such a thrill to get mail.  Didn't matter what it was, anything in the mailbox with my name on it was exciting.  Those Estes model rocket catalogs, Boys Life magazines, Tyco train catalogs, just all sorts of goodies.  These days, the mailbox is a lot less exciting.  There's usually nothing in there except some new set of fingers trying to reach into your wallet.  I'm not ashamed to admit, however, that I felt a mild rekindling of that childhood excitement earlier this week.  Two parcels, one of which I've been waiting for, one that I had forgotten about, both arrived on the same day.  It was like Christmas in June!

A couple of weeks ago, I ordered some scale lumber, assorted 1" stock in various widths.  I ordered from a manufacturer that I've never used before, the Kappler Mill and Lumber Company, and I've been anxious for it to arrive.  I needed this lumber to proceed with the depot and the water tower, plus I was curious to see the quality of the product.  So far, I'm impressed.  Competitive pricing, and the quality is excellent.  I think I'll be grabbing one of their bulk assortments pretty soon.

With the lumber supply replenished, I've started applying the clapboard siding to the exterior of the depot.  One board at a time, staggering the joints at random intervals, carefully overlapping each board over the one below it.

Tedious, time-consuming, and a welcome distraction from this week full of meetings that I've had.  Doesn't look too bad!

Also arriving the same day, something I had forgotten about, was my award from the model contest from the TLR convention last month.

My scratchbuilt caboose took second place in the "Caboose" category.  I'm satisfied with that, we couldn't both win first place!