Putting the 'Hobby' back into Obsession... n' vice versa.

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I've been absent from this forum and my beloved N-Scale hobby for quite some time. For the curious, it is because I am, what my wife has coined, a "Seasonal Hobbiest." That meaning, I feel more like doing crafty things in the fall (perceived here in South Florida in the most minute way... one needs to eye the calendar to be absolutely sure). I'm not quite sure what it is about Autumn and Winter that seems more appropriate to me about working on trains... vestiges of my youth up north perhaps... memories of cool autumn days and walking along mysterious half-hidden abandoned tracks. The ceremonious setting-up of the christmas tree trains, both ours and every male German relative, young and old. Choo choos were just as ensconced in Christmas as old Saint Nicolas. I can feel the white batten snow material now.

So, the Dingmans Falls & Delaware Railroad Company layout sits like a still life under a dusty plastic drop cloth. Waiting. Waiting for me to get in the mood that comes with thoughts of turning leaves and pumpkins. The upside to this is that I am much more enthusiastic to start, having worn my nerves thin with the project the last new years. I can approach my layout and its former problems with a fresh eye and a fresh perspective; no longer teeth gnashing with "millimeter burnout."

One of the things that I have come to understand about becoming a mature silver-back gorilla is the concept of... no, scratch that... the ZEN of patience. Not all needs to be done in a week. Not all needs to be polished for tomorrow. Its the hobby, not the destination. As a seasoned art director, getting out of the deadline mindset is not easy. There is no deadline here... only the process. The joy. The hobby.

I know its not quite summer... and I have a few months to go before I hear the call of the plaster and lichen... but I've been eyeballing some new scenery techniques... and of course, I'm always on the lookout for the "perfect and unobtainable" pine tree.

All aboard!

— Mister Mahoney, Curator

Dingmans Falls & Delaware Railroad Company