Prophesy

I prophesied that this area would be cleansed by a tornado or flood, & of course I was right.

Decided to tear it all down & start from scratch after six yrs. Not really. It'll still be as shown in the linked item, but w/ new sand, since I'd cut much of the previous mat into various sizes, leading to a patchwork rather than even surface; this time, all smooth sand beneath everything except the grass mat & the trench, idiot. (Cue "Trenchtown Rock".)

Also saves one the trouble of applying ground cover & similar mind-numbing activities. The first 50x100 inch mat ran about US$25.00, four or five yrs. later it was 40 bones. (Guess it would've been $33.99 had I bought it in the store. In Omaha.) Yes, it's from the Woodland Scenics pirates. Couldn't find anything else as large. "Made in the USA" so no tariff. Is sand more expensive today? Are the vinyl & adhesive imported?

Nice letter 'though.

Digging Marci's old school penmanship, & the lined-out fax #.

While the land was restored to its natural plywood state I took the opportunity to add another level of milk crates, jacking it to 43¾" from the floor. Previously 32" & change.

This provides a better viewing angle, putting my eyes about 120 scale ft. above it, rather than the previous Eyes-of-Gawd view.

Also spares the aging spine constant bending while painting all the effin' track & slapping it & roadbed down well enough that trains will run w/o derailing, uncoupling, or starting a fire, & then assembling two or three more structures. See y'all sometime in '27.

Other price news: Purchased a quarter-inch by 2 ft. square hunk of poplar plywood from Columbia Forest Products on 26 December 2025, for US$14.68. Ordered another on 1 Feb. 2026: $15.56. At least they cut it for you.