Cash loves trains and when I saw this
advertised on television, I knew we had to go.
I didn't know the story of Thomas but it began in 1917 in the sleepy village
of Box in Wiltshire, England. A young boy lies awake in his bed,
listening to steam engines huffing and puffing along the nearby Great
Western Railway. To the little boy tucked up in bed, listening to the
engines, it sounds very much like the trains are talking to each other.
The young boy is Wilbert Awdry – later to become the Reverend W. Awdry,
the creator of "The Railway Series" and the most famous tank engine in
the world --Thomas.
Many years later in 1940, when Wilbert was married, he found
himself passing on his love of railways to his own son, Christopher
Awdry. In 1943, when Christopher was confined to his bed with measles,
Wilbert amused his son by improvising stories about the steam engines
from his own childhood. And so began the adventures of Edward and two
other engines, Gordon and Henry. These original stories were told over
and over again until, pressed by Christopher to be more consistent with
the details, the Rev. W. Awdry finally scribbled the stories on scraps
of paper.
It was only due to the persistence of his wife, Margaret, that the
Rev. Awdry eventually offered his scribbles to a publisher, and his
first book, "The Three Railway Engines" was published by Edmund Ward in
1945. At Christmas of that year, the Rev. Awdry made his son Christopher
a simple wooden toy engine that was later christened "Thomas." And so
Thomas the Tank Engine was born. At Christopher's urging, his father
began to make up stories about Thomas too. "Thomas the Tank Engine" was
published the following year and steamed onwards. The Rev. W. Awdry
invented a fictional setting for the stories – the Island of Sodor – and
wrote a new book every year until his twenty sixth and final story.
In the following years, the Rev. Awdry enjoyed his
semi-retirement, responding to thousands of letters from the fans of his
books. In 1983, following in the footsteps of his father, Christopher
began writing stories for the amusement of his son Richard. "Really
Useful Engines" was the first of 14 books by Christopher Awdry that have
entertained a second generation of Thomas fans. Around that time, Britt
Allcroft, a television producer, had been filming a documentary on a
preserved steam railway. She found herself fondly reacquainted with
books she had enjoyed in her childhood and was inspired to bring them to
the television screen.
It was a beautiful day in Heber, a little windy but nice and warm.
Here comes Thomas!
Colby liked riding on the train too!
Enjoying cotton candy for the first time!
Last stop... dinner at Dairy Keen, the hamburgers are yummy!
Thanks for letting Grams and Grandpa tag along, that's was fun!!
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Colby is the best baby, happy boy!
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Popcorn and Sunny Days
Clean as a whistle!
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Good morning, having fun while Grams dries her hair. +f.jpg)
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Cash loved watching the penguins.+f.jpg)
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Whew... 5 days in a row of family fun, doesn't get much better than that.+f.jpg)
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