O Gauge Train Show

On Sunday Feb 1st, Frank, Alex and I went to a model train show in Mountain View, CA, about 50 miles south of Alex's home. This show featured hobbyists who specialize in O gauge. The gauge of Frank's model railroad layout at home is HO but, he still enjoys the vendors and layouts at this show of a larger scale. O scale is 1:48 and HO scale is 1:87.  HO informally stands for Half O.

The show is held inside the I.F.E.S. Hall. I wondered what the initials stood for and if it related to trains. It does not. Also, if this is Hall No. 1, just out of curiosity are there others? A quick Google search tells me no. But perhaps, in the future...? Per the ifes website

Many people ask us what IFES stands for. It stands for Irmindade da Festa do Divino Espirito Santo, which translates to Brotherhood of the Feast of the Divine Holy Spirit. Located in Mountain View, California, we are a Portuguese organization that has been carrying on the traditions of the Azorean Islands and serving the local communities since 1926.

At least the sign pointed us to the correct direction to enter. At the check-in table Alex got a hand stamp which made him grin, quite pleased with himself. Once inside there were tables upon tables of model railroad O-gauge paraphernalia. Frank bought two power supplies, a killer deal at about 90% off the retail price. But even in a hall as humble as this, there is room for elegance. There were several chandeliers scattered about, gracing the acoustic tile ceiling.

We enjoyed a large train layout assembled by the members. It is modular and specification are decreed for the edges of each segment so that, once in the hall, the various contributions of the members Golden Gate Lionel Railroad Club can be joined into one continuous set of tracks. Alex liked watching the moving trains, peeking in to anticipated when each would emerge from the tunnel.

We got Alex a blister pack card of tiny barnyard animals that he carried around with him, pointing out each animal and telling us the sound it makes. He got a bag of chips which always puts a smile on his face and orange dust on his fingers. But by far, Alex's favorite part of the show was the high-powered blower hand dryer in the bathroom. It was so LOUD!! and he laughed gleefully as he held his hands under it for way longer than was necessary. The sound reverberated throughout the entire hall, extending way beyond the boundaries of the bathroom walls. It is heart-warming to see such great pleasure coming from from such mundane items.

After the show we all went to dinner at Clementines, a Cajun-themed restaurant in San Raman. Alex loves their Jambalaya and practically inhales it. Note that he is wearing a shirt his sister Robin made for him. The card of barnyard animals is also visible in the foreground. Sunday had a been a low-key, enjoyable day.

The Wiz

Frank and I went to a matinee performance of The Wiz at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts Saturday, January 31st. The colorful stage debut we viewed while we were awaiting the opening was intriguing. It bode of good things to come. We had our usual vantage point from Row 12.

As usual at this venue, the staging was impressive and the costuming was flamboyant. The dancers were amazing with the amount of flexibility and limberness they demonstrated. I did not know a body could bend in the way the scarecrow did. The tin man really was stuck in certain locations of this body as if those joints were indeed welded and his movement truly reflected the constraints.

The music was loud, I mean really LOUD. The power, range, and modulation skills of the singers was positively awesome. The songs were impassioned. They were pulsating. They got lots of thunderous applause. I could be impressed the with talent of the singers but not with the indecipherable finished product. If we could have understood more than 10% of the lyrics perhaps we would have gleaned more from the plot. Simply put, the soulful screaming of songs, with scatting to enhance the notes, was not my cup of tea. I recognized only one of the songs from the production, "Ease On Down The Road". The others I cannot even tell you what they were about. 

My expectations were that this production was a jazzed up reinterpretation of the Wizard of Oz and I knew it had an all-black cast. There were long dance scenes that, although lively and raucous, seemed to slow down the pace of the show to me. I acknowledge that they are to be enjoyed for an entity unto themselves. The connection to the Frank Baum tale was far looser than I had anticipated. The return from the Emerald City was anticlimactic with no joyful reunion with Auntie Em and a tieback to the farm hands. There were no munchkins. There was not even a yellow brick road! Ok, we did "Ease On Down the Road" several times but that was not the same ambience. I even missed Toto ... there was no dog sadly. 

I am glad Frank and I got out of the house. We were in a bit of a funk, not looking forward to this outing and therefore having low expectations. We have a theory that low expectations generally means higher enjoyment — because when something exceeds expectations, happiness often follows. That theory did not pan out for this show. On a positive note, taking at face value the colorful costuming, energetic dancing, and boisterous singing, and looking beyond the context of relaying a story, there was entertainment to be had. The entertainment was beyond the realm of what we were expecting, I guess. It was more in the land of "Aahs" rather than "Oz".