Startin' Out

It may be the stories I’ve heard of my grandfather taking it or my childhood fascination with it, but there is something about a train that just says Old School to me. Trains are simply beautiful pieces of machinery. The sheer energy and force generated by the engine is mind-blowing. The masterful combination of low gears, massive torque, and sufficient friction form a powerful, practical, and useful mode of transportation. I can’t imagine the pull from the engine necessary to break the static friction (even with nearly frictionless wheels) of all the resting cars or pull them up a grade- truly incredible. I won’t go so far as to call my interest in trains an infatuation, but two model train sets reside in my room now. One, a smaller more modern model, and the other, a burly freight built before I was born. Maybe I’ll share them with my kids someday and hope they may express any appreciation. But for now, riding on this train instills in me a renewed sense of admiration and awe of a train’s simple beauty.

A benefit of traveling by train is the ability to communicate and interact with others. On a plane or bus, there is not really an opportunity to meet the other people you’re traveling with, besides maybe the person sitting next to you or another person waiting for the lavatory. But on the train, you can get up, walk around, ask questions to see if the people around you care to converse about the scenery. And if they don’t, no worries, just head on over to the observation car.
That is where I find myself today, where I had the pleasure of meeting Floyd Jensen. Floyd (and yes, even after a day I feel as if I know him well enough to call him by his first name) is an 82 year-old WWII veteran going to visit his grandkids. He joined the Navy at the age of 17, after his father refused to let his son work along side him at a shipyard and begged his mother to sign the enrollment form.

Although there are wars being fought over seas currently, I find that I am nearly unaffected by them in my daily life. Besides hearing news stories and, more recently, knowing friends who have chosen to enlist, I don’t feel as if my life would be much different if we were not at war. In contrast, during WWII, the infamous “war effort” consumed everyone’s attention and dictated everyone’s lifestyle. Gas, rubber, even the foil from cigarette packs were rationed and re-used in an effort to support the war. I’m not sure whether to feel fortunate or ignorant about my contribution (or lack thereof) to the current war effort...

After he left the service, Floyd worked as a cake decorator. He described this as his favorite job- constructing anything from single layer birthday cakes to his famous 5-tier wedding cakes (he specifically explained how he made churches out of frosting in which the bride and groom stood in at the top of the cake). Talk about taking pride in the quality of your work- he looked most satisfied when reflecting on this occupation. Small things bring out our appreciation of the simple pleasures, beauties, and satisfactions that are all around us. Then he moved on to working in excavating and grading, cement and concrete, then selling sand and soil. Winging it at first, he claimed, but got the hang of it after a while. At 55 he got MS and had to use a wheelchair. However, at the age of 60, his MS went into remission and he became quite the busy bee. He now owns some land in Round Mountain where he has refurbished his mobile home, built his own woodshop, and constructed a Western set-up (complete with bank, card house, saloon, store, and many other buildings).

This guy amazes me. Even at age 80, he is still building on his Western front set-up and has plans for continuing his mobile home makeover. Even with severe tremors, he is still capable or traveling by himself and continues to have the energy to start new projects. He is adamant about his gift shop where he sells his handcrafted carpentry projects and has plans to expand this summer. I don’t see the same type of drive or ability to be active in my own grandparents. I am thoroughly impressed and inspired by Floyd. He gave me his address and said to write to him with a picture of something he can carve or build for me- I will certainly do so.