The Silence Ends

(posted by Nick)




"So Thomas the Tank Engine brought them all to safety and ..." Oh! Hello, I didn't know you were here. I was just catching up on a little reading, but I'm glad you're here. I have lots to tell you. It's been a busy, busy summer. So busy, in fact, that I haven't been able to keep my fans updated. Well, no more. Sit back, relax, and take a ride on the Thomas Express.


So, papa managed to get a job this summer with a great firm. I'm not really sure how he landed it (maybe they felt sorry for him or something), but he got it. That meant moving to Reston, Virginia.










But first ... a little fun! Papa finally let loose (after months and months of studying) and took me and mama to Dragon Park in Nashville.

Here I am with my big, blue ball.


Here I am going down the slide with Papa ... sorta. Papa got us stuck. I'm like, "uh, where's Mama?"



There she is! Here we are hanging out in the grass together. For all those who remember "Becca in the grass," she's showing me her ways.

So ... after a little play (and a whole lot of packing), we drove to Reston. Now, you may not have heard of Reston. But I'm sure you've heard of ...


D.C.! Yep, Reston is just a suburb of our nation's capital.


















In fact, it's just a hop, skip, and a crawl away. So, we've been downtown I don't know how many times this summer. I'm a regular Washingtonian. Here I am with mama on the mall. Isn't she beautiful?





We've also seen some really cool things in the museums. Here I am with Papa in Museum of Natural History. What's that? Did you say something's behind us?



And, when we weren't in D.C., I was hanging out in my new pad, playing with my dinosaur that Nana bought me.






Recognize this guy? Does the name "Stonewall" ring a bell? Well, not only is Reston near D.C., but because it's in Northern Virginia, it's close to like a jillion historical sites. Here we are at Manassas battlefield, the first major battle of the Civil War. It's the place where Major General Thomas Jackson earned the name "Stonewall."


Here I am in front of the statue. Some day, I'm gonna be just like him.













In fact, I'm not sure you could even tell the difference now, could you?











In addition to riding horses and waging war, I also really (really, really .... really) like the water!


... no matter how big the lake.

Well, that's all for now folks. I've got lots more pictures to show you. But I've gotta take a break now. I'm staying with Nana and Pop-pop in Pennsylvania while Mama and Papa act like little kids and ride roller coasters in Busch Gardens.





But I'll leave you with one last token of cuteness:


So long!