Rick & Tiffany Vincent: A Day out with Thomas

A cloud of suspicion hangs over our family’s attempt to enjoy a day out with Thomas. Last year we felt that Mark was old enough to enjoy the Thomas adventure, however the week-end that Thomas scheduled his visit to Utah I was scheduled to have a baby. Clearly, two worlds colliding. So we decided to postpone Thomas for a year. This year we entered the contest to be the honorary conductor of Thomas with the anticipation that we would win, because if you read my poem and saw Mark’s picture is it clear that we deserved the honor and that in the judging process we were robbed.

On the heels of our failure to win the coveted prize of honorary conductor we purchased tickets and scheduled our Thomas adventure for Friday May 23, 2008 at 4:30 p.m. Rick, me, Lauren, Mark and Katie all loaded up at 3:00 p.m. in my black German made car and headed up Provo Canyon, destination, Heber Valley Railroad and Thomas the Tank Engine. Just as we entered the bubbling metropolis known as Heber City, I hear an all so familiar gag coming from the back seat, followed by an all so familiar substance, with a putrid odor, coming forth from Lauren’s mouth. Not only was the substance all over Lauren, it was all over my black German made car. (There is a reason if you have childen why you should buy a mini van as opposed to a black German made car, mini vans are expected to smell like puke and bad diapers, black German made cars are not.) Following Lauren’s extraction of lunch it was decided that she could not participate in our Thomas adventure, which resulted in tears flowing forth. I dropped Rick and Mark off at the train and headed for home to clean up Lauren and my black, German made car. Now keep in mind I paid for four tickets and only used two. The tickets were non-refundable, not exchangable, hence a most expensive Thomas adventure.

Mark in the Thomas store picking out new "shiz"

Riding in the Coach

Daddy who made this all possible

The James tattoo

The Conductor

While I was engaged in the cleaning process, Rick and Mark participated in all sorts of fun Thomas activities. First Mark got to go to the Thomas store and choose a Thomas train. Next it was on to the tattoo booth and he got a tattoo of James on his face. Then they boarded the train. Thomas was off, with his faithful coaches Annie and Claribel carrying his passengers, including one special passenger and his loving father. While traveling down the branch line, a young man in his early twenties, for some unknown reason attempted to jump on the Thomas train. Now mind you the train was not traveling at a fast speed, but fast enough to be dangerous. He kept making unsuccessful attempts to illegally ride the train.

The Thomas conductor repeatedly warned him that hopping on a moving train was dangerous and to cease and desist, but he failed to listen. On his final attempt he fell from the train, landing on the tracks with his head on the rails. The emergency break was pulled and the train stopped two feet from his head. No serious harm, however the gentleman is probably making new friends in the Wasatch County Jail. Mark thought the excitement was part of his package of fun, and declared that Thomas was delightful.

Thomas and his coaches