(1) The sprouting of a new museum

Today, Grandpa Jack Lahrman and I decided to visit the a new museum in Naples, FL. It is located at 'ground-zero' of a former train station in downtown Naples, once a booming depot for Florida travelers. We were at first a little disappointed at the lack of substance and historical relics this museum had to offer, as there were only about 6 glass display cases inside the old station with parafernalia ranging from table settings used on the trains to an antique lantern hung on the back of cabooses. There is, however, plenty of unused square-footage inside the old station for future growth. Hopefully with the acquisition of more artifacts, the old station will be teeming with memorabilia from wall-to-wall. Then it will surely be a site worth seeing. We were in the truck ready to leave when we drove around the other side of the building and noticed 3 old train cars on display. The inattentive worker inside the museum did not even mention these, which is a shame because they were an awesome sight. We excitedly re-parked the flex-fuel Chevy, and dismounted to peruse the old traincars. One traincar (as pictured) had the appearance of a 60's cocktail lounge, something you'd expect to see in a classic Austin Powers flick. Very vivid colors, and the aroma of past memories. The second train car was locked up, and probably under renovation for public display. The last train car was a caboose, and presented a very authenticate rendition of a modest crew quarters. There was some seating and built in recessed sleeping quarters (pictured). It was very interesting to see. After our 30 minute exploration of the museum-to-be, we ventured on to the beach for a quick combing of the beach for shells, and then on to Red Lobster for a semi-formal meet and greet with a financial advisor, and marine buddy of Grandpa, to inquire about refinancing possibilities of my home mortgage. I had noticed that interest rates were down at least 1% from the time I purchased my home, and thought this might be a good opportunity to save some money in the future. I'll have some homework and research to do when I get home at the end of the month.

Until next time...