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Ferdinand Travels Oregon

I’ve loved the idea of owning a VW bus since I was a kid, when we had one of those VW Vanagons. I wanted the one with what seemed like a thousand windows, and that big V shape on the front. In shiny blue.

Unfortunately, getting one isn’t as easy as all that. But for Christmas this past year, I got pretty close. Now sure, I can’t drive this particular bus down the street, or go camping in it, or suffer mechanical problems quite the same way. But man, I had freaking blast putting this thing together.

I should explain. LEGOs are somewhat of a family “tradition.” My mother is from Denmark, and LEGO is a Danish toy, so naturally, we always had an abundance of them growing up. I would stay up well past the wee morning hours finishing a space ship or castle. My youngest son is somewhat of a LEGO building prodigy (he says, “If you want to be like me, you gotta be like, BAM! with the LEGOs”). And I don’t believe you’re ever too old for these fantastic plastic toys. So for this set, I decided to build it all by myself. Something I can’t remember doing since I was my son’s age.

My LEGO bus “Ferdinand” is about a foot long. The doors and front windows open, the tent pops up, the couch folds down to a bed inside, and even the “trunk” opens to reveal the engine. But my favorite feature is the set of plaid curtains lining each window. And while it may not quite be the bus I still hope to own someday, for now, it’s one of the best toys I’ve gotten since I was a kid.

Once Ferdinand was built, we decided to take him for a little road trip through some of our favorite Oregon spots and landmarks. I documented each stop as Ferdinand might see them, and made a collage map of his adventures.

“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me.”

Walt Whitman