Thomas the Tank Engine is coming to Ottawa

Parents of preschoolers, consider yourself warned: Thomas the Tank Engine's popular "Day Out With Thomas" is coming to Ottawa this summer!

Props to Nancy for sending me a note yesterday. The Day Out With Thomas extravaganza will be held on August 17 -19 and 24 - 26 at the Ottawa Central Railway's Walkley Yard. (Never heard of it? Me neither. It's just across from the Home Depot near South Keys.) Festivities include a half-hour ride on a train pulled by the Very Useful Engine himself, a chance to meet Sir Topham Hatt, and of course the largest Thomas memorabilia gift shop on the planet.

Tickets went on sale this morning, and I couldn't help myself -I picked some up for the boys. They aren't cheap at almost $20 a person, but the boys still enjoy Thomas enough that it will make for a memorable summer event.

Not nearly so memorable, of course, as our first and only previous Day Out With Thomas adventure back in the summer of 2005. We trekked eight hours across the province to St Thomas for that one - and it was truly worth it. The boys still look at the pictures and talk about the day we met the real-life Thomas the Tank Engine. (Funny for me to look at those pictures now and see that Tristan is then the same age that Simon is now. Time flies!)