Christmas Memory Project II

It was the first Christmas in the "suburban" house with the huge woods out back.  The assortment of presents that year all received lots of attention, except one.  In its plastic yellow case, the neglected one confused me, but I could tell from the attention he was giving it that the Erector Set was specifically from Dad.  Requiring planning and patience, needing screws and nuts and tools to fasten it's disparate parts, and resulting in a skeletal structure, The Erector Set was unlike its main competition for my attention.  The Legos snapped right together with little thought to form bright colorful follies.  Dad's frustration was evident though, so I took time to play with him and the little metal beams and pulleys, even though my heart wasn't in it.  In time he realized my disinterest and left me to my own devices, realizing that in getting a gift with which we could bond, he only pointed out the differences between us.