Contributor Page: Mark H. Avery

Other contributors on this blog have used bullets for their bios, so I thought I would do the same…

• Much of my “LEGO biography” is included in my early blog articles (see links at the end of this post).
• Mark H. Avery is just one of the names that I use in my different lives.
• My mother was raised in the coal and steel towns of western Pennsylvania. My father was raised in Brooklyn, New York, where I was born.
• I’m married and the father of four children, all grown and out of the house. Those children have given me many grandchildren, varying in age from fourteen down to about one.
• I have a very tolerant spouse, which is the only reason I can buy so much LEGO. While tolerant, she has no great interest in LEGO.
• I have an advanced degree and have worked in higher education since I was 23 years old.
• I’m looking forward to retiring in about three years. More time for LEGO!
• Growing up, I never even heard of LEGO. I did have Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs (both made with real wood), and when I got a little older, an Erector Set. Most of my playtime, however, was devoted to toy soldiers.
• I’m not very athletic. The only sport I follow is professional baseball.
• I’m a collector; some would say “hoarder”. I collect Absolut Vodka advertisements and Milk Mustache ads as well. A few years ago, I started to collect ducks of all kinds, mostly purchased at garage sales and thrift shops. I also collect “Volume I, Number I” issues of magazines – the first issues of new magazines. These days, it seems like I’m collecting more last issues as magazines die.
• I consider genealogy to be my hobby. I went at it full blast for a while, and then I put it on the back burner. Since my family didn’t come on the Mayflower, I lost track of most branches once I tried to trace them back to Europe.
• At this point, domestic travel has become another hobby. I’ve been to over thirty states, and hope to hit a few more over the coming years. I try to stop by LEGO stores and other private stores that feature LEGO on my travels. I’m also big on visiting train museums and model railroad exhibits.
• I enjoy writing, often essays that look at the world from a different perspective.
• My LEGO interest is rather narrow. I’m interested in LEGO Town/LEGO City sets, and sets from other themes that can be adapted into my town. I buy LEGO Classic sets for pieces, but I dislike much of the bright color assortment and the lack of windows and doors. I also buy LEGO Creator sets, as long as they fit into my town (houses, stores, etc.).
• I don’t buy the LEGO Creator Expert Builder sets – I’m waiting till I’m old enough. I also don’t have that much patience and money. The same applies to the LEGO Creator Fairgrounds series.
• Although I purchase official LEGO sets, I also build my own LEGO creations (MOCs) – sometimes from scratch and sometimes by modifying official sets. I also freely rebuild other people’s MOCs. After all, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.
• An entire (small) attic room is devoted to my LEGO city. I build on the floor, and on shelves that line most of the walls. I’m very happy with my LEGO town, and at least to me, it is rather impressive.
• I’m both relatively poor and cheap. So, I try to find LEGO sets on sale. That means I don’t rush to buy new sets when they first come out.
• I’m not very strong on technology. I don’t have a website. I don’t have a You Tube channel. TheBrickblogger is the only place I’ve posted pictures of my layout. I use my work email for communication. I don’t have a private email account.
• I finally started working on an inventory of the LEGO sets I own.
• Like with model railroads, a LEGO town is never finished.
• I’m always looking for new ideas for my town.

HERE IS A LIST OF POSTS BY MARK

• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 1 (introduction)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 2 (building a large LEGO city)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 3 (rebuilding the city)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 4 (LEGO city layout)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 5 (LEGO set purchases)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 6 (LEGO city transportation)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 7 (model railroading)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 8 (LEGO company interactions)
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 9 (LEGO shopping)
• On the LEGO Trail: Visiting LEGO Train Shows
• My LEGO City: A Personal Story – Part 10 (collecting LEGO catalogs)
• My Top Ten LEGO Regrets – What Are Yours?
• Learning from Model Train Layouts – Part 1
• Learning from Model Train Layouts – Part 2
• Building a LEGO City on a Budget