The Museum Curator

Photo by John Lynner Peterson AKA Pappa-razzi

In addition to NASCAR driver, Tristan creates an awesome museum and plays the role of museum director himself. One day when we arrived at his house, he adopted the museum director’s all-knowing voice and gave us a tour of the museum. The museum director also carries himself in a proper way with hands behind his back and an officious gait to assure you know who’s in charge. The museum houses the traditional dinosaurs and historical exhibits using all Tristan’s soldiers and props. The tour displays the length and width and breadth of his knowledge and takes hours and several rooms of the house to create.

Since still in the mood for museum directing when we had to leave his house, Tristan pretended the entire city comprised his museum as we drove to our destination. From the back seat, we hear his imitation of a grown-up voice describing every building, fire plug and tree. We play along and ask questions of “the director.” He hesitates but a moment with an officious, “Wellll, that fire plug is painted yellow and green instead of red because school children wanted to paint it that way.” He never lacked an answer regardless of the question. All the world is Tristan’s museum.

Pappa and I were most impressed with one of the exhibits back at the house. A memorial he built to dead soldiers. Remember this six year old museum director’s Daddy is a Marine who lost friends in Iraq and Afghanistan. A cardboard box rested on the floor with a child’s plastic chair on it and atop that is a rider-less motorcycle. The museum director, in his compassionate but professional voice, informed us that the box contained the belongings and memories of the soldier who was killed in war.