This is part of our 100 Things in 2014 challenge. Here’s the full list.

We live about a mile from the Oregon Convention Center, and there’s a constant stream of happenings there. But we realized that, during our almost three years in this house, we haven’t been to a single one of them!

Well, it just so happened that the one weekend we had where we could stop by for a few hours, the Bricks Cascade expo was happening! This isn’t a LEGO-sponsored event, it’s organized by enthusiasts, and the exhibitors ran the gamut from grade-school clubs to serious grownups with 30 years of experience. We bought our tickets, and Will and Lucy each got a minifigure for being among the first 1,000 kids to enter.

We stopped breifly for some publicity shots.

Then we strolled around, mouths agape at the amazing intricate and impressive things people had built.

Becky and I were especially impressed with the highly accurate reproduction of Rivendell. On the left, you can just make out the Nazgûl being washed away at Bruinen.

Both Will and Lucy love building things, but we think this gave them a whole new idea of what’s possible. Here’s to many more years of LEGO!