Do the Locomotion with Me

Amtrak "Vermonter" windowscape near Springfield, MA.

Train Crib Notes

• My knees are getting kind of achy/creaky/tired, just like they do when we drive 450 miles to Maine. But the good thing is, I can get up and stretch.
• The fellow in front of me has a man bun; interesting. And he's dressed kind of Vermonty, so I think he's going there, too.
• We just passed a beautiful bridge in Holyoke, MA. Couldn't get my cell phone camera going fast enough.
• I like the older lady working the counter in the little Café Car. She's friendly. I got a ham and Cheddar sandwich and an iced coffee. They also sell chips and candy bars and salads and petite bottles of wine, among other things.
• The bathrooms are not so bad. I was worried about that.
• The passengers are a mix of those of us in for the long run and others who are going only a couple/few stops, such as the young woman who came and sat next to me at one stop in CT and got off a couple of stops later.
• I got my round trip ticket from Newark Penn Station to Waterbury, Vermont for $133.40. That's pretty good, considering I can work, read and rest while on board. It would have been $148, but I saved 10 percent with my AAA membership card. [To get that discount, you have to book 3 days ahead.]
• The one thing I think I'll miss is that patch of the drive when you're steering through rolling, quilted farmland--silos, barns, hay bales, cows, wide green fields and mountains. Wide open horizon. But we shall see. Maybe we will slice through some of that.
• The outlets and the WiFi changes everything. Everything. You feel connected, not unplugged. That is probably both a good and a bad thing.
• Punchy and I gave each other giant hugs this morning. I would have loved to hug Figgy, but she was in NYC. I will be back on Monday night. H. and Sug drove me to Newark Penn Station, and that was nice.
• I can't wait to see Meg and Greg. The train left 11:03 a.m. and arrives at 7:50 p.m. so we're talking nearly nine hours. We are going out to dinner in Waterbury! This weekend, we will also hike, see beautiful mountain views, get hot chocolate at Lake Champlain Chocolates in Burlington, see Lake Champlain, shop/browse and I don't know what else. Meggy originally wanted me to come the weekend before Thanksgiving, for her favorite craft fair, but this weekend was best because H. isn't booked to write 60-Second Novels at any events. That means we didn't have to arrange and pay for sitters for Punchy with me away. Next weekend, he is hired for two parties.

I hope you are having a good Friday.