"would you like a ride?"

Saturday afternoon, while walking back to the hotel from the Embarcadero in San Diego, we were asked by one of the many young men who pedal the bicycle touring carts in that area if we'd like a ride.  It was our pleasure to decline because we truly enjoy the walk and the ability to do so and enjoy it and we hope that we can continue to do so for many more years.  Sometimes it becomes a game or a challenge to us to see how high we can get our FitBits to register after a day's activities.

We'll this kind of vacation really lends itself to that kind of experience and so we're taking full advantage of it, only renting a car twice, for specific scheduled evants at distances that can't be traveled on foot.

We headed out this morning, toward Fletcher Cove, stopping by the post office to mail Silas his birthday card.  We neglected to check the tide charts once we got to Fletcher Cove and just began our walk south, observing a couple of surfers and an adventurous kayaker having success with the mid-morning waves.  That 'neglecting to check the tide charts' thing really came into play when we noticed that the water was boxing us in closer and closer to the cliffs.  Finally realized we'd begun our walk during high tide and would not be able to make it all the way to our destination, which was Del Mar, via the beachfront.

 

So, undeterred, we climbed the next set of beach access stairs up the cliffs to street level and continued south.







Soon we came to a sight that would make anyone smile: the Del Mar Dog Park, where dogs were enjoying the surf, chasing sticks and one another, generally just enjoying this beautiful day.

We continued on into Del Mar, looking for a place for a small snack....maybe coffee and a pastry.  But the further we walked the hungrier we got  (blamed it on the ocean air!) and soon we knew that something more substantial would be happening as soon as we found a place with a view.

 

So it was called Poseidon and it was perfect and we enjoyed every bite (crab cakes, clam chowder, AND dessert!)  That fueled us for our walk back 'home.'  On the way, we stopped to pick up the rental car that Rob/your dad had reserved earlier.  Then we headed out to pick up groceries for the rest of the week.

 

Tomorrow we'll leave at ten for Burbank.  We're holding passes for the taping of the Jay Leno show at 3:45 and, hopefully, the earlier we get there and get in line the greater the likelihood that we'll actually get in.  Really looking forward to that, as Rob/your dad is a big Leno fan!  It's gonna be a great day!

ridin' the rails

It's no secret that Rob/your dad is a train enthusiast, right?  I mean what's always on our list when we go to the Pagosa/Durango area?  The narrow gauge and the museum...it never gets old.  Then we had to do the narrow gauge in the northwestern corner (Chama) of New Mexico about 3 years ago....loved that, too.  He always gets the train whistle out when the 'grands' are over and, now that we're in San Diego, you can bet we'll visit the amazing model train museum in Balboa Park.....let's see, I can't count how many times we've been there.  But I don't care.....I LOVE seeing him get so excited about something that's so much a part of him.

So about 6 weeks ago, before we'd made travel arrangements for this long-planned trip to southern California, there was going to be a PBS special called "Trains of North America" that was to air on a Friday night.  We made a 'date' to watch it and we were both looking forward to it.  Okay, I'll admit it: the mystique and romance of train travel may have certain 'contagious' elements about it.  I mean, how can you spend this many years with someone who loves trains and not be 'drawn in' just a bit, huh?

So on the Thursday night before our Friday night PBS train date, as we were drifting off to sleep, I said, "You know, watching that show about trains tomorrow night is gonna make us wanna take a train trip, for real."  He replied with, "Well, I haven't made our flight reservations yet......"  And somehow I knew that the next day would play out just as it did: researching costs, schedules, connections......and by the end of that day, we'd secured our passage on Texas Eagle Train 421 Car 2130 Roomette 008 and the connecting Surfliner from LA to San Diego that delivered us safely and happily to where we are today.

So we rented a car at the Tulsa airport last Sunday, drove to Dallas Monday and enjoyed the Hyatt Regency Reunion Center (and hiking around the West End) for a day and a half before boarding the Texas Eagle just before noon on Wednesday.

 

We had watched some YouTube videos about AMTRAK travel to give us an idea of what to expect, but, just as with other expereinces, there's nothing like being there yourself.   We checked two bags and had carefully packed a backpack and another small canvas bag (thanks to the advice on the YouTube videos) with the 'essentials' that we'd decided were the things we'd really need for the next 48 hours.  We reserved a 'roomette', which could be described as a private sitting compartment by day and a sleeping compartment by night.  It was just right for us.

 

 

Cupholders, storage, a tray table between us, plenty of hooks on which to hang backpacks, bags, clothing.....



control panels for reading lights, 110 volt outlet, vents and air control.......

a locking door and drapes to draw for privacy...shelving also served as steps up to my 'bunk'. 

A seemingly endless supply of bottled water, coffee and juice was available just a few feet from our roomette.

Wish we'd brought some checkers, cuz look what we found on our tray
table!

We spent a while in the observation car on the second evening (I think we were near El Paso).  It was much more crowded than this, as you can imagine!  The view was wonderful!

 

For a good portion of the trip, we were the last car, so this was our view when we took a walk to the back of Car 2130.

The food was good and the menu was varied.  The cost of our meals was included in the price of our tickets and the service was great.  We started out with soup and salad for lunch the first day, because we'd enjoyed an ample breakfast at the Hyatt that morning.  The second day we skipped lunch altogether because we 'breakfasted' late and there was plenty to eat. At various meals we enjoyed the company of Art and Bev from Saginaw, Michigan, Paul, an Air Force Colonel from Mississippi. and Major and his wife (can't remember her name) from Lufkin, Texas on the way to see their granddaughter and her husband, a marine, at Camp Pendleton.

Crossing the Colorado River during late afternoon in Austin was particularly beautiful!

 

The train stopped for a little more than four hours in San Antonio (10pm-2:30am) to change crews, do maintenance, etc. so the first part of our first night was periodically interrupted by some noise and some movement of the car, but was not bad at all.  It's always important to remember that some pretty amazing things seem to come to those who are flexible;)

 

 

The first night our car steward came and made up our beds for us, but once we saw how it was done, Rob took care of that the second night.  The facing seats flattened and joined to form the bottom 'bunk' and a lever, above our heads, released to reveal the top 'bunk'.  The mattress, sheets, and blanket for the bottom bunk were stored on the top bunk.  There was a heavy duty cargo-strapping arrangement which I secured to a couple of hooks in the ceiling, once I was in the top bunk to prevent and unfortunate tumble out of my 'perch' that would have definitely disturbed my sweet dreams.  They think of everything!

Once we left San Antonio at 2:45a.m. we were lulled back to sleep by the rhythmic motion of the rails, which was sometimes smooth and sometimes like bumpy ‘in-flight’ turbulence. Nevertheless, we had a pretty good night's sleep.

 Thursday morning dawned with more of Texas to cover and we enjoyed listening to the AMTRAK podcast that Rob/your dad had downloaded that told us about the history, topography, and even cultural trivia of the areas through which we were passing. Who would know that among the pecan groves of south Texas an entrepreneur has built a resort with a sound studio to which famous musicians flock to do their recording sessions in an isolated, peaceful get-away?

One of the main stops on Thursday was at Alpine, Texas, at an altitude of over 4,000 feet.   Alpine is the home of Sul Ross State University, made famous when Dan Blocker, 'Hoss' of  'Bonanza' fame was a student there.  Our conductor was quite a good tour guide and kept coming on the intercom with bits of this and that about the areas through which we were passing.  He even challenged us to name the member of the 'Bonanza' cast who made this place famous and I 'nailed' that one!  Now, if I could just remember where I put my keys!! (Just kidding, kiddos;))

Some of the beautiful murals that grace the outer walls of buildings near the Alpine Depot.

Our next stop was El Paso and although the food aboard was good and plentiful, the conductor really promoted a little local entrepreneur who would be selling her homemade burritos  for $2 each 'trainside' on the platform during our 20 minute stop (betcha he always got a free burrito or two).  Sure enough, his description of her delicious fare resulted in an immediate line near her cart when we pulled into the station.
 

 Later we would go over the Continental Divide which would occur near Demming, New Mexico.  There was no shortage of spectacular scenery as we traversed this amazing landscape.

 

We'd brought along a deck of cards and plenty of reading material to wile away the time, but we never tired of drinking in the scenery.  Those books and opportunities for sweet victory at gin rummy (won't divulge who usually wins) will have to wait!

 

We wondered, before we took this inaugural rail adventure, what the profile of the typical train traveler might be and also what we might learn about ourselves during this experience.  What we DID notice is that there is probably not a 'typical' profile, as we saw, and met, many different kinds of people.  What we concluded, among other things, is that 'successful' long distance rail passengers MUST be patient and must be about 'enjoying the journey'......and we definitely are thankful to fall into that category.  Mealtime in the dining car, gave us an opportunity to visit with other passengers and it was always interesting to share stories and learn about their motivations for traveling by rail.  Art and Bev, as well as Paul, travel by train extensively and were able to whet our appetites for future adventures by describing some of their favorites trips from the past.

 

We did conclude that we're accustomed to much more walking and stretching than this type of travel affords, so we made trips to the back of our 'sleeper car' (when it was the last car) to stand for a awhile and just look out at where we'd been.  And on the second day we made sure to get out at every stop and walks 'laps' on the train platform, making sure we stayed within ear shot of the conductor's call of "ALL ABOARD!"   Yeah, that would be a bad call to miss, huh?

 

To quote Paul Simon, "There's something about the sound of a train that's very romantic and notstalgic and hopeful."  We certainly experienced that firsthand. 

 

doing (the west end of) downtown dallas in a day (and a few hours)

Oh, how we are thankful for home sweet home, but how we love the bLessing of being able to 'hit the open road'~whatever form that travel takes!  So we secured the 'homestead', filled the hummingbird feeder one last time for the season and headed for Dallas yesterday.  We stopped in Plano to 'gas up'~the cars and us~Murphy Oil, don'tcha know~ and El Chico~thank you, trusty Garmin!

We pulled into the Dallas area at 4pm and checked into the iconic Hyatt Regency Reunion Center, a long time goal of my beloved's after his many years of seeing the lighted ball rotating 560 feet above the ground on his 'weekend warrior' drives to the Grand Prairie NAS.  And, other than having to pay for internet access (are you kidding?), the hotel and all it has to offer are splendid!  The view from our room (801) looks out ON THE TRAIN STATION!!  And even during the night, we get to hear the characteristic, signature locomotive siren's call of the historic rail!  We're beyond confident the other hotel guests don't 'appreciate' the interruption in their slumber as much as we do.   Oh well.......

Then, thanks to the recommendation of my friend and former Baylor roommate, Glenda (who provided us with a list of places to see during our day and half here), we turned in our rental car and set out for the lovely Thanksgiving Square, a tranquil spot in the middle of very, busy city.

A quiet place of reflection, beautiful water features, a small chapel.......

 

By this time, we were ready to put our feet up for awhile so we headed back to the Hyatt to plan our strategy for today.  When city lights began to twinkle we took the scenic elevator ride 560 feet up into that ball for drinks and Asian-inspired appetizers and enjoyed the 360 degree view of the city at night.

 

 This morning after a 'hearty' breakfast (nope, not missing our usual smoothies yet!) and with our walking shoes on and destinations 'targeted', we set out for the Sixth Floor Museum in the former Texas School Book Depository.  Regardless of one's views/feelings about Kennedy, this would be an important part of one's education about that period in our country's history-very well done, indeed!

Picture of the Hyatt taken from 'the grassy knoll.'

After the Sixth Floor Museum, we  continued on to the Klyde-Warren Greenspace Park, a beautiful place, once again in the midst of a busy downtown, built OVER the interstate (that portion of the interstate actually goes into a tunnel under the park).  Kids were enjoying a wonderful 'kiddie park', food trucks lined the street, residents walked their dogs, played games of checkers under the trees.  This place goes on for several blocks and features splash pads, an outdoor music stage, and (be still my heart) book carts, apparently provided by the library so visitors (of all ages) can enjoy a 'good read' in the park!

 

 

Next stop on our hike was Fountain Place, with its many water features and gardens.  Much of it was roped off, due to a special event occuring later today, but we could see enough to know why Glenda has put it on the 'must see' list!

 

We then stopped by the Starbucks at the Fairmont Hotel for a caffeine shot and little bit of VERY welcome air conditioning.  Once we were refreshed, we headed in the direction of Pioneer Park (there seems to be a park on every other corner downtown~I think I counted 15 in the visitor's guide) for a look at the 'stampede' of amazing sculptures.

 

 

So, the sun has set once again and we'll make one more trip 560 feet up to say 'goodnight' to city lights then come back and make sure our backpack has all our essentials (for our 48 hour train trip) before we check our bags tomorrow morning and get 'up close and personal' with the 'siren's call of the historic rail.'

 

 

ALL ABOARD!

 

 

 

No matter how far (or for how long) we roam........

On the eve of what promises to be another great vacation (we're naming this one 'cars/trains/boats/planes' till we can think of something 'catchier'), as we're finishing up packing, cleaning last little bits of this and that out of the frig, putting our trash in our sweet neighbor's trash cart (with her permission, of course), securing this and that, trying to figure out cruise control and various other nuances on our cute little RED Ford Focus rental that will transport us to Dallas......we've had a heartfelt conversation this evening about how much we truly enjoy this place we call 'home.' 

Now 'home' is really anywhere that we are together and where family is.....that is true.....but this place where we've 'nested' and grown and struggled and loved and laughed and cried and mourned and rejoiced for the last 33 years is really quite a delightful place to be.  And it is with a great appreciation of what we truly have here that we leave tomorrow, anticipating fun times, some new adventures, some good times in some wonderful familiar environs......because, y' know......

See ya.....down the way!

our 'home away from home'

Little did we know when we began making weekend or 3-4 day trips to Branson and Silver Dollar City in 1977 that we'd be cultivating a 'home away from home', a place that we know so well and where we'd feel so comfortable, that slipping into it for a few days, or even a few hours, like we did this weekend, just feels so good and right.

So we headed up there yesterday morning and enjoyed a supremely beautiful fall afternoon at the Arts and Crafts Festival at Silver Dollar City, walking the familiar hills and paths.  The pumpkins, the flowers, the way the breezes caused the leaves on the trees to 'dance', creating shadow artistry along the walkway....it was just so magical!

 

When the Park closed down at six we headed to another lovely spot, The Chateau, overlooking Tablerock Lake, and, after walking around the grounds for while secured a primo spot on the wrap-around deck of the Library Lounge and enjoyed our favorite libations and a yummy chicken alfredo pizza as the sun set on a glorious day.

 

A gesture's worth a thousand words........

A couple of Saturdays ago we spent the day with Silas and Cora while Tim and Ally and friends journeyed to Guthrie for the Gentlemen of the Road Concert.  We always have such a great time with these sweet kids, playing, building (and knocking down), coloring, reading, making forts out of furniture and sheets.....y'know, the stuff of life.

Since it was going to be long day, with 'dad and mom' not expected back till after midnight, Tim's mom, Charlene, came over when it got toward evening and we all enjoyed dinner together and planned to do bath time with the kids and then we'd leave and she'd stay till Tim and Ally arrived.

After Cora's bath and after she was asleep, Silas and I went out front to play as the sun was disappearing behind the rooftops. We amused ourselves for a good bit by drawing a hopscotch frame and playing for awhile and then Silas climbed atop a gravel pile in an adjacent yard where a new home is being built.  We talked through some pretend scenarios (pirate on a ship, king of the mountain) and generally had a very sweet time.

When it was time for him to go in to take his bath, he paused by their beautiful front garden and broke off a stem with a lovely purple blossom on the end, handed it to me and said, "This is for you, Noni."

For a few seconds I couldn't speak, so many things rolling around in my mind and my heart.  I'm sure there was a time in my life when I might have said,  "Oh, honey, don't pick these, they're just for looking at out here."  And for the times that I may have said that to my own precious children, I do ask your forgiveness.

But I knew then that this was a time to RECEIVE and I DID.  I thanked him and told him what a treasure this was and how special it was to me.

So I kept it in a vase for a few days, dried it between sheets of waxed paper and recently took it to Kinko's to have it laminated, along with a slip of paper documenting the event.  The young man at Kinko's was reticent: he could tell it was of great value to me and he was hesitant to attempt the process for fear of the outcome.  But I told him that his 'best would do just fine' and I was willing to take the risk.  We were BOTH pleased with the outcome!

The result is beautiful bookmark (can't wait to show it to Silas!) that I think I'll treasure forever (maybe even as long as I treasure Silas's words and the look in his eyes when he handed it to me!)

nuggets never tasted so good!

We picked up lunch from Chick-fil-A today and met Kady Grace in her school's cafeteria for a special feast together.  Such a sweet time!  This all came about following a call from her last Friday morning at 6:50 a.m. during which she announced, "You're coming to have lunch with me on Monday."  We're certain she meant that she was available to have lunch with us on Monday if that would work out for our schedule.....it just came across a little most enthusiastically than that!  So, although we couldn't make the Monday part happen, we were more than excited to make it happen on this beautifully rainy Tuesday!

She had selected to two friends to 'dine' with us (at a special table, no less)and we enjoyed some great conversation about their favorite school subjects.  The time passed way too quickly, so quickly that Kady had to share some of her ice cream with Pop so we could finish and head back to the classroom!  So admirable of him to 'fall on that sword' for her, don't you think?  We got to meet her teacher, Mrs. Reynolds, and hear about the toad that had escaped in the classroom earlier this morning!  We also got to witness Mrs. Reynolds skillfully handle a situation after 4 young men from Kady's class 'mysteriously' got separated from the class on the short trip between the cafeteria and the classroom (their detour taking them outside in the rain!).  'Pop' sufficiently muffled his chuckle during that exchange!

Thank you, Kady, for inviting us into your world!