By now, I'm kind of losing track of which day is which . . . ironic, because of spending so much time on and off of train tracks. So I'm a little bit past due in saying that life continues to be rich and full around here, and "here" has been a lot of places.
My week started off in Minnesota, where I got to catch up with Nelson and Sizzling. Sizzling had been traveling, so the first part of the week was a bit of get-to-know-you time with her new husband, and also catching up on the lastest from Nelson (he's moved into a new apartment with T). They're making the place look very much like their own little nest; it's small and cozy.
Me and my super nice hosts, with a ring puzzle he'd gotten as a gift. |
- Shivering.
The temps were in the single digits, on either side of 0°F, the whole time I was there. - Math.
I'd learned some good stuff during my stay in Seattle, and I used my Minnesota layover as a way to dig into it. I spent some of the time being utterly confused, some of the time doing elaborate and complicated geometric constructions, and the last bit of time making beautiful -- and much, much less complicated -- structures, and by the time I was ready to leave Minnesota, I had something written up to share with my new Seattle besties. - Changing Amtrak reservations repeatedly.
Because of the cold, Amtrak canceled trains on me. First, they cancelled the Minneapolis-to-Chicago train on the 18th. Then, the 19th. Then, the 20th. When they cancelled the train for the 21st, I started rewriting the Eagles' Hotel California to become the Amtrak Minnesota: "you can check in any time you like, but you can never lee-aaavvvvee". Then I rented a car, one-way, for the 18th. (Props to SixT rental car company; I'd never heard of them before but they were great to work with).
I drove to Chicago in a day. The drive was relatively easy, but I have to say I've gotten spoiled by trains, where I can take a nap, work on my computer, use the restroom without having to wonder where the next exit is, etc.
So then the next day, I resumed my train travels, riding along beautiful rivers and forested hills from Chicago into the Union station in DC. Somewhere between Harper's Ferry and Rockville, Maryland, the scenery started reminding me of the places my parents and sisters and I had gone for weekend walks in my youth. I wouldn't have thought I could recognize types of rocks, but I was awash in nostalgia because of large, gray boulders that made me think of "Big Rock", a snowman-like trio of rocks in the side of a hill near our home that my sisters and I always clambered up, often accompanied by our dogs.
Pretty sure even the penguins at Indianapolis zoo were questioning our sanity today, as we went to the zoo in one degree weather. Everyone stayed warm:) Achild enjoyed swimming with the snow |