Update, somewhere in January

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. 

About mid-week, I switched locations and stayed in the home of a Minnesota mathematician who -- months and months ago -- randomly offered to put me up in his place "if I was ever passing through", and so I not-so-randomly took him up on his incredibly kind offer.  I hit it off immediately with him and his wife; they're both book nerds and have a gentle humor.  The mathematician happens to teach a course where he has students do 3D printing of optical illusions, which is very much in the realm of stuff I'm doing my own research on, and so this was an incredibly welcome coincidence.

Me and my super nice hosts, with a ring puzzle he'd gotten as a gift.

There were three other things I spent time on while in Minnesota.

1. Shivering. 
   The temps were in the single digits, on either side of 0°F, the whole time I was there.
2. 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.
3. 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).

The car rental place upgraded me to a BMW X3.  
Was it nice?  Well, it had heated seats, automated everything,
smooth ride, and keyless ignition, so that's all good.
But did it have a cassette deck like my 2001 Prius?
No, it did not.

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.  

And from remembrances of dogs to actual dog experiences, I hopped on the next train (finding an even earlier connection to take than on my original ticket), and arrived in Richmond to be picked up by Gosling.  We've had some great walks and talks.  This morning we did a bit of a workout together (with furry coaches adding to the degree of difficulty on some of the moves), and we got to go to church where a dear friend of the family, Stanley, was preaching, and where I got some great hugs and smiles from his wife (of course, also a dear friend), Terry. 

Meanwhile, Kinderling and David have been traveling the country, narrowly missing me on some of their stops.  Kinderling says: 

We went to cosi in Ohio today. It was so fun for the kids!

Explaining to Achild that at one point you needed to pay quarters and change to talk on the pay phone "That's just nonsense" she says

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

And now that it's . . . whatever day it is . . .,  well, that's the news from our family, which continues to be wealthy in our adventures.  May you and yours be similarly prosperous.