Promontory

John always fanned whatever interest our family had in trains. When great nephew CJ heard we were going to Promontory, he and Lauren took the day off to drive us there. If you remember, in 1862 President Lincoln signed the legislation to build a transcontinental railroad. I remembered because John was telling me about it on a need-to-know basis. The Union Pacific started laying track in Omaha, Nebraska going west, and Central Pacific began in California going east. When they met, there was a Golden Spike ceremony celebrating the completion of a rail line going from coast to coast. Below is a photo taken that day in 1869.

A few weeks ago there was another big ceremony at Promontory for the 150^th anniversary of that event. John said 2,000 people attended. We were happy the place was practically empty when we saw it. The two reproduction steam engines moved into place, as the originals did 150 years ago. I have a photo from a distance and a closeup with John, CJ, and Lauren.

Lauren supports CJ’s interests, as a perfect wife would. Here is a sweet pose, when she was tired and he was caught up in train things with John.

On the way back to their apartment, they picked up Lauren’s sisters, Kaitlin and Megan. Both are working at Deer Valley Resort. Kaitlin has moved to Utah, and Megan is working there this summer. A bit too late, we proposed to get take-out food, but Lauren had already started cooking dinner. It had been a long day for everyone. The meal was delicious – pasta with sauce made previously by Kaitlin and a lovely tossed salad. Kaitlin, CJ, and Lauren sat at the counter with me to eat and chat. We talked about our very first jobs, and I found it most interesting.

Megan and John sat on the sofa to eat, and they talked for a long time, one-on-one.

Megan listening to John. Was he talking about trains???

Someone mentioned wedding photographs the day before, and that’s when I found out Lauren and CJ did not have photos of their wedding. It’s a long story, and it’s not mine to tell. The fun thing is, I had the pictures I took that day on my laptop. In seconds, tech-wizard CJ was showing them on their big TV screen. If anyone reading this has photos of their wedding, could you please share them with CJ?

CJ, Lauren, and niece Chrissie November 2016

One of the pictures taken that weekend showed a group of us there for the wedding. CJ cropped the shot to show his cousin Anders, who is also our nephew. CJ said, “That’s Anders.”

He said it in such a way that someone asked why Anders was so special. CJ said, “Have you ever had a mentor that you really admired and wanted to be like? Anders is my role model.”

I think it was Kaitlin who said, “Yes. That was Lauren for me.”

We stayed later than we should have, because the evening was so special for us. The young people, including Zeb and Bri, went out of their way to do things with and for us. They are warm, outgoing, sensitive, and caring. I am so proud to be related to all of them. I’m including everyone, though it’s a mouthful to explain two are sisters of our great nephew’s wife. We love you all!

CJ and Lauren — Thank you very much for guiding us around and taking a day off to be with us. Spending time with you was very, very special, and we appreciate it.

Fabulous Family

Our furthest destination for this trip was Utah. We visited two of our great nephews who came from upstate New York, CJ and Zeb, They suggested we go to Dairy Keen (yes, it’s Keen), because they said John had to eat there. What a perfect pick! A train chugged around the ceiling, and the scenery depicted local places. I accidentally had the video running when I thought I was waiting to get everyone’s attention for a still photo. From left to right were CJ, his wife Lauren, Zeb, his fiancee Bri (pronounced Bree), and John. We had quick food – hamburgers, a grilled cheese sandwich, a corn dog, and French fries. They insisted we try their fries and dip them in fry sauce. That’s the only place they know where there is a special sauce for fries. I wish I’d rolled the sauce around my tongue to see if I could identify the ingredients. We also had sweet drinks to sip and thick shakes to eat with a spoon. It was so thoughtful of them to take us there.

Zeb was on his break and left after eating. We went to the pet store where he works, and waited for him to be free.

I loved the way Zeb shared his enthusiasm for his job. He drew us in by looking directly at us and talking about the animals. He was luring us in to love the pets as much as he did.

I was juggling my phone and camera, keeping both busy. The shots taken with the camera were for the blog, and the ones on the phone were immediately texted to the boys’ mother, niece Chrissie. It was great fun for me to share our visit with her sons, and she was showing them to husband Chris as they came in. The one showing the boys together was one that went directly to them.

We went to Lauren’s and CJ’s apartment to visit. Lauren offered to make coffee for us. We didn’t want her to stay on her feet after working all day, but she said she enjoyed doing things for people. Am I glad we didn’t talk her out of making coffee! She has a sophisticated coffee machine, a gadget for frothing milk, and a collection of pure flavors. She orders beans from a special shop and uses a fancy gadget to get just the right grind. My almond iced coffee was heavenly, and John enjoyed his plain black brew. I wanted a picture of Lauren making coffee and happened to catch CJ there, too.

After Zeb got home from work, we went to his apartment. He wanted to introduce us to the animals he owns. We didn’t stay long, because he had to work the next day.

Before we got in our car to go back to the motel, CJ showed us their garage. He was programming a light show for a performance coming up. He does all kinds of things such as teaching snow boarding, programming games, repairing phones, and being a disk jockey. His technical knowledge knocks my socks off.

To be continued. The next day CJ and Lauren took off from work to go with us to Promontory Point.

I’m Awake NOW!

I stayed up way too late. Before he went to bed, John said we had an easy travel day. I could sleep as long as I wanted to. Morning came earlier than was comfortable, and shortly after I woke up, John said he couldn’t make the shower work. The controls looked like the standard motel model, but we could not pull out the knob. Normally, pulling the knob turns on the water, and you control the temperature by turning the knob one way or the other. John dressed to go to the motel office, and I went back to bed. Another hour of sleep would be most welcome. I didn’t know how they were going to solve our problem, but I was certain it would not be quick.

Only minutes later there were sharp raps on the door. I assumed (sorry John) that John had forgotten the key and needed me to open the door for him. Much to my surprise, there was a big, burly man in overalls standing there. He quickly apologized and said he had come to fix the shower. I was wearing a nightgown, so I stepped behind the door and let him in. At that moment I heard John’s voice, “I didn’t know you’d come so quickly!”

In seconds we heard the water gushing from the faucet, and the man came out of the bathroom. He carefully avoided looking at me while apologizing profusely.

John told me what happened in the office. He said to the woman behind the desk, “The shower won’t turn on in our room. Can you send someone to fix it?”

The woman said, “Are you in room 210? I told them to keep that room for last, because the shower is broken. We are waiting for a part to come so we can fix it. I’ll send someone up right away.”

John and I knew we had to take our showers immediately while the water was running. The repairman applied great force to pull the knob out, and we weren’t going to risk pushing it back in until we were through. John said he was sorry I didn’t get my promised sleep. I laughed andsaid, “Well, I’m awake NOW!”

Our next stop was to visit people we had never met. Years ago a man named Michael read about the Long Island Live Steamers, the train club for which John was the secretary. They corresponded, and Michael joined the club. He read the newsletter and renewed his membership every year, yet he never once went out to the track. John knew he lived in Manhattan, taught at Julliard, and drove a camper to Colorado every summer to be in Aspen for the music activities there. The camper was stored in New Jersey. Michael did not have a car, it being a hindrance in the city. Time went by, and he and his wife Sandy retired to Colorado. When John said we would be in the area, they graciously invited us to drop by. I took a photo of them on their balcony, trying to show the view of a snow-capped mountain to the left of the building. I should have focused on them alone.

Since we have always been interested in music, we were dying to know what Michael taught at Julliard. He answered readily that for much of his career, he taught music theory. The last few years he taught electronic music, which of course, was on the cutting edge. Sandy also worked at Julliard as a music librarian. We sat on that lovely balcony and talked about trains, New York, knee problems, two train clubs, and birds. What a delight it was to chat with them and have a tour of their spacious apartment! We laughed that we both did not downsize, as so many people do, but moved to larger homes on retirement. As we were leaving, Michael pulled out a folder in which he kept his correspondence with John. What an organized man he was to be able to put his hand on it immediately! We envied that as we said our goodbyes.

The Wedding is Over

The morning after the wedding, many of the guests gathered again for breakfast. After eating, everyone scattered.

We drove around Leadville for a while, waiting for time to go to church. The web site said the service was at 11. Hearing someone talking, we tiptoed in and sat in the last row. As we walked out a few minutes later with the rest of the congregation, John explained to the pastor that we were there for the 11 am service. He didn’t realize the published time was not correct. Here are photos of three houses I liked. The older homes in town were very colorful.

There was no landscaping to speak of. You can see where the house meets the dirt. I saw only one house that had a few scraggly shrubs around it.

We saw no homes with decks or huge windows in Leadville. I liked the house that had a fence made of skis. Most appropriate!

When we met strangers on the street or in the motel, everyone said hello. We concluded people from Colorado are not wavers, only speakers. In driving around, we noticed the houses away from the town center had no curbs. There were signs warning of dips in the road, and we assume that was for rain water and melting snow. Everything was on a slope, so water had to find its own way to the sea.

The scenery leaving Leadville was gorgeous. None of my photos show it well, but I’ll include one for the record.

Several times we went over a little creek getting to the wedding venue. John explained that it was the beginning of the Arkansas River. From the interstate, I took this view of it after other streams joined it. I found it hard to believe that some of that water would end up in the Gulf of Mexico. Not long after that we saw a sign that we were passing the continental divide.

There were some tight spaces between mountains, and we found they were called canyons here. In North Carolina, we’d call the same thing a gorge. The space was so tight in several places that opposing lanes of the interstate were stacked on top of each other. I tried to get a photo of that, but the only thing I have is one showing our side of the highway. The other side was under us.

There are more travel stories for that day, but we are on a tight schedule. I must have some sleep before we set out on a train adventure with our great nephew and his wife in Utah.

Wedding of Anna and Eddie

Can you imagine the parents of the bride preparing breakfast in a rented condo for family, friends, and neighbors on the day of the wedding? Carolyn and Eric did just that. They are amazing. The biscuits were baked, and Eric was scrambling eggs when we came in. Along with fresh fruit, they had a bottomless pot of coffee always ready.

Anna and Eddie share their wedding date with Anna’s aunt and uncle. Kirsten and Jay married June 8, 1968, and I was blessed to be there.

Although I’ve heard of it before, this was the first time I’ve seen wedding photos taken before the ceremony. They picked the spot so that the mountains would be in the background. I was lurking behind the photographer and failed to zoom in on the faces. These two pictures show the couple with their respective families.

John drove us lame people across the road for the ceremony, while the others walked. My family graciously let me sit on the aisle, and I took my responsibility seriously. Hopefully they won’t be disappointed. This was my favorite shot – Anna and Eddie listening to the words of the minister before exchanging vows.

They rushed down the aisle as a married couple, moving faster than I expected. Both are runners, hikers, skiers, and rock climbers. It’s no wonder my camera couldn’t keep up with them and cut off their heads. Surely you can see pure joy radiating from their faces.

The reception was held in a former railroad freight station. I don’t think it’s nice to hound the newlyweds, but I dashed before them to take a quick shot. They graciously smiled. That’s what they did all day long – beamed spontaneous smiles.

Anna’s dad, Eric, gave the first speech. He’s a college professor and used to addressing people. Everyone laughed when he said that his normal limit was 55 minutes. His talk was tender and touching.

John’s first cousin Eric, father of the bride

Eddie’s mom recounted a bit of his history with some amusing stories from his young years. Her love for her son was plain for all to see.

The friends who spoke shared their joy in knowing the happy couple. I was behind a beam and did not have a clear view of the speakers, so I set the camera and nudged John to take it and press the shutter. This was the one that turned out the best. I’m sorry I don’t remember his name, but he was most amusing.

The first dance of the newly married pair was dramatic and tender. Twice Eddie tilted Anna back, almost to the floor, and kissed her. The crowd roared with delight. The acrobatics should not have surprised me from these extreme sports enthusiasts. I caught only the tender moment. A fairy tale would call them a beautiful fair maiden with her handsome prince charming. And they lived happily ever after.

May God bless you richly, Eddie and Anna

Day Before the Wedding

Colorado is gorgeous, especially with the sun shining on the snow-capped peaks as you drive to a wedding.

We went straight to the old freight station in Leadville, where John helped set up for the reception. I took a nap in the car, trying to recover from an altitude headache. This took me by surprise, since being in Denver twice had not been a problem. Someone said Leadville is the highest city in the US. I woke up hearing a train whistle and got out of the car in time for a shot of the engine. I should have known that John would sense it. He said someone took his photo as he watched the excursion train go past.

We went out to lunch with the parents of the bride, Carolyn and Eric. John and Eric are first cousins; their mothers were sisters. It was wonderful to have a special visit with them at this busy time.

As we left the restaurant, Carolyn pointed to a mountain and said that was where the bridal couple were. Anna and Eddie started hiking up the mountain at 6 am with friends. They hiked up and came down on skis. I suspect lots of people were relieved they all got down without breaking a leg. I don’t remember the name of the mountain, but it is the highest peak in the state.

The East coast relatives got here in time for a very short nap before we went to the rehearsal dinner. The New Yorkers had gotten up at 2:30 in the morning, and the ones from South Carolina at 4:20.

Carolyn said 150 people were coming for the wedding. As far as I know, not a one was local. The bride and groom picked Leadville because they had many happy memories of doing their extreme outdoor sports in that area. It was wonderful that the meal drew all of us together. As the crowd gathered, the cousins posed on the deck. Look at how the mountains tried to photo-bomb the shot!

Jay, Eric, Chris, Carolyn, John, Thom, Kirsten, Barbara

After the meal, everyone sat inside to enjoy hearing friends of the couple speak about them. The question was, “What were your thoughts and feelings when you heard that Anna and Eddie had gotten engaged?” There were many comments about their meeting on an airplane, but that is where the romance began. As the friends talked, we began to get a mental picture of the couple. They are loving, caring people who have many friends and admirers. It was marvelous to be caught up in the love surrounding them.

One Mile High

The most important item on our agenda in Denver was visiting our college friends. You say Janet and Tom to us, and rafts of memories come flooding in. When I wrote their names, I remembered the choir tour to Mobile about 1963. We stayed in Tom’s home that night. Janet and I had his parents’ bed. I nearly froze to death and kept turning up the heat of the electric blanket. Janet was sweltering and turned her dial down as low as it would go. You guessed it. The controls were mixed up.

We had a long lunch to catch up. I asked for a refresher account of their moving to Colorado. They had been in New Orleans and camped in the mountains on vacation. The lure of the area was so great that they ditched their plans and moved to Denver. They had three children and worked through various jobs to a place of peace and happiness. It was marvelous to see them still thriving since the last time we were here three years ago.

On the way out of town, we drew closer to the snow-capped mountains. Here is the scenery that excited John. I’m sure he explained what railroad line it was, when it was founded, who owns it now, what the freight would have been. My brain-sieve did not retain that.

I wildly snapped a second shot from the moving car. I remember John’s comment then. He said, “David will enjoy seeing the train.” That’s your assignment, David.

We stayed in the small town of Idaho Springs. John did not expect there to be restaurants or a supermarket, since those amenities were missing at several of our stops. What a surprise to find a Safeway adjacent to our motel! We walked there, looking for a dessert, which is what we often do instead of eating supper. John let me pick, and I couldn’t resist Unicorn Cake. Have you ever heard of Unicorn Cake? If you like very sweet things, this is a dessert for you. If you don’t like sweets, I’ll be glad to help you dispose of it.

Kansas in One Day

We were going through flat land punctuated with oil wells, small oil tanks,windmills, and grain elevators. Come to think of it, that would describe several states, but we were in Kansas.

The wind farms were impressive. I took a number of pictures and discovered white blades against a light blue sky do not work. I have only one shot of a lone windmill and present it here with a flourish.

There were small oil wells scattered everywhere, many of them pumping away. Three years ago when we were on that same highway, most wells were still. That’s not to say they were stills; stills produce moonshine in the Tennessee hills.

Grain storage buildings and elevators lined the railroad tracks at intervals. John knew lots about the movement of grain. He said one fifth of the wheat grown in the US is grown in Kansas. Those grain facilities proved it. I took these shots from the interstate. John read a sign that said grain elevators are called the cathedrals of the prairie. They were impressive in that flat landscape.

St. Louis and Then Some

The iconic site (and sight) in St. Louis is the Gateway Arch. We saw it about ten miles away, but it didn’t show up in my photo. I’ll substitute a picture taken in 2012 when grandsons David and Nathaniel were with us. John and I went up in it when our daughters were young.

We left St. Louis through a sad part of the city, a wasteland of burned out buildings. That gave way to a halfway area where several houses in a block would be in shambles. Finally there was the outer suburb with lovely homes set in manicured lawns. Wouldn’t it be great if the bad parts were razed and a new city raised up from the ashes? Guess they’d have to rename it Phoenix.

As we crossed the Missouri River, John spotted a flood wall holding back the river. It’s left of center in the photograph, if you can see it through the bridge.

Railroad cars and buildings on the left are many feet lower than the water.

We ate lunch in a former KATY train station in Columbia, Missouri. John liked the sign on the fence of the outdoor eating area. It said, “Please, NO EXCESSIVE NOISE.” I’m laughing as I write this, because all caps denotes screaming.

In Kansas City we drove by Union Station, so named because several rail lines converged on it. Most of the building is used for educational purposes now, although the train station is still in use.

John had fun driving the route of the trolley line in Kansas City. The city center seemed to be a thriving place with very few empty storefronts.

Kansas City from our car, driving on the trolley route

Paducah Wall

After getting a motel room, we drove toward the river and the old city of Paducah, Kentucky. John probably knew we’d see railroad tracks and the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers. His geographic and choo-choo antennae are always up. He didn’t sense a barrier wall, and that’s what we found. I took a photo of John standing before the wall at a mural depicting a steam engine. To the right was the Ohio River.

A few steps down was a mural welcoming visitors to the wall depicting Paducah in the past. There were scenes of Indians, early settlers, historic events, important people, and cultural buildings. Before each mural was a brass plaque explaining the scene. What a marvelous history walk it was!

We found out the city had three devastating floods. To prevent it happening again, they erected this barrier wall. The highest flood was 11 feet higher than the pavement we were standing on. John stood at one of the gates where a large concrete slab would rise to close the gap.

To our surprise, the steam engine in the mural was sitting around the curve. It had an odd collection of cars behind it, making it look like a train. John said the cars were ones that would have been used in that area, but not necessarily together.

We walked behind the wall, near the water. Evidently, the river draws people there to stroll, ride bikes, and enjoy the cool breezes. Some drove their cars, watched the water for a while, and drove away. It seemed such an old-fashioned, low-tech pastime. Good for you, Paducans!