RIDING AMTRAK

For our honeymoon Celia and I took the Amtrak train from Eugene to Seattle to visit her older daughter in October of 2000.   Over the years that followed we took it three or four more times to Seattle.   It was always an adventure and usually never on time.   The trip from Eugene to Seattle involved 9 stops, including a 20 minute layover in Portland to switch trains.   Since the rail lines are own by freight trains, such as Union Pacific and Burlington Northern/Santa Fe,  Amtrak had to yield to freight traffic and sometimes that involved sitting on a siding waiting for the freight trains to go by.   It usually was a six or seven hour train ride depending on stops for freight trains, which is about the same amount of time it takes to drive it.   The big difference was no stress from driving and the biggest thrill was looking out the train window and seeing all those poor souls stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the Tacoma/Seattle freeways.  

MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH DEATH

My grandparents on my dad's side of the family came to visit us when we lived out in the county near Willows, California in 1951 or 1952.  I was six or seven years old.   My parents and grandparents were out in the kitchen enjoying a drink, probably some sort of mixed drink.   I remember it being dark outside when there was a knock on the door.  It was a telegram delivered by Western Union to my grandmother.  It was very uncommon to see an adult cry back in those days or show any emotions, except maybe anger.   After my grandmother opened the telegram she went into the living room by herself and started crying.   I walked up to her and asked what was wrong and she told me her sister in Canada has died.   Without giving it much thought, I told her we are all going to die sometime.   For some reason that brought a smile to her face.  Years later, when I was older she reminded of that and how she thought it gave her a little joy during a sad time.