chuga-chuga-choo-choo!

mr. and mrs. pike love trains. there’s something about them. perhaps it’s the repetitive beat of the cars rolling over the tracks, or the ding-dong of the bells at the crossing, or the roar of the horn from afar (and i stress afar—it can be quite deafening from a-near). train stations, particularly small ones in rural places, are charming.

we also enjoy the fact that you can sleep, read, or hold two hands while riding a train.

in recent months, mrs. pike and i had ample opportunity to board trains going into and out of the city. and we’ve had a few adventures. we’ve learned that, more often than not, trains leave right on time. we’ve missed at least three in the last six weeks. one by five minutes, one by two minutes, and one by one. twice we ran through town to the station and once we took a taxi—after running. and we missed them all. we’re good at catching trains into the city…not so good at catching them out.

consequently, we’ve spent a couple late nights/early mornings at union station. and the station's wooden benches aren’t quite as comfortable as the blue cushioned ones on the train.

but this week we felt the sweet taste of victory! we made both of our trains. success is finally ours.