All Aboard

You may have noticed that I did not finish the 30 Day Letter Challenge.  I do intend to write all of the letters, just not in 30 days.  I will intersperse them during the next few months.  For the next couple of weeks I will be sharing my vacation trip with you. There are going to be a couple of surprise announcements in these posts, so you will want to pay attention.

I have had a trip planned for several months.  There were no definitive details for this trip, but I knew I was taking a trip.  The trip actually planned itself through a number of random events.  Coincidences?  I don’t think so.  I made a choice to follow my heart and what I believe was God’s guidance.  Once I made the decision, everything began to happen so fast, I could hardly keep up with it.

I am so excited because I am taking the train.  I love travel by train.  And –I don’t fly. You can read more about that here.  I have taken the train across country (round trip).  I have traveled to Chicago and Cleveland by train and I have taken the train from Charleston, SC to the Baltimore/DC area on a number of occasions.  I love the rhythmic sounds of the train on the track.  The train becomes a small community while you are in route.  There is a dining car, a snack bar area, and some trains have a viewing car complete with windows from top to bottom.  I have enjoyed conversations with travelers from around the world.

I will be going to New York City for a brief layover and then on to Poughkeepski, NY to see my brother for a couple of days.  I go from there to a very small town (population about 1,300) called Danby, Vt.  Pearl Buck spent her last days in Danby so I am hoping to glean some inspiration from the area.  More importantly, I am going to visit a longtime friend.  I will share more about her in another blog post.

During lunch today, I told my friends I had decided to do this blog series.  We created a short version to give an idea of how it might read.

Day 1  Loved the train ride. Got some sleep before departing in the morning.  Brother picking me up shortly.

 Day 2  Having a great time with my brother.  I miss Jan and Anna.

 Day 3  Getting ready to go to Vermont.  (Small tear forms) I really miss Jan and Anna. 

 Day 4   Donna and I having a great time.  Jan is calling asking when are I am coming back.  I am asking why doesn’t she do something drastic like hitchhike here.

 Day 5  Going into severe withdrawal.  Going to resort to SKYPE.

 Day 6  Back on train.  “Conductor, can you make this thing go any faster?”

I have an idea it may go this way because Jan and the family just came back from a week on vacation.  We are going to plan these things better next year!

I need a break from things here.  I am very excited about this trip and spending time with my brother and with Donna.  I am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you as it happens.  I will make time to write while I am away because writing is my memory, my release, my grounding, and my passion.  I know I am going to miss my family and my friends.

I return at 6:00am in the middle of the week. I will head home to unpack, shower and go the office to check in.  I will then head straight to the church to see Jan.  I have my fantasy football league draft that night with my son.  I will stop by and see my daughter before that.  Going to be a very busy day.

A few days after I return, my life will take a rather interesting turn.  I can’t wait to share it with you.  Be sure to come back over the next two weeks and take this journey with me.

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