Meanwhile, Back In Washington

Fran sends this view from her window at the FAA...this almost looks like an oil painting. Very evocative.

More from Orlando



Mary says this is near Jacksonville.



Inside the sleeping car.




This is Mary's hotel room.




Mary says, "Now I know I'm in Florida!"




Mary says: And I'm here! I couldn't believe how big the Disney World properties are. I can't say I'm interested in seeing any of it. My hotel is lovely- It's a combination Hilton and Waldorf Astoria conference center. Guess I should go register for the conference now that I've showered and sent pictures.



Continuing to Orlando

Here's Mary's report.



 Mary writes: Entrance to the room - it's very small and the hallway is very narrow so it's hard to photograph. And we're off!! Right on time! PS the guy is singing "happy birthday minus six hours" to his wife.

I had responded to Mary that I hope Tony (big mouth) turned in early. She responded:

He did. I had an interesting companion after that , a cook from Jamaica who was traveling home from a job in Maine. Nice man. The lamb shanks were delicious. We had mechanical problems that shut off power for about 15 minutes just south of DC but all is well now. I'm going to read for awhile and maybe be rocked to sleep. I' ll try to get a picture of the bed made up but it's hard when you're so close. I don't think you'd be comfortable in roomette - I think your feet might touch the wall. The dining car wasn't bad but when the guy sat beside me, it was very close. I'm lying on the bed now- when i put on my nightgown I'll be happy.

About her dinner, Mary writes: Here's dinner- lamb shanks with a wine and beer sauce was the special and it was very good. My companion had roast chicken which looked good and he said it was. It's plastic dishes and paper tablecloths but real silverware (I mean metal, not plastic). The servers were very nice if a little harried due to the power outage. Had a nice chat with the chef too.

Mary: A little blurry but this is the dining car- it was full when I got there. It's open to anyone but free for people in the sleepers.

Mary: My sink, which folds down out of the wall.

And here's my toilet. It has a lid and is below the sink at an angle I guess to save space. It's close but it works fine with no smell.

The toilet seat looks crooked, but that's the "angle" Mary is talking about.

And now, for the botany. Mary writes: I'm not sure where we are, south of Jacksonville, and for the last hour or so I've been seeing trees with what I think are red berries. We're going too fast to get a picture. Any idea what they might be?

I forwarded this to Amy, long-time Florida resident, who responded: She may be looking at royal poincianas if they have a high crown, feathery leaf structure, and more orangish flowers.

So Mary, here's a Royal Poinciana... is this what you're seeing?

And now it's morning and Mary writes:

I didn't sleep much last night but I enjoyed just lying there listening to the train noises. I had a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs, cinnamon toast, and chicken sausage. My seat mates were a mother and her grown son and another woman. The mother was desperate for a cigarette since it can be hours between stops. I'm so glad I don't smoke anymore. They left and I had a really nice talk with the other woman. She's a hospice aide, originally from Honduras and now in New York. She seemed so compassionate, loves her job and takes her role in people's last days very seriously. She wants to write a book about nursing homes and I hope she does. Now I'm back in my room, the bed is up and my chairs are back and I'm enjoying the scenery.

Late-Breaking News: Amy gets an A in Botany -- I had sent Mary this photo of the tree, and she responded THAT'S IT!

Mary's Off to Orlando

I haven't read all of Mary's emails -- I have a bunch of them -- so we'll start at the beginning. This is the view of the First Class Lounge at Union Station. I've been in there a number of times. As I recall a number of years ago, if you had a first-class ticket, you'd go to the lounge and then they'd call you by name and take you on a golf cart (really) to the train car. I think they stopped that practice, except for people with disabilities, but it was nice while it lasted:

 Next is the exterior of the sleeper car which tells me at least she was boarding the train.

First complaint of the trip... Mary writes:

Same problem with all travel. There's a guy right next to me who is too friendly. Name is Tony, traveling with Elizabeth who doesn't speak English very well. They remind me of the couple on Modern Family. Their door is two feet from mine. I already know he has heart trouble, couldn't fly from Denver, likes these cars better than the "new" ones (he means the double decker Superliners that run in the west- they can't get through the tunnels back east but they really aren't new). I'm a curmudgeon and I hope I don't sit with them at dinner...

Uh-oh... so much for live-blogging. Mary writes:

This is one of the last trains to get wi-fi so messages with pictures are going to be expensive. I'll send more pictures when I get to the hotel.

And now back to Tony and Ellizabeth. Mary writes (with the subject line: Please make him shut up):

At least when I get back from dinner i can close the door and the curtain. He's the kind who says everything for the benefit of strangers, so he chides his wife with "oh you tried to reset the thermostat we have in our room you little stinker" with this annoying laugh. So he shows off all hw knows while purportedly talking with his wife.

Ahhh he's quiet.. .

Pat adds: A husband referring to his wife as "you little stinker" is grounds for divorce in my book.


TO BE CONTINUED.



Coming Soon

Mary is going to be taking a train from DC to Orlando in her own little roomette on the train and has promised descriptions and photos for us. I have sometimes thought of taking the train to Florida but it was the same amount of $$ as a first class airplane ticket so you know what I did instead of the train. Anyway, stand by for Sunday's report. Thank you, Mary.

Friday Musings

Had my monthly lunch with Barbara today, and I think we are not good for each other as we both love the routines we have. We go to a limited number of places, always the same, we order the same thing; she always orders first (although I could place the order for her since I know exactly what she wants) and then I order the same thing she does with modifications. For example, she wants coffee; I want Diet Coke. She wants rye toast; I want a toasted bagel.

I got there first and we also have certain tables we always sit at which were taken when I arrived. So I decided to stop being a creature of habit and sit at a table we don't normally sit at. I sat down, and then realized that people from one of our regular tables were leaving. As they were getting up, Barbara came in and I said I was waiting for these people to leave and I had at least tried to break one of our ruts. Barbara insisted it's a good thing we only sit at certain tables.

Anyway, the place was decorated for Halloween, and this was hanging above me:

Home again in a cab, and this is on Second Avenue which is, of course, a big mess. I feel bad for the small stores like this one which are trying to survive, but if it's too much hassle to get there, people are just not going to make the effort.

The usual view from my steps where I sat a while when I got home. It was alternately a sunny day and an overcast one so I thought I should take advantage of the sun while it was out.



Here are some birthday flowers I received -- day 4. You can see one droopy guy, but they're holding up. Tomorrow I'll change the water and get rid of the droopy ones and I think I'll get a few more days out of them.



Waiting for the Debate

I confess to having a slight crush on Joe Biden. Don't tell me old men aren't sexy...