Scattered Thoughts . . .

O n our way to Ohio on the train with Lukey and Kenzie back in June, we took a route that passed through Manhattan, then down to Washington and then down into Virginia before heading westward and passing through West Virginia, into Kentucky, and then up into Ohio.  Lukey and Kenzie have already been with us in Manhattan quite a few times but this would be the first time we continued on to Washington with Kenzie and Lukey, our Amtrak fanatic grandchild who was looking forward to finally pulling into this station while in an Amtrak sleeper car. We had about a forty-five minute layover at the station in Washington which I knew was just enough time to head up into beautiful Union Station and then wander out to the street so Lukey and Kenzie could actually see a bit of Washington.  We'd have to keep our pace up but I knew we could fit in this short excursion through the station.  I've been here many times but this would be a first for all my travel companions on this trip so I...

W hile my thumb continues to heal (which is going well), I've been working on the seemingly never-ending process of setting up my new computer and sorting through all the photos and videos from our trip.   Each day, I install more software that I use regularly on the new computer.  Just setting up and updating Windows 11 required a couple of days then I needed to personalize the operating system to my tastes... which I'm still doing.  I have some new licenses to purchase for some of my software too so I still have a few more days of software setup to do.   I'm also waiting on another large hard drive to arrive too.  Since I have the room in the new hard drive enclosure, I decided to add a 22tb hard drive to store all my older archived photos so I will have easy access to all my photos.  Anyway, I've been busy with the new computer.  I can't do much with my thumb in its mangled condition so sitting around waiting for software to install seems ...

L ukey and Kenzie have been dying to take a long distance trip on Amtrak for many years.  Last Christmas, we were booked to take Amtrak to Manhattan with Lukey and Kenzie but our train was cancelled as we were waiting for it to arrive in Waterbury.  It was cancelled due to flooding here in Vermont and, at the last minute, we decided our only option was to drive down to Manhattan instead.  That means Lukey and Kenzie missed out on a huge part of last Christmas' surprise trip.  That Amtrak travel was supposed to be the highlight of the trip but it was cancelled! They were definitely sorely disappointed but we still had a great time in Manhattan at Christmastime.  That train cancellation really put a big damper on the trip though which we were reminded of constantly during the long 12 hours in the car contending with heavy rain, traffic, and detours in a cramped car rather than a long train allowing us to get up and walk whenever we felt the need.  Having to s...