When the train is on the siding waiting for freight trains-that is the best time. Practically speaking the freights have priority most of the time (they own the line.) Freight traffic is heavy and there is only a single rail line in too many places. In the northeast coast area, the passenger lines have their own lines and do not compete with freight. DH and I just finished a counter-navagation of the perimeter of the US. We climbed aboard in Tucson AZ going east to Jacksonville FL, then north to Boston MA. Then west to Seattle WA, south to Los Angeles CA, then east again to Tucson. We stopped 3 times to visit friends/family and had a ball. Our main objective was to look out the windows, and we sure did. When the sunlight allowed that is. It was dark too much!
We saw the desert blooming in the southwest, everything green as we went east. Until we got to the areas affected by the hurricanes last year. The woodlands showed the downed timber and populated areas still showed lots of blue plastic roofs. Those still are waiting for material and crews to do the mending. We even got to run through a snow storm across New York state. Most of the eastern half of that northern run of the US had a snow blanket. Westward the land was bare and we saw the bison and pronghorn grazing the prairie. Southward along the west coast was through the evergreen covered mountains and the green California hills sprinkled with grazing cattle. In southern CA the truck gardens were greening up as southern AZ completes its harvest of table greens. The stitching was two Hardanger bell pulls by Roz Watnemo of Nordic Needle. A large needle and #5 pearle made the occasional error easy to frog. Those mis-stitches were caused by the eyes looking out the window too much! Preliminary stitching was finished on the first, the second over half done. The cutting and wrapping is now waiting to be done. The memories of the journey will live as long as the linen ground. We are satiated for awhile.
Barbara T
-- Barbara T
WIP: Superstition Mountains by Jean Lanning, Misc Christmas ornaments - all 17 done!