Train of Memories

James took this picture while we were on vacation. We both enjoy the idea of the Romance of the Rail.

As I was growing up I spent almost every summer traveling to and then spending time in Pueblo, Colorado. On occasion we would take the train; not sure if that was because it was cheaper than renting motel rooms or is our car couldn't make the journey. Usually we travelled by car for two days from California to Colorado.

To this day my heart skips a happy beat when I see or hear an engine approaching. I remember looking out of the window and seeing vast sunsets, the red clay dirt of Santa Fe, New Mexico, or the parched dirt of Las Animas. The introduction to different Native Peoples via books we bought on the train. The thrill of seeing water dashing across banks of rivers as we crossed them at a sweet perpendicular angle. The differently leafed or branched trees that seem to change from hour to hour. The sky that gently changed from dusk to night while we moved toward our destination.

The memories are sweet. Traveling on the road as we did for vacation helps to bring them back with greater clarity and color: collateral benefit.