A Day on the Train

On a lark, I called my niece, Rebecca and asked if she wanted to do something fun today. Of course she did. A few weeks back, I asked if she wanted to ride on the new Frontrunner train. She had been so excited that day that doing the prerequisite chores her mother imposed was not enough to dampen her spirits. That day did not work out, however, as 4,000 other people decided to take the same train and someone's mother didn't want to bother fighting the crowd. So, today was a make-up day and practice as Rebecca's birthday is coming soon and one of the many things she wants to do is ride the train. Today's trip was deemed a practice run so we could be train riding experts by the time her birthday trip came around. Rebecca is nearly five and her ringlet-filled hair and sassy smile made her just as cute as ever.

We met at the train station with her grandma and grandpa. Rebecca's mom was to meet us two stops away for breakfast at Doug and Emmy's (incredible scones that you simply must try if you haven't). After breakfast, most were getting into cars for the drive back to grandma's house. Rebecca and I, however, waved good-bye and set out for the train station.

While traveling back to the stop by grandma's house, we called our good friend, Josh, who recently moved to Germany. Rebecca misses Josh and frequently asks when he will come home. When the answer isn't what she wants to hear, she asks if we can call and at least leave a message. Unfortunately, due to the eight hour time difference, Josh is usually in bed or working. Today the timing worked out and they were able to catch up on old times before the train lumbered into the station. This meant a lot to Rebecca, who couldn't wait to tell her mom and grandma she had called Germany and spoke with her good friend, Josh.

Someone a few seats away was explaining that these new Frontrunner trains are an exact replica of those used in Germany. He seemed so proud to have known about European trains and so eager to share this knowledge with anyone who would listen. I knew about the similarities between these trains and those I rode in Germany a few months ago and desperately wanted to chime in with a little confirmed European knowledge of my own. I didn't, however. I let him have his moment. My moment was with Rebecca sharing a lovely afternoon riding the rails.