From a Window Seat
I spend a lot of time looking out the window when I'm traveling by plane or train. I like to guess where we are in the journey, make up stories for the towns we're passing through or over. I try to play the same game on car trips, but the road signs kind of take the fun out of it. Plus, 2 hours on the interstate will make you think that the world consists solely of trees and Roy Rodgers restaurants.
I'm currently coming to you live* from the Amtrak Keystone line between Philadelphia and New York. I've taken this route several times over the last few months and it's starting to lose its charm. The tracks are mostly lined with warehouses, junkyards, and unfortunately-placed apartment buildings. Tonight, I don't seem to mind it as much, though. The skies are mostly clear and there's a brilliant sunset to my left. It's the kind of lighting that makes even the most industrial scenes seem idyllic.
Sometimes I joke that my childhood took place along I-95. With most of my family in the New York area, my parents and I spent many weekends on the road visiting them. Was it an ideal situation? Probably not. But I never really had a problem with it. I spent those hours in the backseat listening to music, making up stories to go along with the songs. It was a kind of meditation, a time for me to be still and let my brain just kind of go. Heaven for my introverted side.
I've included some photos from my most recent flight back to New York from Savannah, GA. I've traveled a lot, but I'm not quite jaded enough to lose my fascination with clouds. By some miracle of science, we are able to see these kinds of sights AND NOT DIE. I mean, that's crazypants. I don't take for granted the fact that I can step into a metal tube and come out 5 hours later on the other side of the country.
And then I get stuck on the Tarmac for an hour at LaGuardia. I could do without that part.
In other news, thanks to the magic of Wordpress, A Suitcase Full of Pens is a real-ass website now! I'm super-excited about this, but please bear with me as I get things up and running and looking nice. It's all a work-in-progress and a learning process and blah blah blah. However, I've got lots of new content coming your way, so watch this space.*This is a previously recorded broadcast. Voting has now closed.