Trains and other matters

Reading Erin's blog about riding an old train around the Ft. Worth Stockyards. Well, yesterday I had quite a long chat with Howard Marshburn who lives near Fresno. He and I have done some train riding together, and the locomotives were powered by steam from burning fuel oil. And you could see them from where you were sitting? Easily, just look straight ahead. Since we were sitting or standing or walking on the tops of the freight cars.

On top? Sure, where else do you ride freight trains? We were hitch hiking through Arizona on our way to Mexico City and at Bowie we could not get a ride, but there was a train, stopped right in front of us. So we hopped on and rode to Deming New Mexico. Hitched into El Paso but the next day could not buy a ride so got on a train going south. Went all day to a place called Sanderson where we got off as the train headed east to San Antonio.

So. Trains. Don't think there are many around who have done that. We even went back to the caboose and had lunch with the guys riding there. So it was fun to talk about such things with Howard.

I wrote this ten days ago and then could not get the blog to open to me. I sneaked up on it today and here we are.

News today is Emelia Marie and John Anders, but you knew that.

Film was GREAT!

There were about 15, mostly folks like us who were extras or helped with details. But two locals who apparently know or knew nothing of such goings on. For me, it wasn't that much as the sound was hard to hear. but I tried an innovation and put my 2nd hearing aid in my other ear and it helped, which gave me an idea for the future. We were in a room where the big TV was canted in the SW corner with enormous windows on each side. Rick pulled the blinds but way too much light to get the full effect of the film. Even so, I could follow it, mostly, and thought it was great. On the other hand, everyone else thought it was the greatest and each person filled out a very comprehensive questionnaire, except me. Everyone was enthusiastic.
For me I especially loved watching the man go through TGT and 1 Peter 2:24 with "Gino Polecritti. " My name in the picture is Peter and my wife is Barbara and our two little girls are Robin and Gretchen. Later on we have triplets, so things get a bit mixed up, though all actually happened. But in the real world to other people. I really think it will do well, not finished up just yet. Rick has it in the Mac and it is like a Word doc, you can pick up what you want and put it where you want. Amazing. On the way home we stopped at Forex to get some boxes for Shackelmom to take stuff back in.

Movie day!

Today at one gma and I go to the Garside's for a first time showing of the "Faith Happens" film. It is two hours and five minutes long and Rick has maybe ten people coming to see it. Some who know nothing of Granada, and it will be a test to see how they react. Some of the story line comes from my bio, Gino Polecritti and people like that. So this is going to be really fun and I will report when we've seen it.

Merrily we rool along

Reading Erin's blog about riding an old train around the Ft. Worth Stockyards. Well, yesterday I had quite a long chat with Howard Marshburn who lives near Fresno. He and I have done some train riding together, and the locomotives were powered by steam from burning fuel oil. And you could see them from where you were sitting? Easily, just look straight ahead. Since we were sitting or standing or walking on the tops of the freight cars.

On top? Sure, where else do you ride freight trains? We were hitch hiking through Arizona on our way to Mexico City and at Bowie we could not get a ride, but there was a train, stopped right in front of us. So we hopped on and rode to Deming New Mexico. Hitched into El Paso but the next day could not buy a ride so got on a train going south. Went all day to a place called Sanderson where we got off as the train headed east to San Antonio.

So. Trains. Don't think there are many around who have done that. We even went back to the caboose and had lunch with the guys riding there. So it was fun to talk about such things with Howard.

One more. Last year I went to see Dr. David Marshburn about a cataract removal, which he later did. I had filled in the form and where it said, "Who referred you to us?" I had put Howard Marshburn. He said, "How do you know Uncle Howard?" I said, did you ever hear about the trip to Mexico City Howard made in 1946? "Yeah, we've heard it many times, it is a family legend." "Well, I am the guy who went with him." Suddenly instead of being two dimensional I was three.

June first

Used to be that this was the day we started counting fingers for the end of the school year. "No more teachers, no more books . . .!" So what do we count now? How many days until the next great grandchild is born, that is what we count now. How things change. Amazing how one's perspective keeps moving over the years.
Got to musing the other day about our perspective in Christ. On June 1st 52 years ago there was no perspective and I was just winding up teaching the 8th grade SS boys and Gma was doing the same with the primary department. With zero inkling as to what was just ahead of us.
Meeting Jesus Christ and knowing that our sin was forgiven, changed everything. In one special SS hour in October all our close friends became acquaintances or less. Bingo!! Just like that. So June first was when the change began, unbeknownst to us. The wonder of it all.