Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Look a-yonder comin'

rail1

It's a cliched image but I see these tracks every day, just down the street. This line doesn't go too far - west out to Fitchburg and east to North Station. I never tire of seeing railroad tracks fade into the distance. I've always been partial to the romance and symbolism of the rail. How can you resist travel to a new destination, movin' along, the sounds of a train, the people along the way. As a little kid, "I've been working on the railroad" was a favorite song, and before the area was built up, from the second floor of the house, you could see and hear trains passing in the distance. I still have the book my Dad gave me for my first train trip from Chicago to St. Louis. And how could I forget the "Ride this Train" feature on Johnny Cash's television show? So it's really no surprise "The Darjeeling Limited" was a must see for me last year.

Speaking of Cash, working on the Johnny Cash #2 rug got derailed for quite awhile. I've been trying to work on it again and I'm determined to get it done by the end of the year by working on it a little bit every day. Maybe a listen to "Orange Blossom Special" or "Hey, Porter" will be the ticket. Here's where the rug stands at the moment.

And so, the Ravelympics are over and I finished all my events. I received some really wonderful prizes from my sisters. From Bonnie, I received the the soft and fragrant Summer Blossoms prize. And from Jenny, this Weeping Willow bag, an original weaving design of hers. Isn't it the perfect fit for my camera? Thank you, Jenny and Bonnie!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Betsey, Reading your Blog was great. Dad enjoyed riding the train also.
Mom

Bonnie said...

I remember hearing the train whistles from our house, but had forgotten till you mentioned it! I love the fact that I am near the train tracks here in Amherst and hear the train whistles a lot.

Maybe it all started with that scratchy 45 of "The Wabash Cannonball." I once tried to find the very same version of it on iTunes but no luck.

Bonnie said...

You have received a Blue Ribbon! Come claim it on my blog.

Jenny said...

Betsey -

I enjoyed your train talk. You probably don't remember the nearly endless trains that rolled past some of the street crossings when we lived in KC.

Johnny Cash's piece is looking good. I'm looking forward to seeing more. Keep chuggin'!

Jenny
"It takes a lot to laugh. It takes a train to cry."