Sandyville (People, Places, Things, and Ideas)

                                                                 What Is A Trainride?

Today is Friday and I'm sitting on Amtrak on my way to Emeryville and then on to San Francisco. I have been riding this train from Fresno to Emeryville since I was a child.  My mother's family lived in the San Francisco Bay Area and I spent many of my summers and holidays visiting them. My first memory of this train ride was sitting on my dad's lap because the train was packed with military personnel. Passengers filled all of the seats and were standing in the aisles.  Riding the train is a fascinating way to travel these days.  Unlike a plane you can surf the net, catch up on e-mails, and chat. The passengers seem more relaxed and not as frantic as those on a plane.  Maybe that's because they are not strapped by a seat belt and are free to roam the train. This particular train is always sold out.  That means making new friends is always something to look forward to.  Sometimes your seatmate is a chatty Kathy, but more often a silent Sam. There is one more observation that I'm making about riding this train.  I'm sitting in a seat that faces the opposite direction from the one I'm going. I'm looking at where I've been, not at where I'm going.  I think I'm going to think about that for awhile.