On a weekend afternoon, we decided to go for a walk. I told Josh about some train tracks that are near our house and confided to him that I'd always wanted to go on an adventure to see where these tracks would lead. We set out on that cold and windy day- I bundled in three layers for this strenuous 1 mile trek to assure I'd withstand the cold February day. (strenuous, because I hadn't been exercising much) Before we found the tracks, we found two dead roses that had been forgotten on the elementary school grounds near to our home. Even dead, the roses caught my eye and I stopped to take a picture. I couldn't help but wonder about how they'd gotten there. I pictured a third grade girl throwing them on the ground after learning her fourth grade boyfriend who'd given these to her for Valentine's Day had passed a note to another female classmate. These roses had a story, and I like to imagine they were once appreciated before being discarded and exposed to the winter winds. "C'mon!," yelled my husband from at least 50 yards away. I had been so captivated by creating a dramatic back story for the forgotten roses that I had lagged behind. This picture reminds me of a brief bittersweet memory on my way to train track adventures. Good thing my husband didn't stop to smell these and stayed focused on our mission!
I don't know if most people think walking on railroad tracks is an adventure, but I did. Random nails that were bigger than my hand were scattered about as we shielded our faces from the cold wind and kept walking down the tracks. I kept hoping I'd find treasure along the way. Why did this old, rusty nail inspire that hope? Maybe I'd hoped that all along...I saved this nail and carried it with me like a trophy for the rest of our walk. I convinced myself that collecting the nail was perfectly normal and would someday be used for a craft- I have yet to see something on Pinterest to inspire use of a rusty, train track nail. I'm thinking maybe a shadow box with pictures of the day's escapade. Ideas?
I skipped down the road from our house, with Josh close behind me. I assured him that the tracks were very close as he told me he hadn't seen them before, in blatant disbelief of my recent discovery. RR stands for Regina's Right! Railroad tracks ahead! X marks the spot for our starting point...
Covering his hands to keep the last bit of winter chill out, my husband took lead down the tracks. I stood back and snapped a few shots without him noticing. I can't help but want to capture moments with him...especially when he doesn't know. (not creepy at all, right?) I'm reminded by this picture of John Denver's "Sunshine On My Shoulders"...makes me happppyyyyyy! (couldn't help that, sorry.)
Though overgrown, I walk down the middle of the tracks before being bombarded by thorns of an unknown plant species. At the time, I groaned and complained to myself while I pulled prickly what-nots out of my shoes. Josh marched on and helped me through unexpected obstacles of nature that seemed determined to send me back to the warmth of our cozy home...just a mile away. (He's brave and strong and noble that way. teehee.)
Like a professional gymnast, (because that's what I pretended I was) I try to keep balance on the thin rail. I imagine I was graceful and poised, never swaying or causing one to doubt my athletic ability. I unfortunately know that this memory recollection is merely my imagination. My arms made me look like an airplane- My poor balance made me look like one you wouldn't dare trust to take you anywhere. I wonder if tracks are thinner than balance beams...I like to think so. :)
This was here, too. PURDY. We briefly worried what we'd do if a train headed our way. I had a plan that Josh would grab me and dive, without fear, into the waters below. Then he would swim to the shore, where wood fairies would bring us a picnic of berries and nuts. I told Josh none of this fantasy, though I'm sure none of it would surprise him.
CHOOO, CHOOOO! We felt something strange in the air that is difficult to explain. Josh says it was electrical currents that made our bodies tingle and caused us to hear a weird buzzing noise. I'd never felt this before since I hadn't ever been this close to a passing train. I assume my husband is justified in his explanation, but want to do some research. The train flew by us- We had gotten away from the tracks safely to watch it pass by. I snapped lots of pictures, but this one is my favorite. I bet the conductor thought we were crazy...mostly me, with my camera phone and the way I had plopped on the ground to get a good shot.
One of my all-time favorites of us. It took us a few tries to get this right. To make the shadows look good, we had to pucker up and stand at an awkward distance from each other. Otherwise, we just looked like a big blob monster. This picture documents our successful shadow kiss. I'm not bigger than he is, I swear- I had 3 layers of clothes on, remember? :)
On our way back home, THIS caught our eye. How could it not? Seems perfectly safe and normal. (extreme sarcasm, for those slower to catch it) "WHO did that?" I asked Josh because he had answered all my questions so far on our trip. He tells me he has no idea and proceeds to tell me about a phone app that allows people to do something about things like this. He says that when people see hazards in their community or town, a picture can be submitted for the problem to be remedied. I took the picture. I still don't have the app on my phone to take action. Since there are lots of kids in our neighborhood who play outside, I ranted about the irresponsibility of persons involved in the negligent actions that produced this visual monstrosity. Since I saw this months ago, this problem has likely been fixed. I need closure, now that I'm seeing this again. Perhaps another excursion of our neighborhood is in order to confirm that this box of electrical bibbidyboos (I think that's what this is) has been more appropriately attached. Maybe on my way to check this out, I'll take a detour down the tracks again.
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