THE WRINKLIES were sent on their way yesterday as they embarked on the last couple of weeks of their four month trip. Their choice of travel to Seattle was Amtrak, on the Coast Starlight. I'm feeling a tinge of envy, for it's such a beautiful trip. We've only ridden it as far as Oakland on the train, but that stretch of the route was highly scenic. I take that back. We once traveled from Seattle to Los Angeles at the end of a trip, but what I remember best about it is a lot of boisterous children.
Harvey & Sheila reported that they saw, on their trek from San Antonio to Los Angeles, a decline in train travel amenities but they still think that Amtrak is a good way to travel. 
My pipe dreams include the possibility of either taking this trip or buying a pass and wandering around the country by whim and then I think of our difficulty of walking from here to there and wonder about walking on a lurching train and getting from one car to another which wasn't the easiest thing I ever did in less physically stressful times. I did go to the Automobile Club to ask about getting from here to North Carolina on blue highways and the agent had never heard of that term . So much for that. She handed Bob a map of the United States and suggested buying local maps along the way. It's a rainy, blustery day as another storm moves in. Northern California actually had a tornado warning yesterday as the storm headed south. We've decided to stay holed up in our rooms today, all cozy and snug. No socializing for us until tomorrow.
The wind is howling and Mr. Bob just asked if I didn't think it was a good thing not to have to worry about making sure the windows were tightly closed and checking that the roof wasn't leaking. My answer was, "Yes" and for me, the best part is not having a store in which I have to worry about merchandise getting wet. In four locations, every single commercial building leaked and it was a constant worry when it rained.
We have books to read, Netflix movies to watch, the onerous world news to follow, and plenty to do should the mood strike us. I'm glad that bathrobe I wrote about way last October is two sizes too large. I'm swaddled in it and it's comforting.
