The Railroad Spectacle

The Western Tanager that knocked itself out by flying into
the window under the Pilling's porch today.

On our morning walk to David and Shauna Pilling’s Trail we stopped by Shady Beach.

While there, a train came around the corner, so slowly that I wondered if we could make it back to the crossing and down to the Grandfather’s Trail before the train came by.

The engine crept so slowly that we didn’t even see it come around the bend before we were on the other side of the crossing.

Amanda Price taking Meighan's picture

Then we stood and waited to watch the train pass by, a work train carrying rails to place down on the track.

Some say that the tracks have to be replaced every two or three years on that curve.

LtoR: Meighan Johnson, Amanda Price, Doral Johnson
"How long can these rails be?"

I took a selfie with the train rolling by in the background.

The selfie is better of the train than of me.

Michael played in the loose sand that has been dropped on the mountain side of the tracks.

He ran to the top, slid down, than ran to the top again.

The night before I had stood on the balcony with Andrew Turnbull and we had watched large yellow railroad machinery come by.

... Michael standing at the bottom of the sand pile...

Just as one would go out of our sight another would come into view, carefully timed.

I asked him how many he thought we had seen.

He said 19.

He was close to being right for Michael had counted them on the third track, 22 in all.

We had seen Matthew Wood and his children when we first crossed the tracks.

They are leaving to go back to Cochrane.

"How long is this train, Grandmother?"

Adam and David Wood are still here and have in mind to build a tree fort this week, no children allowed they said.

I heard some hammering tonight and thinking it as Miranda I went to check on what she was doing.

But it was the tree fort builders with their level, beams, bolts and tools working on their project – a one level tree fort.

It is hard for the feet of a 7 year old
not to inch just a little closer to the tracks.

Miranda offered them her rope ladder.

She has been looking for a place to hang it.

Michael asked if he could come over and check as to how the building project goes.

Adam told him to come anytime.  Michael probably will.

Arta