Train views

Sorry for the break in this...just needed some clarity myself. I will follow up on the tramp soon. I must find him again...until then just read these slowly. You may want to read the first few lines of each person then go back to te first and carry on to the other. They all tie together because we all interacted. Time is hard to write in while compiling a list of attributes and quotes from multiple ppl. Also, new info came at later times, hence the name change for Tom. His is the only name I learned. I made up the others but kept mom and son the "mom" and "kid" bc that's what they are. Read slow. It happened slow...

Tom late 50's man: sat up one and right. Wears Jeans white tennis shoes short sleeve button shirt. Balding. Flew for military. Non combat. Big belly. Grrrreeat beard. Calming voice, thinks before he speaks. Talks with Donald a bit about trains and planes and i brought in economics of his airport (Fort Wayne) not getting enough planes in, really good tax/social service expenditure talk. Tom say eventually that if he won a million dollars he wouldnt buy a new jet but one of those old aluminum observation cars and ride around in it maybe to his old base in Utah. He'd gut it and put in a bed and kitchen, Tom: "ahh I'd love to live just watching the world roll by for a year..." Artsy guy strangely enough. Likes Chasing trains with his buddy at crossings, taking pictures, good fun on a Sunday afternoon. Went to top of Sears building with his father at age 10 for 5 bucks, walked by today while waiting 4,5 hrs for train and its now $25. Came up that I was on snow crew: Tom had to be ready to work at 3am to drive snow pusher whose curved plow pushed snow off runway in glistening frozen curls. "those things don't know how to stop that well. One day I almost took the front off the plane of a guy without his taxi lights on and almost shit myself! That would have made national news you know." he kinda wanted to make national news. gestured  "yeah yeah yeah..." at intercom lady announcement once after a bunch funny not malicious, they were interrupting our stories.. "years and years back when they picked up mail with that hook on the side. ("Yeah" says Donald). They should try that again but with a bag of beer! Me: Haha. Donald: "Haha yeah." really a good grandpa kinda man. He wanted kid to look out back "I might head back there a couple of times again myself" Good old artsy Tom. To kid again: "you know how Indiana got its name. No. Can you spell it?" Tom starts spelling, "I. N...I'll give you a hint. It's named Indiana bc of all the Indians that used to live here. You don't really care all that much do ya?" smiles all around. After Donald left we didnt talk much. Knows his Coffees. apparent in his correct use in terminology for how Turkish coffee is drunk, saying that Johnny's shot method he described as sounding as such. Hearing him tell the kid that he was gonna get off train soon made me want to know his name so I got some water and commented on the warmness of it to spark conversation. I thanked him for the stories and wished him a safe rest of trip and told him my name and shook his hand. His name is Leo he says. I watch him get off and he walks to a car, hugs, calmly gets in and is gone. Cares for his sister alot I think based on his comment on iPhone and talk with me about Laurel. After Donald left Leo told me that he told Donald when I went to eat that his sister wouldn't mind not knowing where he was. Are you close to your sister Isaiah? Yes and I told him some stories. He needed those stories I think. 

- Donald Late 60's man: sat right in front. Lives in Elkhart and happy I have family in Goshen. bald. Classy old man white goatee but he's not classy. Baggy sweeter and pants. Old man cool glasses. Very kind though. Wanted to make sure that the kid got to see the lights out the back. Good story teller/easy to like and talk to (both he and Tom. When I called Laurel and said i barely got the train he loudly and happily said "well I hope you want to be on the train for miami!" Hahaha Donald! Great story on old Raft races in Fort Wayne, 2nd most watched event only to Indy 500 out there. Fun time apparently, crazy guys designing crazy things, like pirate ships, station wagons, etc. Had to shut it down bc a man drowned on one. Led into story from Tom about largest death toll on lake Michigan. 800 workers on a day vacation crowed one side to watch city go buy on ferry and it capsized and trapped all right next to dock. All their stories I can only say: " Hunh, I guess, wow, sure." and those kinds of affirmative sounds and phrases, course I held my own in story telling...the kid listened most intently to my running to catch the train exaggeration story. Kid caught all that was said I think. Anyways, Donald got off and was gone...

- late 20's: Trench coat, too big/puffy of short sleeve button up when coat off. Small classy metal frame glasses. Well kept but nerdy long hair goatee combo. Like he thinks it's cool and going for the Jonny Depp look. Plays Minecraft with a higher graphics engine...lots of talk to at first interested Tom but Johnny loses even me with excitement for game and things you can do and learn. Like electrician "skills." Got an iphone likes it, shows Leo, Leo "not sure he likes it all rolled into one (camera, phone Internet). Leo's sister has one though and she used it in Florida to find way around, and he was glad she had it then." After setting down comp and mouse on seat next to Tom said: "Im gonna use the restroom, would you watch this. not quite sure I trust everybody on the train quite yet. Tom: "sure. (Johnny turns, Leo says) well nice knowin' ya! Hahaha". Johnny didn't talk till after Donald left, I think Johnny didn't trust Donald.

- Kid: 7-9 yrs. He and mom right across from me. Well kept. Red hair. Likes doing homework on train bc he wont have to do it in Pitt. States the obvious a lot: "the trains moving again." pretty cool kid. "I think I'm gonna stay up all night" Tom: You could let him run up and down the aisles till he tires up!" Really great imagination with his fire trucks and other matchbox cars good driving sounds sounds. Good kid. Smiles at me a bunch. Likes Tom when Tom talks to him about trains and Indiana's name but really wants to keep playing as evident when he tells Tom that he has a larger fire truck at home. Decides that he doesn't want to stay up all night long, I wanna sleep on the train. Tom: "I thought you were gonna stay up all night long. :). Kid shakes his head and smiles big. Tom: "Well if I get off by the time you wake up, thanks for the entertainment." while having his blanket and pillow waiting to envelope him for the night he wonders about the prospects of tornados here, looks out window alot. Can see hes gonna crash soon after big day from the amt of words coming from him and few from mother. Needs to turn on light to look at the safety book. In case of tornado. Switches places with mom, both pull on blankets, kid lays sideways  and is trundles and rocked to sleep on the train that about an hour ago he had chosen to trail him off to sleep. Too bad we didn't get beds he said. "yeah." says mom quietly as she watches his eyes close, then she to turns and is rumbled away.   Kid wakes at stop of me seeing my tramp in my yard. When I come back he watches me with bright eyes that quickly turn back to our yard. Yes it is ours now. Its the way that he watches the yard before we leave, and as we leave that I know he shares the yard. The way i see him let his mother sleep so as to take this moment for himself. (I see him keep it to himself by only moving his observant, if sleepy eyes, at first till the train covered the minuscule movements he made in order to correctly take in the world going by. As I had leaned on the door looking out the car's rear window, so he leaned on his chair now that he was adjusted with his knee up elbow on knee hand to chin, eyes slowly blinking.) And he drifts off again, bliss at his age to only wonder at the wonder of the night and not wonder why he doesn't wander. Lucky at his age, to only stir a little and not over ponder, though ponder he does...

- Mom: quiet calming voice to son. Giggles at his antics. Sushes only when he shouted "Fire! Get the fire truck!". Good use of "umm's, unhun's" etc. her favorite fire truck is the orange one. Very good at accepting old Tom's sweetness to son. Good mom.

If you read any of these read the kids. He's the coolest. More will come when I can think again on the tramp and his company.

Until then, yours faithfully,
Rambling Jack