Weekend Junkets

The weekend began Friday evening with Rose, Eleanor and I watching the clock, literally, waiting for Cap to come home from work.

Friday night the rain lashed at our house all night long and Saturday followed with gusts of wind up to 60 mph. Knowing that most of the mulch-covered playgrounds in our area would be muddy messes we opted to take Eleanor and Rose to the handicap-friendly playground in Rockville. There the ground cover is entirely rubber and, therefore, dry, even after a night of rain. After playing on the playground for a while we took a walk around the playing fields where we snapped these pictures of the amazingly dramatic clouds and of Eleanor climbing, being chased, and finally captured.




On our way home Cap had to change Rose's diaper in the car using skills he has perfected over the last two years.


Today the weather brightened considerably and we decided to take advantage of the nice day by going to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore. It was GREAT, the perfect place for kids and parents because, well, who doesn't love big ol' trains?

There was a beautiful wooden Round House filled with incredible old trains, stage coaches, and even an original covered wagon. The Round House collapsed under the weight of snow several years ago destroying many of the trains, but it has been rebuilt and many of the trains and exhibits have been upgraded. Cap and I were really impressed.


One of my favorite trains was one that had a series of spikes sticking out all around it. Each spike was hinged and numbered. The train was used for surveying tunnels at a time when new trains were built larger than some of the existing, but less used, tunnels. The crew of the spiky train (I can't remember what it was called) would go out for several weeks at a time exploring old tunnels in remote areas like West Virginia. As they would pass through the tunnels the spikes would be pushed down if they encountered obstructions. Detailed measurements were recorded by the train crew and this information was used to determine if the tunnels needed to be rebuilt.

Another highlight of the visit to the railroad museum was the 20 minute train ride on an old MARC train from the museum into West Baltimore and back. We all loved it, especially the kids, but perhaps for different reasons. I think Eleanor was just so excited to be on a train. Cap and I found it completely amusing that the train moved at a snail's pace, and included a wonderfully hokey narration complete with banjo accompaniment. The picturesque views included abandoned train cars, collapsing buildings, and we were even lucky enough to witness two couples disappearing into the brush for romantic track-side trysts. Good stuff for the kids.

But, actually, aside from the teenage depravity, the old trains and grungy buildings made for some beautiful (in my opinion) photos. Here are a few:


And, speaking of beautiful... (again, in my opinion!):