What a beautiful story – thank you so much for sharing! Your tale is one to remind us all to make the most of today, so we can have great stories to tell tomorrow.

You give an old man hope. My lovely has been in Memory Care and senior living for 17 months and she would have loved to do Anatomical Tetris with me in the Roomette, but then having to sleep apart would have been untenable. Married 42 years – She’s been married 52 years, I’ve been married 42 years. I’m her second husband, she is my Trophy Wife. We got focused overseas and did China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and Viet Nam as Dementia closed in on us. We had a good run! Got married in the Philippines; lived in Charleston, SC; Belleville, IL; Rhein Main AB, Germany; Yokota AB, Japan, and Clifton, VA. WHEW!

She Who Must Be Obeyed is doing well, thank you. I spend time with her at least three times a week. She likes M&M’s. Who knew?

A life well lived is at once fascinating and unfathomable. Here, here Sgt Hurd. None of us would be here were it not for men like you. Thanks!

What amazing experiences you’ve had – thanks for sharing!

Wow! You & I could SHARE! As a small boy, was raised just feet from the Main; fell asleep, dreamed, & woke to well- over 100 trns, blowing for the crossin’, 2 blks west. @ 17, beat the Windy City yards for a job. Thrown off Santa Fe’ property;….I looked 14! Stealthed-back @ 18, began as a kid- “40 Cook” (dishwasher) aboard The Super Chief, El Capitan, Texas Chief, L. A. Chief; Shy Town, (still the rail capital of The Globe), to LA, Winslow, or Gainesville, Houston. No promotion, after 2.5 yrs., so quit for The Denver Zephyr, which blasted right by my window! As Head-End Coach Porter, in a natty RR uniform, was really better than my many yrs as a Conductor. Beautiful, young women, would get drunk in the bars by Union Station, then ‘try’ to board my train, w/ all their plunder, for the weekend, Denver ski trip. Too much fun, to load them, & kinda “honey-sit” ’em, through the night! Bein’ a very, polite, protective, (of women n’ children), Texan, there sure were funny stunts! Yet dreams last not forever, & was off to war, as a Paratrooper, in the Army’s Elite Forces. However, ’twas the entry to my exotic, Asia, rail journeys. Surveyed/photographed, a portion, of the marvelous, French-engineered, Vietnamese- built,1880’s, narrow-gauge line, threading Indo-China. Learned a 4th language, as well! After this first war, vets did not fare well, atall. Since I chose to finish college, rather than an immediate, RR return, you lose all rights. Upon graduation, the country…” She took the ditch”… Next, add all those years: “You’ re the wrong color, the wrong sex, the wrong age, you ain’t got “pull” w/ the trainmasters. Not supposed to….w/ war vets,…but they did all the time, then. So there I was, an older Gandy, buckin’ ties, n’ beatin’ steel, on the gangs, to our tunes, n’ shouts,……to the rhythm, that a spike mail, and 12 lb. hammer, ..does ring out! For the BN; (The Big Nothing RR, or Bad News RR). John Henry was our hero! That STEEL-drivin’ Man! Waugh! After hard years, I made to Midnight Switchman, Brakeman, Steam Engine Fireman, Conductor, Senior Conductor, Trainmaster, & US Army GCOR Class One Locomotive Engineer; decorated by the Commanding General of Ordnance. Now after huge, right-of- way fires, “smashing” derailments, floods, landslides, avalanches, great train robberies, & saving the lives of RR buns, trying to commit suicide, another war in Asia, w/ The 26th US Cavalry, Philippine Scouts, Horse,…no! No, Nora,…I don’t ever reserve a roomette!!! El Paladin

Hey Dave,
You know what? I don’t know why, but I was sure kibbutz meant to informally chat. I now see it has nothing to do with that! Ha ha ha! I’ve changed the word in the article, and thanks for your keen observation. 🙂

Am enjoying travelling along with you on this trip around the U.S.
That room is really small. I can’t imagine having to endure the limited space if there was no alternative.
I found your use of the word kibbutz very interesting Nora. It’s my first time seeing it used this way 😊

Indeed – it was a fantastic travel adventure, and a trip that will go down in my memory as a top experience. 🙂

You covered a good chunk of track, David! Including the Chicago – New York leg (I believe the total run is Chicago – Boston). How was it?