After a great night's sleep in my sleeping compartment, I was awakened by my cell phone. It was Tom Hancock (a work colleague). I demanded "Who is this!" and he replied, "Tom!" I said, "Who are you and why are you calling?" Turns out that they had heard of an Amtrak accident in California where some passengers got hurt, so he was calling to see if it was my train and if I was OK. Love you guys!!!!!

The sleeping compartments on Amtrak are considered First Class. In my opinion, they are well worth the cost, especially on a multi-day trip. You can have total privacy when you want, and when you decide to socialize, you can join others in the First Class Lounge, in the Observation Car, or in the open-to-all Cafe Car. Dining is communal - they seat 4 to a table, so unless you are part of a party of four, you'll be seated with strangers. The convention is that everyone at your table orders their meal from a menu and then someone starts the conversation by asking where the others are from, where they're going, the reason for the trip. That gets the ball rolling for some interesting and diverse conversations. For example, as I mentioned before, last night we got into a deep conversation about China. This morning at breakfast, we all got a little silly and played a game of naming all the breakfast cereals we could come up with, adding little stories - true or not - about an experience we've had or what they're made of, or how they were invented. As I said - you never know where the conversation is going! But it's always a fun trip.

I rented a car in Emeryville and headed across the Oakland Bridge to pick up my sisters at the San Francisco Airport. I had 90 minutes to get there, so thought I had no problem - until I hit a major traffic jam at the toll booth. But I finally got clear of that and was driving along the bridge when all of a sudden, I found myself in a tunnel. Wait. A tunnel??? I was on a bridge! I later discovered that that was Treasure Island, a "mountain" right under the bridge, and thus the tunnel.

Finally, I picked up my sisters, who by that time, had scarfed down most of the Ole Piper Inn pepperoni and sausage pizza they had brought from Minnesota (an old family favorite). My Mean Evil Sisters made me drive all the way through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge before they let me have a piece. But it was worth the wait.

Napa wasn't much farther and with our dueling Android Navigator and Tom Tom, we found our rented house.  After a little struggle unlocking the door, we piled ourselves and all our stuff in. And took a nap. We ARE on vacation! Cute little house - 3 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, 2.5 baths and a sweet back yard with a deck. And a neighbor's kitty who climbed up on a shed to peek over the fence at us.

We ate dinner at an upscale pub named Norman Rose in downtown Napa. It is amazing how many restaurants there are in Napa - it seems to be Foodie Heaven. Back at the house, we enjoyed some wine and after dozing while reading and watching TV, we stumbled to bed. Loving this!

I'm Off!

And I'm off! I spent most of Saturday getting all spiffed up for my Great Adventure: pedicure, facial, hair. Then Sunday, Randy and I played our usual weekly 2 hour water volleyball game. Purely recreational and fun, but we do a fair amount of teasing and trash-talking. Sunday evening, good friends Sandy and Bob came by and we went out to Gateway to India for a fabulous Indian dinner. Bob and Sandy spent the night, which annoyed our kitties, Wyatt and Quimby. They were annoyed that strangers occupied the guestroom and the bed - both of which they believe to be theirs. They did come purring into our bed, though, so obviously they weren't too traumatized. They are generally scared of anyone who comes to the house and tend to hide in Randy's closet. This time, though, they both tore through the living room a couple of times, as if daring the boogieman to get them. Weird animals.
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The next morning after a leisurely breakfast, Bob took Sandy and me to the Amtrak station. Sandy rode with me in my train compartment from Tacoma to Vancouver, WA while poor Bob drove I5 by himself. Sandy, I should explain, is long-time friend of mine - we met in Brownie Girl Scouts in the second grade. A few years later, Sandy was the one who introduced Randy and me on a blind date. As soon as we boarded the train, the attendant offered us champagne - a bubbly beverage that neither Sandy nor I ever turn down! After lunch, we arrived in Vancouver and Sandy had to get off while I continued my trip to Emeryville (Oakland/San Francisco). It was so pleasant and relaxing, I just let my mind relax. My Great Adventure has begun.

After a few hours, I had dinner with 3 retired professors of history and geology - they got into a deep conversation about China. That's one thing I love about the train - you meet such interesting people!

Finally - here we go!

OK, everyone. Thank you to those of you who are still reading this blog - I appreciate your extreme patience! So - where have I been since my first (and only) post? I bought this new little computer so I could blog during my trip. Got it just a couple of days before I left. I downloaded all the software I needed and thought I was all set. When I tried to post from the train, I couldn't get on the internet. I decided that I could wait a day until I got to Napa, but when I tried it there, I still couldn't access the internet. I was doing a mighty battle with Bing and just couldn't get past it. During my 3 week trip, I periodically tried to connect, but couldn't. Finally, after I got home, Randy tried and after struggling with it, finally managed to load Firefox and got me a solid internet connection. So, my lack of postings were totally operator-error. HOWEVER - I still wrote my blogs and so I am intending on posting them one at a time. We'll just all pretend that it was 3 weeks ago . . . with me?
Next up: figuring out how to get photos from my Android to the computer so I can post some.

So, my first real learning on this trip was that long ago I chose the right career - working with people rather than working with computers.

Welcome to my new blog! I am naming this blog CB Over the Rainbow because of the connection of the song - both the Judy Garland and the Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole versions - and a life transition I'm just beginning: if happy little bluebirds fly above the rainbow, why oh why can't I?

The first transition begins in just a couple of days. I am taking a three week vacation trip; that's the longest vacation of my life. I won't count our 2 month honeymoon because Randy was in college and I was working for my mother-in-law and it was our slow season. The only other time that I'm not counting is when Randy and I moved to Seattle. We sold our house in Colorado, packed up two trucks towing our boat behind one and our car, loaded with our beloved kitties Fred and Arthur, behind the other. With some small exceptions of completing consulting work we were both doing, we did not work for 6 months. Different than a vacation, we acted like tourists in our new city, but were between gigs. Living off the sale of our Colorado house, we realized that that wouldn't last forever; but it was sweet while it lasted.

For this trip, I am celebrating a Milestone Birthday. I had double knee surgery during my last Milestone Birthday and spent most of the time drugged out of my gourd on pain killers. This time, I'm a lot more alert! So my present is a fabulous 3 week cross country trip, spending some time with people who mean a lot to me.

I start on Monday with a train trip from Seattle to Vancouver, WA with Sandy - a great friend whom I've known since 2nd grade Brownie Scouts. Sandy is the one who introduced Randy and me on a blind date when we were 14. So, Sandy is special in my life. Sandy needs to get off at the Oregon border to meet her husband, Bob, and get back home. I will continue on the train to Emeryville, CA. I'll grab a rental car, drive across the Bay to San Francisco Airport to pick up my sisters, Nancy and Joyce. The three of us have rented a house in Napa and intend to spend a few days visiting wineries, spas, boutiques, and sleeping in and just vegging. This is our 14th Annual Chick Trip; we usually begin planning the next one before the current one begins!

After Napa, I get back on Amtrak and head for Savannah, GA. Train routes don't go straight across the states, so I go through Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, Chicago, Washington DC, and finally to Savannah. I'm meeting 6 friends (including Sandy from the first part of my trip) there; we all went to high school together, so we're all celebrating the Milestone Birthday this year. Some I haven't seen in quite a while and one I haven't seen since high school! I am so looking forward to this reunion of friends.

The second transition is my retirement. I've worked at my current job for over 20 years, and although I will miss my colleagues, my clients, and my work, it's time to move to the next chapter of my life - which is already overloaded with plans. More about that in future blogs.

So this 3 week trip involves my favorite mode of travel - the train, seeing the USA, hanging out with my sisters and some old friends, and letting my mind relax and play over my options and plans for the future. I intend to blog every day, though there might be a couple days here and there that I don't have WiFi access. Next blog is Monday, October 1. All Aboard!