I'm just taking a short break while things bake in the ovens for the party tonight, everything will be ready by 4 p.m. but guests won't be by until 6 p.m. which will give me a chance to change clothing and look nice.
Coralline is putting the paper doyllies on the serving platters as I type this and Sis and Brian are baking some things at her house, her kitchen is now fully functional.
Yesterday we took our last trip to the Dickens Faire which closes today, it felt good to immerse oneself in into a Dickensian mood. Tonight we will wear our Dickens clothing as well.
But something a little strange caught my attention, why? I don't know except that I simply noted it in my mind.
Train whistles of all things, the conditions must be right for me to hear them, but it seems from 7:30 a.m. to now 9:30 a.m. I heard at least 5 sets of trains all "blowing for the crossings" and then silence, now I'm not talking about each crossing, no, but like 15 to 20 minutes apart, 5 of them. If I was a train buff I'd have a copy of the schedule of which trains were going by, passenger and fright. But there is something about a Train whistle or in this case Disele horn that "talks" to people.
Of course anyone who works on the railroad or who is a train buff will know exactly what the whistles are all about. And at the crossings espeically it is warning that something very big and powerful is coming, be careful -- danger, but at the same time as it passes it is also saying "Hello/Goodbye, I'm just passing through, glad to see you, hope you hear me that I'm just passing through."
If the train is going slow enough people near the road way will wave to the train, they don't know who the people are working on it, the engineer, the brakeman, the conductor and fireman, but these people have traveled across the country doing a hard job, in someways a lonely job and a friendly wave even from a stranger helps, and to get a wave back, it almost seems like luck.
There is something powerful about a train, and espeically the old steam trains that would chuff, and huff with a regular tempo, that would make it seem alive, towards evening if one saw the rotating light moving around to illuminate the tracks, like a moving eyeball. I feel that the best sense of capturing this feeling is in the movie "Murder on the Orient Express" with Albert Finney and a wonderful cast of actors.
You see the people moving toward their train compartments, the hustle and bustle and each character with their own personality getting on the train, the baggage being loaded, the food and wines going to the dinning car, everything being made in preperation, but the train it stands quietly, silently on the tracks, its steaming breath barely moving, but waiting to stretch its iron muscels on the iron rails and gallop its way to its destination.
Finally the train is loaded, passengers are in their compartments, the doors are closed and locked, the conductor signals, and slowly the camera moves to the front of the train as it sits there waiting like a sleeping giant. Then suddenly an explosion of light from its lamp, it has awaken and with the engineer gently coaxing it, the train begins to gather its iron muscels and pulls the cars slowly, steadily from the station, gathering speed until it is free from its "stall" and heads towards destiny.
It is one of the best film expressions of the excitement and power of a train and makes it part of the cast.
And it is also one of my favorite films.
But now for nearly the last 20 minutes all is silent, either there are no more trains for now, or the wind has gently shifted so the sound no longer carries.
And my little helper is asking me what is next to do. So back to my party preperations.
Later Darklings
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| I couldn't find a train but maybe a trolley will do, if I had unlimited funds I'd find this house and retore it. |
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