Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Journey

They say "Every journey begins with a single step."

But, actually, truly, most of my journeys begin with two feet.
.
These two feet, my two feet. The two best feet in the world.

Anyway. I'm going down to the other side of this fair, tiny state of Connecticut, for the beginning of the well-documented visit with Jacquie and her peeps, and I start my journey by shouldering my packpack and heading to downtown New London to go to work at the Tavern.

I typically ride my bike to work, but today I'm going straight on to south-western points afterward, so I take the New London bus for the first time ever.

I commuted to New York City for 12 years, the latter 10 of those years from my and Mistah's house in Fairfield, where I walked the one mile to the train station every day. I calibrated that 15-minute walk so closely, so perfectly, that I arrived on the platform, with my coffee and my New York Times, just as the train was about to pull out coming to a gentle halt, ready to pick me up and take me to The City.

I'm soft now, though, after all these years. So I get to the bus stop in New London 10 5 minutes early.
.
There it is!

There's the bus! Hi, Bus! Bus! Hi! Please pick me up, Mr. Bus Driver! Please! Hi!

Can you see him rolling his eyes as I wave madly? "Rookie," he thinks.

I sit on the bus with a gigantic smile on my face, looking at the sights of New London:

Oh, the sights I see . . .

I'm early for work at the Tavern (no one wants to see anyone early at a Tavern) so I get off at the library:

New London's got a lovely Public Library.

Bye, Mister Bus Driver! Bye, Bus! Thanks! Bye!!!

After my shift, my very gracious sister-in-law picks me up to bring me to the train station 15 miles away.
.
We pass New London's iconic (is everything in New London iconic?) Hygienic Art Building . . . .

. . . and its iconic (ha!) Union Station. This is the train station I'd like to travel from, but we have to drive to Old Saybrook so I can catch Shoreline East.

Bye, Kelly! Thanks for the ride!

Hello Mr. Shoreline East Conductor Man!
.
I have an unnecessary and annoying 30 minute layover (oh, how I suffer) in New Haven.
.
I have the fondest memories in the world of New Haven, though, and of its train station, because that's where I spent lots of time coming and going from Mistah Schleckah's apartment when we first met, way back in the dark ages of the early 1990s.
.
And then, all of a sudden,

Good Ol' Metro-North shows up, west-bound. I may be in the minority, but I always liked commuting to New York, and always liked the train. And always got to, you know, be in New York City. Every single day.

We head west, and pass the -- okay, it's not iconic, exactly, but it's hugely important, because at this wee little minor league baseball park in Bridgeport . . .

. . . the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, where the Bridgeport Bluefish play, at this very spot, Mistah Schleckah and I decided, in the summer of 2000, to chuck it all, quit our jobs, buy a VW camper, rent out our house, and take off for a year or so.
.
Which turned into 7 years, and counting . . .

A few years after that fateful day, we bought this house in Fort Davis, Texas:

Then a few years after that, we sold this house in Fairfield, Connecticut:

And a few years later, bought this house in New London, Connecticut, this past spring:

And the tiny seed of the tiny germ of it all got born at old Harbor Yard in Brideport, Connecticut.
.
*I* sure never see this stuff coming . . .
.
Oh, wait! Fairfield! I'm here! Hi! Fairfield! Mister Train Man! Let me off!

I wonder if anyone will meet me at the station . . .
.
Aww! My niece and my nephew and my man Billy-Boy.
.
All those years commuting, I almost never had a 7-year-old girl and a 9-year-old boy running down the train platform to greet me . . .

And I never had a co-blogger waiting for me on the other end, either . . .

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where can I get my very own co-blogger? I WANT ONE NOW!!

Anonymous said...

Well, you can try the train platform in Fairfield, Connecticut . . .

Anonymous said...

Awwwww! I love when I have no idea where your post is going - especially when it ends with ME! Yay us! It's too bad we're so clearly unhappy, and emotionally distant from each other....

Madness said...

Thanks for the "me likey" on my temporary blog layout. Do you get the feeling that everything in my life, not just my headlines, are SCREAMING? I do. oh.. and, there is ALWAYS time to TWEAK (anything BUT my blog, apparently) ha!!
What an awesome blog post you have here. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to live up abouts where ya'll do .. or the pacific northwest. I am MAD with envy!!
I hope you have a loverly time!!
Love,
Madness

Unknown said...

Awwww. I don't envy you the NYC experience, but I may have to hate you just a little for that adorable house!

Anonymous said...

It truly is an adorable house. I know I'm envious, but will be less so in the winter, although it will be so picturesque in the snow, won't it?

I enjoyed learning when and where you and Mistah hatched your brilliant plan to live life the way you want!

Madness said...

NeverFear .. Madness WILL scream again.
The current layout isnt staying either..I was just playing around at work .. Im kinda ADD with my blog at the moment.
Meanwhile .. Madness is IMPATIENTLY awaiting another you me and ellie blog post. One a day is NOT enough.
Love,
Madness

Anonymous said...

You hear that, you two? The peeps are screaming for more, more, MORE!

Um, Madness? Ain't gonna happen. But there will, I can guarantee with all the tiny cockles of my little heart, be a Beth-post tomorrow, which I, too, am so eager to read I may just put bait on my breath. Ew. Maybe not...

Leslie said...

I love your shoes! I wear a 8 1/2. ;)

Captain Dumbass said...

I love your blog! The three-way contributions are great. I've always told my wife she can post on ours any time she likes, instead she prefers to mock my horrendous use of punctuation and basic grammar. I prefer to think of it as creative license.

And that is a great house.

Anonymous said...

Why thank you! For the compliments on the blog (Jacquie, Beth and I are having a blast), my house (it *is* adorable. And comfortable and bright and airy and spacious) and my shoes (not bad for a shoe moron, eh?). All y'all are turning my head...

NucMEd is Hot said...

I get the idea that you two really weren't all that happy to see each other, but I could be wrong.

That looks like a really fun trip!

Unknown said...

That was supah cute! I like your shoes. :)