An ode to the commuter rail

I just downloaded the official blogger app for my iPhone, so this will be interesting.

I am on my way to SUNNY FORT LAUDERDALE, a far cry from the boiler inspecting night work I usually do. No, this trip is an actual vacation, with plans to see my Great Uncle Dick and his wife in Fort Myers (and maybe some other folks too??) followed by a trip to the Everglades and the Miami beaches with Jeff.

My trip begins, of course, with a trip to the airport, so I thus find myself on the Boston commuter rail, a train I spent years taking after college, a line of which ran right past my house in Acton, and the cars which have both upgraded and stayed exactly the same.

I love how you still get paper tickets by the conductor. I love his paper puncher, snip snipping faster than fast and hitting every box just right. I love his change dispenser. I love the horns as we pass through town. I kept time by these horns growing up. The alarm at 6:50, the train at 7:03 meant I had 10 minutes to make the bus. I love the gentle rocking of the cars during the traffic-free ride into town, the comraderie of the regulars in the morning, and the way the seats still, to this day, are the perfect distance apart to slouch comfortably, knees up, gaze out the window, and write a nostalgic post.

Ahh, vacation. :)