The MAX, And A Whole Lot Of Other Rambling

So the Ma and Pa Senior were in town this past weekend, and by "Senior" I mean "the parents of the Ma," and not necessarily the gray-haired 55-plus type of crowd.

Though that would apply too, but we don't need to get all into that, as this Ma herself has a good handful of those gray hairs herself, of which she is a bit self-conscious.

Ahem.

Now, back to our regularly scheduled rambling.

So, it's cold, really cold, here in our city. So cold that we all (meaning "I") decided to get outdoors and soak up a little bit of that overcast sky this past weekend.

Let's start with the MAX. I mean, you caint have country come to town and miss out on this snazzy piece of public transportation.

Here Pa Senior is with the Suz, waiting patiently for the train to arrive. We had just missed the previous train, mostly because the Campers was shouting at his Ma: "Mom!!! We are NOT going to RUN to catch that train!!! Do you HEAR ME????!?!?"

Well.

Someone in this family sure is getting to be high-n-mighty-boss-of-the-world.

Wonder where he learns that from?

But the MAX! The MAX!!!

Speaking of the train, Pa had his 15 seconds of fame as HE WAS ON THE LOCAL NEWS last week, giving his Highly Informed Opinions on the future of the MAX. He happened to be at the right place at the right time when the news crew showed up to film. (Read: He was the ONLY one AROUND when the news crew showed up to film.) The boys and I caught the footage on the noon news and were just speechless at seeing a 30-second close-up of the Pa, rambling all the way to nowhere about the light rail and fares and all that jazz.

(I regret to say that there is not a recording of this interview available anywhere.)

(Once I got over the shock of seeing Pa on TV, I called him up, and in a fit of great chuckling, told him that his interview reminded me of Kathleen Kelly's (Meg Ryan) interview (forward to 9:44 and play until 9:56) on You've Got Mail. And we've been shifting our eyes and talking in short spurts at each other ever since.)

But that's just our zany sense of humor, one that is admired by at least two people each day, primarily the Pa and the Ma.

But weren't there some visitors here in town???

Oh yes.

Say "hi" to Ma Senior, who might look like she is hugging the Zig, but mostly she is keeping him from running straight onto the train tracks. Ahhhhh, a Grandmother's love, it knows no end.

And Pa Senior and the Suz again, ON the actual train, which was much much warmer than standing outside in the cold.

And that sign you see in background? ("Priority Seating Area. You are required to move for seniors and people with disabilities.") My eldest son, the Campers, recited those words at the dinner table one night when I happened to use the word "priority."

Now, if we could just get our memory verses learned with such ease, we'd really be getting somewhere.

Speaking of getting somewhere, I will now close out this post and save the next pile of Highly Important Stories for another time.

Every Evening We Would See Him Waiting At The Stop

Met Pa at the Bus Stop the other night.

Thought we'd surprise him and walk home together as a fam'.

We were more successful at giving the bus driver a good scare. That's not hard to do, that with three spastic kids and a Ma with a Large Camera, all pointing wildly at the opening door.



Other people stared as if we were both quite insane...

Oh, I need me a good Oldies' station right about now.

Anyway.

So we can't leave the house without a toy (or six), and here's the Zig to prove it:

Take note: It wasn't raining. Mark it down.

Blue Line

Kids were Super Pumped to finally ride the Blue Line Train all the way to the end. Oh sure, that doesn't mean much to you, but to the Campers and the Zig, This.Was.It. They could finally see what happened at the End Of The Line.

And because I've now put you on the edge of your seats, I'll fill you in on what happens.

At the end, the train stops, and waits a bit while the driver steps out of one end and walks to the opposite end to drive the MAX back west. Yep, that's it. But to the boy who studies the public transit map, knowing many of the routes by name--it made his day.

Cheap thrills, folks, cheap thrills.

Train Don't Go Outta Wichita

Lessen yer a hog, er cattle...

Or the Ma and Pa clan.

Headed downtown again today:

To take the train:

"Out West" through the three mile Robertson Tunnel:

Which has a stop midway through where you can view core samples taken during construction alongside a time line of local geologic history.

This is where I mention that the tunnel goes through a "hill," and not a "mountain," as some of us from the Midwest might call it. I figure, if it's bigger than a stalk of corn, it's a mountain.

But what do I know about anything.

Well, what I do know is that the train is really fun and we haven't wore out its fun-ness yet.

So you'll probably see us heading the opposite direction some other time.

We gotta see ALL the parts of town, ya know.

Pa's New Wheels

As many of you know, we sold our second vehicle right before we packed up the wagon and headed West. I held the sale of that car out to God as our "fleece," asking Him to sell the car before we moved, but not so soon that we'd be in a bind without it. [Hey! I'm a specifics kind of gal.]

Now, you have to realize that we don't see God as some Big Circus Clown who does Tricks at our command, but with such a major decision hanging over our heads, I didn't think that asking for a little confirmation was too over-the-top.

I gave God Three Weeks.

Mostly because I am generous and relaxed, and have worked through my control issues.

[Insert Big Sarcastic Guffaw.]

And whaddya know, our car sold, on the last day that Pa needed it for work.

I suppose our Confirmation couldn't have been any clearer than that.

So now we are down to one vehicle, which if I might say, is more freeing than you would think. No monthly payments, no title, no insurance, no fill-ups at the station (which as you remember, are an ordeal in themselves.) No worrying about where to park it and when to get the oil changed and tires rotated and how uncool we must be driving around a (gasp!) six-year-old vehicle.

That being said, we have made a few adjustments to Life With One Vehicle, and all has gone smoothly so far. Here is Pa's new mode of transportation, at least for the first half of his ride to work--The Bus:

And here is the view from the top of the street that Pa crosses as he heads down some stairs to catch the train. You might notice the rush hour traffic on the right, something that Pa gets to zip by in the MAX. Not that he is competitive, or that *I* am for that matter; no, that is not the case at all.

And At This Bus Stop, Folks, There's A Crazy Lady With A Camera

The troops and I walked to the bus stop to surprise and welcome Pa home today. After standing by the road for fifteen minutes, we had quite the conversation about Rush Hour and Why Public Transportation Is A Grand Thing.

And here's the Pa, stepping off the bus. Looks like he's glad to see us, or maybe he's just happy about wearing his jeans and tennis shoes.

Urban Chic

The Boyz wait for the city bus. They are Too Cool For School. All they need now is a skateboard.

The Kids On The Bus Go "Look At Me!"

We jumped on the bus to head downtown this morning, much to the delight of all three kids (and their mother). The boys were a spectacle themselves, chatting all the while about pull cords and paying fares and how the ride "iz nah bumpy, mom...iz nah bumpy" and how the center of the train is "like an accordion, but it duzint make noise". (Only our children would even know what an accordion is.)

Then there's Sister Susie, who is a People Magnet if I ever did see one. Just the sheer fact that she gets hauled around by some rather pale and frazzled-looking Caucasians gets people to talking. So we met all kinds of friendly folk today, all the while being carted through the city with someone else doing the driving. Because when it's Pa and Ma in the front seat, well, let's just say the chatter is not nearly so upbeat.

So aren't we all thankful for public transportation, which not only has widened our social circle tremendously, but is like free marital counseling as well.

Gotta love those wheels on the bus.

Fun To The MAX

The kids got to ride the train system, called the MAX, for the first time today. I was just excited that I didn't have to think about directions or driving in the city or buckling three blobs of wiggly jello into three car seats. Plus, there is never-ending entertainment with people getting on and off the public transportation system. You know how they say "characters welcome?"

We fit right in.

Cheap Thrills

To say that Sister Susie was entertaining the whole train-load of people would be an understatement. Why she must chew on her sock, I'll never know. And when she got off that kick, she moved on to chewing on her jacket, gnawing like a true Oregonian Beaver.