Railfanning toward Retirement, May 16, 2015, 4:46 pm

May 16, 2015, 4:46 pm

I have been moving to retirement, in other words, preparing for retirement. I started this back in Gaston. I had begun with my pension related issues, but this was different. I was in the market for a entertainment center. I had one, but left it behind when I moved, it being worn out. As I thought about a new one, I realized that if I got a good one that it would last until after retirement. I then started looking for better and more durable furniture, when I selected new stuff.

At this point I began thinking about how to retire, which is more the choice of what lifestyle, within reason, would I settle on. That might be living in a house or apartment. If I had bought a house years ago, I would be on the verge of or have paid off the house. I would be use to maintaining and upkeeping yard and house. More likely all the children have left home and we would be suffering from empty nest syndrome. Downsizing might be the answer. You may want to relocate to near children. House means work and an apartment gives a bit more freedom. A rental apartment means no yard work and repair done by the owners. (5:08pm)

(9:45pm) Next might be the size: one, two, or three bedroom and any number of arrangements. Then there are the amenities that each set of units have, such as washer/dryer, dishwasher, clubhouse, coffee bar, fitness center. All this makes the choice more personal.

The next thing is to decide where. I looked at every place I have lived. I add other, interesting places, and where relatives live. I let go of those where I knew would be uncomfortable living there.

May 15, 2015, Friday, 7:35pm

May 15, 2015, Friday, 7:35pm

This is the perfect example of an entry that is both blog and journal. Today was the way a day off should be. In the past months, I have gotten involved with some make work project and not get started until after lunch. Today I took a real day trip to Charlotte, NC. It has been while, since I went there. The last I did some videoing of the light rail and see what was being done on the Streetcar lines.

I read somewhere in the past few weeks that the streetcars were being tested out. There is a YouTube video of the part of the test. The tracks and centenaries are in place but I saw no cars on the tracks nor any being held for service, the picture were of one of the vintage cars, used in the testing.

This sort of watching trip, normally would not be blogged but might be journal. The video would be uploaded to YouTube as a part of my work. However, today was rather interesting. I got a late start and it was questionable if I would be in position in time for the midday Piedmont. I left home around 10:00 am. I had a little trouble with the navigator on my phone, the maps app kept crashing. I think that I need an upgraded phone before vacation. After getting on the road, my navigator indicated that I would cut it close, having no more than 8 minutes.
My directions took me by way of a different route and I kept getting behind. I needed gas so I took the chance and stopped for gas halfway, knowing that it would making getting there in time to be impossible. It so happens that where I chose to watch, was about two miles north of the station and my information was the departure from the station, for the northbound. When I got to the street that the station was on I had gained the time so I went to the location. I pulled into a business parking lot and heard the horn so I moved quickly to get into position. Well! I was on the run as I began my video and happen to cut the first part, showing me while running.

As usual, NC ran a freight on the heels of the Piedmont.

Now came my exploration of town. I drove down to see the track for the streetcar but the cars were not out. Next I had lunch and headed back to watch the next Piedmont. It was southbound and I had plenty of time and went to my favorite place to watch. The construction you see is the work to extend the Blue Line Light Rail from downtown and will connect to the Amtrak Station. I almost missed another NS Freight.

Now I wait for the Southbound Piedmont.

Again on the heels of the Piedmont, NS has a freight. I have a better vantage for this one

After the freight went through, I drove home, down by the other side of the yard and the construction for the extension of the Blue Line and around to the station. I took a break on such a hot day and my car’s air conditioning was not working. OH yeah. All that was really wrong was that I had the fans set wrong. LOL. I did eat out at a nice place and home. This is what a real day out is like and for. OH I did look at Flixter to see if there was a movie, but there was not that interested me. (8:46PM) I am still waiting for the video to upload so I can attach them to the blog.

Journal vs Blog

For the die hard railfan, what I have to say may seem like heresy. There is more to my life than just trains. Many years ago, I began journaling and have been doing that since I left High School, more than 45 years ago. I was living in Williamsburg, Virginia and was working for the foundation as an interpreter. Much that is know about 18th century Williamsburg came from private journals, written by eye witness. I started mine, but time left the original in he dust as I kept forgetting to write. I started again a few years later, as I was looking forward to a trip to the Holy Lands. I remember Twain's wonderful work Innocence Abroad about the events of his trip to the Holy Lands. I wanted to describe mine and the wonderful characters involved. I spent most of the trip, picture taking and have some pictures showing certain characters take tours, such as the lady who has her picture in front of everything. That journal went by the wayside.

I than began a new journal when I became a preacher. Still, there are many gaps found in the present day journal, but I have been more loyal to it over the past 25 years. About 5 years ago, I began this blog to record my travels and show some pictures. I thought the title was a play on the old concept of travelogue, now being a Travel Blog. I use to even blog the day trips oriented to train watching, only. But changed that to only real trips with train watching as a part. I was videoing trains and putting my video on YouTube.

So, I blog and journal, at the same time. I was looking back and realized that there was very little overlap between journal and blog. So I started inserting the blog into the journal. The blog is less personal but do have a few areas when I gave thoughts on things, so it would be a good entry into my journal. My first entries were strange. I took the appropriate blog entries, in the blog composition area you can work by composing, with no codes, or code by HTML. I went through the blog and took the HTML codes and made a long webpage. I use Google Chrome which allows, in the printing function, to save he sheet to PDF. I numbers it as a volume in the journal.

For some, I copied the webpage and pasted into the Google Doc, page. Even the pics carried over. That was used in newer insert. So now I am using both the blog and the journal, interchangeable. I may not use all the pics into my journal, will use he text. Blog equals public journal, Journal is private. I might insert blog into journal as well as creating blog entries for blog only. Of course journal is for journal only, usually. If it is blog worthy, it will be started in blog before determining it to be journal worthy.

Some More Thoughts

It is still a few months until vacation. I started thinking about it, about the time I got home from Christmas. It isn't anticipation but more thinking ahead and putting all the variables into place. In the original plan, some destinations were eliminated of postponed. Further research changed some destinations as well. Remember, what I planned is only a guide, not absolute. I first wanted to see if the itinerary as practical, able to be done in the time allotted. Second I wanted to see if a better alternative would be work better. I will think more and re-plan between now and then.

The weather is getting milder and other railfan trips are thought about and every crossing of the railroad finds me craning the neck to see if anything or what is there. When I started this blog, I included these in my writings. Now, I just take the video and upload it to YouTube and make it available, in that way.

Planning Vacations and Souvenirs (again?)

I pretty much have settled on my itinerary projections. Remembering it is projection based on possibilities based or projected outcomes of speculative ventures. In other words, when I go, a plan to stay 1 hour may escalate to 4 or 8 hours and 4 or six hours may end up on one hour. That 8 hour projection on travel may end up 5 or 10. I might even bypass an attraction all together, when I get there.

I begin thinking about souvenirs, again. Mainly because I am looking a display factors of these old souvenirs. I pin my patches to cloths stretched on canvass stretchers, that use by artist for oil paintings. That idea came from my sister, who stretched unique fabric for use a wall hangings. I found a nice set of shelves with six in deep shelves, perfect to display my mugs, except that I need another one.

I started collecting patches for railroad excursions and railroad museums back on 1978 with the steam excursion of the Chessie Steam Special. That was a part of my vacation, that year, the second one I took after college and the first touring type (my first vacation, I visited a commune). These patches were sewn to a  shirt which became my uniform for all future railfan events.

My vacation of 1981 was to visit my parents in Mississippi. As part of that visit, I took the train, via Chicago. In Vicksburg, I began collecting patches for destinations other than railroad. However, it was the only patch gotten for that vacation.

Enter 1986 and vacation to Kiwah Island in SC. In looking for a patch, no patch was found but a mug was found. This set my souvenir process, used until now. Several years ago, I realized that I did not have a mug or patch to represent all my vacations. I had overlooked a few. I looked on Ebay and online stores for the various destinations. Several questions remain concerning getting these souvenirs. 1. if I had been there before and did not get the souvenir and returned, what order would place it in my display. 2. How far back before my first vacation where I first collected, should I look?

I have tried various ways to order the patches and mugs. I recently went back to my timeline to figure out on vacation. A few years, as a part of journaling, I laid out a timeline of when I live where, who I worked for. I found out at a few patches and mugs are out of place because I placed them where their second visit was not the first. I noticed that this vacation will finish getting all patches and mugs.

Some Chase Scenerios

In looking at train chases, we start where there is limited passenger activity. I am on the east coast so I select starting point nearby. For now, I start from Southern Pines or Hamlet, NC. Going north, I need to transfer in North of Richmond or Washington. To Boston, transfer would be Richmond, Alexandria, Washington and points north to NYC. North of Baltimore are impractical due to time of departure on the second league. Both give a long layover and a few supplemental point to gain.

A second target area is Chicago, coming for the east coast. WE can extend the Chicago chase to include Memphis, TN. We can use Atlanta, GA but with few targets. Florida is perhaps better divided between Miami on one trip and Tampa along with Orlando and Jacksonville, on another. These are just a few possibilities, depending on the nature of the targets. For instance, a Chicago trip via the Horseshoe Curve.

The possibilities are great and depending on starting point.

The American Train Chase Rules

A chase is simply an out and back. It may be one day or overnight out and one day or overnight back. Best to chose a starting point with only one train each way.

1.The player will leave on one scheduled train and have to be back on or by another specific train. While away, we have specific targets that must be hit, that is trains that must be ridden, photographed or video.

2.A supplemental point is given for riding, photographing or videoing targets not within the target zone. 1 point for commuter rail, 2 points for light rail (including streetcars) and 3. points for monorail. An additional point is given for riding.

3.Missing a target or arriving back at a time after the specific train means elimination.

4.Player may substitute supplemental points for targets missed to avoid elimination, at a rate of 2 supplemental points to offset one point.

5.There is not a minimum or maximum number of eliminations in any given chase. If no one is eliminated or all are eliminated that be it. However, missed targets or arriving back late may be offset by supplemental points.

6.Each person is a part of a two person team. However, each person is randomly partnered with someone other than the person's team mate.

7.If your team member is eliminated, you are eliminated. However, you or your team mate's points may be use to avoid elimination.

8. If all chasers are eliminated in any league, the team with most supplemental points will be declared winner. If in the last league, the team with most supplemental points will be declared winner.