THE NEVER ENDING TRAIN RIDE AND TWO 'HOT' COUSINS...

It was a day like any other, and then...we entered the 'Twilight Zone". Tom called us on Thursday afternoon excited and ready to visit us in Oregon from his home in Visalia.

He would arrive at 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon in Albany, Oregon and we would be there to pick him up.

We had decided that riding the train would be a good experience...but that decision was dead wrong considering his experience.

By 11:30 pm on Thursday night, Tom called to let us know that he was in Sacramento and his train was going to be delayed by several hours. In fact, he was going to have to spend the night in the Train Station as it would not be there until 5:00 am the next morning! Of course, I was concerned, worried and upset over this chain of events...but there was nothing any of us could do to remedy the situation...so I asked him to stay with the Group, not wander off and of course, don't accept 'candy from strangers'...etc. etc.

Around 5:30 am, Tom called again to let us know that it would be 7:30 before the train began the long journey to Oregon (about 14 hours) so not to expect him until around 9:30 on Friday night. As I mentioned in an earlier post...we left Toledo about 10 am for the hour and a half ride to the valley so we could do some shopping, looking around and spend the day together before we picked Tom up in Albany.

Around 8:00 pm, Tom called the cell phone to let us know that the train had been delayed AGAIN on the way up, and he did not expect to be in Albany until about 11:30 pm...so Allen and I looked around some more, and ended up in a Pool Hall in Albany since all the stores were closed, we had already eaten...and we wanted to entertain ourselves while waiting for Tom to arrive.

Finally, about 10:00 pm, we received another call from Tom letting us know that he was told to expect another 'hour' delay in Eugene (about 35 miles South of Albany) so he may not arrive until about 1:00 or 1:30 am on Saturday! Enough was enough...we told him to get off the train in Eugene and we would drive down there to get him...the poor guy! I think he had about all the 'TRAIN RIDE" anyone could want as the dream of coming to Oregon was turning into a major 'nightmare' with the arrival times getting further and further in the distance.

When we said we would come to Eugene, we could hear the 'relief' in his voice although Tom was handling the whole thing pretty well considering one disappointment after another. We were a few blocks from the Train Station when he got off and called us to see where we were.

He was hungry too. Apparently a 'hamburger' on the Train is about $12. to $14. and that was more than Tom could bare...so he ate very little on his trip...but he did get lots of phone calls from his 'friend' Rebecca...who has been his constant companion for the past several weeks and who called him 500 times during the trip. Another hour and a half drive home after we ate some gut bombs from Macdonald's since it was the only game in town at that hour...and we finally had our Grandson with us.

We've pretty much just had fun since Tom arrived, but his cousin 'Jordan' now has a 'friend' sort of like Tom has a 'friend'...and he has been able to enjoy watching them play 'grab ass' as teens do around 14 - 16 years of age...the wrestling bit and the tickle bit...ad nauseum. Anyway, this
hormone raging horsing around did not go "unnoticed" by Papa. In fact, Papa is going to call for a stop to it...or he is going to grab the young man (Carson...the Toledo Chief of Police's son) and do to him what he did to one of our youngest daughters suitors who was playing the same game.

He's going to throw his leg over the boy, lay on him lovingly...and give him a big lick to his ear...and then tell him to knock it off with our grand daughter, Jordan. Papa relayed to Tom and I the fact that he knew 'exactly' what was on the Boy's mind...and he was going to let the boy know that he knows. While Tom and I laughed hysterically at my husband's 'show and tell' performance...Tom later noted that He and Rebecca did the same thing the first week they were together and noted that people decided they were 'boyfriend and girlfriend' most likely due to watching them play the 'grab ass' game. I agreed that the 'grab ass game' was a good indicator of something going on between two teenagers...which seemed to be some 'food for thought' for Tom.

Of course, I reminded Papa that if he was going to have a talk with the boy...Carson (16)...then, another talk might be advisable for our grand daughter "Jordan Nicole"...the apple of his eye who can do no wrong even as she is doing it. I advised Papa that Jordan was a too eager participant...enjoying every minute of it...just like our youngest daughter "Lindsay" did, whom we held on a pedestal long after it was time to kick her off of it. Now we are in a new 'generation' of the same game men and boys have played with girls...trying to cop a feel...while the girls dream of love and marriage and a baby carriage....and the boys keep their goals real 'simple'...if you know what I mean.

So, there was the never ending train ride, a new revelation for our 16 year old grandson Tom, as delivered by his Grandpa Papa... and the promise of some unexpected excitement to come for Jordan and Carson...stay tuned, it's bound to be a real gut buster laugh very, very soon, I fear.

COUSINS...making the same memories at about the same time. Parents facing their worst nightmares...and grandparents more than willing to stop the entire parade if they can... as teens 'heat up' for one more generation on their watch.

The young man with the cap on in the photo above is 'Carson'...the girl of course is Jordan...(Tom is the young man without a cap and the cousin) but notice the Grandpa in the background watching closely....observing the body language...and preparing himself for 'one more big adventure' with any young man who would focus too strongly on our families 'girls'.