Monday, May 11, 2009

Modes of Transportation=Excitement



I remember as a little girl how excited I felt whenever Hot Air Balloons would float over our house. These were anything but a common site, making it that much more wonderful. The vast and wonderful colors and the impossibly tiny basket attached to this enormous balloon seemed to defy the logic of gravity. Sometimes we were fortunate to see a couple together, but generally it was a lone balloon so far up in the blue sky that you could barely tell if there were people aboard. This balloon pictured was barely topping the trees a couple of summers ago. Look at the lower right corner of the picture and you will see the tree top. The tree was probably 60 feet tall, so this gives you an idea of how close to the ground this balloon really was. Fortunately for me I had my camera and was able to get a picture. Another fascinating sight for me is trains. Even today as a full grown adult (at least my age says so) I am still in awe of them. The rumbling sound as they lumber along on the tract makes my chest feel heavy and my heart beat faster. I never feel frustrated by a delay waiting for a train at a crossing. Instead I sit patiently and count cars or read the ever present graffiti. I do however miss the days of the caboose and the joy of being waved at by the man residing there. I thought that there could be no better job when I was a kid. Riding the rails in a caboose waving at all the kids and getting to see the country to boot. The caboose is a thing of the past like so many wonderful things I can recall from my memory as a little girl growing up in Missouri. In our strive for technology and advancement I can't help but wonder what we are sacrificing in the process.

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