Choo choo!

(our lovely farewell committee: Aunt Kristi, and cousins Ian and Sophie)

There's our train arriving!  And here are some views from along the way:

 

Hugo spent the trip doing this:

Ever since I lived 50 feet from a train track my freshman year of college, I have loved trains.  The sound of a train arriving, the excitement of watching it go by.  I once hatched a plan to jump trains and even managed to convince a few friends to come along with me (Young Adele: What were you thinking?  That was a crazy plan.  Thanks goodness that one didn't work out.)  I love using the train in Europe and have never had the chance to take one here in the states.  When we found out that a train runs directly from DC to Hartford, where Ben's brother and his family live, we started planning a trip.

Riding the train was such a fun adventure!  I would even venture to say it is the ideal way to travel with kids.  You can move around, watch the scenery, and neither parent is burdened by driving.  On the way up, we had lunch on the meal car (thank you stranger who offered us your table!), read many books about trains, and played "I went on a train ride and I saw."

Hugo was so excited when he found out we were going back on the train to return home.  He just walked around expectantly saying "Choo choo!  Choo choo!"

We came back a day later than planned because we all got sick.  Even a bit tired and sluggish, we loved the trip.  As all of you on the east coast know, the weather has been warm and beautiful, and we got to enjoy the sight of many people out fishing, riding on boats, and sunning on their porches as we quickly made our way back home.  We left Union Station in what felt like winter and arrived to summer.  Cherry blossoms are in bloom, the baby pool is out, and the sprinkler is on.  I can imagine no better welcome home.