Amy's Visit

So, on her way to NYC and Cooperstown, Ames stopped in RI for two days and we got to hang out. It was so much fun! I took her over to GSO (the Graduate School of Oceanography) at Narragansett and we went to Newport and did the Cliff Walk (sound familiar Mags?). We also toured one of the mansions in Newport called The Breakers. It's one of the most famous mansions in Newport, built by the Vanderbilts. It's 75 rooms, and it's only a SUMMER HOUSE. It's hard to believe people can be that obscenely rich. We also stopped by Beavertail Lighthouse and Beach, which was fantastic, because it was really hot yesterday afternoon, but because we were on the coast all these cool sea breezes were blowing over us. Plus, Amy could appreciate the rocky coastline, which is so very different from our sandy shores on the Gulf Coast.

I'm so glad Ames could come and see me while I'm still here. She took a train to NYC this morning, which was almost a major fiasco. Yesterday she called Dave to check in, make sure she had his correct address, etc. He asked which train she was coming in on, and she asked me the name of the train station. "Uh, Kingston Station," I said, confused, because, I live in Kingston, so, isn't that a dumb question? Amy immediately ducked her head, bit her lip and gave me a half smile, which meant she felt guilty about something. And then she said it. "Ummm......I may have done Providence....." Now why is this a big deal you ask? Well, Amy's train left at 6:55 A.M., and you're always supposed to get to the train station about 30 min before your train is supposed to leave. Also, Providence is 45 min away. Then add in the traffic of commuters into Providence, and the fact that you should get to busy train stations 60-90 min before your train leaves, and expect to wait in line. So, yeah, our leaving time kept getting pushed back, until we were planning to leave at 5 A.M. I uttered a few expletives, some jokingly, some not, which I won't put in this post. Meanwhile, the folks are driving up to Cooperstown as well with a UHaul to move their bedroom up there, and to bring me and Dave stuff from our rooms. So we call to see how they're doing and tell them the whole story. And my Dad, who knows everything, points out that Kingston is closer to NYC then Providence, so maybe we can just catch the train there. Can we call and find out? We call, and not only does the train come into Kingston at a later time, 7:16 A.M., but it won't cost anything to change the ticket, and the ticket itself is cheaper, so Amy saves some money! If only airlines could be so helpful, but that's another, longer story involving Amy's boyfriend. Maybe I'll post that another day....