It's kind of like being a toddler.

A couple weeks ago,  I mentioned taking the train out East.
Well see,  that's the conclusion I came to.
You eat,  poop and sleep,  and anytime you try to look out the window,  you haven't a clue where you are.  AND,  getting from one car to another involves a certain amount of staggering.  No wonder they don't want you to bring your own booze.
There's no need.

And yes,  it was an "adventure".

We had done something similar during our last year in Vienna,  when we took an overnight train from Munich to Paris.  There's video footage somewhere looking out the back of the train.
Wait. I found it. Click here.
Anyway,  there was a certain amount of jostling,  and T.C. knew better this time around than wear two part P.J.s,  as she nearly lost the bottom half that first time around.
With the exception of not getting nearly enough sleep,  that was the only slight misgiving we had about taking an overnight train with a sleeper cabin.

Well,  it turns out that, either the cabins on "Deutsche Bahn"  are slightly bigger (and I think they are) or something else is up with my ability to be in a "confined space",  but at about one a.m.  I had to scramble out of my top bunk,  pull on my trousers and shirt,  grab my key,  and get the hell out of there!   Claustrophobia,  with just a soupçon of motion sickness.  Seems I wouldn't do well hot racking it in a submarine.
No sir.
Made my way to the "Wifi car",  and there was a lone employee there,  who enquired as to my well being,  after which she went and got me some ginger ale.  I did feel better after that,  but couldn't for the life of me get back on that top bunk.  T.C. and I did some sort of sardine impression for the rest of the journey.  On the way back,  I simply resolved to sleep on the floor.  Apparently I'm not yet so old and creaky that I can't do that.

Here, T.C. is enquiring about the overnight train from Montreal to Halifax.  Turns out we got to chill in the Business Lounge,  which was quite nice.

We did eat well.  The meals were included,  but the wine or beer was extra.

Somewhere along the way,  in New Brunswick I seem to recall,  there was a fifteen minute stop.  That's when all the smokers went outside.  I haven't smoked since the mid eighties,  but thought I'd go out anyway,  just to stretch my legs.

I have to be mindful that T.C. really doesn't want her picture on the blog,  so I think I can get away with this one.

Oh,  and the other observation about taking the train?  You get to see all the "underpinnings" of all the places you're going through.   That whole,  "wrong side of the tracks" thing.

Lovely.

But,  enough of that.

Had a fine visit.  Got to play with my brother's saw mill.

I tell ya,  if I had a place for one of these things,  it would be hard to resist the temptation.  Helps that he has a barn.
He needed a couple 2 x 4s to put under the firewood in his basement.  These are actual "two by fours", not whatever it is you get at your local lumber yard.

Oh,  and we did take a little jaunt over to Lunenburg.

That's the "Bluenose".  I'm not even going to "go there" with the latest rudder debacle.  Seems stupidity is rampant all over the place.  That's all I'll say.

And on another day,  we took a little jaunt over to Margaretville (or Margaretsville,  depending on which way you get there) just to have a look around.   It's usually foggy in Margaretville,  so this was pretty rare.

Not a whole helluva lot left to see in Margaretville.  There used to be a big wharf and a small wharf.  Now there's just that small one.   Irving oil also had something going on there,  but no more.    The Bay of Fundy can be tough on Wharves,  and they just get beat to pieces.

Anyhoodle,  I'd best get back at it.   Bathroom reno and all.
Mind you ,  I'm taking the time to straighten out some of the wiring I've put in over the years,  and that's a whole other story.

Maybe next time.

Keep that stick on the ice,  and thanks for stopping by.


.

We're off.

Taking the train in the morning to Toronto,  and then on to Montreal and then Halifax.  Should be an "adventure".   We'll see if the VIA trains are as bumpy and shaky as the night train we took from Munich to Paris.  Tough job keeping ones PJs where they're supposed to be in those circumstances.  Don't ask.

Meanwhile,  we've been putting the truck to work.  Picked up the tile for the bathroom on Monday,  which came in conservatively at 1100 pounds,   and then went off to fetch the shower parts on Wednesday.

There's a few more items from Kohler on the way,  such as the WC,  medicine cabinet and vanity.  No idea when that part of the order will be ready.


I got a little impatient and tore down one wall,  but we can still use the bathroom for now.

Used to look like this:

It's bare studs,  as the tile were set on metal lath,  which does a nice job of slicing up your forearm when getting carried out to the truck, by the way.

Note the vise grips on the hot water control.  It's come to this.  And I'm not fixing it.  I've fixed it a couple times over the last several decades,  the first time being long before we ever owned the house.  Which is exactly why when I removed the one piece American Standard WC,  (top of the line in its time) I took great delight in beating it to manageable pieces to be boxed up and disposed of.  
Felt pretty good too.
Couldn't even find parts for that thing,  so we were forever coming up with some sort of Rube Goldberg ways of keeping it in operation.  It's been gone since the 90s.

Anyway,  I'm out.

We'll be back in a week.

Thanks for stopping by.