Checkin' In

Hello, Ms J. Happy Canada Day! The weather here in little ol' Mimico is absolutely perfect for Canada Day celebrations. All round the neighbourhood, people are tending barbecues and sipping cool beverages. And in Ottawa, the federal government plans to delight and dazzle onlookers with a $100,000 fireworks display over the Ottawa River. I'll bet it's a fabulous show! Too bad I'm in little ol' Mimico.

My training at VIA is progressing ... slowly. I spent last week in a Montreal classroom with four other engineer trainees. We were instructed on the various features and functions of train cars and locomotives - troubleshooting techniques and familiarization. Terrible tedious it was, Ms J, for the most part, but necessary in the event of en route incidents or breakdowns. I did, however, enjoy my stay in Montreal. It's really an exciting city with a definite European atmosphere.

I've just now returned from a trip to Ottawa. I arrived there last night and spent the night in a lovely hotel ... somewhere in the suburbs I think. It was near a shopping mall - "The St. Laurent Centre" - or something like that. I really don't know exactly. We were delivered by taxi from the nearby train station. We turned the train around to face west and this morning, I climbed the ladder to the locomotive cab for the return trip to Mimico. We made a few stops along the way, Ms J. The trip takes about five hours at speeds that reach 100 mph.

I haven't actually operated a VIA train yet. So far, I've only sat and watched. And when you're covering a distance of one mile every 38 seconds, it's OK to sit and observe for a while. This job is much tougher than my old one. But I'm feeling a little more confident each time and soon I'll be expected to try my hand on the throttle.

There's about a thousand miles of track to learn, three different styles of passenger coach and two different types of locomotives. I won't learn it all in a few weeks. No one does. I like it, though. I do enjoy the challenge.

Colleen supports me and loves me and can't wait to see me when I return. I feel the same about her. This relationship is good, Ms J. It's really, really good.

So tonight, I'll shower and shave and go collect Colleen and Ivy. The three of us will go off in search of a choice vantage spot from which to watch tonight's fireworks over Lake Ontario. The display will be grand, I'm sure, but probably not as spectacular as the one in our nation's capital.

I love my job. I love my home. I love my Colleen and her little Ivy. Meagan is fine. RJ is fine. Dan is with his mother most weekends so I rarely see him. But generally, Life is good.

It's been a LONG time since I've written (or even thought) these words, Ms J, but I'll write them now.

I LOVE MY LIFE!

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