I had been shopping at a small, local natural foods market about 1/2 mile from our house. It was nice to be able to stop in there and get some organic foods or try new things. In early September I stopped in and the owner informed me she was moving out of state and selling the store, which had only been open for just shy a year. We were heading out of town for a family event and we spent much of the drive discussing what we would do if we were to own such a store.

I have an excellent job at Target, which I love. It offers a good salary, good benefits and professional satisfaction. However, it also has its frustrations. I see people at a certain point in their healthcare continuum, usually when they’ve already been diagnosed with an issue and put on medication. At this point, many of the patients are overwhelmed with their diagnosis and my job is to help them understand their medications and how to get the best results from them with the fewest adverse effects. Patients who have been on medications for a while are often unwilling to make lifestyle or dietary changes which can change the need for medication. I thought it would be great to talk to people who were interested in their health before it became an issue. For Darrol’s part he was working at a job which he wasn’t as happy with. He is an excellent cook and would be able to talk passionately about preparing healthy, delicious foods.

It was decided. We were becoming small business owners. Yikes!

The stars aligned and financing quickly came together. Two weeks later we owned Natural Harvest Food Market in Mullica Hill, NJ! Now I spend 4 days a week as a pharmacist, talking to people about their health conditions and 3 days a week as a business owner, talking to people about how to avoid dangerous health conditions! I’m loving it. Darrol talks to people about how to best cook wild caught fish, game and grass-fed meats. We’re both learning the ins and outs of inventory control with perishable products and how to balance our time. We’re making mistakes, but we’re learning. And we’re having fun.

We’re currently in the process of updating the markets webpage, so stay tuned. We’ll be blogging over there, Darrol on cooking and me on health. We’re excited to have you follow us on Facebook and on twitter, if you’re so inclined. Mostly, we’re excited to be on this journey together, as a couple. Wish us luck!!

If you’ve been reading this blog you know that we’ve been trying to decrease the amount of meat we eat, both for health and ethical reasons.  But have our “healthy” changes met with success?  Over the last few years both Darrol and I have had difficulty maintaining a healthy weight, despite eating a diet that is pretty consistent with the government’s food pyramid (or the new MyPlate).

October 2010

In addition, we cooked most of our meals at home using good ingredients: olive oil, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, organic/local vegetables and pastured meat from a local farmer.  Despite this, we were both overweight and on various medications.  Something wasn’t working!

I started researching the Paleo or Primal way of eating, first by asking our friends how they ate and what the rational for the diet was.  They were very helpful and pointed us to a few websites.  In college, my initial degree program was biochemistry and I was fascinated by evolutionary biology (total Stephen Jay Gould fangirl).  So when I began to understand that the underlying science of this way of eating was based on the evolution of the human species, I really got interested.

The basic premise of this eating lifestyle is that humans evolved for the vast majority of their time on earth as hunter-gatherers, not agrarians.  The introduction of grains, in the grand scheme of time, is very recent.  In addition, the last 100 years or so have seen a rapid manipulation of our foods, moving us farther away from “whole” foods to manufactured, processed food-like substances.  So to adapt to this lifestyle, one moves back to the initial way of eating to which our bodies evolved.

In addition to that basic premise, the role of insulin and other hormones and how they have evolved to work with our physiology is critical.  By eliminating grains, one is eliminating massive amounts of carbohydrates from the diet.  As insulin responds to carbohydrates, and insulin also promotes fat storage, the amount of fat stored decreases.  (I will blog on all these points soon, but just want to hit the basics today).

So what changes have we made? Surprisingly few.  The basics of the diet are grass fed/pastured meats (already doing),  vegetables (which have increased exponentially), some fruits, and healthy fats, such as coconut oil and avocado.  We eat a lot more eggs (pastured, from a local farmer) and no processed foods.  We seldom eat out, but when we do we avoid grains, breads, and starchy foods.  I’ve eliminated most dairy (no big deal for me), and Darrol’s moved to 2% or whole milk instead of skim.  We eat some cheese, mostly as garnish.  No breads, pastries, rice, pasta, etc.

Well, the proof is in the paleo pudding.  I had my lab work done and a doctor’s appointment today.  I have lost 14 pounds (just shy of 10% of my initial weight) and am in the healthy weight range for my height.  I’ve also lost 4 inches (!!) off my waist.  More importantly, my doctor looked at my lab work and stated “Wow!  Whatever you’re doing keep it up!”

Fasting glucose 67 (down from 87)

Total Cholesterol 148 (relatively unchanged…I was still on pravastatin)

HDL 63 (up from 54)

LDL 70 (down from 112)

VLDL 15 (down from 26)

Triglycerides 76 (down from 132!)

My vitamin D level went from 14 to 28 (still low but doubled from last time), so I’ll continue supplementation for a while, plus get my 30 minutes of sunshine daily at lunch (and much more when I’m not at work).  My thyroid level has been low off and on, so we’ll continue to monitor (I have no metabolic symptoms so am not overly concerned).  I’m off all medications and don’t have a follow up for 6 months!

So, I’m retiring the “Moving Toward Meatless” posts.  I’m excited to learn more about eating this way, and can’t see ANY reason to go back to the conventionally taught nutrition (eg, MyPlate).  I think one of the reasons it’s working is the focus on whole foods; removing the processed garbage removes so many non-food, potentially toxic things from the diet. I’ll be blogging about the science behind some of the ideas, as well as recipes we try.   Feel free to ask questions, and I’ll research what I can, or link you to some great sites.  I’m off to make some guacamole!

Darrol and I celebrate his recent birthday at Fogo de Chau

Fresh eggs in steamer basket

Fill the pot with a bit of water for steam (about 3/4 cup) and turn to cook.  After a few minutes lay eggs in the steamer basket and close lid.  (Do not adjust your set.  The eggs range from white to brown to blue, depending on the hen’s breed.)  Set timer for 12 minutes and walk away.  When timer goes off, remove eggs with tongs and place into ice bath for 5 minutes.  When cooled, crack on flat surface and peel for delicious hard cooked eggs.

I have to say that this is the way to cook eggs.  Kitchen stayed cool, I used very little water (took two batches of 6 eggs each with original water), and the eggs were perfect.  They also peeled really easily, which could be due to their freshness or the cooking method; I’m not sure but every one peeled in seconds with no gouged whites.  I had also laid the egg carton on its side to center the yolks…seemed to work.

Yet another win for “The Pot!”  I didn’t have to spend “forever” peeling the eggs, as mentioned in this classic infomercial for Eggies.  (www.geteggiestv.com)

Creamy hard-cooked eggs were a breeze

Those who know my know that I’m not the family cook.  I’m not the cook at all, actually.  Browse through the blog and you’ll notice that most of the cooking action shots involve Darrol.  But as I am working to make my diet healthier I am learning more techniques.  My latest adventure it a rice cooker.

I’ve always avoided rice cookers.  Seemed stupid.  With my chemistry background, I proudly proclaimed I could cook rice and boiled eggs…both require timing.  Why get a rice cooker?  Then I started following Roger Ebert on twitter, then facebook.  Prior to his cancer, Ebert lost around 100 pounds with diet and exercise change.  Subsequently, he had numerous surgeries that prevent his eating…he gets his nutrition via liquid nutrients only.  However, he continues to cook healthy meals for his wife and friends.  Ebert is a devout follower of “The Pot,” as he calls it.  After reading his tweeted recipes and facebook posts, I broke down and bought an inexpensive rice cooker ($16.99 at Target).

I bought The Pot three days ago and have made things in it: barley, grits (real southern grits and easier than anything), oatmeal, and basmati rice.  I’m hooked!  The rice cooker is fast, non-stick, doesn’t heat up the kitchen and is intuitive.  Plus, for a cook like me, it’s simple.  On and warm.  Plus it turns itself to warm when it’s done cooking, so I don’t even have to monitor it!  Lazy cooks dream.

Last night I cooked dinner (don’t faint…I even cleaned up) and made a dish using the pot that was a great hit.  I adapted it from a couple of Mark Bittman’s recipes.  I started by cooking couscous in the pot, and while it was cooking a sauteed some chopped onion, garlic and chopped roasted red pepper in a little olive oil.  When the couscous was done I added it to the vegetables with a little more olive oil (this one was basil infused, something my husband had made last month).  I topped this with a topping that Bittman featured on one of his minimalist recipes.  Not sure what it’s called, but basically pureed 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, 2 garlic cloves and about 1/4 cup olive oil in the food processor, then added a couple slices of pumpernickel bread (rye is also very good) to the processor and ground it into wet breadcrumbs.  This taste like chorizo sausage and is amazingly good and very pretty.  Bittman used it in a lamb recipe, but I just put this over the couscous and popped it under the broiler for a couple of minutes.  Everyone loved it, it’s vegan (although not low-fat!) and it looked pretty on the plate.

This morning I got up and cooked some oatmeal while getting ready for work.  This has become my morning ritual.  After I emptied the oatmeal out of the pot I put some barley in to cook to take to lunch.  I’ll have it with some white beans and dressing (olive oil, lemon juice, herbs) plus a slice of that leftover pumpernickel.  If you have a rice cooker, dust it off and do some experimenting.  If not, less than $20 may be a good investment for you.  Enjoy!

Aerial view of Mt. Liamuiga on St. Kitts

While Mt Liamuiga is currently dormant (last eruption is said to be in the late 17th century), there are still active sulfur vents in the caldera. Added to this is the fact that St Kitts only gets around 50,000 visitors per year, not a lot by Disney standards (in the tens of millions).  The population of 35,000 is English speaking and have a 98% literacy rate; However, due to their British heritage they drive on the ‘wrong’ side of the road (sorry Sarah!).

Darrol w/our scooter from 'Ride St. Kitts' - Thanks Tim!

This did not stop us from renting a scooter to tour the island on our own.  BTW, Tracey loves the freedom of having me drive while she is free to sit on the back and take lots of pictures and direct me on where she wants us to go.  Tracey and I liken ourselves to travelers and not tourists.  This means we try to find out where the locals eat and the places they go and we try to avoid the standard ‘tourist traps’.  Renting a scooter allowed us to go where we wanted and spend as much or as little time at a particular place as we chose. Note:  Getting off the beaten path in St. Kitts on occasion meant following trails & roads that were less than ideal for a scooter (and I use that term ‘roads’ loosely as at one time I’m almost sure it was a paved road but the potholes/canyons on the south part of the island rival anything we have in Jersey).  However, this afforded us access to places that the typical tourist just doesn’t get to see.  There are several former sugar-cane plantations on St. Kitts that have been restored and now serve as inns/restaurants.  The lush vegetation on these plantations and the entire island in general was breathtaking.

Brimstone Hill Fortress - St. Kitts

Speaking of which, the Brimestone Hill Fortress is a must see, to tourist and traveler alike. Started about 1690 and sitting about 1000 feet above the sea, overlooking Sandy Point Town, the fortress is the largest such structure in the eastern Caribbean and is listed on the UNESCO site of historic places.  While we were there, the clouds started rolling in from the east over the mountain.  Not only was it amazingly beautiful but a full rainbow formed, an auspicious sign of things to come (see additional pictures on Facebook).

Let me backtrack just a little here and tell you about the scooter rental.  ’Ride St. Kitts’ has two flags flying outside, the flag of St. Kitts & Nevis and the Canadian Maple-leaf.  Turns out the owner is a Canadian who transplanted to St. Kitts about 10 years ago.  Tim and the gang were not only knowledgeable but very friendly.  Tracey & I hit it off with them from the get-go!  Tim gave us a detailed run-down on all the places to visit, as well as the best beach-bar on the island, the Shipwreck!  And when he discovered what foodies we were and my love of goat meat, he told me to order the ‘Goat Water’, a caribbean stew that wasn’t on the menu, but just ask for it.  Needless to say, less than 24 hours after returning from St. Kitts, I pulled a leg of goat out from our freezer  (yes, among other delicacies we have goat in our house) and tried my hand at making ‘Goat Water’!

Shipwrecks beach bar - home of Verdant Monkeys & Mongooses

Shipwrecks was a classic locals bar that didn’t seem to mind the occasional traveler.  The menu was not large, there was no electricity (just a generator out back to power the kitchen) and the floor was sand.  Everything you could want in a beach bar!  The food was great, the island -brewed beer cold and the sea-breeze enticing!  Tracey absolutely loved the fish tacos and I had my first, but definitely not last, Guinness Foreign Extra, a nice stout beer (ABV 7.3%) brewed right on St. Kitts by Carib brewers.  All in all, an incredible start to what would be a wonderful but all too short vacation.

I recently read “The Conscious Cook” by Chef Tal Ronnen.  He cooks vegan meals which are beautiful and (presumably) tasty, and uses a product called “Gardein.”  This meat substitute gets its name by combining garden + protein.  It’s been shown that vegetarians get plenty of protein in their diets without any additional supplementation necessary, however many eaters like the taste/consistency of meat and these products are designed for them.  I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to find them, but they were in the frozen case at my local supermarket.

Gardein Chick'n Scallopini

We choose two products to try: the Chick’n Scallopini and the Beefless Tips.  For the first dinner, I made a “chicken” piccata using Chef Tal’s recipe from the book.  The Gardein product looks like chicken patties when removed from the bag, and, after dredging in flour, fried up just like any chicken pattie.  After cooking the chick’n, I made a sauce using lemon juice, white wine, veg stock, shallots, capers and garlic.  The chicken was placed back in the sauce for just a couple minutes then served.

Chick'n fillets

The finished dinner fooled my son, who loved it and couldn’t believe the meal was vegan.  The “meat” had a pretty good consistency; not stringy like chicken but toothsome.  My biggest complaint is that it tasted just like a chicken.  I’m just not a big fan of the bird.  However, everyone loved the meal and it will definitely be added to the menu list.

Chick'n Piccata

The next evening we tried the beefless tips.  I modified one of Chef Tal’s recipes and

Gardein Beefless tips and Earth Balance buttery spread

made a sauce from mushrooms, wine, veg stock, shallots, garlic and Earth Balance “butter.”  The chunks of Gardein went from freezer right to saute pan and cooked up within minutes.  Once combined with the sauce in the pan for just a couple more minutes, the dish was placed on a bed of rice.  Again, the meal was delicious.  The meat substitute tasted like meat and the consistency was close (not stringy like meat would be).

Gardein beefless tips sauteed right from the freezer and cooked in about 3 minutes

The sauce was amazing, and I went back for more rice with sauce drizzled on top.

I think Chef Tal nailed the secret to good vegan/vegetarian cooking: fat.  Too many vegetarian dishes are what he dismisses as “hippie food.”  There’s nothing wrong with brown rice and steamed vegies, but it’s not very satisfying over the long run.  By using butter or a butter substitute, you add flavor, unctuousness and satiety.  Using capers, mushrooms or other umami flavors adds richness.  It’s interesting, because many people feel vegetarian food is boring, yet most omnivores I know cook the same things over and over.  Yes, it’s comfort food, but it’s not much of a stretch. I’m excited to add more vegan/vegetarian dishes to our repertoire.

"beef" tips in a mushroom/wine sauce over rice

Links:

www.talronnen.com for more information on “The Conscious Cook” as well as recipes and videos demonstrating some of the recipes.

www.gardein.com for more information on the products, as well as the company philosophy and mission.

www.earthbalancenatural.com for more information on Earth Balance spreads, made from cold-pressed oils, no hydrogenated oils or trans-fats.  Plus, the “butter” spread really taste and cooks just like butter and is my new go-to for toast and cooking.

When we purchased our meat last fall, we ordered 1/2 cow, a whole pig, 2 lambs and a goat.  We opted out of the scrapple, having ordered that last time and determining that, if you didn’t grow up with it, it was nigh inedible.  (When the butcher asked if we wanted it, I inquired what it was.  Her response?  ”Just what it sounds like, sugar.”)  This time, we took the organs from the cow and goat: heart, liver, kidneys and one non-organ, the cow tongue.

Beef heart

Let me start by saying that, other than liver and onions, none of us had eaten cow or goat organ meats before.  Darrol and the kids do eat the chicken hearts, so had an idea of what that tasted like, and we’ve had pate’ made from goose livers.  Fortunately, Darrol is both an experimental eater and an experimental cook, so he was up for it.

He started by making some beef stock with bones from Mr. Cow, then prepped the different cuts.

The beef tongue, which wins for weirdest looking thing we've ever cooked.

The heart was huge and was examined for the valves and chambers out of curiosity.  It was a least 4-5 times larger than a human heart; Darrol cut it up into slices to stew with broth and vegetables.  The tongue was incredibly odd looking and really didn’t look edible at all.  It was placed into the pressure cooker with some water in order to cook the meat.  Once removed, the “tongue” part (what you’d see if you looked into a cow’s mouth) was removed, leaving a large piece of meat.  Taylor had eaten a tongue chimichanga at a little Mexican place near the Delaware border, so Darrol decided to make taco filling with the tongue meat.

Beef kidneys. Darrol separated them into lobes then chopped finely.

In looking for recipes for steak and kidney pie on the internet we were repeatedly warned that kidneys stink!  Watch out for the stink, here’s how to get rid of the stink, etc.  Well, I guess that happens if you buy kidneys from the grocery store (in England…can’t say I’ve ever seen them over here), but kidneys from a grass fed cow that is immediately processed and brought to your freezer evidently have no odor at all.  I even held one up to my nose trying to smell something bad.  They smelled faintly of meat.  Darrol chopped them up finely with some chuck and sauteed them; the pie filling was topped with phyllo dough and baked to a golden finish.

The last thing in was the liver and onions, as they cook quickly and should be eaten right away.

Liver in all it's bloody glory

This was a familiar smell to most of the older generation, as we had moms or grandmoms who used to cook up a batch.  The frying onions made the whole house smell wonderful.

Darrol managed to bring four diverse dishes to the table all at once, an amazing feat that was appreciated by all.  We had some local cheese from Philadelphia, courtesy of Tim, and some homemade latkes made by the amazing Lil.  Tim, incidentally, recently lost close to 100 pounds on the “primitive” diet, which is based on meat, veg, fruit and nuts with almost no refined grains of any type.  Lil had also brought some crackers made with nut meal, and some “primitive” brownies to add to the table.

Everyone sits down to try the offal stuff

Everyone sat down to give the fare a try.  I will say that the young men of the group ate heartily and seemed to enjoy pretty much every dish.  We had one participant who basically thought the concept was interesting in theory, but not in practice.  She stuck to latkes.  The overall impression was favorable, with the favorites being the liver & onions (2 votes) and the steak & kidney pie (2 votes).  The tongue tacos were my favorite, as I just don’t like the texture of organ meats, and tongue is basically just a meat from an unusual place.  The heart stew was good, but didn’t win any votes as favorite.  I wonder if we put some dumplings in there if it would have won over more people?

Steak & Kidney pie

Liver & onions

Heart and Veggie stew

Tracey tries a tongue taco

With this education, however, comes a moral dilemna.  Can one continue to consume a product which doesn’t align with one’s own moral compass?  Obviously, many people do.  No one I know condones animal cruelty, yet most buy meat from the supermarket without a second thought, pushing the factory farm that the meat came from out of their minds.  Becoming a vegetarian is an option, but an option not chosen by many.  Being an omnivore is culturally excepted, and most people like the taste of meat.  There are still some who argue that we aren’t designed to be herbivores, an argument I consider specious.  We aren’t “designed” to use birth control, either, but I don’t see many people arguing against condoms, the pill, or the rhythm method.

So what is a conscientious person to do?  In my explorations I find too many people who try to convince their audience to their viewpoint using emotion.  Not being an overly emotional person, I just find that annoying.  Give me facts, figures, and, most importantly, a grounding in reality…the reality of raising a family and the time constraints, budgets and personalities that come with it.

As we struggle with it, here’s some of the decisions that I or we as a family have made:

• Conscientious meat consumption.  We don’t want to support the CAFO’s so we are buying our beef, pork, lamb and goat from a local farmer.  We found her on eatwild.com, and are comfortable that she is raising the animals to have normal lives: pasture, sunlight, grass, antibiotics only if ill, access to mother/baby relationship.  Currently, we are getting chicken at the farmer’s market.  Free range, cage free chickens are EXPENSIVE, so chicken has become a much less consumed item.  (Full disclosure: occasionally Darrol will buy chicken from the supermarket, usually for stock, but is minimizing these purchases.  The chicken industry is truly horrible.)
• Eggs are purchased from a local farmer.  We can actually see the chickens running around, eating bugs and vegetable scraps.  The eggs are amazing: firm orange yolks and wonderful flavor.  Again, the poultry industry is one of the worst offenders for animal husbandry standards.
• Using the whole animal.  We recently had an “offal party” for our friends.  The menu included liver & onions, heart and veg stew, steak and kidney pie, and tongue tacos.  It seems more respectful to consume the entire animal if you’re going to make that choice.  I’ll be blogging about the party soon.
• Moving toward meatless:  Although I doubt my husband or son will ever become vegetarians, I wouldn’t be surprised if I eventually went in that direction.  Currently I’m following Mark Bittman’s advice: vegan before 6pm.  I’ve replaced butter with EarthBalance (made with cold pressed oils, not hydrogentated) and milk with almond milk.  I started this because my LDL cholesterol moved up enough for my doctor to prescribe a low dose of a statin, and I’d really like to move away from taking medication.  I’ll blog about these food decisions as well.  (Funny, I found very few blogs via Google about moving toward meatless…most are already vegetarians or are make the move abruptly).
• Continuing education:  I’ll continue reading and viewing food related media, keeping an open mind.
• Political activism:  I’m not the type to stand on the roadway with a sandwich board, but I have been known to contact my senators and/or state representatives, so I’ll continue to do that on things that are important to me.  As with voting, if you don’t participate, you really don’t have the right to bitch.

I’d be interested to hear how others handle their choices.  Leave a comment and let’s start a discussion.

We followed the Colorado River for over 200 miles, seeing rapids (and white water rapid boaters, as well), eagles and deer.  From Sacramento to Denver we had a docent from the Railroad Museum on board, who would discuss the sites on the overhead, allow us to learn about the places we were passing.  This really made the trip interesting and fun.

Stopping in Denver, Kenzie and I walked around a bit looking for a bookstore, to no avail.  However, if we had wanted a beer or a steak we would have been in luck, as we must have passed 4 brewery/pub/steakhouses on our 1 block walk.  We also stopped for a few minutes in Grand Junction, CO where we found an entrepreneur selling huge, hot cinnamon rolls.  After the train started rolling, we wished we had bought two!

When we rolled into Chicago we fulfilled the other requirement of foodies in the Windy City…Chicago style hot dogs!  Fully loaded, peppers, pickles and all.  So good, and just not the same anywhere else.  Not sure what Mom and Kenzie thought of it, but I could eat one daily.  Probably a good thing I don’t live anywhere near Chicago, come to think of it.

Next stop Washington, DC, where we said goodbye to Mom.  She boarded a train for Florida, and we boarded our train to Philly.  It was nice to be home and see family.  I can’t wait for my next train trip and am already planning to get Darrol on a trek!  He went to Florida via plane just a couple weeks after we got home and, albeit fast, the discomfort and personal intrusion has just taken all the fun out of flying.  Hopefully, Congress will continue supporting Amtrak and America will figure out the high speed rail is the way to go for the future.

Salmon pasty

savory and sweet fillings, and we tried some of both.  I forgot to write down the name of the bakery, and the owner called them something else, but they were pasties. (BTW, googling this gives you a mix of pictures…these are the flakey pastries not the nipple covers.)  They were so good we decided to take some on the train for lunch.  The owner asked when we were leaving and, upon finding it would be an hour later, she offered to make us a fresh batch of our favorites.  Gives you hope, doesn’t it?

Pasty bag in hand, we went back to the train station, where we boarded and headed down the California coast to Sacramento.  It was amazing to see the green fields and growing vegetables, after the brown fields of the east and midwest.  We passed beautiful scenery: mountains, rivers, fields of fruit trees, even a wedding party!  At one point I felt something at my feet and looked down to find a dog…the lady behind me had her service dog with her and he claimed under my seat as his private bed.  Whatever, he was a cutie.

We did sleep in coach that night, but it was fine as there were no crying babies.  Not as nice as a sleeper, but ok for one night.  We spent most of the day in the observation car just enjoying the beautiful sites.

The next morning we got into Sacramento early…really early.  5am.  The Sacramento train station was very WPA.  I could practically see the depression era workers putting it together.  There was a Starbucks down the street (of course), but not much else.  We read and knitted and chatted but it was pretty boring.

Sacramento Train Station

Once the sun came up Kenzie and I decided to take a walk and discoverd “Old Sacramento.”  Why didn’t they have signs or something at the train station?  Old Sacramento was a wild west type village (read tourist trap) but it was pretty cool. We found a nice diner and had breakfast and perused what shops were open.  Going back to the station, I convinced Mom to walk back with me and get a cup of coffee and look around.

Old Sacramento...last picture before camera disaster struck

Here is where disaster struck…I dropped my camera!  This faithful camera has been with me to Europe (twice) and all over the US.  And I dropped it, irrevocably breaking it.  Even worse, we had no way to get any replacement as the train would be leaving soon.  Needless to say, the rest of the blog posts for the trip will be a bit blander.  Oh well.

Back on the train and settled into our sleeper cars we relaxed and got ready for yet another cross country journey to Chicago.  We met our steward and some of our car mates and found the diner and observation cars.  We’d become old hats at train travel by this time!