Posted on 12 Comments

Change of plans

Black River & Western Railroad

I had some sewing planned for today. For starters, I wanted to fix my duvet cover, which I did finish after midnight last night, only to find that I had somehow measured my bedspread as being 20 inches longer than it really was. I have all of this extra material now, and will have to put my seam ripper to work. Could be worse, though. At least it wasn’t 20 inches too small.

I also wanted to make myself a new summer top, using a sheet I’d found at the thrift shop yesterday. It’s all white, except for some blue flowers at the hem, and I just see that making a pretty peasant shirt.

But I didn’t do either of those things today.

Black River & Western Railroad

Aidan let me know last night that he was feeling a serious need for some Mom time, so we hit the road together today, just him and me, and went to Flemington to ride the train.

Black River & Western Railroad

The Black River & Western Railroad operates an ambling old passenger train on Summer weekends between Flemington and Ringoes. We started our ride in Flemington, which is, for those not familiar with the area, basically an Outlet Town. The little train station is located right across the way from Liberty Village, home to Anne Klein, Van Heusen, Nautica, and other high-end shopping (which didn’t interest us in the least).

View from the window of a train

The track meanders through farmland, woods, a golf course, and a few business districts, and comes to rest in Ringoes, a town that I know next to nothing about. From the train station itself we could see a residential area and very little else. Aidan was expecting more fanfare in Ringoes.  I admit it would have been nice if our intermission had been in a downtown area or something, but it was still interesting.

At the train station

There were plenty of beat up old trains to look at in the station yard. We had 15 minutes to kill there, which was enough time to buy a bottle of overpriced water from the vending machine and a souvenir sheet of stickers to bring home to Eamonn.

Black River & Western Railroad

The ride back to Flemington was as quaint as the ride out was, and before too long we were disembarking, ninety minutes older than when we’d first boarded the train.  Besides the rare and wonderful opportunity for some one-on-one time with my firstborn son, I also got something else priceless out of this little trip: photographic evidence of Aidan’s flair for the dramatic:

And with that, I’m off. I’ve been doing my blogging at night lately, after the kids go to bed. Often it can take me an hour or two to write a post and do any other online catching up I want to do, and as such, we’ve got a pile of Netflix stacking up around here. I am making an effort tonight, to wrap things up in time to watch one of them so we can start sending the darn things back!  G’night 🙂

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Posted on 12 Comments

12 thoughts on “Change of plans

  1. What a fun outing. What kid wouldn’t enjoy a train ride! You sound like a great mama!

  2. ooh – that looks like fun!
    the video is hilarious 🙂

  3. my goodness, he does a perfect train horn imitation!! Thanks for the morning smile!! How neat that your boys are secure enough to ask for one on one mom time and how neat that they have a mom that will go for train rides just for bottled water and stickers! Looks like you two had a wonderful time!

    See what Kathi has been blogging about: something a wee bit different then clay

  4. What a good mommy. I went on that train ride, well, it seems like hundreds of times, but it was probably only dozens. I think my dad used it when he needed 1:1 daddy time :-).

    1. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d been on it with my mom before, too, but I can’t be sure. And I did take Aidan once (and maybe Eamonn? Not sure if he was born yet), but he doesn’t remember.

      I think train rides are just in our blood, don’t you? 🙂

      I definitely remember riding the “robbery train” with my parents when I was pretty young. I feel like we had a cousin with us, too – if that’s right, then it was probably you. Does that sound at all familiar?

  5. I have enjoyed your blog for so long now – even getting my sister hooked on your wonderful vintage sheet skirts. I had to post though once I saw the train. I grew up in Hunterdon county and before moving to North Carolina I lived in Flemington for about 6 years. I miss it so much and then to see you were in my home state! Anyway from this Jersey girl – GREAT JOB! I love you site and can’t wait to see more of what you are doing.

    See what Tania has been blogging about: Boys Will Be Boys

    1. Oh, yeah, I’m a Jersey Girl myself, born and raised. Never left. Although, I did migrate about 45 minutes southwest of where I started (from south Bergen county to the very southern tip of Morris county), and in a place like NJ, that’s enough to feel like an entirely different state! Where I am now is about 1/2-hour from Flemington.

      Thanks for the kind words, and it’s nice to “meet” you 🙂

  6. Too funny Lisa! Too funny! HOOOONK! *G*

  7. It seems we had similar plans go awry this weekend. I was planning on making a new tunic top with some nice Michael Miller fabric, and it just didn’t happen, alas!

    Aidan’s new video is almost as funny as Boring Office Guy! LOL

  8. Oh my gosh Flemington!!!! I remember the Labor Day Fairs at the Speedway. I gew up in Lebanon and Califon. And shopped Flemington alot, at the Mall. (I know it’s closed know). I have been away for over 20 years, married a military man also from NJ, he grew up in Hacketstown. I miss Chester Flea Market, and all the quiant stores. Oh my gosh, I think the thing I miss the most is Jersey Tomatoes!!!! Actualy I’ll be on the east coast next month.
    PS Oh by the way Tania is my younger sister. LOL

    See what Sonja has been blogging about: My July Garden

    1. The Chester flea market moved to Dover, actually, more than ten years ago! Only been there once, but I really should try and remember to go now and then. As I recall it was HUGE!

      I love taking scenic drives on Sunday mornings (or, I did before gas got so expensive!) and I have often found myself wandering around Lebanon, Califon, Long Valley, Chester, all of those towns – beautiful countryside there!

      You’re making me want to chuck my responsibilities and take a long drive Right Now (or, at least in another five hours, after the sun comes up, LOL!)

      Thanks for dropping by!

  9. […] from here, that goes between the towns of Ringoes and Flemington.  I’ve written about it before.  During the summer they run what they call the Saturday Night Special, which takes you from […]

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