On the way home: A sketchbook

Boston to Pittsburgh 7-17-08
July 27, 2008 6:31 pm

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By Elizabeth Perry
Elizabeth Perry lives in Friendship. She draws every day and publishes her work on her blog "Woolgathering" at www.elizabethperry.com.
Large building almost blocks view of an incline when we stop in Johnstown. 6:30 p.m.
By pressing the sides of our faces against the window, we see the engine on Horseshoe Curve. 5:28 p.m.
Gravel yard seen for a moment between the trees -- looked like an amusement park crossed with an immense sandbox. Near Tyrone. 4:50 p.m.
Crossed the Susquehanna River (long bridge). 2:49 p.m.
Metalwork ornaments at the Harrisburg station, where we pause long enough for me to sketch some details. (No other explanation. Crew change maybe?) 2:37 p.m.
Lots of these distinctively shaped water towers as we approach Philadelphia. 11:58 a.m.
Zipper on my backpack. Our luggage included four suitcases, three backpacks, a picnic, one longboard and two scooters (tied together), a briefcase and a ukulele.
Thank goodness for the help of a redcap in NYC. We followed the cap as a bright beacon through the crowds. 10:38 a.m.
Commuter train cars across the platform from us in Stamford, Conn., are connected to the wires above with a sort of elbow. 9:25 a.m.
Sailboats at anchor near Kingston, R.I. Water very still. 7:12 a.m.
Can just see the tops of a few old brownstones before we go underground at Back Bay Station. 6:10 a.m.

For practical ($4 gas?!!) as well as poetic reasons, we took the train home from our vacation this month. We enjoyed views of a landscape you don't see from the highway and got to know the quiet and reflective rhythm of train travel.

I had time -- 14 hours -- to look and draw and think as we went along.


First Published July 27, 2008 6:31 pm

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