get-together out west with our other son michael, his wife sarah, julia, and brendan. and we went by amtrak. it was great. i want to share with you now what we saw out the window. first the stunning sunsets along the hudson as we headed north to albany. the amazing colors looking west from the empire state. then those snowy scenes from ohio as we headed to chicago following the old route of the glamorous 20th century line that used to take movie stars and vips from their first leg from broadway to hollywood. i love the scene of the local school bus waiting at the rail crossing in south bend, indiana home of notre dame. coming out of chicago monday morning we boarded the southwest chief to los angeles beginning with a great close-up look of the city's western suburbs. we woke up tuesday morning, there it is, to the golden glow of new mexico and wide vistas of the american west including a climb to 7,000 feet and a stop at a classic town at the foot of the mountain. well, someday i want this trip throughout the heart of america to be there for all of us on a train that goes as fast as those