Anna Boards a Train

Anna was here for a week, and she fell in love -- she fell in love with Oriental. It's an easy place to fall in love with! We went for walks by the water. She rested and relaxed and enjoyed HOME.

But today I had to take her away :( We went to a really neat-looking train station. Old train stations are beautiful, don't you think?

It has a big revolving door. Anna enjoyed that, even though she banged her head when she took her first ride through!

She brought too much stuff, and that big bag on the end is really heavy. But she got on her train and is headed back west. We won't see her until the end of the summer.

I must admit, it was hard for me to leave her there, alone in the station. Every motherly instinct in me, told me to stay there with her until she boarded, and ... hover, as mothers do. Anna is 20, and it's no easier now to leave her somewhere than it was to leave her at camp when she was 8. In fact, I find it harder. Now I have to leave her in public places, to travel overnight. But it must be done. She's a young woman, and these kinds of adventures are normal. I feel that our kids are scattered hither and yon right now. I feel old. It was so nice to have her home, and then suddenly -- she's gone again.

Miss you, sweetheart!!!