Day 29.

Day 29: Trains and cats

I realize that's two things and probably cheating but it's my blog so I get to be thankful for two things if I want to. Plus I'm running out of days so...

Trains

I am thankful for trains. I know that seems strange but really I am. I think the engineering of trains is amazing. And they look really cool. Have you ever watched Polar Express in surround sound with the speakers up as high as possible. Feels like the train is in your living room. After Thanksgiving we went to the Tahachapi Loop. What is the Tehachapi Loop? Well first off it's one of the seven wonders of the locomotive world. Really it's cool. It was built around 1876 by Chinese labor workers. The downgrade the train has to take was too steep so they designed the loop to go around a hill and then the train passes underneath the track in a loop formation. A train with about 85 cars will then cross itself and be only around 70 feet below its own cars. Cool huh?

This is the group as we sat waiting for the train to show up. (From back to front: Kayla Kirk's second cousin, Jeremy behind Dayna, Paul Kirk's uncle, Shannon hidden behind Trevor holding Camden and Mara Kirk's cousin).

We climbed up this little hill to get a better look of the loop and the tunnel.

This is a better picture of the loop and I promise Kirk isn't an ax murderer or angry person, he just isn't very smiley when I bring the camera out. Now after boasting about how awesome the famous Tehachapi Loop is I must confess, we didn't actually see a train. We waited for over 2 hours and no train. On the landmarker it says there is on average 36 trains a day on the loop. Apparently not on the day after Thanksgiving. We still had fun hanging out and then got to spend some time in Tehachapi which is such a cute little town.

Cats

On Sunday our cat Sam died. I know she is just a cat but we had her for over 20 years. She was a great cat. When we moved back into our house on Maverick in '89 after the fire I think it was around October. Not too long after that my brothers were walking to church and a kitten kept following Ben. I remembered them standing in the parking lot of the church and wondering what was going on. They decided to take the cat home and hide her in the bathroom upstairs because they knew my mom wouldn't let them keep her. I remember going up there and seeing her in the bathroom. She was so cute and so tiny. After about a week my mom found out she was there but didn't have the heart to get rid of her.

There really wasn't a cat like Sam. She became a part of our family. She had a few litters. Some of the time my mom had to help her deliver the kittens. She would try and hide her kittens so we always had to keep an eye on her and make sure she didn't get outside with them. I know she was just a cat but she was kind of a mean little cat. In our house on Maverick we had a really long hallway. If Sam was in the hallway or anywhere near it I learned to stay away. If I did walk down the hall she would inevitably chase me and I'd have to flatten myself against the wall as she went by claws ablazin'. I know she was just a cat but she was a terrible bed partner. If she was sleeping on your bed she would spread eagle it and you better not try and move her because she'd attack you even through the comforter. I know she was just a cat but she even knew how to knock on the door. I'm not kidding. There were numerous times when we'd hear a knock and open the door to none other than Sam. I know she was just a cat but she hated every other animal that we'd bring into the house. She'd give us a look like 'seriously? another one? when will you people ever learn? why do you continue to do this to me?' We had a rottweiler named Belle but don't worry, Sam didn't have a scared bone in her body. There were many times when Belle's curiosity and playfulness would take over her reasoning and instincts and she'd come away with a bloodied face from Sam's violence. I know she was just a cat but she always wanted people to be with her when she ate and wouldn't touch her food if it wasn't to the exact height of her liking in her bowl, same with her water. She was quite the diva with all her requirements. Toward the end of her life she calmed down a lot probably from sheer exhaustion. She was a lot slower and barely moved around at all. She just wanted to be near you. I know she was just a cat but for twenty years of my life she was there. She is a presence in almost every memory. She watched us grow up into the people we are today without judgment (at least unspoken) and always with love. It's amazing to think about all the things she's seen. It's weird to think I'll never see her walk around the corner in the house ever again. I know she is just a cat but she was definitely a small part of our family and lives and she will be missed. We always joked that she and my grandma would live forever or die at the same time. We were kind of right. Maybe she was more than just a cat. Maybe.

I don't have a good picture of Sam on this computer but if you look hard you can see her in the bottom left of this pic albeit her backside just disregard the rest of the picture.

My Dad's friend Dick O'Dell made this casket for Sam. Thanks Dick. We had a little burial for her and buried her in Emily's backyard. I never thought we'd be those people who bury their pets but it's like a family member after 20 years.