Amtrak Cascades

I love trains and I love traveling by the train. I recently went to Seattle on Amtrak Cascades to visit my son and granddaughter. Traveling by train is my favorite way to travel. Everyone is so nice, professional, gives great service. It is so much easier than driving to travel by train. You can relax, read, look out the window, work on your computer, or eat in the Bistro car.

The Bistro car has delicious food selections at reasonable prices. James in the Bistro car is efficient, personable, and nice. He's great on the loudspeaker.

The U.S. Department of Energy reports that Amtrak is 20% more energy efficient than commercial airlines and 28% more efficient than cars. Traveling by train is a green choice.

The next time you plan your vacation go to amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.

I looked in the maps across the United States and I was shocked and surprised that there isn't a train route linking Cleveland, Ohio to Columbus, Ohio or Columbus, Ohio to Cincinnati, Ohio. There should be a direct route from Cleveland to Cincinnati through Columbus, in my opinion.

Everyone I talk to on the train enjoys traveling by train. There are businessmen, students, attorneys, grandmas visiting grandchildren and families. It's so much easier and you are well taken care of.

Be sure to take your headphones because they show movies.

Biggest Loser

I auditioned for Biggest Loser last Sunday. I stood in line for 11 hours at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland with hundreds of others who had hope in their heart of being chosen until there was no hope. I arrived at 8:15 a.m. and went into the room with a group of others at 7:20 p.m. I was number OR1354. Outside there was rain, wind, and the cold. Inside the lobby of the convention center, it was warm because of all the people.

There were so many nice people in line with me. It was fun to watch, listen, and talk to the people. If I had it to do over again, I would have interviewed everyone who would talk to me so I would have plenty of material for lots of articles. I didn't. I wish I had. There was one lady from New York who was so funny. She came up with so much great material. She could easily have her own popular sitcom on television. There were four people who stayed together in a group ahead of me. I wish I had asked for a business card. One worked in real estate, another was a mortgage broker. One was an attorney. I liked them all and if I were to pick friends out of the whole bunch, it would be them.

Maybe I'll never see anyone in line again but it was a moment in time that we all shared. I'll never forget it.

There were so many people that it showed me that every major city in the U.S. with a television station, could hold a competition like Biggest Loser. There would be plenty of people who would want to be on the show. Portland, Oregon has Nike. All you would need are trainers and a big gym plus a place to house the contestants for a couple of months. It would help a lot of people and it's possible.

My Philosophy

I have decided that my philosophy is enjoy what you have and be nice along the way. You can work towards dreams but they don't happen right away and sometimes they don't happen. All you can do is appreciate what you have and be nice to anyone you come in contact with.

Southwest Airlines

My husband and I flew Southwest Airlines from Portland, Oregon, stopping over at Las Vegas, and then on to Columbus, Ohio to see our son graduate from The Ohio State University.

Southwest Airlines enjoys high customer loyalty. Many refuse to fly with any other airline. One reason is that you can depend on Southwest Airlines. They are generous with their snacks and there is extraordinary excellent service by all. Everyone is nice and they do their best to serve your needs. I witnessed a flight attendant who was extraordinary in helping people with their needs, luggage. He went out of his way to help people. I was impressed with everyone who is connected to Southwest Airlines.

Spirit magazine can be found in the pockets of the seats in front of you. Read it next time you fly Southwest. There are always great articles. I read one article twice because it was so good. The article was called "Brooklyn's Back 40" and it was written by Manny Howard in the March 2010 issue. It was all about a guy in the middle of Brooklyn who transformed his backyard into a farm. He brought in 5 tons of new soil in the 40 by 20 foot space. He ended up with chickens, potatoes, herbs, corn, beets, celery, rabbits, cucumbers, cantaloupes, peppers, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, garlic, leeks, beans. Did everything work? No, but he learned and he ate from his garden and so did his family. It was wonderful to read. Another great article was about Burbank, California which made me want to move there because of the great walking paths, small town feel, close proximity to all the great directors. Burbank is where they make the movies that make people cry, laugh, and entertain.

Dale Chihuly

My favorite contemporary artist is Dale Chihuly. I had the opportunity to see his glass art in Columbus, Ohio a couple of weeks ago at the Columbus Museum of Art. His creativity expressed in glass spills out of bounds and explodes off in all directions. I love it! I'm always inspired when I see a Chihuly.

I first saw his glass at the Portland Art Museum years ago at an exhibit. Now for the second time, I got to see his genius in Columbus.

Someday I hope to see his museum in Tacoma, Washington. He's a genius and no one even comes close in any art medium, in my opinion.