Butcher.org - April 5-7,2002 NYC Engagement Party @ Fran & Andy Steggles

we boarded Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express to NYC fom
Rutland, VT for a weekend in New Jersey

the ride was uneventful until just after Albany when the cabin heat
became unbearable and I complained thrice to various 'conductors'.
I was told quickly - "there's only on or off". When i questioned this
as a valid reason to keep it in the 'on' position without towels and
sauna rocks, they responded - "but, there's a baby in that car!"

I imagined some 199x lawsuit involving a young mother taking too
many smokebreaks while her 18 month old scantily-clad bundle of responsibilty
nearly froze to death in the Amtrak icebox because someone hadn't left
the steam on full blast...the settlement out of court, McDonald's-Drive-Thru-
110°-Coffee-Burn style must have been enough of a dent in their operating
budget to force in-house training on the dangers of letting poor children
freeze to death. I can see the flyer in the pigeon holes ogf 22,000 Amtrak
conductors — "SWEAT: Secure Warm Escapes on Amtrak Tonight" - subtitled
'no one rides cold on our watch'. Pathetic.

Lo and behold, about an hour outside of Manhattan, a little 9 year old girl
heaves her dinner from the Cafe Car - covering her coat, her mom's coat (both of
which were off due to the balmy temperature), her mom and most of the seats they
sat in.

2 minutes later, dumbfounded conductor#2 comes back and proclaims in
disgust -"what'd'ya get sick? you shoulda sit up front!"

As the mother-daughter tried to clean up the mess with paper towels, the
conductor departed aft and the teenager sitting next to to them offered help

the girl started spraying some small bottle of her own 'freshener spray'
or perfume when the friendly conductor returns in a tiff —
"stop! stop! you can't do that - there's babies in this cah"

she then proceeded to push upset mom aside and open a super jumbo-
sized bag of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters grounds and cover the
two seat bottoms in a crust of aromatic brown French Roast.
With an emphatic — "this'll take cayah of it" — she was gone

7:10p PENN STATION/NYC
speed walk with luggage 8 blocks north and 2 blocks west to Port Authority...
miss two buses and catch the 3rd to Willowbrook Mall, where John Stewart picks
us up in the Silver Focus. 8:30p arrive Steggles place and a party that has been
going since 5pm

brian cronin & sal

cronin & andy at the barrel

lindan, susie (andy's sister) & bob (andy's dad)

sal, tammy, claresa & carrie

julie, jane, & fran

andy entertaining guests

unknown family

andy delivers his thought-out classy toast to our engagement...

and carrie cuts the cake

kate, fran, tran, julie & her man cheering the engagement

claresa shooting hoops on the deck

bob, lindan and uncle nick

unknown dude, kate & fran in the dining (buffet) room

joe was whoopin it up with his ABBA karaoke (more than one song!)

campbell (liz) & mary stewart

sal & anil packed it up and headed back to the city round midnight

and we are escorted to our bed for the night - a suite off the bedroom
in memory of my B.C. days under the stairs

next morning i am awake at 7:30 listening to Pat O'Shea & Campbell discuss

language and their place in it

while andy & his dad clean up the deck...
\

....carrie & i take it easy on the couch.

andy & i take the steggles & inlaws to Newark International for their flight
to Hilton Head, SC - and a weeks vacation in the sun
(andy, uncle nick, bob, caroline, sue, hugh, lindan & cheryl)

the cedar grove, new jersey fire department was out for a photo op

back to Fairview Ave to loaf about a bit and then pack up Fran & Andy for the 4pm flight
to Hilton Head....late as always, we make it to Newark for 3:20p.

returning from the airport, we stopped in Millburn (childhood home of Joe Marsh)
and visited Oskenhorn Jewlery to check out wedding bands...and were sent
over to Oscar's Sandwich Barn for a hot roast beef and fries smothered in
gravy!

saturday night in New Jersey, carrie and i pick up sushia at Yama of Cedar Grove
and bring it back to the house for the end of a movie.

sunday noon - crazy car, walk, bus, tram, train trip to get on our
way back to Vermont. Carrie catches a nap during the lullabye ride
home

	Adventures \| Contact	hedgehog - (definition here)
we boarded Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express to NYC fom Rutland, VT for a weekend in New Jersey the ride was uneventful until just after Albany when the cabin heat became unbearable and I complained thrice to various 'conductors'. I was told quickly - "there's only on or off". When i questioned this as a valid reason to keep it in the 'on' position without towels and sauna rocks, they responded - "but, there's a baby in that car!" I imagined some 199x lawsuit involving a young mother taking too many smokebreaks while her 18 month old scantily-clad bundle of responsibilty nearly froze to death in the Amtrak icebox because someone hadn't left the steam on full blast...the settlement out of court, McDonald's-Drive-Thru- 110°-Coffee-Burn style must have been enough of a dent in their operating budget to force in-house training on the dangers of letting poor children freeze to death. I can see the flyer in the pigeon holes ogf 22,000 Amtrak conductors — "SWEAT: Secure Warm Escapes on Amtrak Tonight" - subtitled 'no one rides cold on our watch'. Pathetic. Lo and behold, about an hour outside of Manhattan, a little 9 year old girl heaves her dinner from the Cafe Car - covering her coat, her mom's coat (both of which were off due to the balmy temperature), her mom and most of the seats they sat in. 2 minutes later, dumbfounded conductor#2 comes back and proclaims in disgust -"what'd'ya get sick? you shoulda sit up front!" As the mother-daughter tried to clean up the mess with paper towels, the conductor departed aft and the teenager sitting next to to them offered help the girl started spraying some small bottle of her own 'freshener spray' or perfume when the friendly conductor returns in a tiff — "stop! stop! you can't do that - there's babies in this cah" she then proceeded to push upset mom aside and open a super jumbo- sized bag of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters grounds and cover the two seat bottoms in a crust of aromatic brown French Roast. With an emphatic — "this'll take cayah of it" — she was gone 7:10p PENN STATION/NYC speed walk with luggage 8 blocks north and 2 blocks west to Port Authority... miss two buses and catch the 3rd to Willowbrook Mall, where John Stewart picks us up in the Silver Focus. 8:30p arrive Steggles place and a party that has been going since 5pm brian cronin & sal cronin & andy at the barrel lindan, susie (andy's sister) & bob (andy's dad) sal, tammy, claresa & carrie julie, jane, & fran andy entertaining guests unknown family andy delivers his thought-out classy toast to our engagement... and carrie cuts the cake kate, fran, tran, julie & her man cheering the engagement claresa shooting hoops on the deck bob, lindan and uncle nick unknown dude, kate & fran in the dining (buffet) room joe was whoopin it up with his ABBA karaoke (more than one song!) campbell (liz) & mary stewart sal & anil packed it up and headed back to the city round midnight and we are escorted to our bed for the night - a suite off the bedroom in memory of my B.C. days under the stairs next morning i am awake at 7:30 listening to Pat O'Shea & Campbell discuss language and their place in it while andy & his dad clean up the deck... \ ....carrie & i take it easy on the couch. andy & i take the steggles & inlaws to Newark International for their flight to Hilton Head, SC - and a weeks vacation in the sun (andy, uncle nick, bob, caroline, sue, hugh, lindan & cheryl) the cedar grove, new jersey fire department was out for a photo op back to Fairview Ave to loaf about a bit and then pack up Fran & Andy for the 4pm flight to Hilton Head....late as always, we make it to Newark for 3:20p. returning from the airport, we stopped in Millburn (childhood home of Joe Marsh) and visited Oskenhorn Jewlery to check out wedding bands...and were sent over to Oscar's Sandwich Barn for a hot roast beef and fries smothered in gravy! saturday night in New Jersey, carrie and i pick up sushia at Yama of Cedar Grove and bring it back to the house for the end of a movie. sunday noon - crazy car, walk, bus, tram, train trip to get on our way back to Vermont. Carrie catches a nap during the lullabye ride home