All they Need to Do...

...is let us get on. The train has been driving up and down the tracks past Flying Goat every half hour blasting its horn for months now. Although it isn't clear who is going to take it from here to San Rafael (40 miles away) anybody who thought they might must be having second thoughts by now. The opening date has been postponed several times, there doesn't appear to be much parking, and nobody likes the blasting horn, which blows in addition to the dinging signal lights.

The train was sitting at the station, engine running for the entire hour I was sitting outside this morning. There were a number of trucks and five or six guys in hi vis vests and hard hats standing around shooting the breeze. Sometimes I get the feeling nobody is in charge...either that or they certainly aren't very competent. The SMART powers that be keep making statements to the effect that the federal government continues to demand safety tests. I find it difficult to imagine what could possibly be left to test, even after replacing all the brand new engines which apparently turned out to be faulty.

Annie and Emma are on the way from the airport with OilMan and Tim is driving up to join the family for dinner. We're having a barbecue because OilMan is convinced there are are fewer dishes. The shocking state of the barbecue after cooking marinated chicken and sausages doesn't seem to count as dishes in his book. Maybe because his idea of a preliminary rinse is putting the grate on the ground and letting the dogs lick it. He suggested paper plates too, but I drew the line there....