The Loomis family—my branch, anyway—were all Yankees from Connecticut. But in 1934, my grandfather built a modest vacation home on Captiva Island in Florida. It’s a small island in the Gulf of Mexico off of Fort Myers. My mother and father honeymooned on Captiva and they retired there 50-some years later. Once, as a family,…
Someone asked me recently how long had I been interested in trains. The answer is, since I was just a kid, although I’m not so much interested in trains as I am in train travel. Truthfully, I have only a superficial knowledge of the equipment Amtrak uses, but I’ve always been interested in the incredibly…
I was asked that question the other day and you’re not going to believe this, but I have no recollection of any trip I’ve ever taken that I would consider a failure. If I’m traveling, then I’m enjoying myself. To be sure, however, there have been parts or segments of trips that have been difficult…