A couple of weeks ago when I was training it downtown on a Thursday, I had noticed a farmers market a few towns away. So today AJ and I decided to take a train ride for a morning of fun and adventure. He was afraid at first, fearful that the noise of the train would be too much for him to bear. But as we boarded the train and settled into our seats, he said, �See, Mommy? It wasn�t so bad!� He loved to see the countryside rushing by outside the window and, I think, would have liked a longer ride. We debarked at the second stop and shuffled our way down the platform, trying out every available bench, and headed to the farmer�s market.

The market was small, only about eight vendors or so. But they had everything we wanted. Peaches and blueberries were at the top of my list, as the time has come for local produce, and far be it from the supermarkets to sell it. I also picked up a beautiful array of little squashes, and some very tasty artisan cheeses for supper and a mass of pickling cucumbers, so I can attempt to create my mom�s pickles that I consume by the gallon when we visit them during the correct season.

As the weather is autumnal today � the bank�s thermometer read a mere 56 degrees � we headed to a local coffeeshop for hot chocolate and chai. I also treated AJ to a cookie as big as his head, shaped like a sun and iced in yellow with sunglasses and a smile. We slipped into a table by a window where we had a good view of some very entertaining dogs chained to a lamppost outside. A couple of minutes after we sat down inside, another mother-little boy pair, the younger of which was probably about AJ�s age, sat at the table outside just on the other side of the glass, our mirror images. At first both boys were too taken with the dogs to notice each other, but it wasn�t long before they realized they were consuming identical snacks. They saluted each other with cups of hot chocolate, and every now and then waved vigorously at one another and burst into fits of giggles.

Eventually we departed, leaving the other boy to entertain the dogs. We meandered through the streets of town heading towards a playground tucked into a pocket-sized park downhill from the train station. There we encountered a park district group of six-year-olds tearing around the place. Few things give AJ as much joy as playing with older kids, even though they don�t generally actually play with him. The sheer density of children per square foot of playground was enough to put AJ over the moon. He let go of my hand as soon as he spotted them and sprinted across the lawn to meet them. He didn�t come up for air until a booming bell nearby chimed, notifying us that it was almost time to catch the return train. He counted every one of the steep set of stairs leading to the platform (23), attempted to hide from the approaching train in the platform shelter. When the train pulled up, however, he hopped up the stairs as if he did it every day. On the way home, we made plans for all the places we wanted to visit by train next time we get the chance.

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