Reaching the Train Before It Goes Through

When the train whistle blows, that means it's coming.  It's about a block away.  It's time to make a move with no hesitation to get out of the house and to the train before it's gone.

There is an obstacle course to go through before getting close enough for good pictures.  Coming from the second floor of the Cape Cod house, the stairs are dark and narrow.  Before you reach the first floor, you hear the old man getting up out of bed.  He heard the train whistle too.  For some reason he's faster now than any other time.  He's up and in the hallway with his walker before I can reach the back door to go out.  He moves slowly to the kitchen three feet away.  There is not enough room for anyone to go around the walker in the hallway.  "Oh, wait.  I'll get out of your way," he says.  
It's a wonder I get out of the house at all some time.

Once out the back door, you gotta make your way through the narrow walk space in a large breezeway filled with junk.  When you get to the screen door leading outside, there are two rusted steel weights holding the door closed.  Once those are kicked out of the way, the door opens by itself and you walk out to the back yard.  The yard itself is well-mown and easily traversed.  That is, until you reach the grove of trees that's grown up over the past 40 years with no help or attention from the owner.  Even after work on making a path and cleaning out the twigs and branches over the last few years, the growth continues to prevent one from reaching the tracks faster.

When you finally reach the ideal spot for photographing train art, you start praying for a long train.