madeline..can't wait for the train

several weeks ago, my friend jan and i exchanged stories about two little girls

jan saw a little girl on television, on the morning news, along with her father

for her third birthday, the girl wanted to see a train -- they live near a train track, and that was the girl's dream -- to see a train -- so dad, video camera in hand, took her for a train ride

the girl's reactions, jan said, were adorable

well, jan, being a luddite, asked me to e-mail her pictures of the girl, so she could forward them to friends

first, i found these

not the right girl

well, here she is -- and, since i found madeline, i've been printing pictures of her, to frame, for jan -- and, maybe, for myself

i've also shared these pictures, and madeline's story, with my nephews (11 and nine) and their sister (almost seven), and i changed my question to the oldest, who's an ides-of-march baby, asking him...what he wants to do for his birthday, rather than what he wants me to get for him (we ended up going to the apple store, after a dentist's appointment nearby, and he got a speaker -- now i'm about to return that (he already has a speaker -- plus,...it's too expensive), and, instead, get a sphere/ball...we saw there, which you can manipulate, from an i-pod/i-pad, via applications you download...from the i-tunes store (i think that's how it works))

here's dad's video of madeline

well, in exchange, i told jan about the two-, three-year-old girl i saw, that same day -- she was running up and down the sidelines at the indoor soccer field...where i'd taken my nephew -- she was running, at full bore -- well, maybe toddling...was more like it (she's a chubby little girl) -- and she and i remarked...that she was running fast -- i said (to her and her mom) that we need to set up some tables, along the sideline, with cups of water...for her to pick up, as she ran; when her running...petered out, i told her she looked like she was getting tired -- she replied, through...panted breath, 'i am getting tired' -- she then did somersaults on the field, and showed me her belly button and let me touch it -- i told her...i don't think it's okay...for me to show her mine

this brings up a picture i love -- which i saw...in the recent exhibit of 'the 50 greatest national geographic photographs,' in our natural-history museum -- it's by william albert allard, from 1967, in the basque village béhorléguy