Strange dream with trains and boats

[fbhjr]

I dreamed that some historical society was building a recreation of the Mayflower ship that brought the pilgrims to this area 422 years ago from England.
For some reason, my wife and I had been invited to the launching ceremony in England, so flew over and went out into the countryside where the ship was being built.

They had the ship on a train car and explained they were going to take it by train to the harbor where it was launched along the same historical route that was used more than 400 years ago.

"Because there has been much building in that time, the space around the train tracks are very limited," the man running the event said. "We ask you all to ride in the passenger coaches to the coast and not the ship itself as space will be very, very tight."

We all piled into the coaches. They came before the train and we got in the one that was at the front of the train and could see down the track as we set off.
We did go through the center of one town soon after leaving and it did seem like we were scraping paint off the buildings to either side as we went through.

Then, we got to some clear ground and began to go down the tracks fairly quickly.

As I watched what was coming down the tracks, I saw a house across our path.
The train slowed down in the yard of the house with my window in the front up against a window into the house so I could see a living room with the television on, but no people.

"This isn’t on the maps," the man in charge said, as he came and looked out my window. "Ah well, nothing for it."

He waved his hand and the train moved forward into the house with a big crash. We surged across the living room and paused at that wall.

"We’re in someone’s house!" I shouted at the man.
"Not for long," he replied and waved his arm again.
The train shot through the back of the house and out into open land again.

"What about that person’s house?" I asked.
"They should have had it added to the map," he replied and walked away into the train car.

We made very fast progress after that and soon came to a small town by the sea with lots of buildings on raised pylons over the water. The train slowly snaked around lots of inlets and bays before stopping at a boat ramp with rails that went into the water.

"Everyone onto the ship!" the man in charge shouted. "Look at your ticket to see where you are on the ship for launch!"

We looked at our tickets and were listed as being in the rigging. When we went to the ship, they instructed us to climb up about 3/4 of the way to the top by the central mast.
We did.

The ship slid into the water on the train car and we could feel it lift off and start to float. Everyone cheered.

"The ship is now going to take the exact same course it did when it set sail on its original voyage," the man in charge shouted from the wheel at the back of the ship.

The ship began to move parallel to the shore towards all those buildings on pylons out over the water.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Are we going to hit those buildings?"
"Not as long as they’re where the map says they are!" he shouted back.

We went right towards one, building up speed, and shot between two vertical posts. I could hear the top of the mast above me scrape the bottom of the dock. We came out the other side, but there were more such docks in the way.

"Did the same person make the sea map as made the one that drove the train through someone’s house?" I shouted at the person.
"No, sea maps and land maps are made by different people!" he shouted back.

We went through the next one so close that one of the pylons brushed my arm.

"Can we change our position to one below deck?" I called out.
"You’ll be changed an upgrade fee!"
"I’m OK with that!"

We climbed down the rigging as we continued to sail very closely to pylons of docks.
Down below they took my credit card and saw us to the cabin in the back of the boat with big windows out the back.
There were cushions all over the floor and around the walls. So, we made our way over to one side where there was an empty spot.

There was an older couple right near the window that looked at us as we sat down.

"You look familiar," the man said. "You remind me of someone I saw doing a historical presentation down south in the US years ago."
"Pensacola, Mobile or Biloxi?" I asked. "We’ve performed at all of those, but we were wearing different costumes at those times."
"I thought I knew you!" he said with a big grin.

Dream ends


I have some idea where the bits of this came from.

Since we got back from Antarctica, there has been a lot of asking of "what next"? So, the idea of another big trip has been in my head.

When I was in the office Wednesday I saw my May calendar has photos from when I was in England 3 years ago and visited one of the towns my family came from centuries ago. That branch of the family isn’t the one that came over on the Mayflower, but they came over only a few years later, so it hardly matters.

Technically I am in a society for folks descended from the pilgrims from that voyage. My aunt designated me her successor in that group. I’ve never been to a meeting, received any kind of news letter, and don’t even know how to get in touch with them. (And, really have no interest in it.) But, maybe that’s rattling round my head when I sleep?

I have no idea at all about trains going through living rooms or boats fitting under docks.
No clue at all there.

Comments

[ravena_kade]

Well, Im glad you git to upgrade to get down from the rigging ;-)

[fbhjr]

Yeah, that was not a safe place to be!

[arrctic]

fascinating dream! trains and boats are two of my favorite things. I'm an oceanographer by training and at heart, and I'm married to a locomotive engineer. I also grew up surrounded by model trains that my dad collected.

very interesting about your role in the pilgrim society also! and Antarctica! goodness I will need to do more reading...

[fbhjr]

Our adventures in Antarctica last year are on my “Deep South” tag:
https://fbhjr.dreamwidth.org/tag/deep+south

[arrctic]

thanks for pointing me in the right direction :) sounds fantastic! I came close to volunteering at McMurdo while at grad school but never did and ever since have wanted to make the trip down there eventually. I look forward to reading about your adventures!

[fbhjr]

I know someone who spent a year at McMurdo. What my wife and I did is nothing compared to working there!