south side art bombing

Saturday, Sharon called. "What the heck is going on at the 5-points?" I had no idea. I hadn't seen anything while we were walking earlier in the day. "Well the Old Ale House is covered with faces."

Yesterday, I forgot to walk down. Today I did. The public Art Fairy hit the south side. I had no idea. I would have gone down there to play!

It was part of New Vox Gallery's one-day public art project called StreetFluence.

The faces are people from the neighborhood, blown up, made into stencils and spray painted onto plywood. The artist is Tom Evans.

Up at the vacant lot that was the Fountain Hill Opera House, appears a city scape. I'm not sure if it's done. You have to be right on top of it to see it. Maybe it is. It's signed. It is Jason Schwab's vision of the neighborhood.

Another project was yarn bombing. Apparently that is what it is called when you put leggings on lamp posts and things. I believe that these were done by Lavanya Patricella.

My walk wasn't long, but playing Sherlock Holmes was fun.

Back in the days of mailing lists I wouldn't have missed this. I really don't want my email box stuffed with none essentials, but I also don't want to miss cool stuff. Most of my local galleries are on FB. Maybe I should make a second professional page, not have any "friends", but just like a whole bunch of arts organizations?

As much as I love to walk. Everyone knows art is my true love. I don't like missing things in my 'hood.

irt

Today we did the large loop on the Ironton Rail Trail (IRT). It's a great trail and we've walked it several times.

We left Bonnie's at 7 am and it was not hot, but it was humid. Right now it's 77 at 75% humidity. Ick.

The Boy Scouts have been busy making all kinds of improvements for the Eagle projects. How do I know? They leave signs by their improvements! (The RR X-ing sign that Bonnie is standing in front of is one of them.)

My favorite improvement is the mural that covers an old cement support.Not sure if that is done or not, but there is no sign.

Another favorite was done by a trail side neighbor. They decorated the back of the shed, and added a ticket taker.

When we arrived, I turned down the wrong street so instead of parking in the lot we parked in a neighborhood. Since we are training for the half-marathon we tried to do it at almost race speed. We succeeded. That loop is just over 5.5 miles and we were done in just over 1-1/2 hours.

Now I just need to get my butt out there and do it again tomorrow!

Meanwhile, I need to take a shower. I'm off to Girl Scout Camp Moseywood in less than an hour.

half marathon training has begun

It's a really nice day today if you like humidity. Right now it's 83 with 71% humidity. Goody.

Lydia is doing home-stuff this weekend so she didn't come. I didn't even invite her. She loves mowing the lawn so much that I feared she would choose walking over mowing!

Bonnie arrived at 7 and I was still doing the wash. Need to work on my timing. The last load was on the line and we hit the asphalt by 7:10.

First stop Bob & MLs house to deliver the paper. Then we headed up to the hospital, out Ostrum across and under the Hill to Hill Bridge. We encountered the food graffiti on the 2nd Ave. ramp.  We continued up Center, then out Church and up to Broad where we stopped at the post office. It's not busy at 8:10 on a Saturday!

Then it was off to the Mini Trail bridge. I took a glance over the side and noticed the old graffiti on the stairway was painted over, and replaced by some new, mostly not vulgar (so far) stuff. 

The old stuff was pretty awful, but the new stuff was a little interesting. We headed down the stairs, and back up again. I took pictures.

Now this creature I liked. They even painted the banister.

 Clearly this person is not electronically connected with his friends! His message will last for decades

 He's fun. Looks a little like my doodles.

After crossing the bridge, we headed toward the casino, walked thru the Steel, and encounter much needed sprinklers at ArtsQuest. We headed up Polk, and walked the Greenway. This beautiful set of stairs leads to Touchstone theatre. Yes, we climbed them.

Then we stopped at a diner on 4th street for breakfast, headed up and thru the university, up Wyandotte and back to my house.

Tomorrow is another 6 miles on the Ironton Rail-Trail.

off-topic

The yellow flower I found growing in the sidewalk, during a heatwave, and a drought, while walking to the garage for my car, after some minor repairs.

This is the yard next door. It's their right to have a neglected yard. However, I'm really tired of pulling his ragweed and sumac trees out of mine. Wonder how much a solid fence costs?

it was pretty easy

Today I logged my activity into the Presidential Champion website and crossed the Bronze Award—40,000 points—line. To earn it you had to be active. Everything from real exercise like aerobics and swimming, to mowing the lawn and playing games with children. Anybody could do it, except maybe my one sister, who spends the bulk of her day in a yellow Lazy-Boy.

You need to pay attention to your activity. Yesterday I logged lawn mowing, gardening, household tasks (laundry--in the basement and walking it outside to hang and dry), walking, and stairs.  Stairs are interesting. On a typical no laundry day, I put in 5 minutes. That's about five trips to the second floor. On laundry day I put in 10. On Lafayette Days 20. I make at least 4 round trips to the 3rd floor, and numerous trips to the second.

In most categories there are levels like light, medium, hard or light, moderate, strenuous. The more difficult, the more points. They add up pretty quickly.

I was disappointed I couldn't download my certificate. They want you to send for a paper one. My scrapbooks are created digitally, that would be useless.  Oh well. I could order a medal, but what would I do with that?

Next stop, silver. 90,000 points. Training for the half marathon that should be easy to obtain. I might squeak out gold by the end of the year. I think it's 160K. No way I'll get to platinum this year: It's 1 million points!

nyc

Yesterday we went into the city to see Harvey at the famed Studio 54, which is now a theatre. If those walls could talk, I bet the stories would be fantastic.

Beth has no qualms about driving in, so I met her and we headed into the city and found a parking lot near the theatre. It was only 10 am when we arrived. That left us time to kill.

Last fall Beth was in a horrible pedestrian accident (my worse fear as a walker)  which killed her dog, and landed her in the hospital with a smashed up knee. This would be her first serious walking outing since the accident. She went slow but steady. First stop brunch. Then we walked down to Times Square, checked out TKTS, and headed back toward 54th street.

We stopped into the Times Square Visitors Center, which is an old gutted theatre, and used their bathrooms and looked around. Saw my first real Tony, and the Centennial TS ball. Since I didn't have my camera, Beth took one with her phone and emailed me it.

About 49th she asked to stop, and we did. We leaned up against a building. I had thought she was doing well. Actually she was just being a real trooper and was in lots of pain. With no coffee shops around (what every happened to a Starbucks on every corner?) we found a bar and had a pre-show cosmo. I had hoped that sitting a while would help, but it didn't. It actually made things worse. Then we headed to the theatre. At the theatre her knee was swollen. Apparently the repairs did not go as well as expected. She's going to try and find a doctor that will put in a new knee.

It was a great show and a nice day in the city.

3 walks, one morning

It was a three walk day. One would think I was training for something. Oh yeah, I am.

First walk was at 7 am with the Walk Your Butt Off Group. It was a little larger this week. Bonnie needed to be at an appointment by 9 so we only walked 3 miles. Again it was at the Upper Saucon Rail Trail. While I was waiting for Bonnie at the comfort station, I noticed that the trail went the other direction thru the park. As we were driving out, it looks like it goes under the road toward the library. We must check it out one day.

Second walk was at 10:30 or so. Lydia came and we did 2.5 miles thru Fountain Hill and south Bethlehem. Sharon came along for about half. We did the long Fourth Street hill down and took Carolton Avenue back up.

When we were almost home we called Pat and told her to get Adonis ready. We'd take him for a walk. Lydia hasn't been giving him good walks lately because of the high heat and his lack of tolerance for other animals. There are several dogs in her trailorhood that are not chained. It's asking for trouble.

He was so  excited. He sniffed at stuff half as much as he used to do. And he practically ran.  He was a tired, but happy camper, when we got home.

sodium overload

I have had cravings for the oddest processed foods for about two weeks. I don't know why. If I didn't know better I'd swear I was pregnant.

Monday when I had off, I just had to have La Choy Chicken Chow Mein. I haven't had that in 40 years. I was shocked that they still made it.

I walked down to Ahart's to get it, and there was, to my surprise, a small LaChoy section. I found it immediately, even with the modern packaging. Then I flipped it over to look at the calories. Only 100 per serving, so the whole can was 300. Then I glanced at the sodium. I nearly fell on the floor. 63%! My craving went away.

goodbye old friend

Since the fall of 2007, I've been battling high blood pressure. That's no secret. Since 2008 I've been taking my blood pressures and writing them down. Eventually that morphed into a training book for the 3Day and beyond. Then I started writing 5K times in it.

Today I threw it away.

Without a goal in my future I was no longer using it. The BP is under control. I write the times in this blog.

2008 has 13, mostly 2 column, pages.
2009 has 6, mostly 2 column, pages. written really small and crammed on the page.
2010 has 7, 2 column, pages.
2011 has 4, 2 column pages double spaced, and 1.5 single column pages
2012 has three entries. All the same week.

Clearly 2008-09 were the banner years for this journal. By 2010 my interest in the book dwindled, and now it has clearly vanished. So today I am recycling it.

Goodbye old friend. You served me well.

bit the bullet

My sister almost died last year from a kidney stone coupled with a horror we now know as  antiphospholidlipid syndrome. APLS is an autoimmune, hypercoagulable state caused by antibodies against cell-membrane phospholipids that provokes blood clots (thrombosis) in both arteries and veins. (Thank goodness for Wikipedia. I stink at science. I have no idea what that means) It is most often found in female family members—frequently discovered during pregnancies. Quite controllable if you know you have it. Quite often deadly, if you don't.

Her doctor suggested we tell our doctor, so that in an emergency situation they know to check for it. So far everyone who has done the test has been clear. But my doctor gave me a RX for it—she'd rather be safe than sorry.

I've had the slip for a couple months. The test is $900. A paltry sum compared to what the hospital charges for 25 days in ICU.

Today another sister (aka the Roomie) needed to go for her blood work. She doesn't drive, so I drove her, and signed in myself and had the test. A little surprised they took 11 vials of blood!

So now the wait begins. I expect it to be negative like everyone else's. And if it isn't I'll deal with it.

still no art on the art trail!

The Karl Steiner Art Trail in Easton opened about a year ago. Bonnie and I walked it before it was finished. It was a little hard to follow and we guessed a lot but the signs weren't up yet. We cut them some slack.

This morning my colleague picked me up for carpool at 5:50 am and we headed to the trail. From the trailhead on 13th street to the canal towpath, it is 2.8 miles one way. Nice 5 mile+ hike if you do a round trip.  Some woods, some city. Not quiet at all on a Wednesday morning at 6:30 am. Rush hour on Route 22.

It was really humid, even at that early hour. Today's heat hadn't arrived yet.

The direction signs are up, and lots of informational signs too. But still no art—unless this gate to block off an entrance to the cemetery counts.

Who builds an art trail without art? Ironically, the Bethlehem Greenway has more art!

My colleague is joining me for Zumba tonight. Good thing. I think I would have skipped otherwise.

----

Update:
The official temperature reached 98 degrees that day. It was hot and humid. About 3:30, as we were driving home from work,  a storm rolled thru and the temp dropped to 73, but was still humid.

Bonnie joined me for Zumba, but my colleague didn't. She is finally off the DL for everything but ab work. Whoo hoo. I think Bonnie might come back for Zumba. We sweated a lot. Someone asked the instructor, Gladys, at 6:45, how many calories we were burning. She said about 700 calories, and we still had 15 minutes to go! (That means I burned about 100?) This week every routine was different. I was totally lost....again.

canal walk

This morning Lydia arrived to walk with a waffle iron.

When I told Pat we were walking today she told Lyd to bring the iron. Clearly she was hungry for waffles. Odd, because she is never hungry for anything. And she didn't eat a waffle!

We should have walked first and ate second. Dang it was hot humid.

We drove to the canal entrance in Freemansburg. We didn't see the canal at first and I new where the towpath was. I has been filled in with weeds as tall as it's walls. It's 100+ years old, I fear the weeds may destroy it forever. At places on the path we couldn't even see remnants of the canal.

Because the locktenders house and the mule barn were east, we headed to Bethlehem Township. That took about 90 seconds. It was only .1 miles away. Once in BT we headed toward Palmer. I figured we'd walk about a half hour and turn around and come back. We met lots of bikers, and several forgot about passing on the left.

About 15 minutes in, we found the swimming hole. There was evidence before and after, but this is clearly the place to climb, hang your rope and jump in the river.

In what I thought was 30 minutes, I don't wear a watch, I had Lyd check her phone and we were at 1.5 miles. We turned around and started the return to Freemansburg.

I had thought about heading towards Bethlehem a bit. But when we started to walk to Bethlehem we encountered the orange sign. "Caution Towpath Closed —Storm Damage". Must be washed out places. People were walking/biking so it must be clear-ish. The storm was almost a year ago. Guess there is no money in the budget to fix it. That's a shame.

This bit of the canal was less weedy and had tiny bits of water in it.

i did it!

almost six miles

Today we walked with Michelle and some others from the Walk You Butt Off group. We did the Upper Saucon rail trail and part of the Lower Saucon trail.

It's a rail trail so it's relatively flat,  and gravel. Rich people houses and yards on either side. A few street crossings.

It was hot and humid. I hear it's going to get worse. Right now, I really need a shower. I bet I sweated off three of four calories! Which we put right back on at the Coopersburg Diner. We both had omelets with spinach, feta and tomatoes. Then we crossed the street and went to the Coopersburg Farm market. All before 10 am!

One of the things we talked about was the Atlantic City Half. Michele says the second half is all boardwalk, and there is one hill where they close the highway and you go up the exit ramp. It's in the beginning. When I got home I signed up.

My niece who owns the Pole Dancing Fitness Studio is participating in a Slut Walk today. In stilettos. It's only a mile. If she doesn't kill her self doing it, I've asked her to guest blog. It's for rape awareness. The name is derived from the idiom that women dress like sluts and are "asking" for it. From the pixs I've seen on the net people at this walk dress the extremes—Fredricks of Hollywood to regular walking clothes. I hope she says yes. And posts pixs!

It started in Toronto and has been spreading across the US. If it comes to Philly, count my fat but in.

-------

Found the Slut Walk Philly page on FB. No date set yet. I did not click the "like" button. I can't imagine what kin of lists the web crawlers would put me on. I book marked it.

back on track.

Zumba Wednesday, walking Thursday, Friday and again tomorrow. I think I'm getting back on track. About time.

Thursday I got an email from Michelle, the walking coach from the Walk Your Butt Off program.  It said "Anyone up for a group walk at Upper Saucon park on Sat AM? I'm thinking on the earlier side, like 7-7:30 a.m. Let me know and we'll work out the details."

I thought why not. Bonnie was having her family picnic, and even if Lyd wanted to walk it would be later. So I replied yes. Bonnie called this morning, the picnic was cancelled—someone died—so she could walk. She's coming along.

This morning I got another email. "I'm planning on doing 6 miles, but you can walk any distance you like. It is an out and back so I'll let you know when to turn around based on how far you'd like to go.

Six miles is a lot for a lazy person, but maybe it will kick me into gear. I know full well that Jillian will make us go the six miles.

Planning ahead: I am hoping to do group walks weekly for the next 3 weeks. If you're interested, let me know if you have a particular time you'd like to walk. Weekday mornings? Weekday evenings? Also locations. If I have enough interest, I'd love to do one at the Ironton Rail Trail in Whitehall. Lehigh Parkway and Bethlehem canal towpath are other options." I replied yes. Why not. Hopefully Bonnie wants to come.

She continued "Anyone know of any tracks that are open to the public in the Lehigh Valley area? I'm thinking about offering some speed training and doing it on a track would be ideal." Speed walking. I could try that. Maybe burn two or three extra calories. I'm in. But if she doesn't know of a public track, who would? We have one at Lafayette, but I'm sure that's for Lafayette's community use.

In the initial email Michelle mentioned the Wildwood Half Marathon, August 26.  "Flat terrain and beautiful views!" But you must finish in 4 hours. That's better than 4 miles an hour. Don't think I can do that. But a weekend at the shore would be nice.

The Philly half is Nov. 18, but that also has the 4 hour limit. And it isn't flat.

However, the Atlantic City is on Oct. 21. A half and a full. AC should be flat, right? 6.5 hour time limit. I can do that, easy. It's a goal. I like goals. A weekend at the beach with a salt water taffy orgy afterwards. I'll talk to Michelle tomorrow. I wonder if I can talk Bonnie into it. Ly would do the 5 or 10. And we could do one or two of the Volkssport walks. Getting excited.

Better to try and fail, than not try at all, right?

heaven help me, it zumba night!

But I shall go. I haven't really done much serious walking in weeks except for 5Ks and special events. It has been just too damn hot. Funny, when I was training for the three day I went out come hell or high water. I was "training". But now I'm not and I've lost motivation. But I've gained 6 pounds. That trend needs to stop.

The weather has broken and I have no excuses. So tonight I shall go to Zumba and do 1/2 of what everyone else does and try to do more.

And I can't back out. I wrote it here, and I put it in my Presidential Challenge log. So I am going.

We did not resign-up for torture class. There was nothing beginner about it. Starting next week, we will go back to climbing stairs and taking hour long hilly walks on College hill.

One day next week we will also walk down to Connexions gallery for the "We" exhibit. I participated so I'd like to see the finished projects. It's collaborative art. So on one I did the first layer, the next the second, and the final the third. I know what the third one looks like. So-so. The first one is now beautiful. The second I haven't seen.

Finally I've discovered standing most of the day, three days a week burns a couple calories. On the livestrong.com it says that a person in my weight category can burn " 726 calories while standing quietly for eight hours and 1,670 calories performing eight hours of office work while standing."

The pop up says that an "average person must stand for 61 hours to burn the amount of calories in one pound of body fat.

This was on ABC news the other night. I don't think I'll ever get the desk with the built in treadmill!

color run #2

Today was the color run. The top pix is "before". The bottom is "after". Enough said? Probably not, you want details, right? Right.

You twisted my arm.

Angel, Darrell and Bug arrived about 4:45. Lyd and Adonis were back by 5. We hit the road at 5.  wore Birks.

Everything seemed to go great. We past the area on the Turnpike that was problematic Saturday.

After we past Lansdale, Angel said, Gayle, you gas light went on. Oh poop. In the chaos of Saturday I didn't get gas. We go off the same exit as Saturday and no gas stations. When we finally started finding some, they weren't open! I was starting to panic. We'd miss the race. It took a half hour, and I was running on fumes when we finally found gas.

Thank goodness the rest of the trip was fun.

We parked at a garage at 21st and Market and walked to the Ben Franklin. We just followed the sea of white shirts. Since I had checked us in the day before we didn't need to do anything but get in the start line. They were leaving 1000 people thru at a time. 2300 were registered. It took about 20 minutes to get thru the line. We might have started walking at 8ish. Darrell followed us on the sidewalk to the first color station—pink.

You cannot imagine how dense the cloud of dust is. You can't see a thing walking thru it. 

The second station was in Fairmont Park, kind-of near Zoo. It was blue. The blue people were much more aggressive with color than the pink people. I somehow escaped most of it.

 Then on Lincoln drive we had Orange, followed quickly by yellow. I got the full brunt of the orange people. I think I was too clean!

Yellow was the last station. As we went got to the other side Angel and Eva dropped to the ground and started playing in the dust. People were making snow angels!

We were almost back at the art museum when Bug yelled "there is daddy!" I told her to run over an hug him. He had no interest in attending the rainbow color throw. he waited on the steps of the museum.

After the throw we got into the circle and were blown off by a leaf blower.

We retrieved Darrell and went looking for the changing tent but didn't find it. So we changed in the parking deck.

Then went and looked for a place for brunch.

color run #1

Saturday I went to pick up our packets at the Color Run in Philly. They were expecting 23000 people. Seemed like a good investment of time, at that point.

The plan was simple. Leave house at 6, go to Philly by 7:30. Turn around and come back. Stop in Q'town at Walmart, then head to the Coopersburg diner for breakfast. Then across the street to Giant for last minute groceries for the family picnic.

Simple, right? Wrong.

We left at 6, arrived home at 1 and had a helluva adventure in-between.

The first part of the trip was uneventful. We entered the turnpike and headed to Philly. About a mile before the Lansdale exit  I hear a giant pop. I pull over to the side of the road. Then I notice other cars pulled over. I got out, checked my tire and it was flat. The other people left but more and more pulled over.

I dug in my purse for my phone and it wasn't there. The one day I actually needed it. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers without flats. I called AAA and said the word Turnpike and was immediately transferred. Limited access highways have dedicated towing companies. Who knew?

The long wait began. But more and more cars pulled over. In total there was about 9 flats, some multiples, before they closed the lane. It was get to know your fellow stranded people time. The car in front's daughter was giving birth. The car behinds mother had a stroke. Two cars of vacationers, and one who was meeting her son at the airport. He was coming home from deployment to Afghanistan. She missed it.

One state trooper came, then two more. They were busy writing up reports. In the mean time the tow truck finally came. I thought he'd start at the end of the line, but he came to me. I was the first call. So happy. At least one more truck came.

I thought the state trooper said to file a claim with my insurance and the Turnpike's would cover it. When I called my insurance this morning, it didn't sound promising.

We finally got back on the road at 8:30 or so. We got off the Lansdale exit and couldn't find a garage or tire store. We got pack on the Turnpike and drove slowly. Thank goodness it was a work zone. But everyone was still flying past us. We got off the next exit, and it looked like lots of shopping centers, but when you got off, nothing. There was a BJs. That held promise. But then I saw the Ford dealer. We went there. An hour later we were on the road.

We didn't arrive in Philly till after 10, I picked up the packet--they were out of kid sizes-- and left. Then I missed the Roosevlt Drive split and ha to take a long detour. I was hungry and cranky. When we got back to Q'town, I stopped at the Wawa and got a snack. Pat didn't chew hers well enough and vomitted in my car.

Could this day get any better?

I dropped Pat and her mess off and went for groceries for the picnic we were having later in the afternoon. Lyd arrived around 3 with the dog. She was spending the night because we were to leave for the color run at 5 am, and Pat was dog sitting.

We arrived at the picnic at 3:45, and is was good, until the storm came. We ran around and packed everything up and put everything away. We didn't lose power there.

But when we arrived home at 9:30 we did. The house was hotter than Hades. Lyd took the dog and went home. She'd be back by 5.

I called my friend Angel and told her to give me a wake up call. She called at 4:06. The power came back on at 1:45. I had maybe three hours of sleep. Sleeping on the porch was pretty impossible.

To be continued.

water #5

We got these at the Fourth of July race. I grabbed about three waters at the end, and brought this one home with me to photograph. Empty bottles don't photograph well so I found this one online.

It's pretty basic spring water, nothing special. It is housed in a well designed bottle, with an even better designed label. It's from New York.

jillian's back

Today was the Firecracker 4 mile. It was Bonnie's (aka Jillian) first race since surgery. She kicked my butt. Again. Lydia sat out the race with a migrane.

Bonnie picked me up and we headed for the race. Then she says "My goal is to do this in an hour". Say what? That's 4 miles and hour!

Boy is she competitive. I was ahead for a whole 3 or 4 seconds. She gets in the zone and goes.

I do better if I have someone to walk with, and talk to occasionally.  It really helps me keep the pace. Walking alone, my mind wanders, I daydream, and slow down.

Today we met the mom from h-e-double toothpick in the race. I was leapfrogging with her. She had a 6, maybe 7-year-old with her. Mom is powering thru and the little girl needs to run to keep up. At one point Bonnie was a good block ahead, and mean mom right in front of me. The little girl said mommy I can't go anymore. We have to slow down. Instead mom speeds up and leaves the little girl alone to walk. Say what?

Mom's powering thru and you hear this voice calling "mommy" numerous times. She finally stops, disgusted and turns around. "WHAT!" The little girl says she "needs help". Mom says she "can't stop". Little girl begs her to come back to her. Finally she does.  We didn't see them again. They finished last.

All this women did was succeed in turning her kid off to exercise. Mom, if you wanted to win, you should have left the kid with someone. Or let her do the kid race. I wanted to *itch-slap Mom.

Mom also almost ran me over when I was taking the pix of the Obama volunteer. She did the whole race with her sign, clipboard, forms and pen. What democracy needs is more people like dedicated. Go Obama girl.

close to five

Yesterday Bonnie and I did a test walk for the Firecracker 4 miler. We wanted to see if she could go the distance. She could.

We planned to meet at 7 again to beat the heat. At 7:30 I called and said "are you coming?" I woke her up. A little after 8 we hit the asphalt.

We walked from my house down to the Greenway. A little after Hayes street, there are no more trees. Just open sunny area. This is the newest section of the trail that will go under Fourth street and head into Saucon Park. There it will meet the Saucon Tail, which heads to Coopersburg.

We took the picture under the 4th street bridge. And decided not to go any further. No shade for as far as we could see. We would have baked. Another day, we'll bring the car down, park, and walk to Hellertown and check-out the new trail and the connection. Last time we walked on the Saucon trail it was stones and not easy to walk on.

We came back fourth street where the buildings provided some shade. We stopped at Alexandra's Bistro and had breakfast. Some of you might know it as the Blue Anchor. A old dive diner on Fourth street. It burnt down a few years ago and Alexandra's replaced it.

The waitress was chatty because she knew we were walkers—sweaty, stinky and guzzling water—lost 40 pounds by walking. She offered us a pitcher of ice water.

The walk turned out to be about 4.5 miles. When I called Bonnie later in the day to see if she wanted to go to the Pigs game, she was too tired. But she is working her way back.