baby it's cold outside

It snowed maybe an inch last night. Okay. Maybe two inches. Clearly wasn't worth the end of civilization weather reports from last night.

At about 7:30 I went out to clear the snow. Shovel, might be too strong a word. It was single digits. And very windy.

This is what I wore. I probably looked silly.

TWO pairs of gloves. When I came back in I couldn't feel my fingers
Long undies, top and bottom
Long sleeve shirt
Pullover fleece
LL Bean coat with hood up
Sweatshirt with hood up
Fuzzy hat under all those hoods
And a scarf

Except for my fingers I was not cold.

I did the front, walked up the hill, around to the alley and did the garage and the back sidewalk, then went up the hill and came back down to the house.

After getting half that clothes off, I went out to make breakfast. Bonnie called. "Let's drive to the Poconos and go for a three mile hike." "Okay." Alas, she was teasing. But I really did want to go to the Poconos. Angel was picking the girl-child up from Moseywood. I toyed with the idea of hiding in her car and walking around lake Moseywood. (Supremely jealous of girl-child—snowshoeing, cross country skiing, sledding, painting snow—why don't they have adult weekend in winter?)

I did some work, then put all that clothes back on, and headed out at lunchtime for my walk. Alone. Lydia had been a maybe for today, but she called and said it was F@*&‡!G cold out. She was going to the movies instead.

I went down to Itaska, and wove my way to Broadway. Out Broadway and back up thru Lehigh.  One reason I chose the university is I knew the sidewalks would be clear. They were so clear they were dry.

Even the stairs were clear. So I took them.

At the top of the hill I headed out 8th Street toward home.

Sadly, it was barely two miles. I only have 7500 steps for the day, but I do have 38 floors. So I'll need to do at least 2500 steps in the house later. Unless I decide to bundle back up and head back out.

 The view from 8th Street

Oh, I weighed myself this morning. Up another two pounds. I think I'm going to stop watching what I eat. More exercise. Less and better food. I do not understand.

cold and windy walk

Big News! I was able to create a simple one-page website for the Liberty Bell Wanderers. It went live this morning. And it's still there. It hasn't crashed.  So relieved.

After that success I really wanted to walk and celebrate. I text Lydia to see if she was free. She was. So after walking the dog and making pizza for lunch, we did the south Bethlehem volkssport walk. In the process we discovered that Lydia only has one more walk to finish her thirty walk book. So we are doing it again tomorrow!

It was cold and it was windy. But otherwise bright and beautiful. We actually drove to the Comfort Suites start point.

When we arrived at the Greenway it was snow covered. Just the little snow from Monday. The larger snow from Saturday had been plowed. But it had melted and refroze and was really icy, so we left the Greenway and walked thru the adjacent parking lots all the way to Polk street. The we walked out Third to the casino. Then down and around and back First Avenue thru Arts Quest. It was 2.75 miles. Which considering my track record lately is pretty damn good.

Tomorrow begins the winter challenge and the Iditawalk.  So I have to step up my game.

Oh, the Penn State lion now has a hashtag—#ifoundthelion. I'm going to go look to see how many clones he has. Maybe, we'll go on a lion safari in spring.

day 18—happy new year!

Personally, I don't get the "new year" holiday. Why should January first be any different than July first? To me, it is just another random Thursday, but I get off from work. Celebrating a new year goes all the way back to Mesopotamia in 2000 BC. And is apparently the most celebrated public holiday in the world. I think it's stupid.

To celebrate the new year I walked with Bonnie. We started at the Comfort Suites and grabbed the Bethlehem South volkssport walk paperwork. Then we headed over the Hill to Hill and did the same at the Hotel Bethlehem for Bethlehem North. We went up to Broad, down First and down Spring. then around the fairgrounds, and up Lehigh to the Fahy bridge. Across the bridge and back to the hotel.

I have no idea how far it was. Maybe 2 miles, perhaps a bit more.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind. We picked up Sharon at David's, came home and defrosted the freezer. Did two loads of towels (as a result of the defrosting). And did the Volkssport paperwork. Then it was time to make the pork and sauerkraut, which required a trip to the store. Finally run Sharon and Lydia home. Pshew.

Tomorrow will be worse. Take Lyd to and from Lehighton, hairdresser, and a trip to the garage. And I have to have my syllabus and the ADDY award entries done by the 5th.

So when does that vacation start? I have yet to open a book.

day 7 of 18, cookie baking, not walking

Yesterday was an epic fail walking wise. As the first day of winter, there were just not enough hours of light. As much as I love my ’hood, I'm not walking alone in it at night.

I was up by 6:30 and had the wash started by 7. Then I headed out to pick up Lydia and spent the day at Bonnie's making Christmas cookies. Sadly, I took no photos. I had to steal a collagé off of Lydia's FB page.

We baked a double batch of kifles, ginger, kiss, toll house, oatmeal raisin and flourless peanut butter. All but the kifles are gluten free. Bonnie found some great AP gluten free flour that works in most situations.

When we arrived back at my place at 3:30, I walked Adonis, served dinner and took Lydia, Adonis, and Sharon home--with a stop at Eryn's house. When I pulled into the garage it was pitch black out.

I was tired and didn't even make 5K steps. And still had a full night of grading to do. Break can't come fast enough.

 

This is the Christmas cactus on my desk at work. And there is still some blooms on it.  Temperature and light must be perfect in the 19th century mansion. 

 And these are the office deco's. Usually there are artsy postcards on that wash line. Wanted to get a poinsettia to cover the stove pipe cover, but kept forgetting. Too late now.

Why am I showing you? Because I want to share how pretty it is. I live with the mean version of Scrooge. There is no Christmas joy at my house. Gotta take it where I can get it.

Today's plan. Walk downtown and take a pix of the peace candle. Yeah, it's more impressive at night, but, again, not walking in downtown Easton at night alone. I might be crazy but I am not a fool.

no I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

Honest. I just have not been doing much walking. While I am looking for my mojo, I am gaining all the weight back it took me years to get rid of. I am eating like it is the end of the world. I've totally lost control.

The excuse of the moment is the end of the term. I am up to my eyeballs in grading. Chained to a computer like it's a prison sentence. Free time is spent chauffeuring people to and fro.

But it's bigger than that. I think I finally pinpointed it.  I've all my walking buddies are unavailable. I need to re-learn to walk alone. And that's hard. I hate solitude. Blame it on mom for having me last. I thrive in choas. Megan is now working. Bonnie is baby sitting. Lydia has no access to a vehicle. Betsy is injured. Angel is almost living at Target till the holidays are over. Even my colleague moved to Virgina. Everybody is unavailable.

In addition, I am sidetracked by Christmas.  

So far I worked on Christmas gifts. (I'm way behind.) We gone to the lights at the Lehigh Valley Zoo, and made candy house with my niece, her cousin and my friend. Next weekend we are all baking cookies and then sharing so we have more flavors and less quantities.

And Bonnie and I drove the baby to Christkindlmarkt. A mile and a half and we took the car. Sinful. But we wanted a happy baby with St. Nick. Ultimately, he did not care for the experience. (Over the weekend the wee one learned to stand up.)

Saturday Bonnie, Lydia, Megan, baby and I did go to Litiz for the Volkssport "Walk Through Time". It was held at 10:11 on 12/13/14. Cool, huh?

Litiz reminds me a lot of Bethlehem. I guess it's the German and Moravian influences. And it's packed at Christmastime. It was crazy finding a parking spot. We had to walk about a mile to the event, and it was so well attended that they ran out of maps. So we had to wait. Babies don't like waiting.

The route was pretty much a square. It went past Wilbur Chocolate, Linden Hall, and the Julius Sturgis Pretzel factory. Oh, and Hendricks' Flower Shop. I'm sure they thought we were nuts taking a selfie in front of their place.

The baby was pretty good. Talking a lot. We were pretty close to the finish when he became really unhappy. Mommy took him with her to get the car and his food. He was screaming by that point.

After getting our books stamped, I headed for my car and Bonnie and Lydia looked for a restaurant. We ended up going to Pork and Wally's. A lot of Liberty Bell Wanderer's showed up there also.

They we nice. The even nuked the babies food so it wasn't icy cold from the car. He had taken a power nap on the way back with the car, and was perfectly happy again.

Bonnie had "ham wings". They looked delicious. It was the shank portion and made to look kind-of like a lollipop.   Smoked ham on a stick. How could you go wrong?

After lunch we headed to Wilbur, and then back to the Pretzel Factory for the tour. I know I went to a pretzel factory when I was about 12 on a school trip or girl scout trip. But I think it was in Reading. I don't ever remember being in Litiz before.

Nice day. And it's a nice day today. Must get my lazy fat butt outside for a walk.

pumpkin pie 5k

This morning was the Pumpkin Pie 5K.

When I awoke, and it was finally light enough to see, I determined that it was safe to go to the event. It's was 36 and the porch train was dripping on my head. Good sign that there would be no ice.

I picked up Sharon at 7:30 and Lydia at 8, then we headed down 248 to Nazareth. I dropped them at the Y and looked for a place to park. I got really lucky. Meters were free and the spot I selected was plowed! As a bonus it was only about 2 blocks from the Y. That never happens in Nazareth.

I didn't do this race last year, I don't remember why, but in 2012 I finished it about 50 minutes. This year I finished in 51:48. So I increased my time by a minute and a half. Maybe I'm slower. It snowed the whole race., so maybe it was the slush and wet leaves. Who knows.

There is a lot of people on the route cheering you on, which is both helpful and annoying.  I finished second last. For a while I was last, and the copy was creeping along behind me. I pasted a mom and her daughter and ditched the cop. So much more pleasant. As I walked past the car I clicked the trunk button on my keys and threw my coat in. I might have missed a beat, but it was pretty seamless.

Sharon and Lydia did the 1.5 mile fun walk. Though Lydia tracked it at 2 miles. Sharon was pooped at the end. I found her on a park bench waiting for me.

Saturday is the Turkey Trot. Bonnie and Megan, I think are doing that one.

what happened to my mojo?

Yesterday  Bonnie, Megan, the Wee One and I did the Bethlehem Volkssport walk. We had a great time doing the the second-loop 5K.  That loop goes west to the tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, the armory, then back to the Fahy Bridge. Up the hill and circles thru the cemetery. Basically a odd shaped figure eight. It was chilly but nice. The baby even fell asleep for awhile. We parked in front of the Moravian Bookstore -- why didn't I go in? -- and went shopping in the Christmas Village. It was my best walking total in a long time.

But I'm still looking for my mojo. Can't find it anywhere. I have had about six weeks, maybe even eight weeks of sucky totals for walking. I made my goals maybe twice, but only because of half marathons. My clothes are telling me I am gaining weight. Yet I exercise less and less and stuff more and more into my pie hole. Pie-hole stuffing is out of control. Today was the first day in forever I ate vegetables. And I love vegetables. It stinks.

Even if my Fitbit wasn't acting wonky this week, I would have still had lackluster totals. Again.

I did no exercise walking today. First I was going to call Lydia. Then not. Then I planned a route in the neighborhood. But something always got in the way. Obligations from 20 directions. Can't anyone do anything themselves. No. because I'm a push over.

Do you want to know how bad my laziness has gotten? Thursday I walked down to the South Bethlehem Volkssport walk at the Comfort Suites and collected the paperwork and then didn't do the actual walk! Who am I and what have I done with Gayle? I had sixteen people to walk with and I went home. I just had so much grading to do.

I even missed my regular Friday walk with Betsy. She cancelled, so instead of walking I shopped for Toys for Tots while I was driving Lydia.

Sadly, the more I don't walk the more it becomes easier to sit on my fat ass and let it get fatter. Any ideas how to get me out of this rut, let me know. I'm begging.

Meanwhile I have two 5Ks this week. I'd better get my fanny moving.

This week the swag came from Tail on the Trail. (Thanks for the pix Lydia!) We had gotten a long sleeve grey tee a couple weeks ago. now we've gotten a flannel blanket with a plastic back. I'm guessing it's for picnics after your walks. I'm kind of perplexed over the super-duper stadium cushion. Isn't sitting something they are not promoting? It's nice. If anyone needs a stadium cushion I have one. Otherwise it's going in the hand-me-down bag. The blanket is in the emergency kit in the car.

dog walk

Today Adonis, Lydia and I walked on the Whitehall Parkway. Since Lydia can't drive, I would have to pick her up, hence the trail choice. We often do the IRT portion, but rarely do the "spur". When I sent her a text I suggested taking Adonis. He doesn't play well with other dogs and she thought maybe it wasn't a good idea. I convinced her that it was cold, miserable, and the middle of the day how many dogs would we meet.

I picked them up at 11 and we headed out. The trail is only about 10 minutes from their house.

We parked at the barn and took the handicapped trail thru the woods to the main trail. I thought it would be easier with the dog. Not. It was full of roots and was very narrow at points. And there was a bridge with high steps. Clearly there was a turn I missed.

At this point Lydia had the dog and I was leading. Before I knew it I was flat on the ground. I looked back and yelled "watch the rock".  Then I took the dog. Figured he'd see obstacles before me. Adonis was not sure about the stairs to the bridge. He doesn't do many steps. Up was fine. Down he sort of jumped. The leash was only so long. Thankfully he didn't pull me over.

 We were almost at the trail when we saw this old railroad car. I wanted to take pictures so I said "come on Adonis" and we headed toward it. It didn't take long to notice the sticker bushes.

I stopped and said, let's get out of her. Adonis went right thru the sticker bushes. Last I talked to Lydia she was still picking them off him. My jacket, gloves and pants are full of them.

Finally we reached the actual trail. Adonis was a very good dog, and brisk walker, as long as I kept him in the middle on the stones. If he came to close to the grass the sniffing and stopping would begin.

When we reached the quarry he saw a chipmunk and started to go after it. He nearly pulled me over. Thankfully Lydia was already barking commands. We had still not seen a single person.

That changed when we came out of the woods. The trail runs next to the road about a half mile to the Troxell Steckell House. It must be a popular parking spot for joggers and dog walkers. On this stretch we encountered a jogger, some bikes and a couple walking three--yes three--dogs. We crossed the street and Lydia occupied him by picking off stickers until they past. Don't you know we passed them coming back too.

We almost reached the museum and Lydia saw a dog off the leash, and another German shepherd coming toward us.  No going to see the extension of the trail, we turned around and headed back.

We only went about 2.75 miles but it was at a nice brisk pace. Adonis was delighted to be out of the house, and with the exception of the chipmunk he was pretty good.

Maybe I'll take him again.

costochondritis and walking.

http://kcra-kw.com/en/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Costochondritis.gif

Monday I went to work. walked a bit at lunchtime. It was a beautiful day.

Came home and started feeling odd. Indigestion maybe? But I ate dinner and turned on the computer and went to class. By 10PM I felt like there was a man standing on my breast bone. And he wasn't invited. I shut off the computer and moved to the couch to watch The Blacklist.   Laying down was worse. Was I having a heart attack? I didn't know. Took my blood pressure. Perfect. Decided it was indigestion and found some generic pepcid that expired in 2012. I took it and went to bed.  By that time my whole left side hurt and my breast felt like bricks.

Tuesday I woke up. I was happy. I woke up. Not a heart attack but it was still there. I couldn't sneeze. Coughing was traumatic. As long as I didn't make any sudden moves I could function. We needed chicken to add to our leftover "rice surprise" (damn it was good) so I took the scenic route to Aharts. Walking up to Sioux street I was both fine and miserable. Walking up Fiot and 8th was even worse. I kept taking my pulse. Perfect. It felt like cracked ribs. The pain is sudden and sharp. The "little man" was really being a PIA and I lost all sense of concentration.

Driving to work I missed the school zone sign flashing. It was 4:00! I got a ticket. $169!!!

Since I was miserable, I decided to listen to the voice in my head and go to the doc in the box. Maybe it's Pneumonia. Maybe a heart attack. The horror visions were dancing in my head. And I have a half marathon Sunday. I decided to go after work. The stress of not knowing was killing me. I could hear Bonnie yelling, "stop being so cheap and go to the doctor". So I did. It's Costochondritis. A virus in the chest wall near the breast bone. There isn't a blasted thing you can do for it but take Aleve. 3 OTC=1 Rx. (I wasn't taking any pain meds because I didn't want to mask the symptoms.) The doc-in-the-box was $148. This is why I don't go to the doctor. It's just a money vacuum. On the up side my heart and lungs are healthy.


Did I mention there's a half-marathon on Sunday? One that I haven't really trained for? Not a good time to get sick. Have another one tomorrow.


Wednesday I walked at work a bit. But the Aleve was making me sick. Thursday I did very little. I drove Lydia to Lehighton and that took my walking time. My online class and my on ground class take up the day. Plus cooking dinner mid-afternoon.


Today I drove Miss Lydia to her home visits. Last week I went walking with Betsy. this week she wasn't available so I walked myself in a whole new neighborhood. The easiest way to explain it is the backside of the muni golf course. I'm guessing 50-60 'burbs. Lots of splits, ranches and amazing mid century architecture. When I was a kid I thought it was hideous. Now I think it's beautiful. I was about three blocks away when Lydia buzzed that she was done.

 Hand-painted, with a great view of the golf course.

 In front of an amazing mid-century house.

Multi-color ghosts.


My breathing was not normal during the walk. But I still have two days till the half. I cannot breath deep so pushing it might not be possible. But I breathed thru my nose the whole time. I rarely do that when walking. I'm an open mouth person.

I did promise my sister that I would not be a hero. I would get my ample butt in the sweep car  if I had to. I think if I pick a steady pace I should be okay. I will take two Aleve before I go. Don't want to lose my breakfast on the trail. Who am I kidding? Breakfast will be after the race. No personal records will be broken. I will use the full four and a half full hours if needed and the route is flat as a pancake.


Tomorrow we are walking on the D&L in the area of the marathon. The more familiar you are with a course, the better it is. Then after walking we'll go pick up our race gear. Michelle, the walking coach, is hosting a pre-race dinner on Saturday night.


If with my weak walking totals this month, I am still past 1000 miles for this Tail on the Trail Challenge. That is about six times around. The challenge ends Sunday.

my house smelled like autumn

Lydia is still having car issues so I planned a walk near her house on the Nor Bath trail today. That way I could pick her up and we'd be almost there.

The plan was to meet Bonnie, Megan and the baby, and Angel and her family at trail head. But Angel wasn't feeling well and Bonnie and Megan went to the wrong trail head. So Bonnie and I headed into Northampton to meet them at the Siegfried* train station. Then we moved across the street to the Northampton Heritage trail, which is part of the D&L. That section is paved, but once out of town it is totally natural. This is one section of the D&L that is not developed.

Then I took Lyd home and we picked up Adonis to go to my house.  It was the first time an animal had been in my car since I brought Snowball home for Megan when she was a child.

We opened the door and the house spelled wonderful. I had a beef roast ready for the oven when I left. The roomie put it in at 10:30. When we were kids mom put a roast in before church and it was ready when we came home. It smelled like that. And it tasted even better. Can't beat the meat from the farm.

The dog managed to get two walks before we had to leave for Basket Bingo. This bingo is held by the Boy Scout Troop Camp Association. Jarrod loved the camp that they manage in Allentown. Or is it Salisbury? Anyway, we go every year. And usually leave empty handed. I call it a charitable donation. But this year we won. A lot.

All in all, it was a good day.

* The Siegfried Station name came from the original settlement's founder, Lehigh River banks store/tavern/ferry/bridge owner John Siegfried. In 1902 the nearby communities of Siegfried, Stemton, and Newport had merged to form the Borough of Alliance, a name which lasted until 1909 when it was renamed Northampton.

corn maze

St. Luke's is the major sponsor of the Tail on The Trail challenge. Clearly they are also the sponsor of the Seiple Corn Maze also. So the Tail on the Trail sent us discount coupons for the maze. They said it was worth 2.5 miles. It was more like 5.

For the last two or three years I've gone to the maze at Raub's in Easton with my exchange students. It's been awhile since I was at Seiples. They have everything to keep you there a whole day and spend money. They probably make more this month than the rest of summer. There is a haunted house, animals,  rides, pumpkin patch, concessions and plenty of places for family photo ops. An autumn carnival of sorts.

Usually corn mazes have a fall or Halloween theme. This one was the St Luke's logo with extra stars for added confusion.  there was no map so you couldn't tell where you were. It was crazy.

Lydia is having a bit of a crisis right now, so instead of wallowing in her house, I forced her to come along. For two hours she didn't think about life's problems. I'm not a great problem solver but I'm a whiz with the band-aid.

Since the theme was St. Luke's, the stations all had to do with anatomy, wellness or services. I had Lyd take my pix at fitness. Seemed appropriate. I'd say the bulk of the stations were in the cluster of stars. We did a lot of circles looking for them.

In the end, we teamed up with another very young and cute couple to find the last station. I was five minutes from giving up.

 On my way out I made a new friend. And in typical 2014 fashion, I took a selfie.

will race for free beer

Or not. The line was way to long.

The Oktoberfest 5K was today. We had a huge group—Bonnie, Lydia, Megan, Dawn and Lyds friend Joleen. It was cold today waiting for the race. We all wore layers. Most of us wore the shirts we picked up yesterday. Nice, right? I had a pink shirt under mine. It is Pinktober after all.

We planned to meet at the entrance to ArtsQuest at 10 am. Megan and Joleen arrived first, then Dawn and her husband, and finally Megan and Bonnie. The race had at least 4K people. They capped it at 5K and were still selling entries.  It was wall to wall people. The broke us into four waves with beer themed names. We were in the last wave. The first was at the start line near the Welcome Center. The last was in the "Keg" section. The line up for that began at PBS. Yep, we pretty much had to walk two blocks to the start line. It took almost 8 minutes for us to cross. Thank goodness for chip timing.

We quickly splintered by pace. Near the beginning I actually passed Megan and Bonnie. How did that happen? But soon Bonnie passed me. Then Megan. Once we hit the hills, I was doomed. Those two, like my friend Angel fly up the hills. I passed them on the way down. But then they passed me again and it stayed that way.

The course went out first, up Webster, out Columbia and over the Fahy Bridge. Then up Center, out Church, and down around the city center and down Lehigh.  Over to Sand Island, turn around and come back.

I met Bonnie and Megan again on Columbia, near the back side of Looper's. Bonnie said "You caught up". And I said something about them seeing the finish line and they'd speed off without me. But they agreed on the bridge that we'd all cross together. And we did. My foot must have hit first because I finished in 50:48, and they finished in 50:50. Our unison was a little off. Dawn finished in 56:50, and Lydia and Joleen in 63:55.

They did not give us our traditional gingerbread cookie medals at the finish which I found odd. You had to wait in line. It wasn't a horrible line, like the one for beer.

Dawn was going to try and save hers. I don't know about the others. Me, I'm eating it. I assure you, it will be gone by morning. Hope it tastes as good as it smells. I heart gingerbread.

half the hills in easton.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/old-photos-pennsylvania/33064-hacketts-park-easton.html

Today we were supposed to walk at Columcille in Bangor, but just as the weather people predicted it was pouring this morning. There were quite a few people who wanted to do the walk.

We were supposed to start at 10. When I turned on the computer this morning there was a message from Angel. "Let me know when you leave for Columcille if you're online. I'm on the fence with the weather". I assured her the weather would clear up by nine. It didn't. In fact when I was prepping to leave it started to pour. After Angel's email, then Lyd called. Pretty much the same conversation. She opted for plan B. "Even if it stops raining it will be really muddy". Then I called Bonnie. They were out also. A text to Dawn confirmed she was bagging it.

Angels child is at camp for the weekend. There are not many opportunities for many childless activities with a 10-year-old in the house. Another email comes...

"Is there someplace Indoors we can go?" And another ...

"We could Mall walk. *cringe*". 

The rain had stopped and it looked like it might clear up. Since I had to go to the farm for eggs I suggested the Palmer rail trail. It's paved. Then Angel sweetened the pot with "You want to come over, get cauliflower and walk from here to Hackett park? Or I can make lunch..."

So that's what we did, Angel, her husband and I walked from her house to Hackett Park on the Wilson section of the rail trail. Like the old cliché it was up hill in "both directions". When we entered the park I had 30 stairs on my FitBit. And it was park-like with swings and pavilions and things. Not a field like when I entered from the rail trail. And there's a cemetery in the middle of the park. With a cannon. And obsolete plaques. Who knew? Wish I would have had my camera.

When we came back we left the trail and hiked up the hill to Northampton Street. I have always wanted to walk up that damn hill. Why? It's steep. But only earned us another seven flights.Then we worked our way back to Angel's house including a set of stairs. Who knew there were stairs on Northampton street? Total stair count—46!

We made lunch—huge salads with peanut-sesame dressing — and then I ate and ran.

First stop, the farm. I had to get a pot roast, a steak and eggs. I eat a lot of eggs. I also got some cherry tomatoes and some peppers. This is pretty much the end of the veggies. They also had pumpkins and squashes of all varieties. While I was shopping others came, and then the hay truck. Nobody yelled HAAAAAAAY! Shocking. But we were stock for a few minutes. Let me assure you that they hay truck driver had some driving skills.

Second stop ArtsQuest. We have a race tomorrow and today was packet pick up. I should have told them "event" instead of "packet pickup". I had to park in the casino overflow employee shuttle lot and hoof it in.

I ended up with 6.5 miles and I still have a deficit in my goal for this week. I'm only at 75%. No way I'll get to 100% this week. Oh well. But damn certain I will make 50 stairs. I will walk up and down the hill until I do.

When I arrived home there was another email from Angel. "Are you blogging about today? Because if you do:
- we walked about 4.2 miles
- we had crazy fitbit issues (hers got stuck and somehow turned on iTunes which played do-wop)
- we ate good food
- we had a great time
- and my fit bit gave me 92 active minutes!!! (mine gave me 1.25 hours active, 31 very active. That's good. I rarely get double digits for very active minutes, yet alone out of the teens.)
- next time let's do six miles!"

You are on Angel. Now what to do about the child ....

it's quarterly report time.

Since I am the point of contact for the Volkssport club, the end of September means it's time for a quarterly report.

I met my client in west Allentown, and afterwards stopped at the Comfort Suites to pick up the logs.

By the time I returned home, Lydia had arrived to go walking. First we walked the dog (1/2 mile). Lydia and I then hopped into the car and headed to the Comfort Suites and picked up the log sheets for the South Bethlehem walk. Then we stamped the books and headed out for our walk.

Now I will not bore you with the details, you've heard them all before. The new thing? Scarecrows. Lots and lots of scarecrows. I think they might be part of Octoberfest next week.

 When we returned home, I took Adonis for yet another walk.

After a week of deficit numbers, today's 25K steps helped me reach my walking goals for the week. Of course, I got little else done. Oh well.

exploring courtesy of the wpa

This morning we did an early walk in downtown Allentown. The last time we did it there was a huge hole in Hamilton street. Now there is a brand spanking new arena, square and almost a city block. But someone still tried to hit us up for money. I've never seen homeless people in suits before.

Today is was Megan, Lydia, Bonnie and I. The wee one stayed home with daddy. I could get used to this.

We parked near the Parkettes gym and headed towards south Fourth street passing a statue of MLK and his wife. How long has that been there? I go past there frequently and never noticed the zig- zagged sidewalk, stairs or statue.

We headed up Fourth past Trout Hall and the prison then went out Linden to Fifth. We stopped at the Art Park to look at Rise Up Allentown, and went thru the park to Sixth. Up Sixth past what's left of the Americus Hotel, and out Hamilton to the square. There is a Tom Horton's there that kind-of, sort-of looked open and a bagel shop that wasn't. It's Sunday morning and the bagel shop is closed? I guess they depend on the courthouse / office traffic to make their money. Neither are open Sunday's.

We went out Hamilton to Twelfth, and crossed at the Public Library and headed down the hill to Union. We went down the hill to where I had my accident. And there is a tunnel in the WPA wall. I noticed it when I was waiting for the cops that day.

 You can see the tunnel and some of the stairs in this Google Pedometer image.

This is not the stairs from MLK Blvd. The one's that are in need of  repair. These are above those, on Union. In the retaining wall (c. 1937) there is a tunnel. In the tunnel there are stairs. After one flight they Y. The right side is barricaded with railroad ties. They look like they might lead to yards.

The ones on the left go up and up and up.  Damn, I wish I had my camera. They end in an alley going up to Spring Garden Street, near Eleventh. Nobody wanted to explore but me. So I went alone. They waited for me which was nice. I guess I should have given them the car keys.

Boonie must have been getting worried when I didn't come out so she started yelling for me. I yelled back. I'm sure the people in the row houses appreciated it at 9 am on a Sunday.  I was almost at the top and had to find out where they lead to so I was not turning around. What the WPA givith, Gayle explores.

When I came down we headed back on the Fountain Park trail to the Parkettes lot.

Then came home and took the dog out. He was so good we took him almost a mile. He's sleeping. Wore him out.

fitness friday

When I get up I grab my Fitbit and my glasses—they have an illicit relationship and sleep together.  Usually I clip the fitbit to my jammies and run around doing morning things. Then switch it to my clothes for the day. I didn't do that yesterday. It was a bout 12:20 when I realized it. It registered less than 500 steps.

Thankfully I discovered it before my walk with Betsy. We did our normal 3 miles in her neighborhood. I did a few errands than headed home.

At 5 I met up with Bonnie and Megan and we headed to Coca Cola Park for the Bacon Challenge. It's a 5K where half way thru you consume a 1/2 pound of bacon. We all opted out. Nothing makes me want to vomit more than the thought of chugging a half pound of cold bacon and then racing.

When we arrived, Megan sent a text to Lyd.  Lyd and Dawn were already there, and Dawns friend Cindy met us a bit later, We had a big group. Dawn wanted to know where the baby was. "He's part of the team now." Luckily he was home with daddy.

Cindy was nervous. Her first 5k. We did our best to assure her everything was okay. She'd finish and she wouldn't die. I took a before shot, and promised a finish shot. But of course that stupid camera died. Again. So I had Megs take it with her phone. Dawn and Lydia stayed with her and they finished in 61 minutes. And they were not last!

The course never left the ballpark. We started in front of the main gate, and went down the hill to the American Parkway and back up again. The head east and circled those lots, and entered the ball park and looped around the concourse.  We left the stadium by the lower gate then headed toward the west parking lots behind the Western Electric building. (I have no idea what the current name is. It changes yearly.) This is where people stopped to eat bacon. We heard little good about it. I'm guessing about 10% of the people went in the pass-by lane.  You could not leave the bacon lane till you finished. I did not see a vomit bucket.

After circling the west parking lots we headed down that hill to American Parkway, back up and followed the road at the rear of the stadium. I thought we'd enter then by the pork racer door, but no, they had us pork racer the lot first. Then we entered the field and looped of the dirt path.

I had managed to catch up to Bonnie several times, but when we entered the door, she went into finish line mode and kicked it into high gear. Bonnie is now a half block ahead and I hear running behind me. It's Megan. I yelled "Megan is running." Bonnie looked back and started running too. NOBODY, not even her baby, will beat Bonnie. She crossed 1.9 seconds before Megan. I finished in my typical spot 20 seconds behind.

Bonnie 49:02
Megan 49:03.9
Gayle 49:22.8
Dawn 61:35.5
Cindy 61.36.6
Lydia 61.37.5

My fitbit was at about 18K when I returned home. I would have made 20, or maybe even 25 had I remembered to put it on in the morning.

lake galena

Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of the Liberty Bell Wanderers. There was a 10K walk and picnic at Lake Galena in Peace Valley Park near Doylestown. It rained.

Thankfully when we arrived it stopped. And it stopped for the whole two hours we were walking. then it started again. Over 100 people were packed into the pavilion. Plus the food. Plus the pig. Let's just say space was limited. By the end of lunch it was pouring and everyone went home.

The lake loop is a 10K. More or less. Lydia's tracker had it at 7 miles. Bonnie's as 6.2 miles. Didn't ask Megan about hers. Lydia started whining about 4 miles in. I think it was because she ran out of things to take pictures of. We were in the woods.Think I'm kidding? Check her FB page. She post 85 of them!

The lake is man-made. But it's beautiful. A few hardy souls were out in boats and kayaks. But not many. The dam was covered with birds of all kinds. The fields fill of wildflowers. The trail is macadam so there is no gravel slippage under your feet.

Since we saw nobody after about the half way point, I think we were the only ones that did the 10K.

Some sights along the way—

 Orange fungus on a tree trunk. The tree still had leaves but was half-fallen and dying slowly.

 A telephone. You cannot see the cob webs on it. But it worked. Here I thought they were extinct.

 A woodpecker condo. And the tree is still trying to grow. I can't count how many holes are in it.

 Boats lined up waiting to be used.

The pig. Mostly consumed by the time we got back.

Comfort Station I-3.5, and they were plentiful.

Today I'm on my own. Bonnie and Megan are taking the baby for swim lessons, and Lydia (and maybe Dawn) are at Bushkill Falls. I think I'll be doing the south Bethlehem Volkssport walk.

trout creek park

This morning we walked thru Tout Creek Park. The baby was quite happy today. Clearly he liked the cooler weather. Or maybe he's just excited that daddy is coming this week.

Trout Creek Park is not the prettiest park in the Allentown Park System, but it's got a walking path. Once we reach 8th street, then we head towards Mack Blvd. But we don't go that far. I think the street we turn on is Dixon.

We head down Dixon, and thru the development.  to the shopping center. We found the stacked tires at the edge of the shopping center. If you look thru the yellow tire, I'm in the shadow. The baby wanted no part of looking at the camera.

When we reached the Susquehanna Street Bridge, we crossed, and went under, back to the park. We too the trail north, then spun around at the end and came back. Everyone's trackers said something different. It was somewhere between 3-4 miles.

After arriving home, we took the dog out for another 3/4 mile.