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.

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.

a walk on the D&L

Thursday Bonnie, Megan, the Wee One, and I walked again to the south side farmers market. We took the scenic route through Fountain Hill to get there.  Again I bought heavy food. Will I ever learn. This time it was a giant head of cauliflower. I almost wished I would have had a knife with me. I could have cored it and left all the leaves there. It probably would have weighed half as much.

I had mail to take to the post office. I put it in my grocery sack to carry it for the first part of the walk. At the farm stand, I took it out, but needed to set it down to get money out. I was nearly to Broughal when I realized I left my mail (and Bonnie's mail) at the farm stand. I ran walked back and it was still there.

Next stop, the post office. I needed to mail the letters, and buy 100 stamps. They have no machine at that branch. There were two people in line and the person in front of me looked aggravated. I can see why. The person in front of him had 50 letters and each one needed to be weighed individually. Because it was lunch time there was only one clerk on. Bonnie and Megan though I got lost.

We finally reconnected and walked home. We were about 2 blocks away when the Wee One decided he no longer wanted to be in his stroller.

Friday I walked with Betsy early in the morning. then Pat and I headed up to the Monroe campus to see the faculty art show.

Yesterday, we all did the D&L tow path from Bethlehem to Freemansburg.  It was advertised as 6 miles. It was a little longer. An no, I didn't get the uniform memo.

We started at the ice house and headed east thru Sand Island to the D&L. The weeds on the side of the trail are giant. You can see that in the group picture. The narrow portion of the trail is very narrow. We arrived at the first Freemansburg bridge in about an hour. We only had one stop with the baby. He was not a happy hiker and cried a lot. By Freemansburg he was asleep.

Megs, Bonnie and I wanted to climb the stairs to the bridge. Lydia didn't. So she took the baby and walked ahead. We'd catch up.

Back when mama was alive if we gave her a grocery cart, she forgot all about her arthristis and flew thru the store like she had wings. Apparently Lydia is the same with a stroller. I had to run to pass her to take the picture. She stopped so Bonnie and Megs were able to catch up.

Megan took over the stroller until we reached the Minsi Trail bridge and the same thing happened. We climbed, she took the baby and flew away.

By the time Lydia gave him back at Sand Island he was awake and unhappy.  Megan took the stroller and kept moving. But he was over the stroller.

When we returned to the road I took him out and I gave him my piggies hat. And we walked back to meet Lydia. She had climbed down some stairs to get a picture of the Steel.  We took selfies. He didn't understand. But he was quiet. In the distance I could see Megs and Bonnie coming down the Fahy bridge stairs. I gave them back the baby and I climbed them. All in all it was about 7 miles.

Bathrooms, according to Lyd were an I-3.5.

When we arrived home, we took Adonis out for another 1/2 mile.

Later in the afternoon, I went out for another mile or so. My total for the day was 20K steps, and 25 stairs.

wednesday night

Wednesday I received a text from Lydia. Walk and dinner tonight? I replied sure.

After eating dinner (mom's pastich with sausage instead of ground beef) we took the dog for his half mile loop. Then we hopped in the car and headed to ArtsQuest. After parking in one of the lots, we headed out towards the casino. I figured it would be 2.5-3 miles. And only one hill.

After crossing under the Hoover Mason Trestle, we stopped for our photo op in front of this huge silver item that says "Safety Involves Teamwork".  Guess that means we shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the street.

On thing I noticed was a lot of families. The Event Center must have been having a family show. the parents and children were all dressed up!

We walked past the hotel, the outlet malls, and headed past the casino to 4th Street. We stayed on the casino side of the street and walked back toward ArtsQuest. When we arrived at the car, we were a little short of Lydia's goal, so we walked in circles in the parking lot. People must have thought we were crazy!

veg fest —not quite a washout

I woke up at 4:30 and it was raining. It stopped at maybe 7:30. Hurray we can still walk. So I talk to everyone and by the time 9 am rolls around it's drizzling.

Bonnie and Megan arrived with the baby at 9:15 and come in so Pat can see the baby. It starts to pour. No VegFest walk for us. It poured for an hour and a half. The baby played with the dog and on the floor. He was happy. Pat seemed happy.

The rain slowed and they went home. Lydia and I took Adonis for a longer walk in the drizzle. And then we waited. In the mean time I started a batch of moms barbeque. It's more like "manwhich" than BBQ, but that's what she called it. It is yummy. And without additives. We haven't made it since before Henry died and it was delicious. I even got the white spongy hamburger rolls instead of real bread. When in Rome.

VegFest started out as a way to celebrate being vegetarian right at the end of the harvest. Now it's moved into August and has a decidedly "vegan" theme. Though it's a great place for people with allergies to eat. Everyone has signs up that says gluten, nut, whatever free. There is a marketplace for craft vendors, an animal spot for "save the {fill in the blank}" — all creatures great and small are represented. My favorite are the pigs. Hense the picture. They all have donation cans out. I gave a dollar to the pigs. I didn't want to ask, but why is there a need for a "basset hound rescue".

Another aisle is activism. That the green energy, no GMOs, laundry soap, whatever. Also three performance stages, and a place for lectures and demos. Oh, and a cooking stage too.

Then there is the aforementioned food court. The Cinnamon Snail came down from NYC and they started lining up before the festival opened, in the rain. When we walked past the line was a block long. I can think of nothing that would be worth a block long line. And it's all veggies!

 I don't even want to think about what the hot dog cart was selling.

We did get a "gluten-nut-dairy-soy-free only 45-83 calorie—with no added sugar" ice pop. Mompops had a cart. OMG delicious. Lydia had chocolate with sea salt. It tasted like a fudgesicle. It was made with coconut milk. I had the strawberry lemonade. It was pureed strawberries thinned with lemon juice. It was tart. Both were delicious. They are out of West Chester so if you are in the Philly area, look for them at coffee shops, healthy stores, and farm markets.

Lydia kept a look out for fried veggies but none were to be found.

Sadly, I guess because of the rain, there were a lot of no shows.

The clouds were getting blacker so we high-tailed it home. Then, because it was still clear, we took the dog for another walk. He was a happy boy today.

a mad cap adventure

This mornings walk was crazy. It was a mad cap adventure of confusion.

When I woke this morning it was raining. No walking. Then it stopped. Walking back on.

We decided to go to Fairview Park in Palmer to do the bike trail—9:30. Bonnie's car doesn't hold 5 adults with the babies car seat so we need to take two cars. I assumed Bonnie was going to call like she normally does, and then we'd head out. She assumed we were meeting at the park. We are waiting at the house. She is waiting at the park. Nobody is going anywhere. Finally Megan called "Where are you?"

We started about 10:20. Oops. By that time the sun was out. The trail is out and back. We head toward Rt 33, turn the corner and go toward the hospital. At the back entrance to the hospital, we turn around and come back.

On the way back Lydia and Megan were in front doing a 14 minute or less mile. (Lydia's PR) and they turned right. They were headed for the swings. The baby was sleeping. But as soon as we got airborne he woke up. He had his first ride on the baby swing and loved it! He also loved going down the slide with me. Too bad there was water puddled at the bottom.

The park was set up for Community Days. It was starting to smell good.

On the way home we stopped at the farm for eggs and corn, then picked up lunch at Lehigh Pizza. Any calories burnt were consumed.

After lunch we took the very patient dog for his walk.

irt and monocacy park

There was a Boot Camp class at the Hokey Playground today and three of the gang were planning on going. So we planned to walk the IRT afterwards. But things happened on Saturday night and everyone but Megan backed out. And she didn't really want to do it alone, so we ended up walking earlier.

We also ended up doing the entire loop—5.3 miles.

The IRT is a nice walk. Fairly flat. Visually interesting. You meet a lot of friendly people because it it such a popular spot. The baby did fairly well with the longer walk. He got fussy and then fell asleep.

Bonnie rated the the facilities an P-2.5.

After I returned home, Lydia sent me a text—she felt well enough to go out for a walk. Wanting to avoid Musikfest on both the north and south side we headed to Monocacy Park. Another happening place. Again, the lot was packed. Could be because someone was getting married at one of the pavilions.

We took the nature trail that rail next to the creek. We encountered a family laying in hammocks in the creek. Looked delightful. We also encountered a lot of downed trees.

 Here's me climbing over a couple. Slow and steady. Have I mentioned I had Birks on?

On the way back, Lydia noticed a rock moving. Turned out to be a turkey hen. Her dinner is laying next to her.

We crossed the lot and the street and looped the park. While Lydia was taking pixs on the waterfall, I hit the comfort station. The last time I was there there was a fish in the sink. Today, it rated a I-3.5. The toilet tissues was padlocked to the roller. Are things so bad that people steal TP?

Of course we walked the dog when we returned home.

fitness challenger 7 — golf!

Earlier this summer I registered for the PGA Ladies Get Ready program at the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course. Three classes, one a week, for three weeks.

Today was the day. I got up early and checked the website. There are a lot of "rules" for golf. The class wasn't there. Did I really put it on three calendars incorrectly? I went to the golf course at the scheduled time. Apparently the class was cancelled. I was the only one registered. They forgot to contact me. Instead he is giving me three private 1 hour lessons. The cost difference would be substantial. But I don't have to pay it.

GOLF IS HARD. My brain hurts. I think I got putting down. Chipping on the other hand is kicking my butt. The basket of balls he left me with had about 100 balls in. I think maybe 10 were hit correctly.

My knees also hurt. A lot. I had to fill out a form about any physical issues. I didn't list my knees. You know me. I put my head in the sand and ignore it. I don't think about it as an issue. It's an issue. A big issue.

I have homework. I have to go hit balls--500 of them. A bucket is about 100. If I pick most of them up I might get away with only getting two buckets. One each day. (Yes, I'm cheap...but not lazy.) I also need to watch some videos. And I have to make an appointment for the next lesson. I just checked the calendar and there is no free times when I'm free. That will be a problem.

Maybe it's the cosmos way of telling me golf isn't my sport.

I was sitting here dreaming of Aleve for the pain in my knees. Instead I walked around the block. Down the hill, out Broadway and up Wyandotte to Sassafraas (The playground/cemetery) down the hill, out Itaska, down Hellner, out Broadway and back up my hill. It might have been stupid, but my knees hurt less.

Last night Lydia, the dog and I walked. It was just about 2.75 miles.

Tomorrow I'm walking with Bonnie and Megan and the baby. Then Saturday is the Alburtis 5K. No plans for Sunday ... yet.

On a related note, I had my last Chriopractor appointment for the year. It's a very slow process and I'm responding, but not as quickly as others. Actually I see no difference in the way I feel or move what so ever. He wants me to commit to another year, once a week. I'm on the fence. My brain and wallet say cut your losses. Try something different. What do you think?

after dinner walks

Yesterday it started getting hot, and I really didn't feel like walking. But I drug my butt out there and did it. Lydia came along.

It was so hot neither of us felt like putting on sneakers. Well, the sneakers wouldn't have been bad, but the socks would have been tormet. So we wore our Birks.

Lydia decided she doesn't like walking in Birks. I, on the other hand, would do it all the time.

First we took the dog out. After being a bad boy in the house, he walked the best he's ever walked. He didn't stop much, or run ahead. Then we dropped the dog off and headed to Fountain Hill. We only did the fairly flat route between Delaware and Broadway, but it was enough to get the blood moving and work up a sweat.

Today I walked on campus, then between storms, walked around the block. We'll it's actually a variation on Adonis' route. I wanted a lot of up hill since I only had a half hour before it started to pour again.  Got home in plenty of time.

Tomorrow is a fast day. I have a weigh in on Friday and I've gained weight back. I even crossed back into the 220s. That's unacceptable.

i've lost my camera.

How can I walk without one? I take pictures every walk. Today I was reduced to using my phone!

I noticed it was missing yesterday. We walked with Betsy and Chip, a chocolate labradoodle. I didn't have my camera, or my phone. No pics of chips.

It was hotter than Hades yesterday and more humid, and Chip did the full 3.5 miles.

After walking I had some errands to do. One was the recycle center. I parked, grabbed all my stuff and headed to the bins. I tripped over a speed hump and did a face plant on the macadam. Thankfully, no bleeding this time! But it hurt. And not a sole came over to ask if I was okay. That hurt even more. Thankfully I was able to get up and out of the way before the next car came. Not sure they would have stopped.

Today was the Firecracker 4-miler in Palmer. It benefits the Easton Y. It was just Bonnie and I. And this year we were not late. The race takes place on the Palmer rail-trail. There were a lot less walkers than last year. One was training for something. He was carrying a flag and a backpack with 30 pounds on his back. Tonight he was doing a marathon. He left us in his dust. And when he was done, he went back and joined the sweep team. Class act.

I finished in 63 minutes on the nose. Bonnie in 62:38.

Tomorrow we are walking on the D&L in Walnutport. Fireworks have started. Gotta go.

lock ridge park

Today, Bonnie, Megan, the wee one, and I headed to Alburtis and Lock Ridge Park.  We chose it because we thought it was all was paved. It's mostly paved.

Lydia was sick—she's got Bonnie's 5-pack-a-day cough—so she didn't come. Rumor has it that she spent the day reading. Jealous.

When we arrived we parked and a dog started barking at us. We said out loud "would leave their dog in the car on a day like today?"  I said, maybe they went to the latrine. Five minutes is fine. Then a girl came over and said "he's mine". Turned out they were doing a photo shoot of shelter animals, and he doesn't play well with others so he had to stay in the car.

She was no more than 20 feet away, so he was okay. (Now. He was a pit/bull mix. Abused. Megan noticed the scar on his back. It was ugly. The rescue-girl said that was 100% better. I can't imagine what condition he was in when he arrived."

A loop—with several paths— at Lock Ridge is about a mile and a half, so we walked around twice. But we didn't take the same paths so we were a little closer to 2.5 miles in an hour. The one by the railroad was flooded and we couldn't tell how deep it was. Probably fairly deep. It extended into well onto the grass. So we didn't complete it. We turned around an came back.

There was one much longer path, but that one was not paved. Megan didn't want to jostle the baby around on stones.

I usually only come to this park for the 5K in August. To get to the park we drove to the start point, then followed the 5K route. A lot out-of-the-way but it worked. During a 5K there is no time to look at anything or take pictures. Today, I looked at everything and took pictures. I found two staircases and took them both. The others continued on. That's fine, I'm a big girl. But then I came to a fork in the road and yelled "Which way did you go?" They yelled "left" and I went left and caught up with them. The museum was not open until one, so neither were the bathrooms.

What is this place you might ask? From the Lehigh County website: "What looks like a stone castle was a coal burning iron furnace. The beauty of the furnace and surrounding structures belie their industrial roots."

When you live in the Lehigh Valley you can't escape iron. Or limestone. And by extension cement.

water review

I've been thinking that I hadn't done a water review in a long time. But if I buy water, it usually after an event at a convenience store or gas station. They just haven't had anything.

The other day my brother Dave sent me an email asking if I had seen Wat-aah. "Available locally, Barb had a bottle yesterday. Sounds up your alley." You betcha. (My brother knows me well.) I went to the site and it said it was available at Giant so I went there yesterday after walking with Betsy and Logan (a dog) in her neighborhood. (Also redeemed my 60 cents off gas bonus points—$3.02/gallon!) It was hot yesterday and my water was gone. i was thirsty. A perfect day to do it.

No Wat-aah.

It's been a long time since I've looked at the water at the supermarket. My are there a lot of them.

 The first one I noticed was NY20. It's spring water from the Catskills. The bottle is cool with this indent in the handle. It's the one I bought. It tasted wet.  But it was easy to hold. I didn't drink it till I returned home. I couldn't get the cap off.

 The next one I saw was Blk. It's black water. It's gross. It looks like watered down prune juice. Fulvic Acid makes it black. The description in my computer dictionary make sit sound like compost tea. Gross.  This contains 60 different kinds of minerals.

Next to it was 84. This is mineral enhanced spring water from the Catskills. Probably the same source as the NY20 water for twice the price.

I laughed my tush off at the name Skinny water. "Skinny Water’s® goal is to provide consumers with a great tasting functional water containing key electrolytes, antioxidants, vitamins with ZERO calories, ZERO sugar, ZERO sodium, ZERO carbohydrates and containing no preservatives, with all natural colors and flavors." Is that not the definition of plain old water? Water has no calories until you put crap in it. All water is skinny!

I have to admit I love the Ávitae Water  bottle. It had me at hello. This is water with caffeine. Finally there was Karma water. "Karma Wellness Water is a truly enlightened product, born out of the idea that what goes around comes around. A product based on the simple belief that if you do something positive—for others, or for yourself—you’ll get something positive back in return." Basically the flavor/vitiamns are in the cap and you release them into the water.

I should go down the water aisle more often. This was fun.

fitness challenge 2 —geocaching. not.

Today my fitness challenge was to be geocaching. The almighty Wikipedia defines geocaching /ˈdʒiːoʊˌkæʃɪŋ/ as an "outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called 'geocaches' or 'caches', anywhere in the world.

Basically it's a giant scavenger hunt with a GPS unit.

One of my former Girl Socuts —Debi Lehr, now Rice, wanted to try it.  I said sure as long as she had a GPS. She did. Her phone is her job. She does marketing for numerous small business and maintains about two dozen Facebook/Twitter pages for them as part of her job. The plan, today at 9 am. Sand Island.

I registered at the geocaching website on Tuesday in preparation. I set up my location—Bethlehem— and hit submit. A map appeared. In Hebrew. Wrong Bethlehem. But there were a lot of geocaches. Then I had to figure out how to edit it.

Friday I get a FB message. Might be trouble at a Virgina event Sunday. Might have to leave town. Poop. Saturday. Sorry I have to cancel. Crap. (I found out today that the Geocaching workshop at the Wildlands Institute was yesterday. And the Lehigh Valley Geocaching website, hasn't been updated in two years. I guess I should try Meet-up.)

I couldn't try it myself. No GPS. Too cheap to pay for a data plan. Bonnie and Lydia were at the Christening for Bonnie's grandchild. Lydia would have a GPS on her phone. So I went for an ordinary Volkssport walk. Sadly, the Desk Clerk at the Comfort Suites, south Bethlehem, recognized me. Clearly I go there too often.

Today I did the second half of the Bethlehem-South route. Out 4th to Webster (I went to Polk...oops) and back Third. Up the bridge ramp, out Brighton, up Uncas, and back Delaware. At Wyandotte and Delaware I ran into a Girl Scout friend, Elie, and talked for a while. Then I headed down Wyandotte toward home.

Since Adonis was a my house, I also took him for a walk.

walking in the rain

Should we. Shouldn't we. That was the question.  It was drizzling one minute. Not raining the next. Then it was pouring. Ultimately we chose to go walking.

Since I'm the point of contact for the LV Volkssport walks, I need to turn in my quarterly reports on March 31. The only one I needed to collect was my South Bethlehem one.So we did the South Bethlehem Walk.

When we left my house is was dry. When we got out of the car at the Comfort Suites 5 minutes away it was pouring. When we left the Comfort Suites 10 minutes later, it was dry. We were off. No going back later.

We took the selfie on Lehigh's Campus. Clearly Lydia is getting tired of selfies.Or was just being a brat.

But she did take a minute to ask a cute boy for directions. 

We continued thru Lehigh, and down the Greenway to the casino. Then thru the Steel to ArtsQuest.That's when Lydia yelled, "He's Moved!" The Penn State lion moved to the ArtsQuest campus. Bonnie took a break for a little snuggle.

By the time we reached the skating rink it started to drizzle. By the time we reached Orasure the real rain started. We were 5 blocks from the finish.

By the time we arrived home, the rain stopped and I took Adonis for a walk.

more nome arrivals.

It is starting to get crowded "here" at the Nome Nugget Inn. Both Bonnie and Adonis (Lydia) arrived over the weekend.

It's actually warmer in Nome than it is at home. Today it's 35 degrees! Snow is melting.

Lydia is going to leave right after the race starts. Adonis doesn't like other dogs. So a town filled with tired dogs is not going to make him happy. Besides, she's been mumbling something about plumbing and car  problems at home.

Bonnie is going to stick it out with me and wait for the others — Sharon, Barb and Dave. Personally, I'm not going anywhere until the race is over. They have Wifi so I can work. And I'm hoping for one sunny clear day so I can look at across the Bering Strait and maybe see Russia. Or at least some whales.

Meanwhile back in Pennsylvania, Bonnie and I have both finished the Tail on the Trail Challenge. We are quite exceptional walkers that we can walk on two sides of a country at once. And don't forget, I'm also in China on my virtual walk around the world. See, you can be at three places at one time!

Since I am no longer subbing, Bonnie and I have started to walk Tuesday and Thursday mornings. It's been bitter cold. Maybe we really should be in Nome.

idita-walk starts today!

The 30/30 challenge started yesterday. The Iditawalk starts today. Clearly we as lazy humans are being encouraged to be fit year round.

I think I've done the Iditawalk for three years. It's a virtual walk thru Alaska that follows the path of the Iditarod. That start of that race is nearly a month away. The minimal $10 entry fee supports the Boy Scout camp in Alaska. Bonnie, Adonis (Lydia), Barb H., Sharon and I are all registered. As we arrive, we will all meet at the Nome Nugget Inn.  It's right on the finish line so it is a great place to watch the mushers finish the race.  It is a balmy 22 degrees there today.

The 30/30 challenge is sponsored by the D&L. The goal is to walk/hike/snowshoe/ski/whatever 30 miles in 30 days. If the weather cooperates, that's pretty easy. Even if it doesn't it's doable. The second challenge is 90/30. Yep, that's the one I'm doing. They didn't tell us what the prizes are this time.

Yesterday I walked with Betsy in her suburban neighborhood. Mostly the roads were clear, as were the sidewalks.

Today, Bonnie and Lydia walked with me around Fountain Hill and South Bethlehem. We headed out Itaska and Sioux, then around the playground, up Russell to Jeter and thru the hospital. Then we headed out Ostrum, down the ramp of the bridge, and back Broadway. We did about 3.5 miles or 75 minutes.

Then we walked the dog for another 15 minutes.

fifth day of christmas

Lydia and I tried to walk this morning. With little success.

It was not raining when she left Northampton. It was pouring when she arrived.

We tried going out with umbrellas, but started getting soaked, so we came back. At least Adonis got a walk.

Last night I tried to up my step count by walking and reading. Back and forth from the office to the downstairs bathroom and making circles around the kitchen table.  I managed to squeak my total steps up over 7500. I did not succeed in making the 70K goal for the week. I think it's the first time.

On the other hand, I am reading, and drawing, and recharging my batteries. Maybe that's important too.

christkindlmarkt 2013

It's December, so that means only one thing. Walks often have a Christmas theme.

Today's walk was to Christkindlmarket. It was frigid out. We parked at Loopers and walked down 3rd to the casino. Then we looped around the casino and came back to ArtsQuest via First Avenue.

The highlight to this walk is always our visit to St. Nick. But he wasn't there. He was tied up at a previous commitment. We went back twice. Still no St. Nick.

We shopped until nobody dropped. Thank goodness we didn't have to carry the packages all the way home. We even spoiled Adonis. (He had two walks today. He was a happy dog.)

When we came out it started to snow. it was pretty. Then we walked back to ArtsQuest to see the little Coke house. All the decorations were made out of peeps. The wreaths were made from soda cups. Someone had a lot of time on their hands.

Then it was back outside into the snow. We walked back down second street, the up to Loopers for the car, and home.

Next week it will be the Volkssport walk in Bethlehem and the Christmas Village shops. More shopping. Sunday is the Liberty Bell Wanderers Christmas party.

Now I guess I should go outside and shovel the snow.

ft. hill playground. a mostly photo essay.

Today was sauerkraut making day at casa Stephens, so Bonnie didn't walk. Lydia did a 5K yesterday and received a killer blister for her trouble. So we decided to take an easier walk. It turned into Walking: Extreme (Overgrown) Children's Play Edition.

 We headed down the hill, out Itaska and Broadway to Bottom Dollar. We headed up Dodson to the ball field. Around the ball field, back down the hill to the recreation trail. What a view.

We took the recreation trail down thru the park and landed at the bugs. I chose the snail. I really didn't fit on the seat so I sat on his back. Then I started bouncing. It's a great core workout. Try-it. Lydia tried the two seater bee and fit in the seat! I'm not that flexible.

Then it was off to this arched ladder thing. Is this what they call Jacobs Ladder? Not sure. But I climbed up one side and back down the other. I didn't fall off!

 Hey, we had these at the Dirty Girl. I can do this. And look ma. No mud.

Then we arrived at the actual play set. The only way to get to the rope walk was thru the tunnel. I fit! Thanks for the butt shot Lydia.

 Over the rope walk to the slide.

I had to go down the slide on one cheek because it is designed for children's butts. Not fat old women. I wanted to go down the curvy one, but there was a puddle at the bottom. It would have been no fun walking in wet pants!

Finally, we arrived at our initial designation: the swings.

When we finished playing at the playground (officially the Stanley Avenue Recreation Area) we headed out Stanley Avenue, Down Hoffert, then east on Delaware Avenue.

That's where we found two great Halloween houses. (Not a single person had their Christmas decos up yet. I guess that's next week.) When we arrived at Bishopthorpe we came home. It wasn't quite three miles. But the dog still need his walk.