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.

it is hard to take a selfie with a baby

Happy Birthday David.

The gang walked today on the Palmer Bike Trail, the portion that serves as the D&L thru Palmer. Usually the walk photos have the baby in the carriage, but I got the silly idea to do a selfie after he was fed and changed. It's difficult. Babies don't cooperate.

Today Bonnie's family arrived right on time, and she left the car running. "I don't think five people will fit in my car with the car seat" she said. We ended up taking two cars.

We started walking in Riverside park off 25th street. It's kind-of under the Glendon Bridge. The lot was empty so we got two prime spaces in the shade, and near the bathroom. The we hit the trail. this is an out-and back trail. If you walk long enough you'll get to Jim Thorpe. Maybe another day. We went about 1.5 miles before the baby was unhappy. Megan was going to stop to feed him, but no benches. Luckily there was a bench where the Palmer Trail and the D&L split.

 As Megan fed the Wee One, Bonnie gave Megan water. It was hysterical.

While they did that, Lydia and I continued on about another mile to the boat launch. Then turned around and came back just as she was diapering the baby. Perfect timing. Then it was time for the trip back.

Somehow I arrived near the front, so I headed off to the swings. And then headed east on the new section of the trail, alone. I wanted to see how long it was, how it went, ect. this connecting strip to Hugh Moore Park was done last year. You used to have to walk on the highway.

As I was walking a few people passed me, and I thought "shouldn't be out here alone". (Easton has had some issues lately with assailants hanging out on the trails.) But all was fine. The path is slightly downhill and straight from the park until the end. Then you start seeing curve signs. The sign below is no exaggeration. The serpentine curves are downright U shaped. The path is divided so no one gets run over by an out-of control bike.

After the wacky curves, I arrived at the Hugh Moore trail head, turned around and walked up hill back. All-in-all I did about 6 miles. The came back and took Adonis for his walk.

Tomorrow we are doing Cedar Beach Park. We are going to try and find the trail behind Dorney, behind Haines Mill.

i found my pants!

You may have noticed since it's gotten cooler, I'm wearing these nasty, baggy jeans in every picture. That's because I couldn't find my pants. My one sister always gives my clothes to her twin, so I just figured the twin had them, and they were gone. Today while walking I got an idea and it panned out. Yeah!

First and foremost it's Columbus Day. I don't really care about Columbus, but it's also my sister Barb's birthday. And for the greatest gift ever she is going to become a great-grandmother. that's both exciting and terrifying. I am not old enough to be a great-great aunt. Though everyone knows I'm a terrific one.

So after calling Barb and singing Happy Columbus Day to You, everyone finally arrived. We headed to Easton to do the Palmer Bike Trail. We picked this trail because it was paved, and hopefully the leaves would be dry after days of rain. For the most part they were. The black walnuts, on the other hand, were still quite the hazard.

We parked off Land Mine Road, at the park, and headed east to Easton. The original plan was to turn around and go back, past the car, and continue west. When we arrived at Easton High, I said the trail continued to Wilson, and we decided to go further. At Northampton Street, the trail goes downhill and then back up the other side.

Lydia asked how far we had gone. Bonnie told her. I warned her there was a long hill if we continued. But continued we did. Down the hill, and along the path to the football field. That's where we turned around. The next hill would have taken us to the Pump Park trail.

After returning to the car, we continued to walk to the playground. No walk is complete without swings. Two minutes after we arrived a horde of teenagers showed up. They took up all the swings except the one Bonnie was sitting on. Really? Don't they have a mall to hang out at?

Park plans foiled, we returned to the car again. Our total mileage was about 5.5 miles.

After a stop at the far for eggs and pumpkins, we headed home. Adonis was waiting for his walk.

Tonight, after supper I remembered to look for my pants. I dug out my winter "drawer" clothes and there they were. With all my long sleeved t-shirts. I can retired these baggy jeans after they are washed.

Oh, and the package I told you about yesterday. Still AWOL.

happy independence day!

Today is the annual Firecracker 4-miler. Only Bonnie and I went. Lydia had a friend in crisis and decided to walk with her. I'm all for helping friends, but I'm really against wasting money. But she is her mother's daughter, and Elin would have done the same thing.

Bonnie arrived at 8. I had on my Birks, and took my sneakers to put on there. The race, we thought, was at 9. We pulled into the park at 8:23. Gee, there is a lot of people for a half hour before the race. It probably took 5 minutes to find a parking spot. We're walking up the street and could see the park. We also saw the runners lining up. WTF? The race, it turns out, started at 8:30.

No time to change my shoes, I'm doing this race in Birks. We dropped my sneakers and the swag bags and headed for the start line. We were a good 30 seconds away, when the gun went off. We missed the start. We booked it down the road and passed or first set of people, then another set and ultimately remained in the middle of the pack. We finished in under 63 minutes. Not bad for four miles.

Last night was the walking clinic. This time we met at Steel Stacks, and walked over to the Greenway. The Steel Stacks campus now has rules. They've taken all the fun away!

The walk to the Greenway was the warm up. When we arrived, we did intervals. This time, our warm-up pace was a one, and we worked our way up to ten. Each time counting our steps to see how much faster we could go.

After that there was stretches, and then speed drills. This time it was the one where you chalk a line at the start and then each subsequent time, mark where you ended. Hopefully, you've gone further. One time I came up 5 feet short.

More stretches and back to Steel Stacks. (That's Michele the instructor in the pix with Lyd.)

Tuesday night I went with Lydia to L.L. Beam to a hiking lecture. It was supposed to be 5 hikes in the Lehigh Valley. It wasn't very good. The guy really only wanted to talk about the Appalachian Trail.  It's Pennsylvania—the rocky-bolder-trail-state. Who the heck wants to hike the AT in Pennsylvania? Not me, that's for sure.

The AT aside, I could have done that lecture. Actually, I could have done it better.

That's the first poor lecture/activity I've gone to there, so more than likely will go back.

Happy Independence Day!

windy walk

Lydia called last night that she wasn't walking today. Then Bonnie called and asked what time and where. We talked for a while about possibilities, and Bonnie said, how about the trail we use for the Firecracker 5K. (Palmer Bike Trail). We decided to go at 11.

Now the PBT is about 6 miles and goes in a horseshoe. It starts behind Aldi on 25th street and runs parallel to  Easton Avenue. Right before 33 it takes a sharp left and heads downhill. That's where the 5K does the turn around. Bonnie's never been on the other half of the trail.

This morning I thought, let's do the other half. And Bonnie was game.

We headed down 25th street to Palmer Riverside Park and picked up the trail. I've walked this section many times, the first section is part of the D&L. It's flat and paved and runs next to the river. At about 1.5 miles the PBT turns right and heads up the hill. The D&L goes straight. We kept on the D&L and walked past the split, the dam, the dock, and to Rt. 33. Then turned around and came back.

I'm guessing it was about 4 miles. Maybe a bit more.

Then, when I returned home Adonis was there and I took him for a half-mile walk. Then again later for another one.

3 trails, a balance beam and a couple of boy scouts

This morning the scoobies arrived for breakfast at the crack of 9, and we ate a hardy breakfast of waffles from my new waffle iron. The old one met an accidental death a few months ago.

Then I gave them three ideas for walks—the 'hood, the Palmer bike trail, or Jacobsburg. Sharon picked Palmer so off we went.

I've walked the beginning part a lot, but the end only a few times. I decided we would start at the end and work our way to the falls. (It's a U shaped trail about 6.5 miles long.) We were heading down 25th street, and suddenly there was traffic. Lot's of parked cars. We couldn't get near the park. A marathon was running thru!

Fine. We'll go to Hugh Moore. Nope, that's where the marathon was headed. Off to Plan C, the other end of the trail, the part I always walk. It had probably been 40 minutes since we left the house before we started walking.

When we arrived at Fairview park, Lydia said "swings" and pointed. I said on our way back. Sharon chose to stop and wait there. We walked to Bethlehem Township, spun around and came back to the park. Sharon was sitting under a tree waiting. (Total walk about 4 miles.)

The first apparatus we encountered in the playground was a long bar, with a handle. It kind of acted like a zip line. I think I was too tall and too heavy. I couldn't put my feet out, so I tried to put them back, and as you can see I landed on my knees. Clearly I need to work on upper body strength.

 Then we hit the swings. After swinging we went on the balance beam. It moves. I had Birks on so I took them off and held on to Lyd frequently. I had a lot of trouble getting up and down. I am not flexible anymore. As a kid I always walked on retaining walls and hopped off the edge.

Lyd did much better when it was her turn. I think it's because she's 2 decades younger! Sharon didn't try.

When we arrived back at the car, the scoobies needed the bathroom and I needed gas. We headed to the Wawa next door, and encountered some fine young men in uniform, selling overpriced popcorn. I'm a sucker for Boy Scout caramel corn.I think the same thing happened the last time I walked this trail at the beginning of the school year.

I pulled up to the pumps, and left out the scoobies. Before they left, I went to give them money to get me caramel corn, and I had no money, no credit cards, no drivers license. It was all in my backpack from yesterday. Oops. Lyd loaned me money for gas and popcorn!

Sharon finally decided on the giant box of kettle corn.

Next week Sharon and Lyd are purging another room of her house. Sunday they'll walk. Lyd picked Jacobsburg. Hopefully Bonnie will come along, or walk with me on Saturday.

palmer bike trail

It is gorgeous this weekend. No  rain. No storms. No heat and humidity. Instead of walking I took a ride on the Palmer Bike Trail.

My bike is at my friend Angel's house. So I emailed her and asked if she wanted to go. She said yes.

We got the bikes from the garage and I sat on mine. Flat tires! The gas station was about 6, maybe 7 blocks away. The bike shop was one. Angel rode ahead to see if it was open. I walked my bike and met her there. The Broken Spoke filled my tires for free! Got to love local independent businesses. They know I'll come back one day and shop there.

We rode thru Wilson, past the high school, thru the shopping center and ultimately rode on the Palmer Bike Path. When we got to the Bethlehem Township Trail we turned around and came back, this time crossing over to Easton High and picking up the Wilson Trail. I love how all the municipalities are working together to make one long trail. The Wilson Trail, once you cross Northampton Street is tough. We didn't do that part today.

The route turned out to be 5.5 miles, with hills. I'm calling it 3 for the Bethlehem to Bethlehem log.

You'll have to wait to see the pixs from the Volkssport walk tomorrow to see my new haircut. Helmet is covering it today.