I'm just trying to walk myself home.
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My Mama Polly Stone-cold sober, she was more free in spirit than most people are three sheets to the wind. I won’t be able to be at her memorial service today, but as my family has gathered photos and stories back home, I have been thinking about all my grandmother has given to me over …
Excuse me, miss, can I help you? I knew I was in trouble by the tone of his voice, but I was buying time. Um, no, actually, I don’t think so. I answered meekly. He came back with, What are you doing, exactly? Me: Well, we’re just walking down this road. (stating the obvious) And, …
We had expected to be at the end of the day’s walk by 5pm. We got an early start on our fifteen mile day, heading out under blue skies that promised to turn rainy later in the afternoon. We reached our highest point before lunch. All downhill from here, I thought. Piece of cake. I …
The cruel irony in this story is that I have become almost smug in the fact that I am an experienced train traveler.
Every time I read a historical novel set during the Second World War or see a film that takes place during the Holocaust, I find myself hoping that the events will take a different turn. I know the way the stories go. I know what happened when the Nazis occupied a country or a town. …
Bankside Beach Combing for History: A London History Tour Simon was waiting for me as I got my usual pat down in security. (My dreads always have to be manually checked to be sure I’m not hiding something in them.) We both walked over to where his backpack had been flagged. The man behind the …
With a Rock and Stone: A Story about Malta’s Limestone Heritage I could not stop taking photos of the detailed limestone carvings. After my third or fourth question about the soft honey-colored rocks, my attentive guide made a phone call and added an unplanned stop to our itinerary. “I haven’t been here since I was …
Would it be awkward for me to come up to you on an airplane and ask to hold your crying baby? I mean I know that you don’t know me. But I’m melting over here into a puddle in 30D because your frazzled state is taking me back. I remember the sweating from the endless …
Oh Scotland in November. You are beautiful in your own way. Eeking out a few daylight hours between blankets of darkness. Misty walks among bare trees. Constant rain making the rivers flow hard and fast. Your autumn colors are all dark red browns painted between the evergreen. We race to stretch our legs during the …
A Walk in Meteora, Greece I would love to one day meet the free climbing monks who hauled stones in baskets to build monasteries on the tops of these otherworldly rock formations. I think they must have possessed a patience and determination that is practically nonexistent in today’s world. We wandered in their footsteps, through …
She’s Calling For Me There are two kinds of people in the world. Those who like to talk on the phone and those who don’t. I am one of the latter. Seriously, when text messaging was invented, I was like, “Where have you been all my life?” But my sister Anna? Well, she’s a phone …
Lying in bed shaking with fever. Wondering if I will ever get warm enough to fall asleep. Muttering feeble little prayers in the dark. Please Lord, help us to finish this. Help us to wake up and be able to walk tomorrow. From the onset of this two hundred mile journey, I tried to predict …
One of the great joys of walking the Coast to Coast with an extrovert was that we met tons of other people along the way. Diane was always willing to say, “Hello. We’re walking the Coast to Coast. How about you?” Endlessly enchanting in all her Southern charm, Diane has a beautiful gift of being …
Upon Arrival: Coast to Coast Lodgings Discovering our particular establishments among the small hotels and B&Bs in the villages along the Coast to Coast was like a treasure hunt waiting for us at the end of each day’s walk. When we arrived at our new place to sleep each night, we were usually greeted like …
I have always maintained that making it from Point A to Point B on a long walk is more of a mental game than an endurance test. Physical strength definitely comes into play, but I believe your mindset wins the day when it comes to covering the distance. Wainwright’s Coast to Coast is 196 miles …
Coast to Coast: Children Welcome We had been watching for them all day, expecting to glimpse them around almost every corner. My husband, Taido and the kids were joining us for the weekend. After five days and eighty miles, the distraction of their arrival was a welcome one, keeping my mind from focusing on the …
A voice came from the taller figure before we came around the fence. If we had known you were coming, we would have made you a cup. They were sitting with their backs to us on some old gate posts when we caught up to them, two older gentlemen, having tea. We had seen them …
Coast to Coast: Beginnings Rising to the Occasion A year ago I had never before heard the name of Alfred Wainwright, but I had recently met one of many great hillwalkers who have walked in his footsteps. Hillwalker was a term with which I was just beginning to become familiar, having previously only used the …
As I have been recapping my summer travels, you might have noticed that I skipped something when I went from Paris to our trip home through the Lake District. I skipped about four weeks that we spent in Switzerland. I have been saving it, holding it in my hands and heart like a precious gem, …
[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u2v1dKc-opI/U_SDjJobJ2I/AAAAAAAAbng/qT6pzFE2484/s144-c-o/CousinsTakeEurope%252520Paris%252520%252528260%252529.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/100212479652479288017/ChinosGowithOhToParisInJuly#6049604839369549666″ caption=”Processed with VSCOcam with f1 preset” type=”image” alt=”CousinsTakeEurope Paris (260).JPG” ] I have a secret to tell you about the Louvre Museum in Paris. I know what you’re thinking. How can anyone possibly discover anything new about the Louvre that has not already been covered ad nauseum on the internet? And maybe …