I Did NOT Drop Off the Face of the Earth! - Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Well, well, well, look who's here! It's been quite a while since my last blog. This is my first blog in 2020! I've definitely been busy. There are all kinds of excuses I can come up with for why I haven't done my blog. 

I spent the last few days looking through photos from our eight-month trip and I am energized to write again. My writing mojo is back. 

Since it's today and there are some exciting things happening in my life right now, I am going to share those first. You all know walking is my passion and AVA: America's Walking Club (Volksmarching) is where I put my energy. 

So, I will be presenting a seminar at the Escapees Escapade RV rally in Rock Springs, Wyoming in June. The title is, "Are You Ready to Walk?" My co-presenter will be Steve Sandridge, AVA Rocky Mountain Deputy Regional Director, AVA Life Member, and a member of the Falcon Wanderers Volksmarch Club out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Both of us have lots of experience in Volksmarching. I am also an AVA Life Member, a member of the Randolph Roadrunners Volkssport Club in San Antonio, Texas, and have been a Volksmarcher for 23 years. (That's 750 events and almost 7,500 kilometers! These feet are made for walking and that's just what they do...) 

Today, I was approved by Escapees RV Club to start an Escapees "Birds of a Feather" (BoF) group called AVA: America's Walking Club. We will have events a couple of times per year and the members are encouraged to take part in any of the other AVA walks nationwide (and in Canada). It seems like a perfect pairing: people RVing across North America, many of whom love to walk or hike, being able to find ready-made walks. Personally, for our eight-month RV trip, we planned many stops because there was an interesting walk there, e.g., Watkins Glen State Park in New York, and part of the Appalachian Trail in Baxter State Park, Maine. The list goes on and on!

Another great honor is that I will have my second article published in the May/June issue of Escapees full-color glossy magazine. (My first article was in 2016.) That will tie in perfectly with the seminar in June! It's all coming together. [This is to let you know I didn't completely stop writing.]

On January 26, we celebrated my BFFs 60th birthday at The Melting Pot in San Antonio. It was awesome. Many years have passed since the last time Bob and I ate at a Melting Pot. The food was so good, as was the company. Here is photographic evidence.

Susan and Darren anticipating our dessert:
a Rocky Road fondue.

The grand finale...setting the chocolate fondue ablaze.

Completely satisfied with our dinner!

Tomorrow, a number of us in AVA: America's Walking Club are spending the day stuffing bags for the Texas Trail Roundup (TTR)/ International Marching League (IML) event the weekend of February 21-23 in San Antonio. I will be stuffing bags from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and then attending our TTR planning meeting from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Next Monday, 12 ladies from the RV park are going on a five-day Carnival Dream cruise from Galveston, Texas, to the Yucatan Peninsula and Cozumel, Mexico. My roommate will be Peri who I met at an RV-Dreams Rally in 2012. We've been great friends ever since. Can't wait! It's been cold, dreary, and rainy in San Antonio for the past couple of weeks (with a few 80-degree days thrown in to confuse us).

Our friends Jim and Peri. 

In other news, Mom is doing very well in assisted living. She turns 90 in March and Bob and I will fly to Oregon to spend a week with family. We'll take Mom to dinner on her birthday. She doesn't want a big party.

At the end of March, Susan Medlin and I will do a walking weekend in Memphis/ Germantown, Tennessee. It looks like it will be a fun time complete with a Happy Hour one evening. 

No dust gathering on these fingers or my brain. I just have to put fingers to keyboard and get all my thoughts out here. 

Travel Bug out.

The Chocolate Walk - Saturday, February 8, 2020

San Antonio, Texas: We had a worker's walk on Friday, February 7, to measure and mark the trail for Saturday's "Chocolate Walk." The weather was gorgeous.

John Ives measuring the walk with the wheel.

Putting directional signs along the route.

Parts of the 10k walk are on a primitive trail so, we recommend hiking books on Friday. However, we walked in walking shoes today and that's okay, too. Just be aware that the primitive trail is uneven and has some rocks.

The walk will have hidden snack-size chocolate bars. If you find one tomorrow, take it to the finish table for a prize. Snacks at the start/finish point will include a chocolate fountain with goodies to dip into it and other chocolaty yummies.

Also, DaisyCares will be there accepting pet food and monetary donations. DaisyCares works with the San Antonio Food Bank to help people feed and care for their pets.

After the worker's walk, Susan Medlin, Darren Medlin and I went out for pizza. After lunch, Susan M. and I finished the 1000-piece Cat Tapestry jigsaw puzzle we had been working on for a couple of days. It's a work of art. See below.

Cat Tapestry jigsaw puzzle by
White Mountain Arts

Saturday, February 8: Bob and I walked a 10k (6.2 mile) Volksmarch at Del Webb on the west side of San Antonio. 139 walkers participated. It was a "Chocolate Walk" and Susan Medlin brought her chocolate fountain so we could have delectable treats dipped in chocolate.

Carlen Forinash at the chocolate fountain.

We saw one deer on the route and numerous deer tracks. I tried to get a photo of the one deer we saw, but she wasn't having any of that and hid behind a bush, then bolted away.

A map of the Hill Country Retreat

The day was cool which made for pleasant walking. As soon as Bob and I finished, light rain started as we walked to our car. Good timing for us!

Thank you to our awesome volunteers, and to everyone who brought donations for DaisyCares.

February 9 & 10: Monday was the deadline for my Escapees magazine article on walking. I spent Sunday writing it. I sent it in on Monday the 10th.

February 11: My hair desperately needed color and a cut. I miscalculated when I booked my appointment at my last haircut. Next time I'm going to go in sooner. On the plus side, my hair will look good for our cruise next week!

February 12: Today, I helped stuff gift bags for the Texas Trail Roundup International Walking Weekend scheduled for Feb. 21-23. We have about 500 people coming into San Antonio from all over the world: Mongolia, Japan, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, England, etc. It's pretty exciting. All walks will start at the Holiday Inn - Market Square in downtown San Antonio.

Volunteers stuffing bags for event.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back to read about the rest of the week.