WALKING NEWS BITS

I am inside the Fitchburg, Massachusetts Museum of Art right now stealing a WiFi connection from the airwaves. We stopped here on Friday after a long day of walking and visiting a nearby community college. We've been invited to view the Asian art work here but I grabbed a chair near the entrance and have set to work.

The last three days have largely been visits to schools in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The Wachusett Community College today - Keene College, Franklin Pierce University and then a prep school yesterday. We had lunch at Franklin Pierce in New Hampshire and about 20 students joined our walk. Very soon after we started walking with them a nearby prep school brought 40 students (half of which were Chinese) to join the walk which swelled our line to more than 75 people. The students walked nine miles with us and we ended the day at the prep school (which has a total of 230 pupils) for dinner. Following the meal we sat around with about 15 students to discuss the walk and their many questions about the New England Peace Pagoda.

We've been well fed the last few days, particularly at these campus cafeterias. Figuring I had lost at least five pounds from all this walking and sweating I have been doing I weighed myself this morning and discovered I had gained nearly five pounds. But it all has to be muscle........

As we were walking today I began rating the best meals I've had so far and thought I'd share the results with you.

• Breakfast - The best one was this morning at the Noon Day Farm where we stayed last night. I slept on the floor. We had a poached egg, oatmeal, fruit, toast, raw milk, and tea. This place is a Catholic Worker farm and grows food that is taken and shared with poor people in the cities.
• Lunch - Yesterday's at Franklin Pierce University was the best by far. A huge selection at this cafeteria - more than anyone could imagine. I had pizza, Chinese food, salad from the excellent salad bar and orange juice. A nice jello-vanilla pudding topped it off.
• Supper - Two nights ago in Brattleboro, Vermont an excellent pot luck takes the top prize. A very fine ginger chicken soup, sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, and lasagna. Multi-ethic meal. All worth writing home about.

Except for yesterday's surge of students it has usually been 7-10 of us walking at any one time. Today we picked up a couple new people (Vanessa Lynch and her dad for those in Maine who will remember her from our recent walks). Tomorrow we lose two of our folks who have to return to work. So it is an ebb and flow.

I've been massaging my feet and legs at every stop which has prevented them from getting too stiff. No blisters yet either. Today it was 50-some degrees with snow melting so lots of splashes as cars sped by us. Tomorrow we are forecasted to get 25 mile-per-hour winds and temperatures in the 20's so it should be bitter cold. Today was the first day I walked without long underwear. I'll have them back on in the morning for sure.