The Tour Continues!

Cyndi and I left Tallahassee June 18th to begin the East Coast book tour. Our first stop was Atlanta, where we stayed with friends Holly and Craig Loveland and their four children. Holly was once a summer camp student of mine and now she is a summer camp teacher as well as a wonderful mother. We connected with folks at the Phoenix and Dragon Bookstore in Atlanta and had a warm gathering at the Dunwoody Nature Center. Holly's brother Paul Ingram drove down from Dahlonega to join us. Paul was on a three-week walk with us through the Pacific Northwest in the late 1990s. He recalled a wonderful memory of when we met with a group of Native American runners on the Quinalt Reservation and they allowed us to run with them for a mile and to carry their feathered staff. The staff had more than a hundred feathers attached to it, given to the group from native groups they connected with.

After visiting with relatives in South Carolina, Cyndi and I drove to the Big Apple. We quickly learned why country people shouldn't drive in New York. It is a bit nerve wracking with aggressive taxi drivers dominating the roads. We parked at the Quest Bookshop in Manhatten, waited until our heart rates returned to normal, and didn't get in the car again until we left. We walked to the United Nations, Central Park and several other gardens and parks. There are some beautiful spots of nature in the city. We met some very friendly people and enjoyed the fact that New York is pedestrian friendly. I gave a talk at the lecture hall adjacent to the bookstore and we had an interesting discussion afterwards. Topics ranged from the little people to the colors associated with the four directions. Now it's on to Massachusetts and Vermont where we will connect with several walk friends.