Avon Walk(ed) for Breast Cancer!

Well, the only camera I took was my phone...was trying to limit the weight I carried. Here are the pics I took...and maybe Dave can get his pics on here later.
OK...going in order from top left: Pic 1 is the view from our room at the Westin (Aunt Sandy went with me!). We were on the 14th floor.
Pic 2: Saturday morning...roughly 4:30am...took a pic of myself in the mirror all dressed to walk
Pic 3: Big canvas pillar at the starting point. Each section was for a different walk (Los Angeles, Boston, New York, etc...) Each section was signed all over by the walkers for that city!
Pic 4: My signature on the Charlotte section!!
Pic 5: Finished the first mile! Woohoo! I walked 21 miles on Saturday!
Pic 6: Cow guy...he was a hoot! One of many interesting characters that showed up along the route to cheer us on. We never walked a mile without encouragment from people like him!
Pic 7: Lunch on Sunday. I was actually nearer to the front of the "pack" on Sunday, so I got to watch a lot of people trickle in for their lunch. That was at 7.6 miles.
Pic 8: Thought this was clever...It says "Ricky Boobie Racing". This was at one of the rest stops.
Pic 9: Here I am at mile 12 of day two- one mile from the finish line!!! Somehow I managed a sort-of smile through the pain (my feet were hurting pretty bad at this point from being walked on and from the 10 blisters I was feeling.) Even so, knowing I was on the last mile somehow made me walk a little faster. We started at 7:30 on Sunday and I crossed the finish line a little before 1:00pm. Dave, Mom & Dale and Aunt Sandy were all there to meet me! I decided not to stay for closing ceremony, since it wasn't until 3:00, so we set off for home. We stopped at a Ham's somewhere along the way for some dinner. It was very good! My hips and knees were objecting to any form of movement for the rest of the night! At home I got a hot shower, doctored my feet and put them up for a while before bed. Dave was very helpful and supportive all evening! I slept great! This morning my knees and hips feel better. My blisters don't hurt too much anymore...my muscles are pretty sore, but I'm feeling good! I walked 34 miles in two days!!! WOOHOO!!

A Good Day

Well, I walked 21 miles today. I got to see some of Charlotte city and some of the surrounding neighborhoods. We walked by some HUGE and very nice houses. People were very encouraging! They waved, honked their horns...people in the neighborhoods came outside to greet us as we passed. Some even had little tables set up with snacks for us. Whole families stood outside offering food and encouragement. At one house there were four small children handing out Dixie cups of grape kool-aid! It was quite a pick-me-up for a tired walker!
There were also "cheering stations" along the way where people gathered to cheer us on. Quite a few of them were dressed in costumes or other silly outfits. The people running the rest stops dressed up too- each had a theme! Some that I remember are: Hawaiian, Hippies, Cowboys, The Eighties (including "Richard Simmons"!)...it gave us something to look forward to as we trekked on.
Now, the full length for today was 26 miles, but my feet would not carry me past 21. I feel good about it. I did end up with a couple small blisters, but I will doctor those so I can walk some more tomorrow. Tomorrow is 13 miles...and I am assured by the "seasoned" walkers that tomorrow will seem quick and easy compared to today! I hope they're right!

Classy Cheeseburgers

Here we are watching the Discovery Channel. There's a show on called "Most Unique McDonalds". Imagine our surprise when up pops a picture of Biltmore Village in Asheville!! They called that McDonald's the "classiest McDonald's in the world". Come visit us- we'll take you there! Ha ha ha