Monday, January 25, 2016

Following Tracks

I successfully walked from Tampa to Naples. I drove down a few days before Christmas picking up my 24 year old son in Pensacola. He is traveling and he wanted to see me. We drove along the coast around the Big Bend stopping to see Manatees and visiting Cedar Key. Igot my son whatever he wanted, a "hobo ice cream", a "po boy sandwich" and gave him a change of clothes (whether he wanted them or not). I also gave him my Carhart jacket. We walked together for a few days rolling from Tampa, south. Spending Christmas with my son in Bradenton, we had breakfast by the beach at Anna Marie, dinner was Chinese carry-out. We visited the beaches and saw a movie. Having had enough of the walking and the media (people were recognizing him even when we were not with the ball) I gave him what he wanted for Christmas, a ride to the highway. I took him a hundred miles north, out of range of the television viewing area that had caught up with us the day we left Tampa, and the local newspapers along the way...I guess it was time. The next day another TV station came to film the story and when I had rolled through Fort Myers the NBC affiliate had there coverage on Good Morning America (again). That would have really disappointed my boy's desire to go "low profile". I hope he finds happiness wherever he goes.
When I had walked through Naples we, Nice (the dog) and me, we're a half of a mile from the end of the sidewalk, before the narrow roadside into the Everglades, when the dog, after rolling in the grass to scratch his own back, threw his shoulder out. He couldn't walk. I, thankfully, got a ride back to the van from a woman we had met the day prior. When I got Nice out of her car he stretched , (downward facing dog), and popped his shoulder back into place with a loud snap'. Along with the Fortune Cookie I got the night before which said, "Why take two steps when one will do?", I decided not to walk my old dog across the Everglades or through Miami. Another time perhaps.
We the drove to Pompano to visit my good friends Dennis, Meribeth and Seamus (the dog) in Pompano Beach.
Over a week later both of us were thoroughly recharged. Five mile walks to the beach each day were just not enough for my old hound. The weather above the Panhandle had turned cold and harsh, I have decided to continue my vacation with a short nostalgic walk up the coast, retracing our walk of five years ago... At least until the weather breaks.
Maybe Nice (the dog) can see Patti in Jupiter who he fell in love with and then searched for her along every road for years.
Wherever the road, I meet good people, some with miraculous stories of diabetes management, some with heartfelt loss from diabetes and many who stay healthier with a little daily walk.
Love yourself a little, enjoy a stroll with a companion.
Have a (Nice) day.