Sixteen weeks into this seventeen week commitment, I've just lost another -2.6 lbs.
Yay!!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The Saga of Urban Life continues....
Saturday morning I went down the hallway in my condo building to the trash room to drop a bag of trash down the chute. Now, dropping stuff down the chute is very cathartic. I've always liked that!
This time when I opened the door to the tiny and usually very neat little trash chute room/closet, I was dismayed to see the floor covered with a large amount of "things." I could barely get passed the floor items to drop my little trash bag down the chute. I couldn't help but take a minute to look at the "things" blocking my path.
There in front of me sat a whole set of cookwear, non-stick and new looking, a salt and pepper shaker, at least two or three nice bright scatter rugs, a new looking toilet brush and holder, one bag of magazines, newspapers and discarded envelopes.
What the heck?
Puzzled, I began to wonder why and how this came to be. Slowly I thought back of the last couple of weeks in my condo. A few weeks ago there was an episode of a domestic dispute right next door to me. Hubby & I sat in the La-Z-Boys watching the tube, when we heard screaming. I couldn't resist, got dressed and went to the door. I could hear a woman screaming angrily and someone screaming back. "Don't touch me!" "Get your hand off my blouse!" Then muffled sounds of a struggle, more very angry screams, and the sounds of what appeared to be two women rolling around on the floor. More angry shouts "You aren't going to kill me like you did my Mother!" Wisely, Ed wouldn't let me open the door.
We tried calling the Concierge at our front desk. Our building has a staff on duty 24/7. There was no answer. We wondered if we should be calling the police. What number do you call for domestic disputes? We didn't know. We looked for a phone book, but then looked on the internet....found lots of numbers...just weren't sure what to do. When the noise seems to subside, I slipped out of the condo and ran for the elevator. Once at the Concierge desk, I saw our staff person was a bit disheveled. She had been on my floor investigating the noise complaints she was receiving. She had called, appropriately, 911. I went back to our condo and heard nothing more.
The next day I contacted our building manager, she was already on top of this. I learned that the police had come, but no arrest was made. The tenant, (dismay, yes a tenant - not a good thing in an expensive condo building) had now violated the terms of her lease and was being evicted.
A little research revealed that our county requires some type of low income housing for all new developments. Our building had set aside several units for this purpose. They were very small one room efficiencies, but each has its own washer/dryer, balcony, kitchen, and a bathroom. The units were intended to be sold at some discount to working people in Montgomery County, with incomes of less than 40K. This could be teachers, firefighters, waiters etc. There were strings attached to the program, such as not being able to sell and keep the profits (to prevent flipping).
Enter the housing and credit crisis in the USA.
The units didn't sell.
So, our development apparently got stuck with unsold units in this category. The time limit for selling them was running out, and soon they would revert back to the developer for sale to normal people at any price. Someone had the idea to sell a block of the units, at least 10 of them that I can figure out, to some organization called something like Coalition for Homeless. So, Coalition purchased at least 10 units in our building for transitional, bridge, or permanent housing for homeless people. Purchased at a steep discount, I can only assume. Part of their program is to provide the necessary social support for these people to make the transition from the street to having a home. Mental health workers are assigned, social service workers are involved, there is a case worker. Part of the web site information for the Coalition builds a defense against (or education for) NIMBY people. I was dismayed to learn this means Not in my Back Yard.
Which, of course, was my knee jerk reaction!
Back to my trash chute closet -- as I stood there looking at the household items on the floor, it slowly began to coalesce. The three policemen/women my husband had seen there one morning earlier that week, removing a few items, accompanied by a young woman. Apparently acting on the eviction notice? Helping the daughter remove her personal belongings? (The daughter and mother are said to have been the ones rolling around on the hallway carpet in the noisy physical altercation.)
I am not automatically NIMBY. I try to think things through, I try to be fair and reasonable.
But, really, is this the answer to homelessness? A luxury condo building in a very upscale urban area? The parking spaces alone sell for around 20K. (More than my first house.) Italian marble floors, elaborate common social rooms with grand piano, many amenities, large monthly condo fee. Households with 6 figure (or more) incomes, luxury cars, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, well educated. Heck, I even feel out of place here sometimes myself.
Back to my trash chute closet...but is this really what they should do with her belongings? Who is responsible for cleaning out her unit? If it is the Coalition, why not recycle these household goods? Ever heard of Goodwill? What about the Salvation Army? Is this an example of the "support" my neighbor received? Uncaring, careless, and not doing the right thing?
Why leave these items on the floor in my trash chute closet? If they are intended for trash, they should have been properly bagged and dumped, not left on the floor for someone else to clean up.
I think I'm looking at an example of how difficult it is to actually help the homeless. I am sorry for my neighbor, but I am angry at a system that truly failed her and may have made her life worse than it was.
This time when I opened the door to the tiny and usually very neat little trash chute room/closet, I was dismayed to see the floor covered with a large amount of "things." I could barely get passed the floor items to drop my little trash bag down the chute. I couldn't help but take a minute to look at the "things" blocking my path.
There in front of me sat a whole set of cookwear, non-stick and new looking, a salt and pepper shaker, at least two or three nice bright scatter rugs, a new looking toilet brush and holder, one bag of magazines, newspapers and discarded envelopes.
What the heck?
Puzzled, I began to wonder why and how this came to be. Slowly I thought back of the last couple of weeks in my condo. A few weeks ago there was an episode of a domestic dispute right next door to me. Hubby & I sat in the La-Z-Boys watching the tube, when we heard screaming. I couldn't resist, got dressed and went to the door. I could hear a woman screaming angrily and someone screaming back. "Don't touch me!" "Get your hand off my blouse!" Then muffled sounds of a struggle, more very angry screams, and the sounds of what appeared to be two women rolling around on the floor. More angry shouts "You aren't going to kill me like you did my Mother!" Wisely, Ed wouldn't let me open the door.
We tried calling the Concierge at our front desk. Our building has a staff on duty 24/7. There was no answer. We wondered if we should be calling the police. What number do you call for domestic disputes? We didn't know. We looked for a phone book, but then looked on the internet....found lots of numbers...just weren't sure what to do. When the noise seems to subside, I slipped out of the condo and ran for the elevator. Once at the Concierge desk, I saw our staff person was a bit disheveled. She had been on my floor investigating the noise complaints she was receiving. She had called, appropriately, 911. I went back to our condo and heard nothing more.
The next day I contacted our building manager, she was already on top of this. I learned that the police had come, but no arrest was made. The tenant, (dismay, yes a tenant - not a good thing in an expensive condo building) had now violated the terms of her lease and was being evicted.
A little research revealed that our county requires some type of low income housing for all new developments. Our building had set aside several units for this purpose. They were very small one room efficiencies, but each has its own washer/dryer, balcony, kitchen, and a bathroom. The units were intended to be sold at some discount to working people in Montgomery County, with incomes of less than 40K. This could be teachers, firefighters, waiters etc. There were strings attached to the program, such as not being able to sell and keep the profits (to prevent flipping).
Enter the housing and credit crisis in the USA.
The units didn't sell.
So, our development apparently got stuck with unsold units in this category. The time limit for selling them was running out, and soon they would revert back to the developer for sale to normal people at any price. Someone had the idea to sell a block of the units, at least 10 of them that I can figure out, to some organization called something like Coalition for Homeless. So, Coalition purchased at least 10 units in our building for transitional, bridge, or permanent housing for homeless people. Purchased at a steep discount, I can only assume. Part of their program is to provide the necessary social support for these people to make the transition from the street to having a home. Mental health workers are assigned, social service workers are involved, there is a case worker. Part of the web site information for the Coalition builds a defense against (or education for) NIMBY people. I was dismayed to learn this means Not in my Back Yard.
Which, of course, was my knee jerk reaction!
Back to my trash chute closet -- as I stood there looking at the household items on the floor, it slowly began to coalesce. The three policemen/women my husband had seen there one morning earlier that week, removing a few items, accompanied by a young woman. Apparently acting on the eviction notice? Helping the daughter remove her personal belongings? (The daughter and mother are said to have been the ones rolling around on the hallway carpet in the noisy physical altercation.)
I am not automatically NIMBY. I try to think things through, I try to be fair and reasonable.
But, really, is this the answer to homelessness? A luxury condo building in a very upscale urban area? The parking spaces alone sell for around 20K. (More than my first house.) Italian marble floors, elaborate common social rooms with grand piano, many amenities, large monthly condo fee. Households with 6 figure (or more) incomes, luxury cars, multi-ethnic and multi-lingual, well educated. Heck, I even feel out of place here sometimes myself.
Back to my trash chute closet...but is this really what they should do with her belongings? Who is responsible for cleaning out her unit? If it is the Coalition, why not recycle these household goods? Ever heard of Goodwill? What about the Salvation Army? Is this an example of the "support" my neighbor received? Uncaring, careless, and not doing the right thing?
Why leave these items on the floor in my trash chute closet? If they are intended for trash, they should have been properly bagged and dumped, not left on the floor for someone else to clean up.
I think I'm looking at an example of how difficult it is to actually help the homeless. I am sorry for my neighbor, but I am angry at a system that truly failed her and may have made her life worse than it was.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Thank God Its Friday!
Whew! What a long week this has been. (Then again, maybe it just seems like it.)
This morning I was in a pretty good mood because it is Friday, my favorite day of the week. I walked to the Metro with Ed, rode to my stop, got off and started up the very very long escalator to my building. I saw the guy in front of me and immediately just had a gut feeling something was wrong with this man. He turned around and stared at me a little. He was wearing shorts, sandals, blue mirrored sun glasses and a baggy t-shirt. He was standing on the left of the escalator stairs, which immediately makes him stand out because there is a code of conduct on the Metro Escalator - "Standing on the Right, Passing on the Left" - and it is pretty strictly enforced by the pushy Type A Washingtonites. I was at least 10-12 steps behind this guy, which unfortunately placed me about eye level with his knees. I saw him put his hand in his pocket and start fooling around, but I just though, Oh Lordy, another creep-o. I wondered briefly if he had a gun, as his shirt was very large and baggy. I was sort of trapped on the escalator stairs, so I just kept an eye on him. You know what Mr. Wacko did? He adjusted himself, looked over his shoulder and watched me, then he peed right down his leg, all over his feet, sandals, and the escalator. Lucky for me, this morning there wasn't a stiff breeze blowing down those stairs or I would have been drenched!
I cannot believe this!
To add to my list of Top Ten Reasons I Love This Place:
Ed's building had a lock down yesterday - complete with swat teams and bus sized ambulances for multiple causalities. He had gone out to get his lunch at Subway, and he got locked out of his office building. He returned to find mobile Command centers, yellow police tape, first responders, TV crews and police/homeland security etc. everywhere. Apparently it was a suspicious letter which was later determined to be nothing. His co-workers were locked inside the building and told to shelter in place.
Oh yeah, Thank God Its Friday!
This morning I was in a pretty good mood because it is Friday, my favorite day of the week. I walked to the Metro with Ed, rode to my stop, got off and started up the very very long escalator to my building. I saw the guy in front of me and immediately just had a gut feeling something was wrong with this man. He turned around and stared at me a little. He was wearing shorts, sandals, blue mirrored sun glasses and a baggy t-shirt. He was standing on the left of the escalator stairs, which immediately makes him stand out because there is a code of conduct on the Metro Escalator - "Standing on the Right, Passing on the Left" - and it is pretty strictly enforced by the pushy Type A Washingtonites. I was at least 10-12 steps behind this guy, which unfortunately placed me about eye level with his knees. I saw him put his hand in his pocket and start fooling around, but I just though, Oh Lordy, another creep-o. I wondered briefly if he had a gun, as his shirt was very large and baggy. I was sort of trapped on the escalator stairs, so I just kept an eye on him. You know what Mr. Wacko did? He adjusted himself, looked over his shoulder and watched me, then he peed right down his leg, all over his feet, sandals, and the escalator. Lucky for me, this morning there wasn't a stiff breeze blowing down those stairs or I would have been drenched!
I cannot believe this!
To add to my list of Top Ten Reasons I Love This Place:
Ed's building had a lock down yesterday - complete with swat teams and bus sized ambulances for multiple causalities. He had gone out to get his lunch at Subway, and he got locked out of his office building. He returned to find mobile Command centers, yellow police tape, first responders, TV crews and police/homeland security etc. everywhere. Apparently it was a suspicious letter which was later determined to be nothing. His co-workers were locked inside the building and told to shelter in place.
Oh yeah, Thank God Its Friday!
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Overdue - Celebration!
Well, I've lost 10% of my original body weight since joining Weight Watchers in June, (on my 56th Bday.)
That is the first of several significant goals I will need to meet, and I'm very happy with the 10% goal.
There have been some bumps in the road with the WW group...we are nearing the end of our 17 week commitment. I don't think our instructor is very serious or perhaps not very dedicated to her job. The week I actually reached this goal was 9/09/2008. At that meeting, there was some problem with the meeting room assigned to us. (Our instructor should be on top of these logistics, but she clearly is not.) We were interrupted several times during our "meeting"...which was going nowhere anyway. This instructor doesn't have much of a "lecture" or "topic" in mind, apparently. She doesn't do what the other instructors I've observed do. She doesn't have a focus for the day, she doesn't remember to do the "celebrations." I mean, Hey - that is what I'm paying her the big bucks for!! After all, it is the point of my spending this time with her and this money.... wow, that is almost a passionate rant, I'm surprised at me!~ She didn't have anything much to say to me about my meeting this important goal. I know the WW philosophy is to encourage..but she doesn't do that for me. Did you ever meet someone you just instantly do not feel warm toward? I think I do not like her either!
Anyway, I think I'm so incensed because for this week's meeting, she:
1. didn't have a meeting room, so someone got a room in another building across campus. I had to walk there, (20 minutes away) and I'm on my lunch hour and have to be quick. Well, OK, I'm down with that.
2. She didn't show.
Not only did she fail to show up at all, but she didn't email us (she has all our emails and I've got mine forwarded to my iPhone....) or let us know in any way. 15 women trying to lose weight sat there for a while...which was OK I guess...but a bit of a waste.
I expected at least an apology in my inbox at some point that day or the next, but nothing. She is a dimwit.
I went to the local WW center near my condo that night and got weighed in. I did fine, maintained the 10% loss, and that instructor was so great! She was really friendly to me and recognized the importance of that step. It really meant a lot to me. I know how important the encouragement is...I've been down this trail before and I got discouraged. It is a long lonely, sometimes disheartening trip to normalcy in weight issues.
Although my instructor's only comment was: "You have a lot more to lose."
8-(
Of course I know I have a lot more to lose.
I also know I can do this.
I have done this before and this time I will maintain this loss.
But I also know just how important it is to celebrate each and every one of our small victories in life and in weight loss.
So, today I celebrate the 10% loss I've been able to accomplish!! Yay!!
I also know how important my next goals will be, so I'm working on setting those goals.
What I'm thinking is that Christmas is a good date to have the next goal.
Christmas is about 12 weeks away. I think I'll set a goal of -15 more lbs. by Christmas. I'll have to lose a bit more than a pound a week, and consistently.
My plan to reach that goal is to up the activity levels more. To that end, yesterday Ed and I hiked for about a hour and a half. Thank you Ed.!
I'll have to carefully handle my stress levels, as that will sink me quickly if I let that get out of hand. Ed is settling into his office at Silver Spring, so the immediate pressure to move is off. Whew! I think Ed is really OK with this. I hope. I know he was disappointed not to get back to California, but I just can't leave now. Ed was quite affable at the funeral of my Aunt Josephine this week, and he really loves my family. So, I think he was OK with taking time off work for that, although he is in his office today, a beautiful fall Sunday, getting caught up. He was really worried about my sister this weekend, and tries to help, but she is so deep into pain that she cannot reach out to us. We try to reach her, but cannot. That hurts us all. We are both wholeheartedly sad over our situation with regard to WV. But, we are trying to do all we can do.....it hurts.
I have to survive this too. I wish I were allowed to help more, but I am not. It is frustrating and painful, but I cannot let this derail me.
I am remembering to be thankful today for all the many blessings I have.
It is a beautiful day here, fall is arriving in a lovely way. Joey called me, he is well and happy. Amanda called yesterday, she has a cold but overall is fine. Mom is somewhat coherent and I was able to visit with her Friday and Saturday.
I am thankful for the feeling of peace in our home today.
That is the first of several significant goals I will need to meet, and I'm very happy with the 10% goal.
There have been some bumps in the road with the WW group...we are nearing the end of our 17 week commitment. I don't think our instructor is very serious or perhaps not very dedicated to her job. The week I actually reached this goal was 9/09/2008. At that meeting, there was some problem with the meeting room assigned to us. (Our instructor should be on top of these logistics, but she clearly is not.) We were interrupted several times during our "meeting"...which was going nowhere anyway. This instructor doesn't have much of a "lecture" or "topic" in mind, apparently. She doesn't do what the other instructors I've observed do. She doesn't have a focus for the day, she doesn't remember to do the "celebrations." I mean, Hey - that is what I'm paying her the big bucks for!! After all, it is the point of my spending this time with her and this money.... wow, that is almost a passionate rant, I'm surprised at me!~ She didn't have anything much to say to me about my meeting this important goal. I know the WW philosophy is to encourage..but she doesn't do that for me. Did you ever meet someone you just instantly do not feel warm toward? I think I do not like her either!
Anyway, I think I'm so incensed because for this week's meeting, she:
1. didn't have a meeting room, so someone got a room in another building across campus. I had to walk there, (20 minutes away) and I'm on my lunch hour and have to be quick. Well, OK, I'm down with that.
2. She didn't show.
Not only did she fail to show up at all, but she didn't email us (she has all our emails and I've got mine forwarded to my iPhone....) or let us know in any way. 15 women trying to lose weight sat there for a while...which was OK I guess...but a bit of a waste.
I expected at least an apology in my inbox at some point that day or the next, but nothing. She is a dimwit.
I went to the local WW center near my condo that night and got weighed in. I did fine, maintained the 10% loss, and that instructor was so great! She was really friendly to me and recognized the importance of that step. It really meant a lot to me. I know how important the encouragement is...I've been down this trail before and I got discouraged. It is a long lonely, sometimes disheartening trip to normalcy in weight issues.
Although my instructor's only comment was: "You have a lot more to lose."
8-(
Of course I know I have a lot more to lose.
I also know I can do this.
I have done this before and this time I will maintain this loss.
But I also know just how important it is to celebrate each and every one of our small victories in life and in weight loss.
So, today I celebrate the 10% loss I've been able to accomplish!! Yay!!
I also know how important my next goals will be, so I'm working on setting those goals.
What I'm thinking is that Christmas is a good date to have the next goal.
Christmas is about 12 weeks away. I think I'll set a goal of -15 more lbs. by Christmas. I'll have to lose a bit more than a pound a week, and consistently.
My plan to reach that goal is to up the activity levels more. To that end, yesterday Ed and I hiked for about a hour and a half. Thank you Ed.!
I'll have to carefully handle my stress levels, as that will sink me quickly if I let that get out of hand. Ed is settling into his office at Silver Spring, so the immediate pressure to move is off. Whew! I think Ed is really OK with this. I hope. I know he was disappointed not to get back to California, but I just can't leave now. Ed was quite affable at the funeral of my Aunt Josephine this week, and he really loves my family. So, I think he was OK with taking time off work for that, although he is in his office today, a beautiful fall Sunday, getting caught up. He was really worried about my sister this weekend, and tries to help, but she is so deep into pain that she cannot reach out to us. We try to reach her, but cannot. That hurts us all. We are both wholeheartedly sad over our situation with regard to WV. But, we are trying to do all we can do.....it hurts.
I have to survive this too. I wish I were allowed to help more, but I am not. It is frustrating and painful, but I cannot let this derail me.
I am remembering to be thankful today for all the many blessings I have.
It is a beautiful day here, fall is arriving in a lovely way. Joey called me, he is well and happy. Amanda called yesterday, she has a cold but overall is fine. Mom is somewhat coherent and I was able to visit with her Friday and Saturday.
I am thankful for the feeling of peace in our home today.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Survey Results
So my Niece posted one of these filler-inners (or is it filler-outers?) and since I enjoyed reading her responses, I'm posting it to my blog. :) I don't think I'm as interesting as she is though.....
Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Bank Teller
2. Teacher (French, English)
3. Chief Librarian in a hospital
Three places I Lived
1. Clarksburg, WV
2. Montgomery, WV
3. Walnut Creek, CA
Three shows that I watch:
1. Days of our Lives
2. CSI
3. NBC News
I wish they hadn’t canceled Cane, with Jimmy Smits. I really liked that show.
Three places I have been:
1. Paris, France
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Cusco, Peru
Places I have been this week:
1. Columbus, OH
2. Giant grocery store.
3. Target
Three people who email me regularly:
1. Joey
2. Ed
3. Amanda
Three of my favorite foods:
1. Pasta
2. Cambria Chardonnay
3. Broccoli
Three places I'd rather be right now:
1. Hiking with Ed anywhere
1a. Desolation Wilderness or Lake Tahoe
2. Zion National Park
3. Yellowstone
Three friends I think will respond:
Actually, I hate these kinds of things and almost never send them forward.
But, I don't hate this one.
Three things I am looking forward to this year:
1. My 37th Wedding Anniversary
2. Christmas with my kids December 2008
3. Vacation with my kids in March 2009
4. Fall
5. Hiking with Ed
6. Reading lots of new stuff
7. Figuring out how to see Yellowstone.
Why stop at 3?
Three jobs I have had in my life:
1. Bank Teller
2. Teacher (French, English)
3. Chief Librarian in a hospital
Three places I Lived
1. Clarksburg, WV
2. Montgomery, WV
3. Walnut Creek, CA
Three shows that I watch:
1. Days of our Lives
2. CSI
3. NBC News
I wish they hadn’t canceled Cane, with Jimmy Smits. I really liked that show.
Three places I have been:
1. Paris, France
2. San Francisco, CA
3. Cusco, Peru
Places I have been this week:
1. Columbus, OH
2. Giant grocery store.
3. Target
Three people who email me regularly:
1. Joey
2. Ed
3. Amanda
Three of my favorite foods:
1. Pasta
2. Cambria Chardonnay
3. Broccoli
Three places I'd rather be right now:
1. Hiking with Ed anywhere
1a. Desolation Wilderness or Lake Tahoe
2. Zion National Park
3. Yellowstone
Three friends I think will respond:
Actually, I hate these kinds of things and almost never send them forward.
But, I don't hate this one.
Three things I am looking forward to this year:
1. My 37th Wedding Anniversary
2. Christmas with my kids December 2008
3. Vacation with my kids in March 2009
4. Fall
5. Hiking with Ed
6. Reading lots of new stuff
7. Figuring out how to see Yellowstone.
Why stop at 3?
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Week Twelve: -3.8 lbs
This was a really important week. I had to rebound from a week with no weight loss, so I worked very carefully in my choices this week. I was happy to see a -3.8 loss on the scale! The number of attendees in our meeting has dwindled and did not pick up today. I have nearly made my 10% goal for the whole 17 week commitment.
That is the whole point of my work. 10% equates better health.
In the name of journaling my journey here, I will say that the -27.6 lbs. lost -- make that cast away! -- has meant a lot to me. My feet are OK, my clothes are comfortable again...some are getting too loose. Clothes that were really a bit too small are now fine. I fit easily through the turnstile at work. I fit into the airline seats. People are beginning to notice. This can be a difficult point in the journey, as I really do not like to be the center of attention, especially people staring at my body. However, it is a great place to be. I'm working on being totally in the moment and enjoying this. I'm always bearing in mind my key phrase "Sustained journey"
Yesterday on the way home from our trip to see Mom, my husband did the nicest thing. He pulled off the interstate after driving about two hours. He found the trail parking for the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and we went walking for about an hour. According to the trail markers we passed, we hiked about 3 miles or so. It was really beautiful! It was awesome to get away from the traffic and be in the woods. We saw a deer walk across our path. There were no other walkers, just a few bicyclists. Hubby was remarkable for being able to step out of the drivers seat and just ....walk!
That is the whole point of my work. 10% equates better health.
In the name of journaling my journey here, I will say that the -27.6 lbs. lost -- make that cast away! -- has meant a lot to me. My feet are OK, my clothes are comfortable again...some are getting too loose. Clothes that were really a bit too small are now fine. I fit easily through the turnstile at work. I fit into the airline seats. People are beginning to notice. This can be a difficult point in the journey, as I really do not like to be the center of attention, especially people staring at my body. However, it is a great place to be. I'm working on being totally in the moment and enjoying this. I'm always bearing in mind my key phrase "Sustained journey"
Yesterday on the way home from our trip to see Mom, my husband did the nicest thing. He pulled off the interstate after driving about two hours. He found the trail parking for the Western Maryland Rail Trail, and we went walking for about an hour. According to the trail markers we passed, we hiked about 3 miles or so. It was really beautiful! It was awesome to get away from the traffic and be in the woods. We saw a deer walk across our path. There were no other walkers, just a few bicyclists. Hubby was remarkable for being able to step out of the drivers seat and just ....walk!
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