Walk With Megan

While visiting in Binghamton, NY with Molly and Roy I was thrilled to be able to walk in Megan's footsteps near Binghamton Univ., her alma mater.  I had learned that Megan had enjoyed hiking in a natural preserve right adjacent to the campus grounds.  We decided to go over across town and try to find the hiking area where she walked...perhaps an activity she enjoyed to relax or take a breather from finals.

I was accompanied by the whole family, since the boys were home from college...Greg from Notre Dame Univ.  and R.J. from Oswego Univ.  We found the preserve behind the University and started on our walk.  The path was rather wet from the rains and snows, but we did the best we could.  Along the way we ran into several beaver dams  and clear evidence of their activity on numerous,  felled trees.   Near the beaver dam we spotted a muskrat swimming along.  Olivia, the youngest in this group , found a good tree for climbing and up she went.  Molly had prepared a statement about Megan, enclosed it in a plastic bag and hung it on one of the trees along the path, hoping others would think about Megan while they walked the path.

I was glad to walk where Megan walked this time.  As my goal of 100K for Megan is coming close to the end, it was good to be able to include in my ventures an actual path where Megan walked.  I knew she enjoyed hiking in the preserve and I now know why she did, for it was a beautiful area with trees, marshes, ponds, beavers and other wildlife to view.

Previous  94K
Current      1K
Total        95K (goal 100K)

On the path

"Monkey" in the tree

Molly adding  a message

Beaver dam

Busy beaver work

Walk with/for Megan in Ocean City, MD

Peggy and I decided to take a short break for R & R in Ocean City, MD.  O. C is totally different in December compared to the high season in the summer.  In the summer the city hosts up to 333,000 vacationers on weekends, while in the quiet winter months it houses only about 7000 people.  So the decibel level was much lower, the traffic much more manageable and the boardwalk almost deserted.

We checked into the Marriott Residence Inn located on the bay side right where the Rte. 90 bridge stands.  We had a nice suite and a good view of the bay.  On one of the days we decided to take a Volksmarch hike.  We checked in at the Convention Center to get our instructions which directed us to the boardwalk.  Our instructions took us from 27th street to the end and then back, about a 6K distance.  So we had a good look at the whole boardwalk in December.  We counted how many people we saw on the boardwalk, as we walked to the end at the inlet, and the number came to 65.  By using the population figures for the summer compared to the winter count, those 65 people would be upgraded to about 3000 boardwalkers we would have encountered in the high season.

Only a handful of stores or shops was open.  We saw the closed doors of Fishers Popcorn, a favorite for popcorn lovers, Thrashers French Fries, for those who want a greasy, tasty fry, and Candy Kitchen, for those with a sweet tooth.  We enjoyed a leisurely walk and did find a small cafe open and had a coffee there.

Our memories wandered back to the numerous times we vacationed in O.C.  I think Megan liked the beach, at least from my recall of the times we spent time with her there.  She enjoyed swimming out beyond the breakers with Grandma to enjoy the swells of the tide.  She was quite a sand castle builder and loved to dig in the sand.  Our sunshine walk on the boardwalk reminded us of how Megan enjoyed the sun and sand right here in O.C.!

Previous total  88K
Current              6K
Total                94K  (goal 100K)

the boardwalk deserted

No greasy, tasty fries this day

Closed....too bad for the sweet toothers

Not many bags of popcorn sold this day

Megan at O.C.....

Walk with/for Megan in Brookside Gardens

One of my favorite areas to take a walk is Brookside Gardens, in Wheaton, MD, about 6 mi from our apartment. It is a beautifully kept nature center in the midst of residences and commercial sections.  I followed a paved pathway circling around twice on a loop to get a 2 mile distance or about 3K.

There is a conservatory there that houses many colorful plants.  Red stood out with the poinsettias displayed for the holiday season.  Also, a train garden was set up for the season.  I've always been fascinated with the train gardens at Christmas time.  This garden  featured, with the help of a volunteer group, some of the local attractions, such as a model of the visitor center at the garden,  and buildings in the DC area.  In talking with a senior attendant there, he commented that the structures were all handmade by their club members.  The model trains were of the large size, rather than the  mini HO size usually displayed in many train gardens.

The day was sunny, with a brisk breeze.  This particular walk with/for Megan was significant in that it was taken in her memory instead of in her honor.  This was the first walk I had taken since her passing on Nov. 14, 2018.  I had hoped to complete my goal of 100K before she left this earth.  But my last words to her were, "I love you and I am going to continue to walk with you." 

Previous total     85K
Current distance  3K
Totals                 88K (goal 100K)

Standing near the train garden in the Conservatory

A bright  red plant encountered in the Conservatory

Right in season...the poinsettia plant

A nice discovery....bird of paradise

A model train passing a model of the visitor's center at Brookside Gardens