| I was on Rock City Road, heading south just outside Saratoga Springs, New York. A young man stopped his truck next to me with total disregard of traffic behind him. He had a Yankee's cap covering up his bald head. He leaned over his passenger and said, "I gotta' tell ye' buddy, I got cancer and I got up this morning feeling all bad and depressed and scared. Then I saw your sign and it gave me hope! By God I love life!" "Screw cancer!" I said. "You have every right to love life! You don't have a damn thing that can't be beat, cancer gets beat all the time and by God you're going to beat it too!" "Yes I am!' He said. His friend in the passenger seat was nodding his head in total agreement and pumping his fist in the air saying, "Yeah, yeah! Screw cancer!" I said. "You've got life and you can beat anything!" The cars started lining up behind him and a horn or two blew. We kept on cheering and all three of us were pumping our fist in the air and saying, "Yeah that's right!" As he started pulling his truck away he said, "Yeah, screw cancer, I'm going to live!" "Damn right you're going to live!" A couple weeks later I received an email from the boy’s father, "My boy was the young man in the gray truck you talked to today. He has cancer and he said you gave him hope. And in large bold letters… “THANK YOU!” Over a year later in December 2008, the young man’s new wife contacted me. They had just married two months prior in September. The wedding had been postponed after RJ was diagnosed with cancer. She said his name is Robert but everyone calls him RJ. Amber said RJ is suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a very aggressive disease. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is normally easily treated if caught soon enough, but by the time they found it in RJ he had reached stage IV B. He had gone through an autologus stem cell transplant which unfortunately did not completely work. They then did radiation and it worked in the spots they radiated, but the cancer had traveled to some new spots. He is currently in chemo again and will be getting another transplant from a donor, his brother. She said if this treatment doesn’t work they will then go to experimental drugs. Evidently RJ is a fighter! And he is married to another warrior! Amber told me the day RJ and I met on the road he was actually supposed to be in treatment but he had contracted a mild cold bug and couldn’t be treated as originally scheduled. She explained that he had become very depressed that day until he had encountered me and my “LOVE LIFE” sign. She further explained that he would have never been on that back road outside Saratoga but he had gone that way to pick up his friend. She told me, “I know you and RJ met for a reason!” She also told me, “Since you inspired him so much I wanted to add “love Life” to the tattoo I was getting for him, I thought it a perfect fit. Cause really no matter what, you should just love life." "If you are ready to leave father and mother, brother and sister; and wife and child and friends, and never see them again, ... if you have paid your debts, and made your will, and settled all your affairs, and you are a free man, then you are ready for a walk." ~ Thoreau "Shelly Walk" Updates NOTE: These updates are from the first part of my Shelly walk, Cincinnati to Maine to Arizona. The second part, Arizona to California to Washington to Florida will be posted on my BLOG and open to your comments. Well, It's the 6th of March 2007 and the 12th day of my corner to corner walk, which I am now calling my "Shelly Walk" in honor of my beautiful little girl. I have met many wonderful individuals along the way and only one guy has flipped me off so far. It was quite appropriate that this in-fracture occurred near where I grew up in South Lebanon, Ohio... go figure. Near Morrow, O., a gentleman, Paul Brown, invited me to sit on a bench in his yard facing a beautiful lake. We had great conversation and he sent me on my way with a big 2 litre bottle of cold Sprite. In the town of Morrow, several firemen were cleaning the trucks and asked me to come over and explain what I was doing. They were very interested and asked a lot of questions. I went in their building to use their restroom and forgot about still having my pack on and accidentally knocked a picture off the wall, and it broke! It was of one of their past Captains from probably the forties! It had hung there peacefully for possibly sixty years and the klutz had to break it! I felt terrible and apologized profusely. They thought it to be quite comical and assured me it could be fixed easily. One night I made camp at the edge of a cornfield, in the mud, at what I thought to be an inconspicuous well hidden spot. Just as I finished pitching my tent a man and his wife show up on an ATV. I apologized for being on their property and asked permission to stay. They explained it was their neighbors property but they would inform him I was there. They asked if I had enough water and I told them I could use a little more. The man came back later with the promised water, and a ham and cheese sandwich, a hot potato and cheese casserole, two big apples and an ice cold Coke! I really am roughing it out here folks Just outside Washington Court House, Ohio I turned down my first offer of a ride. People just shake their heads, they cannot imagine why one would want to walk instead of ride. I'm still trying to figure it out myself. In the little town of New Holland and as I walked past a small grocery store a little old lady came out and handed me a bag and told me she loved my "LOVE LIFE" sign! The bag contained 2 ham n' cheese sandwiches, a cold milk, and a Hershey Bar. Life just keeps getting rougher. Near Williamsport, O., a Clinton County Sheriff's deputy stopped me and asked for I.D.. My first official Cop Stop. I always enjoy meeting them, they have taken wonderful care of me over the years. His name was Ed Moore and after he ran my drivers licence, he just kept asking me questions. He couldn't believe I never get bored. A fine young man, Kevin Rhodes and his lady stopped to offer me a ride. Of course I turned down the offer. March 31, 2007, Saturday I went off the main route and into the little village of Amanda looking to find a place for breakfast. I saw a sign, Ace Diner. The food was delicious and a local lady, (I was told later she owned the local roller rink) asked what I was doing and then insisted on paying for my food! The lady who owned Ace's gave me fresh water and a bunch of napkins to take with me. If yer ever in Amanda, Ohio, for God's sake .... go to Ace Diner. As I came into Lancaster I was approached by a young man, Joshua. This young man was so curious as to what I was doing and why. He was so excited about life, he just couldn't seem to stop asking questions! He told me he had a new daughter, just turned a year old. You could see the pride and feel the love as he described his little one. He said he just hoped he could raise her properly. I volunteered a little advice; every single thing you want her to be, make sure that you are. Teach her how to give, and teach her to enjoy the outdoors. April 1, 2007 I was in Rushville, Ohio and heard two sweet little voices behind me, "hey mister, what does your "LOVE LIFE" sign mean?" I turned around and there were two little girls, ages 10 and 11, Cierra and Destiny. They wanted to know what I was doing and why? I answered their questions and I asked them to promise me they would never stop being curious. They both promised, they were darling and made my day. A father and son, Mike and Anthony stopped and wanted to take pictures of me and my beautiful "LOVE LIFE" sign. April 2, 2007 I was awakened by the sound of horse hooves clomping on the pavement about 5:00am pulling a buggy down the road. It sounded nice, I always enjoy being in Amish country. A big dump truck pulled up beside me and a big burly guy said, "Here, take this, I really like your sign." He handed me an ice cold Nestea. I thanked him and he drove off with a huge smile on his face. April 4, 2007 It got cold and it was supposed to get even colder that night, down to 22 degrees! I'm from Florida! A lady delivering mail pulled up and handed me a bag holding a bottle of water, a box of Girl Scout Cookies, and a pair of heavy duty winter gloves! She said she had seen me that morning and had returned home to retrieve some things she thought I might need. How very sweet! After I told her about my sons suicide, she shared her story with me. Her name was Deanne, she was 37 and she had just recently gone through a bout with severe depression. She said it just came upon her one day and no matter how hard she tried she just could not pull out of it. She told of a good husband and two great little boys, and no reason for her depression! She tried doctors and the medication helped some, but still the depression would not go away. Finally, she said she just cried out to God and begged for help! She said she eventually overcame the depression and was able to return to a normal life. She said she now wanted to do whatever she could to help others. What a wonderful person she was. I stopped in a convenience store for coffee, as I was leaving a young man came up to me and handed me two steak and cheese sandwiches. Said he liked my sign! Pitched my tent just outside the little town of Dresden, Ohio, the home of Longaberger Baskets. April 5, 2007 I got cold last night! The two 40 degree sleeping bags just did not cut it. My tent was covered with snow when I awoke. A lady pulled up and asked could she give me a ride somewhere. I told her no and gave her one of my cards. She told me her name was Ruth Bryan and she seemed so disappointed that she was unable to do anything for me. About an hour later a guy who called himself Junior pulled up in a really beat up old pickup truck and told me to get in he was taking me to feed me. He took me to his house and fed me some pretty good spaghetti. Junior had esophagus cancer and had to feed himself through a tube in his stomach. After I finished eating, his friend Kevin drove me back to the highway. I found a place near by to pitch my tent and brace for the cold. Junior had given me an old pair of sweat pants to help make it through the cold. I also gathered bags of dry grass to stuff my clothes with to help insulate against the cold. I got everything together and was lying in my tent prepared for the cold and checked my cell phone for messages. There was a message from Ruth Bryan saying she had been looking for me to bring me some warm food. I called her back to thank her and she said she and her husband Mike would gladly come and get me and I could stay at their house. Well, I have never broke camp so fast! I was packed and down on that road so fast! I am on their laptop now. They have treated me so very wonderful, they have taken me out to eat twice, and have introduced me to all their children and their friends! I have enjoyed myself thoroughly with these two fine people and even their three yappy little Chihuahua's. The conversation has been great! They gave me an extra sleeping bag to help me through the fore casted 16 degrees that's on its way. I spent two nights with them and they offered to let me stay even a few more days if I wanted. But cold or no cold I had to get on my way toward Canton. They also insisted on buying me some much needed socks and bought me some beef jerky and protein bars for the road. They took me to breakfast one more time and I headed out. I am going to really miss these two wonderful people!!! I don't know that I've met anyone more energetic and continually happy than Mike Bryan. 4/8/07 Two little girls, Sharee and Crystal, about 14, had their mother stop so they could give me a Snickers bar, an ink pen and three pieces of bubble gum! How very sweet they were! Mother parked nearby and watched with a wary eye, good mommy. 4/9/07 Met a lady in a c-store whose husband had killed himself and left her with two babies to raise. She shook her head and sighed and said she had forgiven him. There was also a young man working there who had cerebral palsy, his name was Kyle. His body was severely twisted but he was able to move about fairly well. It took him a long time to get his words out but we managed a delightful conversation. He was very interested in my walk and asked a lot of questions. He said he had turned his cerebral palsy over to God and he was assured all was well and he said he had hope and joy! He said he read the bible a lot and that he attended church regularly. He asked if I attended church. I told him my walk was my church and that the whole outdoors was my cathedral. He got a big smile on his precious face to show he approved of my answer. As we parted he told me he would keep me in his heart and his prayers. I was quite touched by the sincerity of this sweet young man. Just outside Millersburg, O. a couple stopped and handed me a McDonald's bag with two chicken sandwiches inside. They said, "enjoy" and sped away. I love people! In Millersburg, I thought I had found a good tent site until a police cruiser pulled up. The officers name was Justin Estill and he was responding to a call on a suspicious looking character... me? He was super nice and after checking my sunshine state drivers license he radioed in and recieved permission for me to go ahead and pitch my tent. He gave me his card and told me to call him if I had any problems at all. He said if the weather got real bad they would come and get me and find shelter for me! WOW! 4/10/07 Did a radio interview from millersburg via cell phone for a Canton, Ohio radio station this morning. Walking through Berlin, Ohio encountered many Amish in their buggies and plowing their fields using horses. I particularly enjoyed the listing of conveniences at the local banks: Drive Thru. ATM. Horse Railing. A couple, Alvin and Wilma invited me into their home for stew and fresh baked apple pie. It was so good! They were both raised Amish but decided not to become Amish at maturity. They were now with some Pentecostal church and had just recently done missionary work in Africa. They explained that Wilma's family was not accepting her denial of the Amish belief. They explained that as long as they didn't first accept the Amish belief and then leave they wouldn't be shunned. Shun, that is such a severe word! I say, "screw 'em if they can't take a joke!" Alvin and Wilma let me spend the night in their barn. 4/11/07 Was having coffee and donuts in a little bakery shop in Winesburg, O. and a guy came up and introduced himself as Jack Wendlig and expressed a keen interest in what I was doing. He invited me down the street to meet his friend and we all had freshly laid chicken eggs together. They were delicious! His friend took us up to look at a '39 Ford sedan he had recently restored, beautiful! Jack showed me his woodworking shop that was actually one of the original churches in Winesburg, the old German Methodist, built in 1861. Jack and his friend were campaigning to restore it. Later in the day it began to rain and I started looking for cover so I wouldn't have to pitch my tent in the rain. I saw some open storage buildings and headed for them. A sign said it was the Sugar Creek Township Maintenance Dept. There were two men in a little office building, Mike and his one helper, Rick. Mike told me I could bed down in one of the salt barns. I'm from sunny Florida, what the hell is a salt barn? He explained to me the barns stored the salt they used to de-ice the roads in winter. I had coffee and cheese doodles with them, an Ohio thing maybe? I shared my story and Mike shared that only recently his young son-in-law had taken his own life. After Mike and Rick left for the day, I made my bed in the salt barn and out of the pouring rain and settled in and was reading a paper Mike had given me. A car pulled up in front of the open faced salt barn, a young lady, maybe her early twenties, got out of her car. She walked within 15 feet of me and just started sobbing! I realized that Mike must have told his daughter who I was, this was the little darling who had just lost her husband to suicide. I ran to her and just wrapped my arms around her and held her while she sobbed. She started trying to apologize for her break down, I stopped her and told her to let it rip! She was screaming out, "He did it right in front of me, he shot himself right in front of me!" All I could do was hold her, and love her. She continued screaming, "I was a stay at home mom, I have lost our house! I have a new baby boy, what am I going to do? I just kept holding her, she held on tight. I can't describe how much love I felt for that precious heart broken child. I didn't have her immediate answer anymore than I have anyone else's. But I do have love, so I just loved her. I was holding my little boy and my little girl. I did share with her though that I had found an inner peace in my solitude and a retreat from my grief. I told her I feel we all have our own answers inside of us. . Sometimes it is very deep inside of us and we need an outside source to find it. That there is a universal power waiting to help us. All we have to do is realize it does indeed exist and cry out to it, thus giving it credence. And we can absolutely achieve a peace and self assurance that all will be well ... no matter the circumstances. She eventually stopped sobbing and screaming. I told her I loved her very much. The next morning as I hiked down the road, Mike and Rick pulled along side me in their work truck. Mike said, "You talked to my girl last night, thank you, I think she really needed that." 4/12/07 Got just outside of Canton, Ohio this morning and was stopped by the fact I could find no route into the city that wasn't limited access to pedestrians. Totally perplexed, I walked into a store and asked a stranger for directions. He became frustrated with trying to figure out how I could walk in and finally said that he would just have to drive me there. I accepted the offer. His name was Homer Shaffer, a barber by profession, in Massillon, Ohio. He is currently writing a book about death and how to deal with it. He too had lost two children. He had so many deaths of loved ones in his life, it was just so hard to imagine. He was a beautiful person to talk with. He put me right at the door of the McKinley Grande Hotel in Canton, Ohio. We stepped out on the street and he asked if I would allow him to pray for me. We stood at the entrance of the hotel as he prayed a beautiful heart felt prayer for me. JohnStone, www.eyeclectic.net photography, the organizer of the "HeArts Coming Together" conference had reserved a room for me ... WOW!! From a salt barn the night before to a luxurious room at the McKinley Grand Hotel! Later in the evening I had the honor of meeting John Stone. He is an absolutely charming gentleman completely driven by his love for life and a desire to help others. He is amazing! He also had prearranged free meals for me at a famous downtown Canton restaurant, the Arcadia Grille, owned by a beautiful lady, Maria Byington. Maria had just had all her hair cut off in support of St. Baldricks, to raise money for children's cancer research. She opened her heart and her restaurant to me ... thank you Maria!! The food is wonderful! If ever in Canton please give yourself a treat and find out why the Arcadia Grille is such a popular hang out spot for the locals, 321 Court Ave. N.W. Canton, Ohio. Hey!! The "HeArts Coming Together" Conference was AWESOME!!! I don't know that I've ever seen that many love filled people in one room at the same time .... with the same goal .... HELP OTHERS! Most of the participants were members of www.omidyar.net. I will update the latest happenings as soon as possible. I thank all of you for your comments!! 4/27/07 Check this out! Just out of Canfield, Ohio I was walking down U.S. Rt.224 and for no good reason at all I suddenly veered left to the guard rail about seven feet away and looked down in the ditch. Just about three feet away, resting on its edge against blades of grass ... was a one hundred dollar bill!! I swear it! The first thing I did was look over my shoulder to my left and then to my right ... I suppose, making sure nobody was watching me. I then proceeded to, with a forty pound back on my back, leap over that guard rail like a gazelle! It was so faded and cracked from exposure it looked to be counterfeit. A bank back in Canton assured it was indeed legal tender! That will come in real handy. 4/29/07 I am back in Canton right now but will be driven back to Canfield, Ohio this morning after some more photo shoots by my good friend John Stone, www.eyeclectic.net . I've been back in Canton for several days, I had trouble with my new boots and John Stone and his wonderful mother, Cynde, came to Canfield to rescue me. John Stone shocked me by going above and beyond (par for the course with John) and landed an arrangement with Danner Boots for new boots, in the opinion of many hikers, the best hiking boot in the world. They are crafted right here in America and make all kinds of boots. www.danner.com . So I now have on my feet the most comfortable hiking boot I've ever worn! Thank you Danner! Thank you John Stone! John Stone also arranged with Sign Pro of Canton Inc. to provide me with a new "LOVE LIFE" sign! It is beautiful and they are wonderful people. www.ohiosignpro.com Thank you Sign Pro! 4/29/07 John Stone, and I were dropped off back in Canfield, Ohio by his mother. Like the other time John had walked with me for the day, we had a great time. We spent most of the day laughing. It seemed that nearly everone was blowing their horns and waving at us! Two young ladies insisted on treating us to chili dogs and root beer floats at A&W. They said they just wanted to hear all about what we were doing. We walked until dark and John left me where I pitched my tent, to go meet his friend Nemo to pick him up and take him back to Canton. It was a sad time for me watching my friend leave. 4/30/07 Stopped at a Friendly's Restaurant for breakfast and the manager Jeff, and I talked for a very long time. Jeff said the meal was on the house. Wow! Crossed into Pennsylvania. In an area called Edinburgh, a guy yelled at me from his yard , his name was Mike Christy. He and his wife JoAnne offered me a sandwich. JoAnne made me two big fat turkey sandwichs and a bunch of fig bars. I also met their daughter, Cheree and her little boy, Cody. Mike offered me their computer and I was able to catch up on my email and I showed them my website. They were so very sweet to me. And then Mike who was evidently a coin collector, said he wanted to give me something to remind me of him and his family and handed me a 1921 silver dollar! He asked that I never cash it in ... of course not, it was a very precious gift. A police officer, Mr. DeWitt stopped me and checked my ID, he said someone had called and reported me as suspicious looking? Suggesting to "LOVE LIFE" ... this guy has to be up to something?? The officer was very nice though. 5/1/07 Two guys stopped and offered a ride, I declined. They didn't seem too happy about it, the driver grunted and sped off. Oh well. . Just before Slippery Rock, Pa. I entered a little gas station/store to get coffee. As soon as I entered, the lady who owned the store had a disapproving scowl on her face. I got my coffee, paid too much for it and asked were there a restaurant nearby. A customer told me that the nearest restaurant was about three miles away but that the owner could fix me a good breakfast sandwich right there. Great, I said and the owner then stepped out from behind the counter to go and prepare my sandwich. I said, "Mam, what I usually do while eating breakfast somewhere is charge up my cell phone, may I plug it in somewhere?" Absolutly not!" She replied. I then, very nicely asked her not to make the sandwich as it would be much more convenient for me to walk onto the next place and charge my phone while eating. The other customer tried to change her mind assuring her that it took little electricity to charge a phone. She wouldn't budge. I assured him it was okay. Evidently the lady was having a bad day or perhaps she was always like that, it was really none of my business ... it's all I can do to properly conduct myself, so I went on. Not morew than five minutes down the road, a young lady on her way to work stopped and insisted I take a huge turkey sandwich! I took the sandwich and it tasted great! Not more than fifteen minutes after eating the sandwich I walked my a house where an old man was working on a 1915 Model T Ford. It was an open touring car, and it was beautiful! I said good morning to him and he waved his arm for me to come over. His name was Chuck Dickey and he had been born and raised on that piece of property. He gave me the entire history of the car which still had some of the origional paint! He cranked it up by hand and said, "come on and I'll take you a ride." I asked if it were possible to charge my phone while we were riding? "Of course, that will be no problem at all!" He said. He then proceeded to run an extension cord through a window in his home and wwent inside to plug it in. We rode around the beautiful Pennsylvania country side for more than an hour! What an absolute delight both he and that fine aoutomobile were! He knew about all kinds of neat things and shared them with me. He had also been a pilot when he was young and had a lot of great stories! If that lady had not refused to let me charge my phone I would have missed a great sandwich and a most wonderful ride in a 1915 Model T Ford with 88 year old, Mr. Chuck Dickey!! 5/3/07 Just sauntering along and enjoying the beautiful Pennsylvania hills when I glanced over and saw a young Amish mother in her backyard. She had just seen me and was in the process of grabbing her two small children and making a dash for her house! At first I was offended and then it occured to me, it had barely been a year since those precious little Amish school girls had been murdered right there in Pennsylvania. 5/4/07 Went into a restaurant called "Fat Chaps" for breakfast. There wasn't anyone in sight. I started saying, "Hello" over and over and still saw not a soul. Finally , out came this delightful little lady named Sue. She was the owner of Fat Chaps restaurant. I asked if I could charge my phone while eating my breakfast. She showed me where to plug in my phone and then yelled to her waitress, "Hey, I'm going to be over here talking to Steve and having my coffee." She then proceeded to sit opposite me in the booth, leaned over and said, "Now, tell me your story." Fat Chaps got it's nname from the fact that when she was purchasing equipment from an out of business hotel and Pizza restaurant in Pittsburgh, she noticed the sign their now defunct sign and said, "can I buy that too?" The sign said, "Fat Chaps." She had all the equipment she needed and she didn't have to concern herself with having to come up with a catchy name for her new restaurant. Sue and I traded stories for quite awhile. She told of her dog she had when a child during WWII. The dogs name was "Sheppie". She called the story a love story. It truly touched my heart. When I have time I am going to post it. A lady on her cell phone almost ran over me, I jumped out of the way just in time. A guy coming out of a driveway saw the whole scene and yelled to see if I was okay. He said she was on her cell phone and it didn't appear that she ever even saw me! Four teenage boys, Brad Courson, Spencer Foust, David Dunker, and Ian Melovitz stopped and took each others pictures with me and asked my story. They told me that I had encouraged them. Now there's a good feeling! Saw a man working on his oil well and said hello to him. He asked about my sign and then asked if I had ever seen an oil well up close? I jumped at the chance and he showed me all about how the pump works and explained the whole process to me. His name was John Whitling and he owns three oil wells and all were over 100 years old! That particular one was a 1000 feet deep and was dug in 1887! He said he got three to five barrels a day from them. At $60.00 a barrell that's pretty good for what started out as a hobby for him. A young girl of about 15 or 16 yelled at me from her house asking if she could take my picture. She also brought me a cold water. After she took a couple of pictures of me she put her arm around my shoulder, pressed her sweet little face up next to mine and said, "self portrait!" and snapped our picture. That was a prrecious moment for me. An Amish man in his early twenties came up behind me on a foot scooter. He had just gotten off work from a local sawmill. His name was Eli Swartzentruber. I asked to take his picture and he very politely said he would prefer I did not. I felt stupid for even asking. He walked with me until he had to turn onto another road. We had a nice conversation. 5/7/07 Monday. Saw a sign at a hunting camp, Camp Turkahuntus. A man pulled his brand new truck up beside me, got out and handed me a 1/2 gallon bottle of Splash fruit drink. He never stopped smiling the whole time as he explained to me that he was raised in an orphanage his whole life and how much he appreciated and loved life. His name was Jim DeLong and he proudly pointed out his Irish ancestry. While telling how much he appreciated people, he spotted an aluminum can in the ditch and picked it up. He pointed to shiny new Chevy truck with the can and said, "these cans paid for most of that truck!" He was full of life and a pleasure to be around! John and Anna Mitchel stopped and insisted on buying me lunch at a nearby Dari Treat. As soon as Anna discovered why I started walking the U.S. she just kept patting my hands and shoulders. Her eyes filled with tears as she heard of the deaths of my babies. Displays of affection such as she was showing, gives me much needed energy. Thank you John and Anna. 5/8/07 Tuesday. Kane, Pa. is the black cherry capitol of the world. The Poor Mans Deli at Kane has a most delicious roast beef sandwich! When I reached to pay, the girl told me they were free today. I looked over at the owner who was preparing other sandwich's and he winked at me and said, "it's okay." I told him that I sure did appreciate it very much. He said, "I know you do." It doesn't matter how many times it happens ... it still humbles. Pennsylvania state trooper Whisner stopped me, only to find out what I was doing. He was very curious and asked several questions.. It is so appreciated when I know the police are aware of what I am doing and are watching out for me. 5/11/07 Looking for a place to eat, I went off the main route, Rt.6, and into the very small town of Roulette, Pa. Roulette had one store. As soon as I took off my pack and beautiful "LOVE LIFE" Sign, a young man greeted me at the door with an ice cold Mountain Dew! "Here." He said, "You look a bit parched." He had one of those smiles that can come only from a wide open beautiful heart! He certainly made the extra effort to find the store well worth it. He told me to go on in and get me something to eat. He then turned back into the store and said, "fix him something to eat please." There was a beautiful young redhead conducting the business of the very busy little store. She had that same smile and attitude, she was his wife. She would not let me pay for anything. I had just sat down when I heard the thundering roar of an obviously "hopped up" car squealing the tires for what seemed like forever! I glanced out a window just in time to see a white Camaro scream past. An old man was sitting at the table across fom me reading his paper. He winced at the noise of of squealing tires and engine roaring. Shaking his head, he looked over his paper at me and said, "that was your host... he does that constantly... it's his hobby." He continued, "we all just accept it 'cause he's such a fine young man, and anyways... he keeps all the roosters awake for fifty miles." "Well he sure woke me up!" I said. "Me too." He said, and went back to his paper. 5/12/07 Saturday. Just east of Couldersport, Pa. I had breakfast at Fezz's Diner. One of the most unique 50's style diners I had ever seen. As I entered I recieved the usual stares. I greetd everyone with a "good morning." I recieved one back from my waitress to be, everyone else only managed a grunt or two. In the booth in front of me were three local men talking of hunting, property, farm machinery, etc. and certainly seemed to be paying no attention to me what so ever. The waitress eventually asked why I was walking and I told her. No one else in the diner seemed to hear a word of my story. When I asked for my bill I was told that one of the three men in the booth in front of me, who had already left, had taken care of it. Go figure. The rest of the day I walked in a constant drizzle of rain. My rain gear was no longer doing its job so I was a bit miserable. Around 4:00 I was yelled at by a man on a tractor cutting his grass. He had a private lake and a large covered pavillion on his property. He asked if I would like to camp under his pavillion out of the rain and said I was welcome to build a fire. I took him up on it. He had plenty of wood already cut and told me to use all I wished. It rained most of the night and became very cold. Thank God for the fire! 5/15/07 In Mansfield, Pa. as I was walking pass a pizza shop a lady came running out and asked if I remembered her. She and her teenage daughter had stopped and talked to me a few days before. She told me to wait for a moment while she fetched me a very large slice of pizza. She said, "here this is on me! I went to your web site and I just think it is great what you are doing!" Found an awesome tent site on Cory Creek, it was beautiful! Made for a very nice evening at the end of another wonderful day. 5/16/07 A guy named Ross pulled up and handed me two muffins and a banana. Went into the only place in Mainesburg, Pa. for a bite to eat and temporary hiding from the rain. It was a mother and son operation called Staron's Garage and Deli. Bev, the mother sold sandwiches and her son, John, worked on cars. I had a delicious ham and cheese sandwich and a great cup of coffee. Bev and i spoke for a long time. In 2001 she had retired from a job in Miami, Florida and returned to her hometown to find her grown son on the streets due to alchoholism. Though he is an excellent mechanic, his drinking kept him from holding a job. So..... mom did what mom had to do. She opened up the garage and deli combination where her son would always be employed in his own business and she could keep an eye on him by having her business in the same building. She gives her son a small salary and puts back the rest. She has purchased him a home with his business profit and she doen't worry about her son being out on the street. What a mom! Later in the day I got caught in a downpour and was drenched and miserable due to the failed rain gear. I stopped in a roadside rest area where I could change into dry clothing. The guy Ross Shourds, whom I had met earlier saw me and offered to drive me to his home where I could shower, do laundry, and have a meal... an offer I couldn't refuse. He lived in a fairly large mobile home, when we entered I could not believe it! His entire living space was given over to wood carvings and carving tools! So much so that there was no space for me to even put my sleeping mat on the floor. I had to pitch my tent in his back yard. Ross is a fourth generation wood carver and also a fine singer, musician and song writer. Ross gave me a couple of his cd's, his talent is awesome! 5/22/07 Tuesday. Was getting late as I walked out of the little town of Windsor, NY. I was starting to be concerned over finding a good spot to tent for the night as I was still in a populated area. I had already been turned down twice after asking to be allowed to tent on private property. As a last chance before it became too dark, I yelled at a man cutting his lawn. I asked if I could tent at the rear of his property down near a beautiful stream. He turned out to be Rick Rounds. He gave me permission and he and I engaged in long conversation. Rick is a real life heroe!! On Lake Cayuga near Trumansburg, NY. in 2005 Rick and his brother pulled a father and sons, 14 and 15, from 31 dgree water after their boat sank. The depth where they were was 260 feet deep! They were the only other boat on the lake. Police said the three were probaly only minutes from death when Rick and his brother pulled them out! Both Rick and his brother recieved the New York State Excelsior Award for A Lifesaving Act of Bravery. Wow! And it didn't take long to realize the caliber of person both he and his wife,Cherie were. I pitched my tent at the beautiful site they provided and Rick came down later with a hot egg sandwich and fresh cooked bacon, and fresh fruit, courtesy of Cherie. The next morning he greeted me with yet another delicious egg sandwich and hot coffee!! Thank you Rick an Cherie Rounds! And we all thank you Rick for saving the precious lives of Paul, Justin, and Josh Pinette!!!! We all salute you sir!! 5/23/07 Wednesday. Got within 10 miles of Unadilla, New York where my good freind Richard Makepeace lives and gave him a call. It was getting dark so we decided it would be better if Rich came and got me. It was really great to see him. He's one of those big teddy bears that don't look like a teddy bear on the outside. He had a pretty rough past and now uses that experience to work with inmates in New York prisons. He is an absolute joy to be with! 5/24/05 Rich and I and I drove into Morristown, New Jersey to the home of our dear friend Michelle, where we spent the night. Michelle has two beautiful little girls, three year old Daisy and five year old Charlotte. Two precious, intelligent, and well mannered children. 5/25/07 Rich, Michelle, and I rode into New York City to meet up with our friend, Dr. Elizabeth Garcia Gray who was celebrating her birthday. Our other good friends, John Stone of www.Eyeclectic.net and Christina drove in from Canton, Ohio the night before. We all had a blast! We went to Central Park and Liz, Michelle, Christina and I went into the waters of the fountain and let the water cascade down on us, fully clothed of course. My beautiful "LOVE LIFE" sign recieved lots of attention and my good friend John Stone was loving it and taking lots of pictures! New Yorkers are very curious people, I was asked lots of questions regarding my sign. It was great. After we all had a blast and wonderful food at a great Chineese restaurant, Rich and Michele left me at the condo with Liz Garcia-Gray, John Stone and Christina. NOTE: I received a call from the young lady in Ohio who watched her husband take his own life: She is doing fantastic!! She is taking charge of her life!! Let us all keep her in our thoughts and prayers!! We can get her through to the other side... the "LOVE LIFE" side!! John Stone presented me with a most wonderrful gift.... A NEW RAINSUIT !!!!!!!! John used his magic and worked it out with the generous people at froggtoggs outerwear !! I have been totally hooked on froggtoggs since I first used them on the Appalachian Trail in 2000. They work! 5/26/07 Sunday. Liz, John, Christina, me, and my beautiful "LOVE LIFE" sign went to Times Square at 10:00 pm and danced around, laughed alot, held up signs with friends names on them, and just enjoyed ourselves thoroughly in front of a camera that John Stone told us would telecast us online all over the world! We had friends calling us from Canton, Ohio telling us they were seeing us! Did you know that the Indonesian word for Boing is.... Boing! I have driven through, rode buses and trains through, and flown to NYC but this was the very first time I ever really walked in the city! It was wonderful!!!! I truly do love New York !!!! THANK YOU JOHN STONE, RICH MAKEPEACE, LIZ GARCIA-GRAY, MICHELE LIFSHEN REING, and CHRISTINA FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO GET OFF THE ROAD FOR A WONDERFUL BREAK IN NEW YORK CITY !!!! I DO LOVE YOU GUYS !!! HeArts Coming Together in NYC Getting the sign wet in Central Park Me and Rich Makepeace Photo by Liz Garcia-Gray 5/29/07 Tuesday. I am now back in Unadilla, New York with my friend Rich Makepeace and his most gracious wife, Amanda. They have opened their home up to me so that I might get caught up on everything. I will leave here on Friday, June 1 and start walking toward Maine. I will update again just as soon as possible. June 1, 07 My good friend Rich Makepeace walked obout 5 miles with me today. We had a great time. His wife Amanda met us for ice cream and then I continued on my way with the state of Maaine in my sights! I had a wonderful time with Rich and his family. How gracious of them. Rich even treated me to a much needed haircut! Thank you Rich! June 2, 07 Saturday. This morning, a kid with a face full of tie bars and earrings with a mohawk haircut stuck his head out the passenger side window of a car and yelled, "Love life! Go get an abortion!" Sign says, "LOVE LIFE" and that is all it says. Afetr one has read it i really have no control what -so-ever over what they do with it! Isn't freedom wonderful? A lady in a really beat up old car pulled up and offered me five crumpled up one dollar bills. She said, Here please take this and buy yourself some thing to eat, I used to be homeless." I told her thanks but that I was not homeless. She insisted that I take it anyway, and said she would still like to help. I relunctantly took the money. Her eyes were sweet and she smiled real big when I accepted the money. June 3, 07 Sunday . Sat on a bench this morning in front of the Worchester Market having donuts and coffee and greeting all that entered. It was the only game in town at worschester, (Wurs-ter) New York. Worschester was the one time home of President Garfields parents. |
I would like to see this sign everywhere there is a MickeyD's sign.
Rich Makepeace makin' noise in Central Park. I think the title of the song was "Love Life"... I know for sure that's what prompted it. |
