The Long Walk(s)

As a family we had a great visit with some old friends. There were also a couple of real long walks along the way. It did my heart good to watch my boys hang out with the children of my old college friends. They had the chance to meet, play, talk, and laugh - all things I did with my friends - they didn't have any beer together - but me and my friends did. Yet the visit didn't come without pain.

There was a 217-step walk to the top of a lighthouse - for the record I only stopped once.

"I beat you up there," Sam said.
"You better, you're brand new," I answered.
My kids are pictured with Mike and Denise's kids at the very top. I didn't have to use the defibrillator.

Next, we visited Citizen's Bank Park - Kathy made sure we got the tickets and found the park - and having enough time to catch dinner, we asked a woman for some pointers - she recommended a rib joint (where I usually get the diet ribs) and the woman was so accommodating that she even offered up a couple of gift certificates. She pointed the way by saying - "Make a left down that street and you'll go by some docks and around the corner and you can't miss it."

So, in 90-degree heat, we began walking. One mile into it, we were walking by the docks. Two miles into it we were still walking by docks. We stopped and asked a street vendor where the restaurant was - he shrugged, and then said - "Oh man, that's way down there."

Kathy looked to me for direction - we had already walked two miles. "Let's keep going," I said. "We'll take a cab back."

Three miles in we no longer had a shoulder of the road and we were in a neighborhood that was decorated with broken beer bottles and old couches. Four miles in we were near tears. We rounded a corner as my wife suggested that we all hitchhike. I felt like Clark Griswold again - as he walked through the desert when his car broke down.

At the 4.3 mark we were in the parking lot of a strip joint. "Let's go in there and call a taxi," Jake said.

"I'll go," I said as if it pained me to open those doors. As luck might have it, the place was closed.

"Why are there pictures of almost-naked girls on the door?" Sam asked.
"I have no idea," I said.

As we stood on the side of the road in a real shady part of town, we contemplated our next move. Kathy called the hotel for advice, but around the corner came a man and a taxi - I all but jumped on the hood.

Two hours later, we were with more friends - Michael met my boys as the Phillies won big.

So, next time you see me, buy me a beer - I climbed a lighthouse and walked 4.3 miles to the parking lot of a strip joint.

Being that my philosophy is 'no pain, no pain'...I think I have some couch time coming.