Square One

The crisp air pulled at his jacket. Weeks of inactivity had resulted in a creeping softness in dealing with the outside air temperature. Back in January before the injury, he would have welcomed the 53 degree weather which, at the time, would have felt like a warm tropical breeze. Lethargy had erased that perspective, and the breezy gusts of air pushed into his skin with a damp chill that made him question his fortitude.

The old girl of the waterfront still stood the watch as the sun cracked over the horizon like an oozing egg yolk.

Old Girl of the waterfront at sunrise

She hadn't seen this walker for awhile, but the scene had passed in front of her bow more than once over the previous three decades. Returning from an injury, the first tentative steps betrayed the lack of confidence in the healing that had been happening during the walker's absence. Stepping out, his gait wasn't quite right. Not so much limp as awkward rolling strides manifesting the doubt in the foot. Would the bone crack? Would the ligament pull away? A tentative slowness ruled the day.

As the steps rolled on, some level of confidence returned. His senses became more in tune with the air and the trail. A little more than halfway out, he crossed a bridge.

Crossing the bridge back into the land of routine - Yards Park, DC

The pop didn't happen. The fire didn't return. The breeze scoured away a bit of the softness and the nerves in his hands and legs began the process of settling in to a more natural state. Action, as it always does, exfoliated the discomfort and pushed a bit of toughness back into his core.

The world was there for exploring. The color began to return.

A new adventure in Yards Park

He'd slowed down quite a bit. His thirst for distance and pace had yet to reawaken, but the first steps out from square one had been taken. Another day had passed into the books, and a new one was just over the horizon.

Rory Returns

It did my soul a bit of good to see the long awaited return of Rory Conlan to these hallowed pages.  While he's been absent for 19 months, I know for a fact that he did what he said he was going to do and engaged in the adventure.  It's really the tale of two walkers for the most part.  While I was off strolling through idyllic little towns that hosts boat shows like the one below, Rory was battling snakes.

Annapolis Harbor during the Sailboat Show 2015

When I say he was battling snakes, I'm not kidding.  The number of pictures of copperheads he's encountered on his jaunts this summer is stunning.  Frankly, I'm not really sure I want to be near him at all because he's like the Pied Piper of snakes.  Just yesterday, he encountered a little green bugger that should have been holed up for the autumn by now.

In addition to encountering more snakes than you can shake a stick at, he's come nose to tail with a number of skunks, braved rain, sleet, and blistering heat.  He's jumped into the adventure (at least the walking part) with both feet.  He's the buccaneer of our duo, the adventurer, the swashbuckler.  I like contemplating the meaning of sunsets.

Weems Creek, Annapolis at Sunset

He likes opining on the quantity of nightcrawlers and alligators he's seen. At any rate, it is good to have him back, and I believe him when he indicates he's going to contribute a bit more.  After all, he's got good stories to tell, and he'd really have to work at it to contribute too very much less.  Welcome back Rory, you've been gone far too long!