Monday was an errand day and a moving day.  It was also a very pleasant day weather wise.  Between sporting events Sunday I got a couple of loads of laundry completed but had to save a few loads for Monday.  Several loads later and several distractions later the coach was all packed and we hit the road for Evergreen, Alabama.  A stop at Walmart in Monroeville for some groceries delayed us a wee bit and the last leg was traveled in the dark.

Monroeville, Alabama is the home of Harper Lee the Author of "To Kill a Mocking Bird".  The book is based, in part, on experiences that Ms. Lee had in this area as she was growing up.  I must confess it felt a little odd as I walked through the countryside that was the setting for the book.  Both the book and the movie occupied a good deal of my mind throughout the day.  It was somewhat surreal to replay the story over and over in my mind.  We are not very far removed from a time and place that is/was a significant blemish on this great country.  May we all use the past as a reference point as we ALL move forward with greater enlightenment as a result of having gone through a period in our history where significant injustices were done.  Even though Americans did not invent slavery, this country was a perpetrator of a system that has gone on ever since the human race slithered out of a swamp.  By the time the issue of slavery came to a head in this country, communication had developed to a point where the unspeakable (which must be spoken)  horrors of slavery had become common place.  Couple that with the blatant racisim of the reconstruction era and beyond, we find that we swapped one set of horrors for another.  Let us all NEVER forget the past so that we shall NOT repeat its horrors.  Let us ALL move forward in a spirit of healing and enlightenment.

So last night as I slid between some freshly laundered sheets I was horrified to remember that I had forgotten to take the last load of sheets out of the dryer at the Corps of Engineers Camp!  This morning my able driver dropped me at the starting point and she went back to retrieve the missing sheets.  Fortunately she was successful!

Today when the day was done we had walked 20.5 miles (33.0645 km's) using 41,325 steps while picking up one thin and beat up dime. The findings of the day were:  1 round nosed shovel, 1 Stanley flat-head screwdriver and 1 thin dime.  The weather was delightful for walking.  There was a fair amount for construction on route 84 east and I had occasion to chat with several of the workers, some of whom fit into the two health related honor categories of the walk.  At one point I had a brief conversation with one, James McMillian (who is living with diabetes) who thought I was part of the road crew.  I gave him a card and wished each other well.  Several miles later I was surprised to see him again when he pressed into my hand a generous contribution.  Dr. Okubo and Camp UTADA will surely find a good use for the funds.  Thank you, sir, for your generous contribution.

After the walk ended for the day I decided that we would stop for dinner so I could get home to finish up the blogs from previous days.  An hour and a half spent searching for a little eatery, Zack's, proved fruitless even with the aid of GPS.  In fact this was one of those situations where we went deeper and deeper into the abyss of back-woods Alabama only to have the "voice" announce that we had arrived at our destination when in reality we were in the middle of nowhere.  I thought for a minute that I heard a banjo being played!  Bubba's BBQ was the final destination for dinner (YUMMY) and then back home only to have seen significant time elapsed such that I only had time for todays blog and no time to catch up the previous three days.  Better luck tomorrow.  Still puzzled as to how in the world I can generate another blister (on the bottom of my foot!) after walking nearly 3,200 miles and having rubbed 28 gallons of alcohol on my feet!!!  I guess when I figure that one out I will find the errant sock and underwear that disappeared on me!  We finished the day walking between mile post 62 and mile post 82.  See ya'll down the road...cheers!!!