Unlike two weeks ago when it was 103
degrees, or last Saturday when it poured the rain all day, it couldn't have been
nicer for a stroll around the park.
In fact, it started out a touch on the
cool side when I first headed for Research Triangle Park. However, by the time the
Walk for Diabetes started at 9:30, the
temp was in the mid-seventies, the sky was blue and the humidity was low.
I'm not good at estimating crowds, but
I will guess there were about 400 walkers. Dozens of businesses and social
organizations were represented. We started with apples and bagels, warmed up to
Chubby Checker, then took to the walking and jogging trails.
There were seven of us from the computer
center ... only a couple of no shows. For the next 100 minutes, I got to talk with
the folks more than I have at work in the past four weeks. Sometimes it's hard to
corral an associate at the office because of the impending facility relocation. They
are all quite busy ... but not today.
On this day, the conversations
were about our lives away from the hustle and bustle. Only one of the seven is truly a
native of this area. Not surprisingly, they all seem to love Nascar, and I think I
found a golf partner.
Much like running and bicycling races,
there were tables setup about every mile with juice, water and snacks ... but everything
was sugar free. This was in support of Diabetes, after all. There were signs all along
the trail reminding just how pervasive, and dangerous, the disease is.
Our little group raised $1179 for this
worthy charity. You were a big part of that. Thanks to all of you fantastic sponsors
who supported me, I was able to contribute $255 of that sum. The
American Diabetes Association thanks you ...
and I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
If you haven't been to
my brother's site in awhile,
he's made some serious updates.
The other
Internet Brother has been climbing lots
of fourteeners (mountains in Colorado over 14,000 feet elevation) this summer and
taking us along with him through his digital camera. For example, this past weekend
he climbed the Mount
of the Holy Cross.
Interesting sidenote about that adventure ...
he ran into former astronaut and senator John Glenn and his wife out and about on the
trail. Boy, I hope I'm able to hike in the Rocky Mountains when I'm 50, much less over
80. Pretty impressive.
Anyway ... if you've got some time to
kill and like looking at stunning photography of beautiful mountain views ... give
Rocky Mountain Scenery a try. You may
even start planning your next vacation.
