A Scotland Wander

SCOTLAND is a meander through the pages of history, a winding course indeed. With every turn a new chapter -- sometimes the story centuries old. 

        
My strolls are never aimless, curiosity is the fuel. Rather purposeful, unhindered by preconceived ideas of what Scotland should be. 

Whether on a trail in the Highlands, a shell laden coastal path or a wynd in Edinburgh's Old Town there is always a gift bestowed. 

Sometimes it is the stonework of an ancient castle ruin with the golden light softening the rock that at one time was impenetrable. What are the tales that were woven over time... 

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Then there are the many lochs, brilliant gems sparkling at the feet of towering Munros. Though touristy we couldn't resist an hour sail looking for Nessie. A swirl...did you see it...I am confident the allusive monster was just below the surface of the mysterious black waters.

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Wherever I walk, city street or village way, the doors are bright and colorful. A seemingly cheerful welcome to all who pass. And for those that follow Scottish tradition, it is custom to paint their door red when the mortgage is paid off. 

Cheers to those behind the many red doors!

Now and then the variety of wild flowers that line our path are too many to count. Though the heather is fading other purples and pinks and yellows are rivals for my attention. 

Moments feel like summer, but the calendar says autumn...

we smiled at our place in the sun!   

When predictable rains do fall, it is a comfortable rain often presenting a rainbow over ambling thatched roofs -- the sheep graze, the green grass brilliant. 

And besides -- whether there is weather -- or not, the key to a happy wander is ALWAYS having a rain jacket in your pack, an adventurous spirit and comfy feet willing to go...everywhere! 

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Come Walk With Me!

This blog post is in partnership with OTBT Shoes

Photography credit: Gene Taylor

HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE -- World Wide Walk

You walked, you ran, you swam and biked...  

NY, USA

Singapore

AZ, USA

And maybe even flew...?

CA, USA

In the rain, sun, fog and snow... 

Iceland

WA, USA

England

Yukon, Canada

Up mountains, along rivers, on tracks and in parks... 

New Zealand

New Brunswick, Canada

NY, USA

Pakistan

Inside -- Outside  

Prince Edward Island, Canada

Tanzania

Uptown, downtown and all around town...

Spain

Belgium

United Arab Emirates

Some meandered and then some raced...  

Denmark

  

AZ, USA

On beaches and in the woods...

Ontario, Canada

In the dirt and amongst the leaves... 

Ontario, Canada

North -- South --  East -- West  

Wales

South Africa

CA, USA

Wales

Sidewalks and boardwalks...

NY, USA

IL, USA

Trails, rails and canals... 

AZ, USA

Denmark

England

         From Sunrise to Sunset

FL, USA

Turkey

But most importantly...

YOU DID IT!!!

 Thank you to each and everyone of you - here there and everywhere - 
for bringing the world a little bit closer 
one step at a time.

COME WALK WITH ME!

..

Sometimes I Wonder Why...

Why Am I Doing This?

I am going to walk no matter what. WHY should I care if anyone else does? My walks will continue each and every day -- day after day, year after year. 

WHY count? 

Walking daily is my me time -- private and personal. Why should I invite people from around the world to celebrate walking with me?

Who cares? 

And just when I am getting discouraged and about to give up on the whole idea of a World Wide Walk, I get this...  

"You truly amaze me.  What a wonderful idea your world-wide walk.  I've had November 1 on my calendar for weeks and have planned my walk along the beach in Santa Barbara, under the post card palms, with my 4-legged friend, Luna.  I may even get the rest of my family to join me.  I feel as if I'm going to a party with people from around the world.  So sad that every one of all the world's people can't find it in their hearts to just walk together..."

Now I remember WHY!

A World Wide Walk
     November 1st

ANY PLACE, ANYWHERE, ANY TIME

More Info >>

Join in on Facebook >> 

Come Walk With Me!

Where Will You Walk?

(click on video above)

This day is the day to go out for a walk

but where should it be, perhaps in Bangkok?

It really is simple just pick up your feet

right - left - right on a big city street.

Maybe the countryside is more your thing

If you walk Downunder it's gonna be spring!

Anytime, anyplace just do it this day.

10 minutes is all and you're on your way.

Over here, over there or anywhere

Get up, get moving, get out of your chair.

It's A World Wide Walk, the first of November

Mark your calendar so you remember.

A moment in time --  just do it for you

#iwalkforme then shout Whoo Hoo!!!

So where will you walk I ask you please

Belgium, Bahrain or maybe Belize?

Now if you're still wondering where to begin

Just take that first step and tell me you're "IN"

Come Walk With Me!!!

Click here:  World Wide Walk 

or here: Facebook event page

Walking Is My Connection

I've always liked to walk.  As a kid I would hike in the woods surrounding our house in upstate New York. When I would tell my Mom I was headed out to explore with a PB&J and canteen filled with "goofy grape" she'd always say, "Just be home in time for supper!"  

In my teens, my best friend and I walked EVERYWHERE -- to go shopping, to concerts, to part time jobs and sometimes to even meet boys. (Happily one of those boys is now my husband) Yet at 16 I couldn't wait to get my driver's license and the freedom I believed it held....

A few years later I went to school in New York City. A great big walkable city and as a "New Yorker" that is how you naturally got around. Again I would head out to explore a different world on my own two feet. This is when I started to unconsciously learn that this was freedom. I could go in any direction -- the wrong way down a one way street, turn right instead of left, go up instead of down and open that door to see what was really behind it. 

On foot I am connected to my world. Everything becomes clearer -- multi dimensional. I am not living my life as an outsider looking through a pane of glass. I can feel the breeze, hear it play in the trees, smell what the day might hold. I become a part of nature.

At 3 mph, it is the human pace, the natural rhythm that around the world we all share. When walking whether in your own neighborhood or in a far away village, it is a way to connect to a place and its people. A nod, a wave, a smile...an invitation to share a cup of tea. It is where those serendipitous encounters lie. Though maybe only for a moment in time, but a cultural connection that becomes a part of who I am.

It is also a connection to within myself. As you walk your entire body is in sync. Your arms match the movement of your legs and your breathing matches your pace. It becomes a time that thoughts are free. Creative ideas emerge, problems are solved, bad moods are turned to happy, presentations are practiced or if need be I can JUST meditate and think of...

...nothing.

The Year Was 1989

The year was 1989...

the price of gas was only 97 cents per gallon.

And Gene and Jo Ann Taylor were ONLY 30 something.

It was the year 1989...

when the first episode of The Simpsons aired and Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings" was one of the top 10 hits.

That same year the Taylors struck out on their own, leaving their well paying steady corporate jobs to spread their own wings. 

1989 was an up and down year for sports fans in San Francisco. The 49ers won the superbowl, the Giants lost the World series. 

      
As Gene and Jo Ann set out on their entrepreneurial adventure they too were about to learn about ups and downs.

The year was 1989...

when the first World Wide Web server and browser were just being developed.

Gene and Jo Ann were spreading their news with a paper printed newsletter. Sign sealed and delivered right to your mailbox...not your inbox. Postage was only 25 cents.

There was no google. No social media. No texting, friending or tweeting. And a cell was a basic structural, functional biological unit. Not a device that you couldn't function without. 

Together they were leading face to face walks, side by side throughout Arizona not sitting in front of a computer mesmerized by Facebook..

And the excitement of taking photos on a trip was dropping off your film cartridges at the local Walgreens then patiently waiting 3 days before you could relive the memories -- No sharing in an instant, no instagram! 

The world was changing...

Ronald Reagan uttered "Mr Gorbachev, Tear Down That Wall"
And the Dalai lama won the Nobel Peace Prize. 
Good was happening --  yet sadly apartheid still existed in South Africa...

In 1989 the Taylors had only been to 3 countries on one continent not expecting that 25 years later they would have explored over 30 on 6.   

Many people set out to change the world...

In 1989 Gene and Jo Ann set out to share the world 

...and in sharing, their dream was to make a positive change...one step at a time.

Thank you for being part of this journey....

Come Walk With Us