I'm Walkin' To New Orleans

Hey Mike,
In cas you were wondering what happened on the charity walk the boys and I did prior to Lucy's birthday and prior to their transformation into batman and soderman, here's my step by step account:


The walk went off without a hitch this past Sunday as the weather was a beautiful sunny spring 60 degrees. I walked with Seamus and Gavin. Actually, I walked as they rode in a souped-up double stroller that may be on its last legs. We walked over the Smoot bridge towards MIT counting the Smoots - the bridge is 369 and a half Smoots plus 1 ear, if you were wondering. I also made everyone touch the small plaque on the bridge for good luck in honor of Erich Wiess, also known as Harry Houdini, who hung from the bridge on May 8, 1908, escaping from his constraints while hanging upside down.
We then took the double stroller onto the dirt path for a little off-roading. I ran with the stroller on the dirt path while playing chicken with the frightened on-coming Sunday morning Cambridge joggers. We past a gaggle of Japanese MIT tourists taking many pictures of the panoramic view of Beacon Hill across the Charles as one Japanese man took a picture of the boys in the stroller, waving crazily yelling, "HI BABIES!" The boys were understandably pereplexed. We continued our walk at a smart pace. We walked out over the water on the Memorial drive overpass and under the Longfellow.
I pushed with such unbridled vigor that I developed a nagging lower back and hip spasm that caused me to limp dramatically. But we pressed on. A stiff Sunday wind blew from the harbor as the white sailboats tacked in random zig zags and the Duck Tour boats chugged along in single file up and down the Charles.
It was the last day of the Star Wars exhibit at the Museum of Science, so there were four storm troopers in full regalia in front of the building. We stopped to chat with them. Gavin had his arms inside his shirt. Both boys were a little skittish about meeting real foot soldiers of the evil empire. Gavin stood up and yelled repeatedly, " I'M IN MY SHIRT, I'M IN MY SHIRT!" The storm troopers were perplexed and just stood around clutching their laser machine guns. We then zipped by the huge T-Rex beside the building which was the highlight of the walk for the boys.
We stopped on the metal drawbridge and watched the duck tour boat go right under our feet as we quacked half-heartedly. Then a quick short cut through the State trooper barracks at Leverett Circle. There was light suffering and gnashing of teeth on the part of both boys as we passed the playground - they both wanted to suspend the walk for a few moments of playground run-around, but we forged ahead keeping our mission and our pace in the fore of our minds.
As we approached the Hatch Shell, we heard the strains of the rock band playing Stevie Ray Vaughn. The boys, sensing the finish line, both jumped up from the stroller and walked the final 1/8 mile, climbing every wall, fence and step they could find.
We quickened our pace as we crossed the finish line under blue skies and a garland of balloons. Then off for Spiderman and batman face painting, hotdogs, and Lucey's ice cream bowling party with Captain Ron. A beautiful day, indeed.