I love to walk. When I was in college, I walked everywhere because I didn't have a car. I walked back and forth across campus, I walked into town, I walked to the strip mall . . . I suppose it is no coincidence that all the guys I dated also liked to walk (one was a runner). And the one I married likes to hike. The husband is my favorite foot-traveling partner not just because he is my husband, but also because he and I have nearly-identical strides and we travel at the same speed. It's easy and fun to walk with him.

My in-laws live just outside of a little town here on the eastern shore of Maryland. One of the things I like best about where they live is the chance to walk. I can walk in Montana, but here I do not have to worry about being attacked by wildlife while I do so. And there is a destination to my walk. It all makes a difference.

And right now I have the luxury of time. I can afford to take an hour and a half out of my day to walk into town and buy some fresh veggies or homemade pasta. That's a precious 90 minutes of time, and I know that when I get back to Montana, that 90 minutes will get filled with something else.

Walking is helping my hips. I've discovered in recent years that I have flat feet. This has led to problems not in my feet, but in my hips, and I am trying to correct those problems so that I don't have to have my hips replaced in 25 years. During the cold months, I am careful to wear shoes with good arch support. I can't wear Danskos—they make my back hurt. I have a pair of Klogs and I like them a lot.

During the summer, I really just like to go barefoot. I would go barefoot all the time if I could. What I really want is a pair of the Vibram shoes, so I can go barefoot but with some protection. I've been noticing that the reason I like being barefoot is because most of my shoes force my heel higher than my toes, and that's uncomfortable for me. I remember with great fondness a pair of Earth shoes I had in about 5th grade—I wore them until they literally fell off my feet. They had a negative heel and were incredibly comfortable. There is still an Earth Shoes line of shoes and a pair of them might be in my future.

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Yesterday morning I drove north, to a little town called Chesapeake City. Along the way, I stopped at Washington College, mine and the husband's alma mater. It has changed quite a bit in the 25 years since we were there—probably the biggest change is that it has doubled its enrollment and there are lots of new buildings.

Chesapeake City has a wonderful yarn store called Vulcan's Rest Fibers, and they were my hosts for the afternoon. I had a great class of women for Fitting Your Knitting. The three hours flew right by. Afterward, I walked a couple of blocks over the home of one of my college friends (who lives there), and had dinner with him and his wife and another one of our college friends who happened to be passing through town at the same time. It was a happy coincidence that we got to see each other.

The husband says he is counting the days until I get home. So am I. This has been a great vacation but I am ready for the girls to come back and for all of us to go home. I miss the chickens and the garden.

And now I am going to walk into town before the storms come. I'll knit this afternoon while it's raining.