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עמוד:42

Read the passage from Almitra ' s travel log to find out how she felt during the first day of her journey . Almitra ' s Travel Log Ross Fiminister helped me pick a day and time of departure . Ten thirty was a happy medium between too early on a Saturday morning and interfering with the footie game * . A crime in these parts . I officially left with a large send off ; a good portion of the town's population , children and police escort : Aug 16 th 10 : 47 a . m . Many walked the one kilometre to the town limits with me , Sadie and Amilia from the Hash House Harriers Club walked about 4 km more . The weather for the past week has been wet , wet , wet . But today's beautiful . A bit unnerving to have so many people , strangers , show up and wave good-bye . Kay Daust , a stranger to me , presented me a bouquet of flowers from her garden . An hour later she caught up with me by car and gave me a photo of her garden . Flowers of every color and size looked back at me . Kay Daust was her name . I was really touched . Her photo is affixed to the pages of my autograph book with two of her flowers pressed there . It wasn't too hard to tow the trolley * , since my adrenaline was pumping . I did feel pretty selfconscious , like the Pied Piper * and his following . I was wishing the people in the back would come up and talk to me also . The first kilometre to the Augusta town limits sign went fast . I tried to get some of the big fellows to show off and tow the trolley a bit , but none of them were game . Ross met us at the town 'wall' for a photo section , of which I'm sure he regretted . Only a few people stayed , but all of them wanted to be in all the photos with their cameras , including me . Abruptly , they too left , to watch footie on TV . All left me but Sadie . We walked on companionably , my calves burning even more . I was wishing , again , I didn't have so much stuff . Then Amilia joined us . Both active with the Hash House Harriers , a walking and running club . Sadie walked back to her car and returned with lunch for us . Amilia had to push the trolley from behind on the first steep hill . I know she believes I'd never walk more than ten steps without her aid . I am continually surprised by the goodness of complete strangers . I was without a tire pump , lost in all the confusion . Some teenage boys came to my rescue . They rode down the road on their bikes and returned with a new tire pump , donated by Tony Lemon . All too soon I was alone . But it felt good . I was still high , refuelled by the hot lunch and high hopes . The kilometres peeled away as I watched the trees and hills pass by as though I was on a slow , very slow moving sidewalk . My calves didn't burn so much any more . I'd gotten my second wind . This was it , the start of the rest of my life . It was finally here . * footie game — football ( soccer ) game . * trolley —a small wagon . * Pied Piper —a hero of German folk legend who was known for getting other people to follow him .

מטח : המרכז לטכנולוגיה חינוכית


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