Check my progress map

Dear children -

Now you can see how far I've walked by going to this site: www.tinyurl.com/gretasprogress. It will be updated almost every day. I'll put a link to it on the right side of the blog so that you can get to it easily anytime you open the blog.

Nana Greta

PS - If the link in this entry doesn't work, try the same link in the column to the right. ➚

Just a little blog today

Dear children -

I'm still in Mississippi. 

Here I am in my shirt that I got made so that people would know what I'm doing as they drive by. Now they don't stop to offer me rides all the time, but sometimes they honk or slow down to tell me they like what I'm doing. 

I always love it when I see animals along the way. These goats were very frisky and curious about me. 

That's all for now since I have to get out and walk some today.

Nana Greta

Photos from Mississippi

Dear Children -

Here are some photos that I took along the way. Hope you enjoy them. I've put comments under each photo.

What kind of school is this street named for?!

I was very glad to see this sign. Planting new forests will help fight global warming because trees absorb some of the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Trees also help hold water in the ground. Even planting one tree can help so if you have a chance you should plant one. 

There are a lot of pine trees in Mississippi - here they line the road. This is one of the stretches of road I walked along last week.

And look what I found under the trees!

I thought you might like to see the new signs on my gypsy wagon. 

Love, Nana Greta

PS - This morning I answered all the comments on the March 5 posting. 

Exercise or play

Someone asked how much exercise I do. I'm not very good at doing exercise, but I like to walk and play. Here I'm kicking a ball around on the beach of the Gulf Coast in Louisiana. 

This is the same beach where I made the little clay bowl and filled it with shells. 

If you like to exercise that's wonderful because it's very good for you. But even if you don't, make sure you get outdoors and do very active things. 

Where Route 11 begins

Dear children -

Here are some pictures of the beginning of Route 11, which starts just east of New Orleans, in Louisiana. I walked a few miles on this part of the highway last Saturday. My husband, Guy, took these photos.

The little castle in the last photo surprised me - a bit of whimsy in the wetlands. It looks like it's sinking, doesn't it? If we don't stop the warming of the climate, places like this will be permanently flooded. It's easy to say that people shouldn't build there in the first place, but I'm sure the people who built this castle didn't realize what the future might bring. And now they probably love it so much they don't want to give up on it.

Dear Children -

The area in Louisiana along the Gulf Coast is full of birds and animals. In the last few days I've seen herons, egrets, spoonbills, pelicans, gulls, hawks, vultures, parakeets and cardinals. I've seen turtles, nutrias, snakes, rabbits, and possums. The first photo shows me at a rookery where across the water I could see thousands of birds roosting in the cypresses. Later when I was walking along the beach I found some dark grey mud that felt like clay, so I made a little bowl and filled it with shells. Do you love shells as much as I do? I can hardly walk along the beach without picking up all the beautiful shells I find, even the broken ones.

This part of the United States, all along the Gulf Coast, is where the worst hurricanes hit. Katrina, Rita, and Ike, are all hurricanes that destroyed many homes, schools, stores and restaurants, tore down fences, walls and bridges, and damaged many roads and highways. I imagine that many animals and birds also lost their homes and the places that they were used to hunting and finding their food. Global warming is making the hurricanes stronger and more frequent. So this is one more reason for us to do everything we can to stop global warming. 

From Nana Greta

Dear Children -

It's March - time to begin the march, as Christina says in her comment. The first thing I need to do is get to Texas, which is far south of my home in Pennsylvania. So today my husband and I are starting off in the little motor home that will be my hotel, kitchen and office during my WALK.

I want to be very careful to use as little gas as possible because, as you know, burning gas produces carbon emissions and causes global warming. Unfortunately my motor home uses a lot of gas, but I will drive slowly - around 55 miles per hour - and will avoid taking any side trips. This way I will burn less gas.

It would be better to just walk and not use a vehicle at all, but I need a safe place to sleep. And I have to tell you something: I love my little motor home - I call it my gypsy wagon. I always dreamed of going off in a home on wheels. It's just that now I'll have to walk 12 to 15 miles every day before I can relax in the gypsy wagon.

From Nana Greta

The Boston Snow Storm

Dear Children -

Yesterday morning (Monday, March 2) I was in Boston and was planning to visit the classroom of Sofia Hart's students. Ms. Hart is my daughter and she teaches 3rd Grade at a public school in the Boston area. For several weeks I have been receiving wonderful comments on my blog from many of her students and I was looking forward to meeting them in person. 

But along came the Boston Snow Storm and classes were cancelled. I tried to get a bus back to Pennsylvania but the buses were also cancelled. South Station was full of people trying to get a bus to New York City and other places but the buses weren't traveling due to inclement weather. Finally at 2:30 in the afternoon a company that I never heard of decided to start putting its buses back in service and I was able to get to New York and from there to Pennsylvania.

This kind of weather, cold and windy with lots of snow, makes it easy to forget that global warming is a problem. We have to remember the bigger picture of the weather all around the Earth, not just where we are. 

I'm so sorry I didn't get to meet the students in Ms. Hart's class. I hope all of you will continue to follow my blog and write comments to me. In addition to my daughter, I have a son who lives in the Boston area. Today he suggested that I tell you about a website about global warming for children. Here it is - maybe you would like to check it out:

http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-basics/kidspage.cfm

I'm leaving on Thursday to go to Texas where I'll start my trip this coming Sunday afternoon.

From Nana Greta