CANS, CURVES, AND CRUISES

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WALKING WISDOM

We also began to learn the "law of the sidewalk". Take dogs, for instance. Friendly, well-trained canines make our walks more enjoyable, but upon encountering misanthropic mutts, we've found it best to cross the street or head in the opposite direction. Then there are the "hair-raising hot rodders", who soon teach unsuspecting pedestrians to always face toward the traffic when no sidewalks ate available . . . to be on the alert for flying objects . . . to watch for protruding arms . . . and to stay well back from mud puddles.

Actually, some of our colleagues and friends have had much more difficulty than we've had adjusting to our recycling rambles. Their most common reactions have been pained, embarrassed grimaces that—we suppose—they hope will be interpreted as smiles. Perhaps an episode described by a student will help explain that lack of acceptance. The young woman said she was driving with some friends and saw us. "Look at that poor old couple scrounging for cans!" she exclaimed. There was a pause then, before she burst out with, "Oh, my God! They're my teachers! "

Of course, there are those whom we've converted . . . they walk with us!

LITTER, LITTER EVERYWHERE

It took us only a month to become completely hooked on recycling walks, so we now hike every day that our schedules and the weather allow . . . but the distances that we cover on our outings vary. At first, we were lucky if we traveled two miles. Now, our distance potential depends on the amount we can carry and on whatever unusual circumstances we might encounter. For instance, one day we found two large sacks of already crushed cans on a vacant lot . . . and cut our walk short to reap the easy rewards. Another time, our bonanza was two dozen returnable bottles, which necessitated that we go home to get the van. We sometimes place such unexpected loot in caches, which allows us to range far and wide in our search for recyclables.

Our direction also varies, since we've discovered that it takes about four days for litterers to dirty an area after we've cleaned up. There are no locations that are immune to litterbugs, either! Visiting the site of a duplicate bridge tournament, we found that the players had hidden their empties in restrooms, the hotel lobby, the parking lot, and (occasionally) in trash receptacles. When walking around building sites, we look for cans in nearby woods, behind heavy equipment, and in unfinished rooms.

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