Run for the Wall and a New Knit

Today was a very busy, hectic, stressful yet fun day at school. Wytheville is the second to last stop on the Run for the Wall motorcycle trip and is a huge event with our school. Our elementary school sort of 'hosts' the bikers as they come through and present the bikers with a program before they depart.

First, for everyone who isn't familiar with Run for the Wall, here is a brief description from their website: www.rftw.org:

Run For The Wall (RFTW) was started in 1989 as an effort by James Gregory and Bill Evans. They were a couple of Vietnam Veterans who traveled across the heartland of America on motorcycles, talking to local radio, TV, and newspapers about the fact that we had thousands of men and women still unaccounted for from all of our wars. The need for this awareness continues today and we continue this tradition every May.

We don't give political speeches or stage demonstrations. Run For The Wall gets its message to the public across by riding through the United States. We obey traffic laws and treat all citizens with dignity and respect.

But the issue of public awareness is only part of the benefit of Run For The Wall. We also give Vietnam Veterans and all Veterans the opportunity to get their own welcome home and start their healing process...

The trip takes ten days to reach the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where our Run officially ends on Sunday evening before Memorial Day. Additionally, we have things scheduled for the weekend, ending with participation in the Rolling Thunder Parade in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. It is quite a sight to behold, 350,000 plus motorcycles all starting from the Pentagon parking lots, parading through downtown Washington, and ending at the Wall.

Along the way across the U.S. we make stops at Memorials, Veteran's Hospitals, and schools. We enjoy parades, escorts, and welcome-home receptions from many of the patriotic towns.

Our whole school (grades preK-5 with one preK and 6 classes of every other grade) all go over for the ceremony and program. I always feel super stressed trying to keep up with 20+ kids with hundreds of other students, bikers, and other spectators down there. It always works out though and these are honestly some of the nicest men and women I have ever come across. Many of them will walk up and hug you just to be friendly and appreciative of us as teachers and Americans. Here are some pictures I took in between wrangling students and praying they didn't touch a bike and knock them over like dominoes:


The Motorcycles were lined up all the way around the park on the walking track


One of the trailers that ride along with the bikers


Just a little taste of HOW CROWDED it is! Ahh! Luckily I didn't lose a kid!


Afterwards we all sent them on their way - they rode through the town before making their way back on the interstate headed to Roanoke before ended at D.C.

After that morning and then trying to keep the peace through the rest of the day, I needed a little retail therapy and headed over to the yarn shop which is almost right next to the school (very convenient!). I got brave and decided I was bound and determined to try to knit a sock (or 2!). I have thought about starting several different patterns this week but nothing appealed to me that I already had so I picked up a cute 'footie' sock pattern. I ended up getting 2 skeins of sock yarn - one neat orange and yellow color and the other a self-striping yarn as well as a partial skein in the 'bargain bin' of another self-striping sock yarn. Yea! I also picked up a set of size 2 dpn which should cover basic sock-ery. While waiting for Logan to get off of work, I cast on and started the first row. After dinner I sat and finished the cuff - moving very quickly and after learning how to juggle the dpn I have hit it off. I *heart* socks!



Hopefully I will still love them after this one is finished!! I had better with what I paid for yarn today ;)