Latest Update from Karla

Subj: Redfield, Arkansas
Date: 2/21/2003 8:40:37 AM Pacific Standard Time
From: kbwalk@mymailstation.com

Howdy Everyone!
   I've been having a great time here in Arkansas. The people are SO
NICE. I thoroughly enjoyed spending 3 days in Little Rock. Staying at the
Ronald McDonald House, touring the Childrens Hospital, and giving a talk at
Central High School was a great experience that I'll always enjoy remembering.
   On wednesday I got to shake hands with Governor Mike Huckabee at the
Capital, and after that I headed out of town. From Little Rock I walked
south down Rt 365 to Wrightsville, where I stopped in at the city office and
visited with Mayor Lorraine Smith. I had called down there ahead of time,
and she had arrangements already made for me. Right next door to the City
Hall are some apartments, and I got to stay in a conference room right next
to the apartment office. They brought in an easy-chair and a TV, and also
some ham, a couple pieces of pie, a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, and
some cupcakes and pop. (They must've thought I was hungry!) I enjoyed the
evening there, especially since it rained all night.
   On thursday I walked 13 miles to Redfield, where I once again stopped
in at the City Hall. Mayor Smith from Wrightsville had contacted the City
Hall in Redfield, and Julie Finley who is the city clerk there, offered to
let me stay at her house. So that's what I did. The funny thing is that
when she told her husband and son that she was bringing home a complete
stranger to spend the night, her 18 yr old son informed her that she was doing
exactly what she had always told him to never do -- picking up strangers!
I had a great evening with them, and slept like a dream in a wonderful bed.
   The weather has been kindof wet and drizzly, raining off and on every
day. I've been fairly lucky and missed most of the downpours, but I have
been dumped on a time or two in the last few days. Today it's also drizzly
out, but tomorrow is suppose to be a lot worse, so I'm heading out the door
and going to Pine Bluff, where I'll be spending fri-sat-sun and probably
monday at the Hampton Inn. The ph# there is 870-850-0444 Rm 319 if you feel like calling.
   I'm also pretty excited about this wkend. Judith O'Toole, from the
national office of the Epilepsy Foundation of America in Washington DC, is
flying out and joining me in Pine Bluff. She'll arrive sunday night and spend
mon & tues with me. I hope I can line up some schools or meetings to talk

at on monday, and then on tues she'll walk 11 miles with me to Moscow, my
next stop. She is the editor of the Epilepsy USA magazine, and she wants
to do a story about my walk. I'm excited about it because the goal of my
walk is to end up at their office in Washington DC, and so far my experience
with them has been quite distant (pardon the pun.) To me the national
office has always been kindof mythical. I know they're out there, but they
seem kindof far away and hard to get through to -- at least that's what I've
thought. So actually meeting someone this wkend and realizing the fact that
they really are interested in what I'm doing is pretty exciting to me. I
hope I don't make a fool out of myself or fall on my face while she's here!
   Take care and have a great weekend, and call me if you feel like it.
KB

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