Pigs, flying.

VisionWalk 2006 was a roaring sucess. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our 160 supporters, the Usher's Mushers collected a grand total of $11,244 and walked our way to the Flying Pig award. The event as a whole raised nearly $100,000 - an impressive debut, and a LOT of much-needed research dollars.

The walk was . . . interesting. The organization was loose, at best, leaving an aura of chaos over the proceedings. The volunteers were super-nice and very enthusiastic, but didn't seem to have any actual information. And there was juice, but no coffee. I needed coffee.

Rather than a beginning-to-end 5K, as we'd expected we'd be walking, the route was a 1K loop that we were supposed to circle five times. It was a gorgeous kilometer, with trees and ponds and glorious fall foliage and stunning mountain views. It was also flat and smooth, easily navigable by wheelchairs, guide dogs, white canes, and strollers. But after two or three times around, it was boooooring. Also, we lost count. So we walked somewhere between 4K and 6K, give or take a couple of bathroom breaks.

There were something like 400 walkers, including quite a few blind people using canes or dogs. It was pretty cool to see so many blind people, although as usual it freaked me out to think that "real" blindness might be in my own foreseeable (hah!) future.

The event was also heavily family-oriented, with a Jumpy Castle and a giant inflatable slide and a cotton candy machine. There was also a terrific band, which we could hear playing from most points along the endless kilometer.

Eventually, people finished walking in circles and gathered by the bandstand for a disjointed awards presentation. My friend O., who had traveled all the way from Boston to join us, won the prize for the longest distance traveled to participate. Several teams won prizes for their excellent t-shirts (we'll come up with a design for next year). And we, the Usher's Mushers, won the team challenge by several thousand dollars.

Here we are with the sign proclaiming our accomplishment:

And here's our fabulous Flying Pig, Ms. Amelia Eyeheart:

Thank you all SO much! I hope you will support us again next year. (Well, actually, I hope that by next year, we don't need your support anymore because retinitis pigmentosa has been cured. A girl can dream.)