Score #6 by Waverly Van Aalsburg


[score base: A red square with photos of children and adults doing karate; photo and score: Waverly Van Aalsburg (2021); score text: There is not better time. JOIN TODAY!!!/possibly at the expense of creating a pleasant walking/Create a walking instruction in response/’unique language/somewhere between gesture and thought’/In practice, the ultimate purpose of walking is stopping,/With ‘checklists’ such as these it is evident that there are many factors/’institute of silly walks’/in the modern built environement.]

Cathy; Waverly, Harlan, Brett, Kaitlyn, Jeff and Blake; Elspeth (Billie) Penfold; 16, October; The Villages, FL, USA; Lackawaxen, PA, USA; Whistable, UK.

We woke up to a video message from one of Waverly’s relatives, Cathy in the Villages, who had taken a silly walk around the pool! Our giggles indicated that her walk was a success, and we ate breakfast together as we prepared for our own.  After breakfast, we headed outdoors and Waverly took the lead. We had decided to follow it as a map, and also tick off items from the checklist we had prepared in advance. Waverly led us in to the woods and we stopped to admire the changes in the landscape (the purpose of walking after all) as we moved sillily from place to place.

Following the score as planned came at the expense of a pleasant walking experience, at least for the youngest involved, so Waverly graciously shared leadership and rerouted us in response to Harlan’s desires. We walked up the hill, where things got very silly, as we explored a ‘unique language between gesture and thought’, and may have had a visit from the Grand ol’ Duke of York. Once we finally stopped, ‘our ultimate purpose’ had been fulfilled. Checklist checked! We hadn’t defined what makes a walk silly, but we had certainly investigated it.


Arriving home, another walker’s version of the score awaited me in my e-mail. Billie had walked it in Whistable:

Dear Waverley,

I loved your score.

Berts ( my dog) and I started outside the house and decided on a silly weaving walk criss crossing in and out of the beach huts.


You have no idea how happy this made Berts as he loves to run in and out criss-crossing and hiding as we walked.

We ended up at the steps up the slope ( I’ve sent a photo).

At the top is a beach shelter (all quite mad really as I’m not sure who uses these anymore) this was our X marks the spot. You get a beautiful light through the windows at sunset it lights up like a lantern.


Berts and I walked around the shelter several times as a ritual marking of the spot. We had to stop as we noticed people were watching us, they probably thought we were being silly, which, of course, we were.

Thank you for giving us such a fun, fab walk. I look forward to seeing yours .

All best wishes,

Billie

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