Before my brace, I could not walk much for over two years.

Since the brace was made for me, I have been walking again, building up slowly but regularly. I love walking; it’s my sport, and so does Maria. We almost always walk together.

Saturday, on a sunny Spring Day, we decided to walk down Main Street, the preserved and older center of town.  There are no malls here or Hedge Fund ghouls to destroy the center in the city (they are gobbling up a lot of houses and turning them into expensive rentals.)

We rain into Jean, the friendly and hard-working co-owner (with Todd) of the Cambridge Diner, our new Sunday brunch hangout (Jean’s is just a bit too far and is always mobbed on Sundays). The very popular diner hosts special dinners eight times a year, and last night was one of them.

This is Jean, co-owner of the Cambridge Diner. We’ve come to love the Cambridge Diner; the food and service and the people are very nice. I’m hooked on their omelets. This, Jean said, was the farmer’s special night. She was planning 80 dinners, and brunch the next morning.

Jean came out to greet us, which kicked off the walk. Along the way, we met some friends, took pictures, sat on a bench or two, and talked about the beautiful architecture built during the 1880s all around us. This is a photo album of the walk, a special event for me.

This is one of my favorite houses in Cambridge, funky and full of color.

This is my other favorite house; I’ve wanted to photograph it for years. I’d also like to have this painting on my wall. I love the lines and design.

In my town, older people often sit out on their lawns reading. This captured the spirit of the down on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

This has always been a religious town. It’s full of big, old, beautiful churches, some emptying out. St. Luke’s has the design I like most.

The big merchants of the 1800s built several gorgeous mansions, including the Rice Mansion, which had just been granted a grant to paint and refurbish the building. It’s in the middle of town and stands out like an old jewel of history. They sure do not build them like that anymore.

Maria and I stopped at a surprisingly upscale consignment store on Main St. While she was upstairs looking at clothes (too expensive for her), I was browsing downstairs. I loved the colors in the bird bowl.

Usually, I would have bought some of these $2 apiece painted paper birds, but I’m on an extensive and so far successful campaign not to buy things on impulse; they lie around the house and end up getting thrown away. It’s a big step for me, and I like doing it.

It was usually anxiety that prompted me to buy things I didn’t need. I’m getting past that.

But I would have liked to get one or two of these birds to photograph. I won’t. It was a sweet end to our walk on Main Street; I’m glad to share it with people who read the blog.