Dear Friends,

The day’s march starts at Mayberry’s Coffee House in Osceola, where Clarke County Democratic Party chair, Vielka Rivera Wambold, and I sit down for a cuppa. Two guys Vielka knows join us. Neither wants to be interviewed for my program, but they’re happy to talk.

They work in construction. I ask if President Trump’s tariffs are affecting them. “Oh yeah, a lot!,” one says. “Lumber used to be more affordable than metal. Now it’s been priced out of many people’s range.”

One of two abundant pear trees along the route from Osceola to New Virginia.

Knowing how many Latino men are employed in construction, I ask if they’ve seen an impact on the local labor force due to Trump’s deportation efforts.

“Not yet, but it might be coming,” says one. “We certainly have a lot of Spanish-speaking guys working in our field. We hear enough Spanish that we’ve had to learn how to use the translation app on our phone.”

Vielka, who’s originally from Panama, tells me that the Latino population in Clarke County has grown from under 20% to nearly 25% in recent years.

The walk itself is easy enough. A combination of gravel and paved roads. Minimal traffic. Beautiful weather. A slight headwind. No pain at all today.

I have just two conversations along the way. The first is with a man winterizing his house on the outskirts of Osceola. We chat a bit. He tells me he doesn’t like free-loaders. “I’ve worked hard all my life,” he says. He shows me his hands and says, “You don’t get gnarly knuckles like these from just sitting around.”

I agree that his knuckles are indeed gnarly. “Yeah, they don’t get that way watching soap operas and popping bonbons,” I say, as I feel a tad guilty that my hands, while calloused from part-time farm work, lack that distinct, gnarly character.

About halfway through my 13-mile day, in front of a farmhouse, I admire the two most spectacular pear trees I’ve ever seen. I’m tempted to stop and ask if I can have a couple, but don’t, and later regret it.

In New Virginia, I talk briefly with an older man, who notices my “Save America March” t-shirt. When I explain what I’m doing, he assures me in strong terms that he’s no fan of Donald Trump.

That’s an encouraging note on which to end the day.

— Ed Fallon