Walking on common ground

And although during their childhoods it would have seemed almost inconceivable that they would ever meet, a bond has developed between the two on yet a third continent, a friendship honoring what they both hold dear: fresh air, exercise, family, flowers, and dogs. Nearly every weekday morning, the two women whose yards are divided only by a stretch of woods have joined up for a 40-minute walk through their Carlisle neighborhood.

Obvious differences not withstanding, they have plenty in common. Both came to the United States as young women with small children, to join husbands from their native lands who had already settled here. Both have spent much of their lives coping with the challenges of speaking a language and living in a culture not their own. And in recent years, both moved in with a daughter and son-in-law after losing their husbands - a fact that makes them part of a very small minority in Carlisle, which by most estimates has no more than 30 three-generation households among its population of 5,500.

The women always meet at the same spot across the street to start their morning walk. They talk about the new great-grandchild in DiNicola’s family and about Hara’s granddaughter in college. They talk about the ever-changing landscape along their route, with its flowers, trees, and shrubbery. They talk of trips they took in their younger days; Hara has visited Italy, and although DiNicola has not been to Japan, she has spent time in Venezuela and Argentina with family members.

They talk of their married years and early adulthood. DiNicola wed a hospital worker named Panfilo, who spotted her at a farmers’ market during a trip home to Italy; after the two married, she joined him in a vibrant immigrants’ community in Pittsfield. Hara’s husband was Teruo Hara, a renowned sculptor/designer (his works include the Japanese teahouse and meditation garden at Mount Holyoke College) who insisted on moving to America in the late 1950s because he found the arts community so much more free-spirited than that in Japan. They settled first in Pennsylvania, and later in Virginia when he became an instructor and exhibitor at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The tradition of daily walks began nearly 15 years ago. Hara arrived in Carlisle first; with two young grandchildren in the house, she settled in quickly. Just a couple of years later, in 1995, DiNicola’s daughter and son-in-law bought the house next door and asked DiNicola to come live with them. That same year, DiNicola’s granddaughter Amelia was born, making her presence in the household all the more appreciated.

“I love to listen to Clara. She tells wonderful stories about Italy,’’ Hara said.

Though they seldom discuss unhappy memories, both know the damage World War II wreaked on their hometowns. Hara remembers a morning when her house filled with smoke from the fires in nearby Osaka and she recalls seeing victims of Hiroshima, where the atomic bomb was dropped. DiNicola recalls returning to the family home after five months of German occupation to find their possessions destroyed by fire. “Mostly, when we are walking, we talk about the beautiful things around us,’’ Hara said. “We talk about vegetable gardening. Clara knows everything about when to plant seedlings; she has the whole schedule.’’

Both women dissolve into laughter frequently as they reflect on their walking time. “Everybody stops to say hello to us,’’ DiNicola said. “People are nice to us because they see two old ladies.’’

Commuters wave to them every day, and when one has to miss out on the walk - for example, when Hara was ill recently - passersby stopped to ask DiNicola where she was.

DiNicola’s daughter, Gio, has heard from several neighbors over the years who say they keep watch for the women out walking, and she thinks it’s more than just curiosity that draws the interest of commuters.

“Maybe they’re envious,’’ Gio said. “While everyone is rushing off to their busy lives, my mother and Tomoko are taking a simple walk and just enjoying the day.’’

Their dogs are also well known. DiNicola’s household has two and Hara’s has one; coincidentally, all three are black and white. The dogs are included on the walks in various combinations. Recently DiNicola opted to leave 16-year-old Willie at home because he didn’t seem to be feeling well that day, and a driver stopped to ask her where the dog was.

“I said he stayed home because he’s so old,’’ she recounted as both women start to laugh at the memory. “And he said, ‘Well, you’re both old, too, and you’re still out walking!’ ’’