Big Goodbyes and the Triumph of the Bus Dudes
Here is my first post about why I'm riding and why donating to Water Life Hope will give your furry
caterpillars overcoats.
It was a weekend of big goodbyes. Our pals Julia Knight and Bob and Nancy Leitch hosted the world's best going away party for us. Their home looks, feels and is as warm and gracious as they are and we all had a great time. The party originally planned to feature Ed the bus. We had to explain that Ed was in a larval state, too delicate to move the half block Bob and Nancy's driveway. Instead, Steve led contingents of people down the hill to Ed in progress. People were kind about the tools and the mess and professed to see the things we described. You really can't ask for more.
Friend Charles brought by a custom mount he'd made for our rear camera lights, and he and Henry registered interest in joining us for the last legs of the trip. We would have strength in numbers across Alabama.
By Sunday morning Ed was more portable and I took him to church. We'd cleaned things up and put away the tools so that the itty bitties could come on board safely. I did a few bus tours and got some really remarkable pledges for the fundraiser. There were traveling mercies and the comfort of eucharist. At the Outreach lunch later on, wonderful Caroline Herring got people to gather round and pray for us and the trip. I was uncharacteristically speechless.
Pals Andy and Nicole served us curry soup (a Yurman family favorite) for dinner and packed us up with leftovers. We're no longer buying food for the house. We have eggs from friends Al & Jude's chickens, some mushrooms and carrots and a mamey. Maybe a couple of apples. Nancy brought down the leftover sandwiches from the party, so we're eating those with the soup. And whatever we can scavenge from the freezer.
Any neighbors reading this -- don't worry. Housemate Michael is coming to the rescue for dinner. We'd love to see you on our last night here, but please don't bring food.
As of this morning (Monday), the bus is nearly there due to the labors of bus dudes Matt and Steve. Backup camera in place. New bench seat mounted. Solar panels are hooked to a controller that talks to an app on our phones. Wiring harnesses they made on the front porch carry clean 12-volt power to LED lights and a ceiling fan. Every fixture has a switch. There' are places to plug in 12-volt chargers for my laptop, everyone's bike lights and more. There's a camera system that covers the back and sides of the bus. The bench seat is installed, with rails trimmed to fit. Storage hammocks are hung.
There's a bit left to go. The water system needs installing. I may or may not drive to Montgomery today to get an improved drivers' seat. The bits left to go look do-able by tomorrow. This is it. And it will be so much more comfortable due to the triumph of the bus dudes. Thanks, Matt and Steve.
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| Matt and Steve, bus dudes extraordinaire |
It was a weekend of big goodbyes. Our pals Julia Knight and Bob and Nancy Leitch hosted the world's best going away party for us. Their home looks, feels and is as warm and gracious as they are and we all had a great time. The party originally planned to feature Ed the bus. We had to explain that Ed was in a larval state, too delicate to move the half block Bob and Nancy's driveway. Instead, Steve led contingents of people down the hill to Ed in progress. People were kind about the tools and the mess and professed to see the things we described. You really can't ask for more.
 |
| Charles: juggler, coder and 3D printing wizard |
By Sunday morning Ed was more portable and I took him to church. We'd cleaned things up and put away the tools so that the itty bitties could come on board safely. I did a few bus tours and got some really remarkable pledges for the fundraiser. There were traveling mercies and the comfort of eucharist. At the Outreach lunch later on, wonderful Caroline Herring got people to gather round and pray for us and the trip. I was uncharacteristically speechless.
Pals Andy and Nicole served us curry soup (a Yurman family favorite) for dinner and packed us up with leftovers. We're no longer buying food for the house. We have eggs from friends Al & Jude's chickens, some mushrooms and carrots and a mamey. Maybe a couple of apples. Nancy brought down the leftover sandwiches from the party, so we're eating those with the soup. And whatever we can scavenge from the freezer.
Any neighbors reading this -- don't worry. Housemate Michael is coming to the rescue for dinner. We'd love to see you on our last night here, but please don't bring food.
As of this morning (Monday), the bus is nearly there due to the labors of bus dudes Matt and Steve. Backup camera in place. New bench seat mounted. Solar panels are hooked to a controller that talks to an app on our phones. Wiring harnesses they made on the front porch carry clean 12-volt power to LED lights and a ceiling fan. Every fixture has a switch. There' are places to plug in 12-volt chargers for my laptop, everyone's bike lights and more. There's a camera system that covers the back and sides of the bus. The bench seat is installed, with rails trimmed to fit. Storage hammocks are hung.
There's a bit left to go. The water system needs installing. I may or may not drive to Montgomery today to get an improved drivers' seat. The bits left to go look do-able by tomorrow. This is it. And it will be so much more comfortable due to the triumph of the bus dudes. Thanks, Matt and Steve.
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