Friday June 27, 2008 - "Fairy Farm House"

[Gregg Mwendwa]

The 4 crossings farm house located at 40 miles North of Albany was the most fascinating farmhouse the team has seen, so far. The fully furnished house spotted expensive fine touch and taste accessories and a rare warmth to the eye. This provided the team with a break from the normal routine of church floors. The assortment of memento from goat skins on the floor, to Deer head hung on the walls, the USA flag hung in the bathroom to cowboy hats hung at the door cloak gave this facility a purely Texan touch. The telescopes of different sizes and mechanics squarely set in the serene rooms on the upper floor justified the location of the house overlooking the southern sky. The massive garage and the buzz of activity there in gave the morning a taste of “business as usual”. The chicken across the house completed the farmhouse environment. After breakfast and cleaning up, guys assembled at the verandah for devotion and dispatch.

The toast cup was passed don from Blocker to Jesse Olson “for you are an animal with a great attitude, you have the ability to vary expectation from ideal to reality…” said Blocker. As usual, Mike gave the morning devotion, but instead he highlighted how happy he was to be back to his bike. He expressed that he had a very difficult day sitting in the van the previous day (he was unable to ride, true - it is not enjoyable to be in the van as others ride). While taking a break, we discovered that the evil spirit of flat tires had come back haunting. During the morning ride, we had 3 flats - Erin, Drew, and Mike (OMG, again). I feel that it has been too much for Mike, in this week, he has had 5 flat tires in 4 days (a flat a day!).

The road was very narrow with limited shoulders, forcing us to slow speed and share the road with motorized transport. Today was a day of hills and valleys in addition to high temperatures. The headwind was getting tougher as we gathered to have lunch at an abandoned gas station at the side of the interstate 20 and farm road 4 crossway about 50 miles outside Dallas. It was getting hot and iron Mike decided to drop off his pair of shorts and decided to ride in his “underpants”(these are not my words, he said that). After having PBJ (Peanut Butter &Jelly) sandwiches, we notice that it was getting late to get to Dinner at red Oak. So we packed bikes to the trailer, Rebecca came to assist in transporting part of the team.

The dinner was exemplary unique, with host homes and Blood:Water staff joining us. There dinner room had an umpire who later made Jessica Blocker to jump on the chair and shake the salt shakers till they run empty (while at the same time shaking hare waist). Goodness, she was just about to fall from the seat when the umpire became more reasonable and requested that she steps down and eats her birthday pastry.

We all are rested in our various host homes, waiting to ride Dallas tomorrow. I am upstairs posting this blod, and downstairs, the whole community of Greg Bargo came to witness him repair a tire and cast out the devil of flats (it is rumored that anytime he puts the bike into the trailer it comes out with a flat). His mother, father, brother and sister, a friend of a friend of another friends, a pet and some nocturnal insects are all here witnessing what this McKinley celebrity is doing (please, I know you are fans – but go and sleep, its late and he needs to wake up 5am tomor!)

[Collins]

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