Before and After in Dallas Wrap-Up

One thing my mother taught me was to always try to leave a place in better condition than you found it. Thanks to my friend Chas and the trust of his mother-in-law Peggy, I was able to make a big difference in exercising my painting and organizing skills in helping to get Peggy's house ready for her return from a long stay at the hospital.

There was some internal as well as external work to be accomplished. For the external work, I was called upon to repaint the porch, former garage area, and left side eaves. Here are a few before and after photos of that project:

As I told Chas, I had done quite a bit of painting when I lived in Montana and I put my skills to work here for sure. I had to pace myself because I was just barely tall enough to reach the highest points with a ladder, and all of the overhead work put a bit of a strain on my right shoulder especially (the one that already suffered a lot of repetitive stress when I used to work in sewing manufacturing). However, over the course of the month that I stayed there I slowly worked a few hours at a time to cover the entire area. It made me think of when I worked in Montana pulling napweed for Roy and Jody Anderson on a hillside above the road. People would drive by every day and see me there, and then see the bundles of weeds at the bottom of the hill. I felt like the people in Peggy's neighborhood were seeing the same kind of slow and steady progress and I'd like to think I may have inspired one or two of them to know that if you apply a little perseverance, even a project of this size can be completed over time.

There were also projects to complete inside the house. Cleaning up the back room area with its "second kitchen" was a big part of that.


I found a new site on line, StillTasty.com that gave me some information on how to assess the expiration dates on some of the food products that I came across. Otherwise, it was really a matter of being willing to apply some elbow grease and again, attention to detail and perseverance when it came to, for instance, getting the vacuum cleaner into all the nooks and crannies especially as the ceiling had been recently refinished and there was still a lot of debris in those places.

At the end of the month though, I was able to offer Peggy my "Thank You Gift" for opening her home to me, and fulfill the agreement I had made with Chas. I was finishing up the last of the painting the day before I left, but, it was all completed and, if the warranty on the brand stands up to its claims, the paint should last for the next 15 years, so I can be proud of the fact that I definitely left my "mark" there!




And so, I said "Good-Bye" to my old and new friends before Chas drove me to my last stop: Weatherford, Texas where I would once again be reunited with my "trusty steed" and prepare to embark on "Stage II" of my cross country adventure.

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Post Script, June 10, 2013: Later in the day after posting this blog, I found out that Peggy passed away suddenly while shopping with her sister. Apparently she suffered from a blood clot in her heart, as well as head trauma when she fell to the floor. The clot was probably a complication of her chemotherapy treatment for leukemia which is why she had been in the hospital. Attempts to resuscitate her failed. As I communicated to Chas, she died doing something she loved to do, which is about the best anyone can hope for.

So, here's to Peggy. I'm glad I got to meet her and help her get her house in order. May she journey on in Peace.

Final Update from Dallas, TX

After a month now in North Dallas it looks like I am finally going to be heading to Weatherford this coming Monday, June 3rd! I will be there just long enough to do a little maintenance on my bicycle and pack whatever I can before getting on the road.

I will have to admit, I'm probably feeling a little more intimidated about this half of my journey more so than the first half for several reasons: A) It is already June in Texas and I know it will only be getting hotter over the next three months or so, including going through New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern California. B) The long stretch through southern Texas feels really intimidating right now, more so than any of the territory I have previously covered. My general plan is to do as much riding in the early morning and late afternoon-evening hours, and figure out a way to take shelter during the hottest part of the day. C) I kind of do know better now what I am getting myself into with the ongoing logistical, fundraising, practical, and physical challenges. When I started the trip last summer, I was a bit more naive about all of it, and sometimes, ignorance Is bliss! Nevertheless, I feel I have to give it my best shot, one way or another, no matter how anxious or intimidated I might feel right now.

I will say this though, there have been a few positive changes in the last year that might make things ever so slightly easier: A) I'm a little more comfortable with this blog platform now, uploading pictures, etc., so I should be able to post updates more regularly. B) There have been a few changes to the Couch Surfing and Warm Showers websites/platforms that might make them a little easier to use as well. C) I've also gotten some new apps for plotting my path so we'll see how that works out for me. And D) I do have all of that prior experience under my belt and hopefully I will continue to improve on some of the "standard operating procedures" I have already developed.

Finally, I know I have So Much To Look Forward To - both with all of the people I will get to meet during my journey and with the new friends I have waiting for me back in Santa Barbara, CA. I know my dopamine levels will be well sustained anticipating those rewards.

I want to say Thanks! again to everyone who has been supporting me and those who have been patient with me as I have been patient with my own evolving circumstances. However...it looks like this "transition time" is coming to a close, and I will soon be on the road once again!

Until my Next Update...Peace Be With You All!

This Just In...

I now have contacts/hosts lined up for the first few stops of my trek south from Weatherford. Yeah!

I'll be staying in Granbury, Glen Rose, and Meridian, Texas. These first, fairly short distance (under 30 mile) stops are critical for the "breaking in" period as I get used to being on my bike again. Furthermore, as I get closer to I-35 the populations get more dense, thus increasing the chances of my finding suitable shelter.

In addition, with the money I earned recently at the estate sale, I am going to be able to cover all of the "last minute" items that I needed. In fact, I even found a new "corrugated" foam sleeping pad (at the estate sale) that I suspect is going to work much better with my tent floor/sleeping pad both when in use and when it is stored on the trailer.

With my most recent (Meridian) host making contact, I am beginning to appreciate the idea that, in time, everything really does work itself out, and part of the challenge for me is to remain calm, and patient, and still focused and persevering for my own part. Not to say I'm looking forward to traveling through Texas and/or New Mexico and/or Arizona during July and August, but...who knows? Maybe those miles through the desert will go quicker than my "noodling" along the gulf coast. I certainly suspect the roads will be better than some of the ones I encountered during the first half of my journey!

I've got some new updates to my "Please and Thank You" page as well. So please be sure and check it out!

Update from Dallas, TX

I had a wonderful time working an estate sale with these folks this past weekend. From left to right that's me (of course), then Cody, Dorothy, Barbara (the original "Madame Packrat"), Al (Dorothy's husband), and Priscilla, and in front, my friend Sherri who helped network me into this opportunity to work for Barbara in the first place.

A great deal of the set-up and pricing was completed before I arrived, but I was able to check prices on a big stack of vintage Topps 1955 Football cards including a couple of "Jim Thorpe's", and "Bowman" cards from the same era. I thought it might be a good idea to enclose them in individual plastic bags with individual prices based on my research. With multiple buyers over the course of the weekend, the whole lot sold for around $320, where Cody had originally planned to price the stack for ten times less! In effect, I paid for my wages with that little bit of extra effort.

And, I've nearly spent all of those wages as well, so nothing to get too excited about! But, for the most part, it is going for food, and those last items I was having trouble getting my hands on, like the DZ Nuts Bliss and a bulk bag of Dulse. Also, I have an outstanding load of "stuff" that I still need to get my friend Randy to ship me from Louisiana where I left it on the first leg of my journey.

However, the work is not quite over here yet, as I have some painting and organizing left to do to help Chas with his mother-in-law (from his previous marriage) as she will be returning soon from a rather long stay in the hospital battling leukemia.

Consequently, it looks like my departure for Weatherford will not take place until the week of May 20th, meaning I will probably not be on the road until the end of that week. I am comfortable though with being in a position to help my friends who are also helping me, and this is part of what this journey is all about for me as well, being of service to others whenever and wherever I can. And, as I have already understood from my own efforts, lots of people can use help Dealing with Their "Stuff"... and I seem to be getting more and more experience in that area as time goes by!

Jacksonville, FL to Terrell, TX by Bus

My journey from Jacksonville, FL to Terrell, TX started out a little rough. I was up literally all night Sunday night transferring the remaining boxes I had from my 5x10 storage unit into a 5x5. I managed to get the medium sized U-Haul boxes - Fully Loaded - stacked seven high, and similarly heavy boxes of files (yep, still got plenty of those left) stacked on a five shelf chrome wire rack, again, all the way to the ceiling.

I don't know for sure what the weight limit is on those racks, but I'm sure I'm pushing it! By 4:45 am, I was finally done, and laid out my blue mat, my sleeping bag, and my buck wheat pillow so I could take a rest in the now empty 5x10 unit to await pick-up from Alisa. I almost dozed for a minute or two and then decided my time might be better spent doing some yoga as my body was feeling quite strained from all the efforts of the last few days.

Prior to getting on the bus, I was confronted by the fact that transporting my bags was going to cost me much more than I'd expected. Although I had looked pretty hard to find baggage limits, fees, etc., on the Greyhound website, I wasn't able to find anything, and there was no additional information on the tickets that Alisa and I printed at her house. So, my first checked bag was free. I was pushing it with two good-sized carry-ons, i.e. one carry-on and a big bag/purse with my back-pack and lunch bag in it - Thanks to Alisa for always having re-usable (and stylish) grocery bags in the car! But that left another larger duffle, medium duffle, and my uncle's suitcase I had been borrowing since I left Weatherford, TX.

Total at the bus depot, was an additional $55.00. And that left my bulk-food bag for Alisa to ship as soon as she can. Although I had hoped to leave enough money in her account to cover my storage rent for the next three months (July, August, September), I'm afraid the baggage fees put a big dent in that plan. Hoping the Chrome Racks I have on Craig's List will sell sometime soon, but, if you'd like to help out at this point, please feel free to use the "Donate" button in the right-hand column of this blog page. Thanks!

When Alisa and I were waiting at the station in Jacksonville, we spied a couple of guys carrying bright yellow and black panniers - fellow cross-country cyclists. One of them ended up sitting next to me on the bus so I got the scoop on their trip. They're names were Dylan and Vincent and they'd just finished a seven week trek of their own from Phoenix, AZ to Jacksonville (mostly) on the Southern Tier Adventure Cycling route. Having already shipped their bicycles from Jacksonville, like me they were taking the bus, three days for them all the way back to Seattle. As Vincent was telling me, he's wondering how he will make the adjustment to being "off the bike" and once again clocking miles in terms of minutes by car rather than hours! (As I no longer have a car to drive myself, I guess I'm generally still on "bicycle time".)

(It was raining as the bus traveled through Tallahassee, and I remembered it was also raining when I was riding through there roughly the same time last year. I also saw a few familiar spots earlier, in Lake City for instance, before the bus moved off of HWY 90 and on to I-10.)

It was a rough bus trip though. My legs and arms are bruised and strained from shifting and hoisting all of the boxes around. As with my computer skills, I freely admit my limitations when it comes to planning ahead and keeping things running smoothly, but, at the end of the day, (or, in this case, the end of the night), everything was done that needed to be done. (Once again speaking to the fact that sheer determination and will-power can sometimes overcome deficits in other areas!) I know that I am getting back on the road having done the best "I" could to make this second half of my cross-country journey a success. And even though the bag fees were a blow, the money was there, and even though I feel even "tighter" this trip than the last, something tells me, things will continue to work out along the way. Honestly, I am still grateful for the experience of Living On Cash as it does have a way of keeping you in the moment more so than credit!

I want to offer a special thanks to recent contributors, either through direct donations, signing up to be members of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, or buying items I had for sale. So thanks Ron, Glenn, Sandy and Carl, and of course, Mike K. It was also great to meet and talk with fellow SCA'ers, Bob and Leilani at the VFW on Friday night. And thanks to Tim as he bought my bright purple and teal back-pack for his daughter Faith recently. I hope she enjoys many Happy Adventures of her own. And thanks to Mike and Janet for signing up to be new members of the NAPF.

And, once again, Big Thanks to my friend Alisa for giving up her room for me over the last two months. I was joking with her on the way to the bus station about how much more open it looks now that it doesn't have all of my stuff scattered everywhere! (Still some "stuff" left in the garage, but hopefully, that will all sell eventually!)

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P.S. Remembebering the "Rumble Strips" of Alabababamamama

While on the bus, I was shaken from my resting state by loud noise and vibration, only to look at the road we we're traveling on to see "Rumble Strips" on the shoulder. When I was traveling these Alabama roads last summer, I recalled how hard it was to avoid them as the shoulders were too narrow to accommodate my trailer fully right of the rumble strips, which meant I was more often forced to ride to the left of them on the roadway. Not sure if these "sleeper bumps" as I like to call them have caused a significant positive impact on sleep related car accidents, but I know from personal experience, they sure make it harder and less safe for cyclists, at least ones like me with trailers! It does highlight the idea of State Sovereignty though, as I have noted these significant differences in road conditions state to state along my route.

Aaargh! Blog Platform - Photos - Google+

For the record: I am not a "wiz" at all of this computer stuff. I was programming "FORTRAN" in high school if that tells you anything!

So, I do not know "HTML" except for what I have learned accidentally here on this blog site. I'm starting to learn merely by looking more closely at what comes up automatically.

However, recently, I noticed that I had photos from this blog posting automatically to my "Google+/Picasa" account. In an attempt to re-organize that page and delete duplicate photos, I inadvertently deleted photos from these blogs. Now, I'm having to do some kind of round-about stuff to re-locate them and re-place them.

It is all Very Frustrating!

However, I am going to persevere, and as lame as I may be about all of this computer stuff, I know more now than I did when I started blogging here over two years ago. And I feel it is so important to be utilizing the tools that are available to us these days, especially for such an important purpose; i.e. to bring more attention to the cause of ridding the world of nuclear weapons and moving towards the realistic and long-term goal of World Peace.

I guess what I want to emphasize here for my readers is that - I am Really Not That Good with all of this stuff. None of it has come easily to me. I do not feel that I have any advantages over anyone else in this area. I am just absolutely determined to accomplish my goals and if I have to slog through, slowly, even painfully, one step at a time (and in this case, even having to back-track sometimes), then I am willing to do that. Period. I am not going to give up.

So if there is something that You Really Believe In, then do not let any doubts about your abilities get in the way. I think anyone with enough Willingness to "go the extra mile" will not let anything stop them. There may be some stumbling blocks and some slow-downs, and even some back-tracks, but the key is to Keep On Keepin' On!

And that is what I am still determined to do.

In the mean time, if you see any of my blog posts with weird grey circles with minus signs in the middle of them where a picture should be, that just means I haven't gotten around to fixing them yet!

Peace!

One More Week Left in Florida!

As of this time next week, I should be heading to the bus station to begin my 24+ hour trip back to Texas. As of right now, I still need to raise at least another $100 or so just to start the trip. That leaves another $2000 or so to raise to finish it.

I have a New Page on this blog, in case you haven't noticed. I'm calling it my "Please and Thank You" page. On it I have listed, pretty explicitly, all of my "needs" and some of my "wants" for the second half of my cross-country bike trek, and I will be updating it regularly. I didn't have anything like this for the first half of my journey because I did not have the experience to know for sure what my needs were going to be, and I was still getting used to this blogger platform which has actually changed quite a bit since I first started using it. However, this time I do have that first half of the trip under my belt, so the estimates should be pretty on-target. Furthermore, I'm going to be more diligent in giving public recognition to the people who have been helping me (if they would like that). I was not as savvy about how to do that on this blog last time, but now that I have my "Please and Thank You" page, I feel I should be able to do that without too much difficulty.

For the record: This has all been an amazing Learning Process for me and although I wish I had known how to do everything from the beginning, there have been a lot of things I've had to figure out along the way instead, and I figure, that's okay, too!

Now, however, speaking of "Donations" if you would like to provide financial support for my trip, there is always the PayPal "Donate" button, and as you will see on my "Please and Thank You" page (linked in the upper part of the right-hand column), I have provided some other alternatives for sending money to me via my friend Alisa as well. There are also specific items you can purchase directly and then have them shipped to Alisa and she will then get them to me. Or...if you let me know in advance, I may be able to give you an upcoming host's address to which you may ship needed supplies. ALL types and levels of support are welcomed and appreciated!

And, speaking of Alisa...She has been so very generous to me over the last couple of months. She gave up her room to me, and I have made a mess of it with all of my boxes, etc. (which I will be clearing out this week, of course). She has been chauffering me around to and from the Christ Church Bazaar on Wednesdays, and to and from my storage unit, and of course, to get groceries. She's an awesome person and there is simply no way I could be doing what I'm doing without her support. I feel very lucky and grateful to count her as a friend.

Another person who has been particularly helpful is Mike Kieffer who manages the bazaar/flea market for Christ Church. Not only has he helped me with a free table at the market, he has offered his friendship and personal support as well, helping me to get connected with the local VFW here (and, thereby, to all of the other VFW's across the country), giving me some work to do and get paid for, and buying some of my few "man things" at the flea market. He is a wonderful man, and I have enjoyed getting to know him better as a friend during this second time around for me here in Florida.

I have one more week here before I will be taking a bus to Texas. I've chosen the bus over a plane because the price was significantly lower and, as Alisa and I agreed, it would give me more of an opportunity to meet and possibly talk with other people about my mission...which is really what this is all about! I am getting more excited about getting back on the road as I trudge through the remaining practical details I've had to handle here in Florida. Once again, I am looking at maps, e-mailing potential Warm Showers and Couch Surfing hosts, planning my route, and keeping my heart open in faith, as it has been through all of this, knowing that, things Will Work Out...one way or another! That is something else that this past year plus of experience has taught me: I have never gone hungry; I have never been without shelter; I have never been "completely broke" (although I was down to change a few times); and I am meeting so many wonderful and generous people, and learning so many life lessons from all of these experiences, I know it has been well Worth the Effort, and I am motivated to keep "efforting" as necessary to Finish what I have Started!

It continues to be an amazing adventure and I appreciate every person who has been a part of it with me as I continue to "Pedal for Peace"!