Profile Response – Patricia Hoffman, Executive Director Oneida Foundation Oneida, NY

Posted on June 5, 2015 by paulefallon

HWWLT Logo on yellowThe Oneida Community was by many measures the most successful of all the nineteenth century Utopian communities. John Noyes and his followers were chased out of Putney, VT due to their beliefs in sharing not only work, lodging, and resources, but also marriage. The Perfectionists, as they called themselves, arrived in New York State’s ‘Burned-over District’ of revival fervor, and established the Oneida Community. Between 1848 and 1880 they built the Oneida Community Mansion House, established a thriving silverware manufactory, and grew to several hundred members. Like many Utopian communities, they were unable to survive the death of their founder, though Oneida Limited was established as the resulting business in 1880 and thrived for over one hundred years.

A non-profit organization was formed in 1987 to acquire the site from Oneida Ltd to oversee the historically significant Oneida Community Mansion House and with the company’s help, established an endowment early on. I met with Patricia Hoffman, Oneida Community Mansion House Executive Director, to learn about the community and the lessons it offers about how we will live tomorrow.

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Ms.Hoffman explained that sites like this are experiencing a decline in the numbers of visitors, changing demographics, the impact of technology and for the last several years, a general decline in the economy.  It is fortunate that the Mansion House contains residential apartments, overnight lodging, and banquet and meeting space to offset less than robust museum revenues.  To ensure the site remains relevant into the future, the fifteen-member board of trustees recently voted to focus on becoming an educational resource for historic preservation.  Ms. Hoffman sees this as a logical extension of the Oneida Community ideal of changing directions whenever necessary to keep moving forward.

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The shared economic and religious endeavors of the original community are gone; the current residents don’t have any formal cooperative arrangement. However, the boundaries between the shared spaces and private spaces are blurred, and Ms. Hoffman believes, “The energy from when the community was here permeates everything. Those values pass through generations.”

What can we learn from Oneida Community about ‘How will we live tomorrow?’

“One of the most important legacies of the Oneida Community was the creation and development of Oneida Community Ltd. which went on to become Oneida Ltd., one of the first social welfare companies in America.” Oneida Limited offered health care, stock ownership, and other ways for employees to be actively engaged in the company well before others. In the early 1900’s the company was expanding. They subdivided their land to create plots for workers to build houses. They built schools, parks, even the first company golf course in America. But Oneida was never a company town, like Pullman or Bethlehem. In the 1920’s the executives took pay cuts to avoid laying off workers. “They were trying to make money, but never at the expense of the employees, ever.”

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Trip Log – Day 28 – Dearborn, MI to Dearborn, MI

Posted on June 3, 2015 by paulefallon

Dearborn DayMiles Today: 0

Miles to Date: 1,587

June 2, 2015 – Sunny, 65 degrees

 

My first rest day! I slept like a baby in Bill Basse’s old bedroom; I am getting very good at a different bed every night. My friend Bob Basse had set up a meeting with the Director of Public Information and the Sustainability Director of the City of Dearborn, where we talked about tomorrow.

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Bob and I spent the afternoon on the Rouge Ford Factory Tour, where F150 pick-ups roll off the line every 60 seconds. The plant, built in 2000, is the latest addition to the famous River Rouge Assembly plant that Henry Ford opened in 1924. Whereas 100,000 people worked at River Rouge in the 1920’s, today it takes only 1000 people to assemble an F150. True, many components have been outsourced, but still, the degree of automation is impressive. Surprisingly, the most automated parts of the process as the most precise ones. Windshields are attached without human intervention; the bed is fixed to the cab mechanically; while people still snap in place interior finish panels in place.

I didn’t leave with the impression that we will all be replaced by robots so much as the realization that the amount of planning required to make those 1000 floor workers efficient is phenomenal. The logistics of material flow and coordination of parts is a wonder of this factory that’s not on display.

IMG_2110We got home late afternoon and enjoyed our leftover Middle Eastern food, took a few hours of downtime, and then took along walk through lovely Dearborn, including a stop at the local Middle Eastern supermarket and an incredible macaroon for dessert. I was in bed before nine, recharging to hit the road again.

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Profile Response: David Gibson Family Slingerlands, NY

Posted on June 3, 2015 by paulefallon

HWWLT Logo on yellowDavid Gibson and I are fraternity brothers, though we hadn’t seen each other in over thirty years. During that time he served five years in the U.S. Army in East Germany before the wall fell, went to business school, worked for Corning Glass, started his own company producing specialty radiographic lens, built it into a industry leader, and sold it two years ago. He’s searching for the next act in his life, though he’s not at liberty to join my cycling adventure since David and his wife Chris have four-year-old twins, in addition to eight other children and several grandchildren from earlier marriages and adoption. Chris and David are devout Mormons, and their commitment to family is evident everywhere in their large house where they can accommodate any and all extended family.

Chris, David, three of their children, and I enjoyed a barbeque on the deck overlooking their forty acres of woods on a Saturday evening. During dinner, David asked each in turn “How we will live tomorrow?”

Kadance and Austin, the four-yeaIMG_1868r-old play masters replied: “Play games, after breakfast… and play on our dirt pile!”

Bryson, a fifteen-year-old high school student said: “Technological advances will control what happens. It will be better in a lot of ways, but if you’re stuck in the past, no.”

Christine responded: “I have two thoughts. My optimistic view is that medical advances are coming rapidly. Things that our parents suffered, and our grandparents died from, won’t even be on our children’s radar screen. My fear is that the number of restrictive laws passed because one kid in one place got injured will continue to grow. We’ll sap our spontaneity and energy because we contain our actions to protect against people who did stupid stuff. Life is not going to get happier with all of these restrictions.”

Later in the evening, when Bryson was playing video games, he chimed in with another response that is both prescient and intriguing: “We are going to download our consciousness and live forever.”

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The next morning, Chris came into the playroom where Austin and I were deep in Legos, and told her son it was time to put on his shoes to get ready for church. “But mom! You said, how will we live tomorrow?” Chris and I laughed, but I appreciated how the little boy took my question to a whole different level – his answer to play all day as not just hopeful, but defining.

Nevertheless, Austin put his shoes on, and we all attended the LDS church service in Latham, NY. Since people of faith are focused on tomorrow, I’m interested in attending a variety of services during my trip. It seemed particularly appropriate to attend a Mormon service while in upstate New York, where so many American religious and utopian groups, including the Mormons, were founded in the nineteenth century.

This Sunday the focus of the service was on Mormon prophets and how they guide individual behavior. Mormons have a lay ministry, and two members of the congregation gave the inspirational talks. Dara Blanchette told a story of having a third ear piercing and then hearing the prophet’s advice to wear only two earrings. She decided to let that piercing close over. “In a world that has grown more chaotic, it is our role to be models of grace and refinement.” Austin Peterson, an IT guy, said, “When I go to Google with a question, I get a discussion board with a variety of answers and opinions. Having a prophet is like having a search engine run by God. The answers may not be popular, but they are definitive.”

imgres-2Two things struck me about the service. First, that this religion is both real and relevant. Although it references ancient texts like the Bible, The Book of Mormon is much newer, at least in its translation. The prophets are actual men, alive today, and not the historical figures that define most traditional Christianity. The mash-up of ancient history, recent history and present-day direction make the church seem alive. Second, this religion provides a lot of answers. It must be comforting to many to believe in something so comprehensive and definitive. From an LDS perspective, tomorrow seems both positive and manageable.

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In addition to hosting me, David provided this written response to my question

How will we live tomorrow?

With the number of people in the middle class growing from 1.8 billion in 2009 to a projected 3.2 billion in 2020 and 4.9 billion in 2030 (http://www.oecdobserver.org/news/fullstory.php/aid/3681/An_emerging_middle_class.html) the strains on the World’s material resources will be forced to the forefront. We (the larger, world “we”) cannot all live like Americans have been used to. Unfortunately through the ubiquity of American media that high level of consumption, and even the portrayal of a false higher level as standard, a desire and expectation in much of the world.

But I have considerable hope. In the US there seems to be a growing and persistent move towards not needing to own as much. This is evidenced in the growth of the sharing economy including companies like Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, SnapGoods, Getaround, Neighborgoods, and theDressList. It can also be seen in the very rapid growth of makerspaces, the adoption of temporary digital-book distribution, and to me the unexpected disinterest of many youth in getting a driver’s license as soon as they are eligible.

I hope we can become conscious of the difference between needs and desires. And over time our desires not be so material based.

There is a long way to go. But it seems a good start.

David Gibson, Husband, Father, Entrepreneur, Slingerlands, New York

 

 

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Trip Log – Day 27 – Elmore, OH to Dearborn, MI

Posted on June 2, 2015 by paulefallon

150601Elmore OH to Dearborn MIMiles Today: 78

Miles to Date: 1,587

June 1, 2015 – Overcast and windy, 55 degrees

 

Days with 4,000 vertical feet of elevation rise are physically exhausting. Days with 400 feet of vertical elevation rise are just tedious. The trip from Elmore, OH to Dearborn, MI is so flat the only times I downshifted was to climb overpasses.

IMG_2090 The few creeks I crossed were full of muddy water from yesterday’s torrents

 

 

 

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Some houses sat only inches above flooded yards.

 

 

 

IMG_2091I chuckled at Brewthrough, the most literal drive-through coffee and beer place I’ve ever seen.

 

 

 

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Toledo was the saddest collection of aging industry and neighborhood neglect I’ve passed through to date.

 

 

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Michigan didn’t offer a welcome sign, just long stretches of wide highway with marginal shoulder, thought I enjoyed the cool machine that turns old concrete into new aggregate and filters fine and course aggregate in one process.

 

IMG_2096I also had to stop to ponder this sign: would I really get my hair cut there?

Off my bike, of course, the people were terrific. The owner of Fino’s Resaturant on Monroe, MI insisted on buying my lunch. Virginia and Marietta, two elderly women having afternoon coffee at the McDonald’s in Lincoln Park were baffled by my journey. They went outside and studied my bicycle, incredulous that it would carry me so far.

I arrived in leafy Dearborn just after six. My friend Bob Basse was in front of his family home, with his brother Bill and their neighbor, Housalla ElMoussa. I wanted to visit Dearborn to explore the Muslim influx, which was everywhere evident on Middlepointe Street.

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Bob took me out to Al Ameer, the best Middle Eastern food I’ve ever had. We ordered all sorts of dishes and brought enough leftovers home for a second meal tomorrow.

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1000+ Followers

Posted on June 1, 2015 by paulefallon

I want to thank all my readers of http://www.theawkwardpose.com and http://www.howwillwelivetomorrow.com – this weekend I surpassed the 1,000 follower mark. Running two blogs is an imperfect science, but for those who are confused, here is the difference. Feel free to follow one, or both!

HWWLT Logo on yellowwww.howwillwelivetomorrow.com is the blog for my current project – cycling to the 48 contiguous United States to ask people the question, “How will we live tomorrow?” This blog includes a daily Trip Log of my cycling adventures as well as all of the responses that people give along the way. Some responses are aggregated into weekly lists. More detailed responses are profiled in dedicated posts. I’m pretty good about keeping my Trip Log only a day or two behind my experience. Profile Responses are not as current, but are posted in the order I meet people. Right now I am in Michigan, and still posting profiles from New York!

awkward_pose_1[1]-001www.theawkwardpose.com is my original and ongoing blog. It contains all my social commentaries and posts about yoga, Haiti, and cycling. It will continue to be the archive for all of my writing. I also post the Trip Logs of my current project to this blog, but not the responses, since I don’t write them.

 

When my cycling trip ends in 2016, http://www.howwillwelivetomorrow.com will be retired; http://www.theawkwardpose.com will keep on and on…

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Trip Log – Day 26 –Norwalk, OH to Elmore, OH

Posted on June 1, 2015 by paulefallon

150531 Norwalk OH to Elmore OHMiles Today: 44

Miles to Date: 1,509

May 31, 2015 – Rain and wind, 50 degrees

 

After more than three weeks of ducking rain, my weather luck finally ran out. I slept for eleven hours in Cathy and Don Mayles’ quiet basement, and enjoyed a huge breakfast with them before heading out in a light mist about 11 a.m. Before I left they described that a friend whose son died young but donated his organs is tracking where people see this poster on trucks. If you find one, let me know and I’ll pass the news on to Cathy and Don.

IMG_2086The mist dissipated after I stopped by CVS for provisions, so I was hopeful for an easy ride. The stretch to Monroeville was uneventful. The rain picked up by the time I reached the decision point on the east side of town – side roads or U.S. 20. I decided to stick to the main road, which had a wide shoulder and little traffic. This proved a good decision to Bellevue, as the rain picked up and the wind started blowing hard from the northeast. I weighed all the good attributes of my ride – short distance, flat terrain, good pavement – against the rain and decided I was doing pretty well.

Beyond Bellevue I encountered some highway engineers idea of good design – a wide rumble strip down the shoulder that forced me to ride inside the white line. There was so little traffic on the four-lane road that most vehicles gave me a wide berth but a few came awfully close. Then the wind picked up hard and the rain came down harder. A few cross-gusts made my bike shiver, and for the first time on the trip I felt insecure. Once anxiety descends the chance for mishap grows, so I kept a steady focus and recalled my friend Dave Gibson’s wisdom, “You won’t always have fun, but you’ll always feel alive” I certainly felt alive, trying to keep my Surly stable against the thirty to forty mile an hour winds.

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Fortunately, the next town, Clyde, had a McDonald’s where I could pull off the road for a few hours and watch the storm from indoors. When I entered the dining room, a group of bikers also seeking respite from the storm said, “Whoa, we thought we had it hard.” The rain slowed down eventually. I left after five and rode the last twenty miles to Elmore, all on one of Ohio’s great rail trails, in a list mist. The wind was still strong, but there were no other vehicles to avoid.

I arrived at my host’s home about 7:30 p.m. After a warm shower, Gordon served an incredible meal: appetizers and matzo soup, ham loaf with beets and salad, fresh pineapple and blueberries for dessert. We talked until ten and then I slept well under the big down comforter on his guest bed.

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Trip Log – Day 25 –Akron, OH to Norwalk, OH

Posted on May 31, 2015 by paulefallon

150530 Akron OH to Norwalk OHMiles Today: 62

Miles to Date: 1,465

May 30, 2015 – Sun and storms and 75 degrees

 

The bank time and temperature sign registered 75 degrees before 7:00 a.m. It was going to be hot one. I had a straight shot of over 60 miles on Ohio Route 18. The first ten were the usual litany of parking lots and stores, all empty on an early Saturday morning. Then the road became a nice four-laner with a wide shoulder. I worried about the lack of local color on a busy road, but it found me anyway. I stopped to chat with a guitar-carrying hitchhiker from New York and a jolly Kiwanis member picking up litter on his stretch of adopted highway. The road turned local through Medina, the birthplace of raising bees, where I came into a throng of half marathoners at the town square finish line. Medina is a vintage Mid-west town with brick storefronts facing a landscaped square of tall trees and center gazebo. The wholesome, healthy runners reinforced that image.

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Beyond Medina the road became country, passing beautiful fields and dramatic cloud formations. They kept the temperature from climbing, but looked ominous enough to keep me pedaling to beat the storms. Forty miles in, on the outskirts of Wellington, I had my first flat of the trip. I limped my bicycle two blocks to a Subway, filled my belly before I tackled the repair, and spent a few hours waiting out a series of thunderstorms. How fortunate to have the flat and bad weather correspond with a welcome rest stop. When the sun shined steady again, I kept on toward Norwalk.

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IMG_2077I detoured to see the Lincoln Funeral train car, on display courtesy of the Lake Shore railway Association. I’m pretty sure the two local train geeks would have talked to me past dark, but I extracted myself to cycle the twenty remaining miles to Norwalk. I got town just before another big thunderstorm and spent the night with Cathy and Don Mayles, my housemate’s sister-in-law’s cousins. That may not sound like a close connection, but they treated me like family, fed me well, kept a beer in my hand, and gave me a comfortable place to sleep for the night.

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How will we live tomorrow? – Responses

Posted on May 31, 2015 by paulefallon

How will we live tomorrow?

“We are a want society, and that’s how we’ll be tomorrow. We live on instant gratification. We cater to that.”

Colleen Thompson, Food Vendor at Kiko Auction, Palmyra OH

How will we live tomorrow?

“We’re up in age and ready to go down.”

Barbara, age 83, Altoona, PA

How will we live tomorrow?

“We’re interested in different people, and you are different.”

Alene, age 86, Altoona, PA

How will we live tomorrow?

“The longer you work, the longer you live. I guarantee, people who work to 75 live longer than people who work to 65.”

John George, Owner of George Song Shop, the Oldest Record Store in America. In Johnstown, PA since 1932.

How will we live tomorrow?

“The glass is half empty, half full. Work is about problem solving, but after work you see life’s abundance. Retirement opens up your life and you become part of it.”

Gail Evans, Retired Healthcare Consultant, Waterville, ME

How will we live tomorrow?

“I never had dreams in my life, but I wanted to live by the shore. And then, with luck, I landed a cottage on Capital Island.”

Ruth Blauer, Executive Director of Maine Association of Mental Health Services, Waterville, ME

How will we live tomorrow?

“Hopefully with concern and patience to make the right decisions.”

Corinna Owens, mother and health advocate, Boalsburg PA

How will we live tomorrow?

“I’m looking to retire within three years, unless they offer a buyout, in which case I’ll grab it.”

Ed Morton, 40-year stock clerk for US Air (recently merged with American), Chippewa, PA

How will we live tomorrow?

“Plan for tomorrow, but enjoy today. I have all my financial needs worked out through 2016. Ask my wife. But if I wake up tomorrow and everything falls apart, then everything will change. Too many people bellyache about today and worry about tomorrow but they miss what’s happening now. I remember when my bays were little. Where did that time go? That’s what I want back.”

Merrill McGee, HVAC Contractor, Poland, OH

How will we live tomorrow?

“I have to get up at 4:30 in the morning and get ready to help my in-laws, who are 92 years old, move furniture.”

Mrs. Merrill McGee, Wife, Poland, OH

How will we live tomorrow? 

“I will live the tomorrow by smelling the flowers today.”

Cindy, volunteer gardener at Dr. Bob’s House, Akron, OH

How will we live tomorrow?

“Ask my wife, she’s the smart one.”

Woodie D. Goodnight, Owner, Angelo’s Pizzeria Rootstown, OH

How will we live tomorrow?

“Technology. The ups are more than the downs. It’s going to make things better.”

Ray Harris, guitar-playing hitchhiker on Route 18, Medina, OH. He took a bus from NYC to Cleveland and walked to Akron. “There’s a girl in Dayton and a new life.”

How will we live tomorrow?

“Hopefully happily.”

Ken Smith, Kiwanis member, Medina OH

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Trip Log – Day 24 – Poland, OH to Akron, OH

Posted on May 30, 2015 by paulefallon

150529 Poland OH to Akron OHMiles Today: 60

Miles to Date: 1,403

May 29, 2015 – Sun, 85 degrees

 

Cyclists love Ohio and Ohioans love cyclists. The state has the most extensive system of rail-to-bike trails in the country, and people view us as welcome tourists rather than nuisances. Although my route today didn’t include any bike trails, people gave me wide berth, trucks slowed if necessary, and nobody honked, except for a few oncoming toots by people who wanted to wave rather than rant.

My warmshowers host Bill sent my on my way by 7:00 a.m. with a toasted egg sandwich and banana in my belly and an heirloom apple for the road. He was apologetic that the first eight miles of my ride was through a big box strip, but I accept them as an unfortunate but integral part of the United States. Our country has twice the amount of retail square feet per person than any other nation in the world – all of those aisles of stuff have to go somewhere.

IMG_2042IMG_2040Despite my good breakfast I felt peckish, so stopped at a market for a donut and stocked up on power bars. By the time I reached Canfield the road became tranquil, and when I tuned off on Route 45 the ride turned pastoral. I ate the most delicious apple I’ve ever tasted and began thirty pleasant miles along Route 18, parallel to I-76.

A sign for Kiko Auction caught my eye, so I detoured to witness the scene. Pick-up trucks lined both sides of the residential street. Colleen ran a food concession with cold pop and hot sausages. Michelle, who must be very short, staffed the registration booth from the back of a van. She explained that today’s auction was tools and basement items. Future auctions would liquidate the household items and finally, they’d sell this retiree’s house. It was a solid house in a good neighborhood, definitely not a distress sale. I asked why someone would auction their stuff rather than sell it though ads. “We’ve been in this business for seventy years, my grandfather found it. People find is easier to go to auction. We have a lot of success stories, especially among retirees.” The auction start time was almost two hours away, but Michelle had a steady stream of guys – all guys – registering to bid. She knew most of them by name, and Colleen ran a tab for a good number of them as well: traders looking for a deal.

IMG_2046  IMG_2044Sometimes I feel this trip is as much about ‘stuff’ as it is about people. We have so much, and so much of our energy is invested in making, moving, buying, using, trading, selling, and throwing it all away.

On my bike, my cravings run to food rather than possessions, and today I could not get enough. I stopped under a nice tree to devour an energy bar, and was still hungry when I came upon a young man stabbing the ‘Open’ banner in the ground in front of Angelo’s Pizza in Rootstown. It was just 11, but I stopped to enjoy a chicken parmesan sub, cole slaw, and Jojo’s, which are steak fries on steroids. Brian explained that the fryer was still warming up, so I talked to his father Woodie while I waited for really fresh, crisp fried goodness. “Where’s Angelo?” Woodie laughed. “There is no Angelo. We bought the place with that name and just kept it.” I stayed an hour while Brian set up the kitchen, Woodie’s wife ran deliveries and Woodie asked me about my trip. The food was amazing. When I went to pay, Brian nodded toward his dad, “He said no charge.”

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I rode the last twenty miles to Akron, finally satiated and grateful for the random acts of kindness that I find all about me.

IMG_2054I arrived at Mr. Bob’s House, the National Historic Landmark home of Dr. Robert Smith, one of the founders of AA, before two and got a personal tour from an inspiring volunteer guide. Then I met my Haiti friend Kim Conrad at a coffee shop, where I hung around for a few hours after she left soaking in the Akron vibe before heading to my motel for the night.

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Trip Log – Day 23 – Pittsburgh, PA to Poland, OH

Posted on May 29, 2015 by paulefallon

150528 Pittsburgh to PolandMiles Today: 62

Miles to Date: 1,343

May 28, 2015 – Sun, 75 degrees

 

My warmshowers host, Simon, got up early, made thick oatmeal with nuts, yogurt and honey, and rode with me down the hilly streets of Pittsburgh to the Hot Metal Bridge, now a bike path across the Monongahela River. I proceeded along the Southside bicycle path with sweeping views of the early morning city to beyond the where the Allegheny and Monongahela merge to create the Ohio River. I passed back across the West Side Bridge, rode through the Manchester neighborhood, crossed back on the McKees Rock Bridge and took 51 North. Pittsburgh is all about bridges.

IMG_2029I diverted onto Neville Island, a long strip in the middle of the Ohio River that includes miles of active industry, from a cracking plant to manufacturing concerns that have flipped over to recycling enterprises. The north part of the island includes a town where residents have tight to the Ohio River.

The Ohio River actually runs north for about 25 miles out of Pittsburgh. 51 North follows the west bank; with the narrow shoulders and brusque drivers I have learned to endure in Pennsylvania. Its not that they dislike me so much as they wish this small, slow, yellow thing on the road would simply disappear. I navigate even more bridges around Monaca, Rochester and Bridgewater, and then begin the steady climb out of the valley onto high ground.

After forty miles, I pulled into a McDonalds in Chippewa for a Diet Coke and Wi-Fi break, where I met the loquacious Ed Morton and his quiet wife Crystal. Ed, a 40 year stock clerk for US Air, wanted to know all about the trip, invited me to sit with them and offered to buy me lunch, which I declined. When they finished their meal, I stood to shake Ed’s hand. He grabbed my shoulder for, dropped his hand into mine, reached for his wife, and led the three of us in a prayer circle in the McDonald’s dining room. After his “Amen”, he handed me a pamphlet, The Seven Words of the Cross. I am on the road to meet whoever crosses my path, and I am grateful for their goodwill, however expressed.

Beyond Chippewa the land started to flatten out and I knew Ohio was not far away. My directions required a turnoff just before the state line. Turns after landmarks are so much easier. I knew I missed it when I came upon Welcome to Ohio. Cyclists don’t like to turn around; guys really don’t like to turn around. Just beyond the sign was a narrow road with a sign State Line Road. I recalled my high school history of the Western Reserve and its careful survey. I decided the road probably ran north along the state line and decided to test history. The road was rocky, but never went to fully dirt. After four miles, with a quick jog at the end; I connected to the country road I had missed, which allowed me to pass another Welcome to Ohio.

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IMG_2039The rest of the afternoon was a breeze. I enjoyed a large dipped cone at Dairy Queen and arrived in Poland, a bucolic town, before time. I spent an hour in their gorgeous library and chatted to locals about tomorrow. Missy and Bill, my warmshowers hosts, prepared a tasty picnic and I played tag with their son Ash in the backyard.

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