Run for the Wall - he's on the way!

It's been a busy week here - lots to do and a short time to do it (hey, that reminds me of a song). We had planned to attend the Smoky Mountain Highland Games but with rain in the forecast and a gazillion things to get done, we opted out. There is always next year!

Tree seedlings to be planted, yard to be mowed, laundry & shopping for packing, the packing, last minute fixes to the BCAT (Black Cherry Attack Trailer), the #2Doods to doggy camp, write lists, check things off lists, toss lists, re-write lists...well, you get the idea.

The biggest thing was getting ready for Stu's pole barn. He had made arrangements for the front part of the pasture to be excavated (prepped) - leveled, dirt brought in and then gravel. He has decided to order a pavilion from a local company, Troyer Post Buildings. They have excellent prices and a great reputation. Plus, they are only a couple miles down the road from us. They will build the pavilion and deliver all the materials, except doors and windows, to close it in. Sometime in late July or early August - if everything stays on schedule - he will start putting up the walls, hopefully with help from family and friends.

In order for the excavation, he had to take down most of the fencing at the front of the pasture next door. It was easy to roll back the wire fencing and save it to use later. Getting the posts out was a bit more effort. He planned to write a blog post but ran out of time. Click for video one and video two of the process. It was quite neatly done.

Monday afternoon we headed into Cookeville, Stu loaded for the Run for the Wall ride (and three weeks in Maryland, visiting family & friends and taking care of a few medical/dental appointment), and me in the car. We watched the bikes roll by - I took video but forgot (sorry) that flipping the phone didn't change the orientation. Oops! You can watch the videos (one or two flips back and forth) and get a sense of the 400+ motorcycles on the ride.

After the riders went through, we headed over to Logan's Roadhouse to have dinner with Stu's old partner, Bill Metcalf. He is volunteering on the fuel crew (not his first year) and besides our general getting caught up to date, he updated Stu on a lot of things he thought he should know about the ride.

If you are on Facebook, there is a public group for RFTW where you can see photos and videos from all three routes. Stu and Bill are on the Midway Route which is the newest, I think Bill said five years.

So far, Stu is having a good ride. A little rain but nothing too severe. They are typically served two meals a day at stops (lunch and dinner) and sometimes even treated to a breakfast. Back at home, I've been busy writing and the #2Doods - well, you can see what they are doing!

The hummingbirds are fed and Stu's carpenter bee trap is finally working!!! Life is good!

Ciao for now!