Friday, April 10...Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton)

   Just couldn’t bring myself to walk the frontage road this morning.  My body just said “Uh-huh...no way”.   Kim said his was saying the same so we bagged a formal walk. Not saying we didn’t walk at all but the 2-3 mile jaunt down the frontage road didn’t happen.
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   Got word yesterday that Jim Malewitz, a longtime friend from Charlevoix, suddenly died.  (His death wasn’t related to COVID-19.)   My heart goes out to his wife Sandy...I’ve been on the receiving end of that sucker punch and it’s devastating.  And because of COVID-19, there won’t be a celebration of his life until later...so the family is just left to linger until that can take place.  After Jeff died there was so much busyness going on the first few days: friends stopping by with meals and condolences, planning a celebration of his life, shopping for funeral clothes, dealing with an influx of family, etc.  I later realized that those few days were a cushion against what was to come and I was grateful that I had that short time of diversion.   Sandy and her family won’t have that cushion...and I just can’t imagine the stress of the entire situation.  My heart hurts.
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This is what’s happening with people we’ve gotten to know during our stay here:
·        Heard some outside noise early this morning, maybe about 6:30.  When I got up I was very surprised to see that the site next to ours was vacant.  Derek, the maintenance guy here at the park, and his family have been tucked back in this little alcove with us.  But this morning he hitched his trailer to his truck and left...everything gone.  It was related to some drama amongst the kids and other parents in the campground; his wife demanded they leave, so he quit his job and they left.  Now what?
·        Jason and Angie are heading back to Spokane next Thursday.  Washington’s COVID-19 numbers have stabilized to a point they feel it’s time to head back. They came earlier than we did to escape winter and decided to extend when the coronavirus hit.  I can relate to that although Michigan’s numbers haven’t reached a stabilized point yet.
·        John and Ruth along with their daughters Dorothy and Esther Ruth are from Virginia and have been here almost as long as us.  They’ve been living in 2 tents using their vehicle for storage the entire time.  They came here because John has Parkinson’s and his doctor thought the warmer climate might help him.  He’s on medical leave from his job but recently told Ruth that he’s ready to take a medical retirement.  Dorothy who’s 22 has a job in Casa Grande so the family is looking to move over that way...living in a tent with summer coming on just isn’t feasible. I assume they still have a house back in Virginia since John was hoping to get healthy enough to return to his job.  *Note: I’ve seen improvement in John since they arrived...his walking has gotten much better.  So maybe the warmer weather is doing him some good.*
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   I saw a handmade poster in the bathroom today advertising an event on Sunday that made me wish we’d picked Monday as our leaving date.  The poster says it all. These are most of the campground kids.  I heard a rehearsal yesterday...it just would be fun to watch.😎
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   Today was packing the truck day and it was definitely a Kim thing.  No help required.  After sitting around camp in the morning I walked over to the roping arena to watch one last time.  I video-called the KY WonderKids to show them what I was watching.
   There was another youngster there today; he came over from the barn area on a horse, sporting his own lariat and wearing a belt buckle that spanned a third of his waist.  Hard to tell with him sitting on a horse but I’d say he was maybe 10 years old and it was evident he’s been doing this for a time.  I thought that someone called him Neil. The cattle come in various sizes and George called him over whenever a small calf came up to the chute.  Neil swung that rope with authority for one so small...or maybe he just looked small sitting on that big horse.  There were maybe 8 other riders today of various ages and skills and it was fun to see the look of interest and pride on their faces when Neil was out there doing his thing.
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   Late afternoon I rode the Tom Mix/Park Line Loop one last time.  Kim had to run to Casa Grande so I was on my own.  Not a problem...I could take my time seeing the sights.  I stopped in at the Tom Mix Memorial...talked with a couple of other bikers who had stopped also.  I think they were less interested in Tom Mix and more interested in a place to sit and have a couple of beers.  Continued onto East Park Link and when I passed the raven nest, looked over to see a raven sitting there and silently wished them good luck on raising their youngsters.  Gave a glance over at the hawk nest but couldn’t see anything because of distance.  It was a good ride!
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   A bird hit me today when I was on the Tom Mix Highway.  I was toolin’ along and saw movement off to my left.  Before I could formulate a thought something hit my ankle and suddenly feathers were swirling around my head. Ewww...Ewww...Ewww!  At that point I was certain that I was going to find mangled bird somewhere on my bike when I stopped but thankfully that wasn’t an issue. 
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Bike miles today: 93
Total miles: 2782





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