Tuesday, May 30, 2006

A Surprise Visitation

On Saturday, we got a phone call from a neighbor that she had met three bicyclists who were Quakers from Oregon. She wondered if we would be interested in hosting them for a night. We were so blessed! Marianne, Mariah, and Jake arrived at our house and fit like a puzzle piece. Jake worked tirelessly with Luke and Isaac, waking up at 3;45am each of the three mornings he was here to milk cows at Clarence's farm. Mariah has the best smile in the world and bucketloads of joy. Marianne was a calming presence for Mom in the kitchen as she was preparing for all of the Memorial Day excitement. Jake, Marianne and Mariah started bicycling about a week ago in Washington D.C. They plan to head up to Maine and then bike back to Oregon through the northern United States. It is a three month trip. We were all amazed at their tremendous fortitude and were really grateful to have made such special friends.

Jake, Marianne and Mariah.


Mariah shows off the hammock that she sleeps in along the road. It is very lightweight, mosquito-proof and (from hearsay) comfortable. In addition to traveling with really amazing sleep equipment, Mariah and Jake showed us their really swell stoves that are made from tuna cans and fiberglass and isopropyl alcohol. They make Ramen noodle soup and macaroni and cheese as they travel.

This morning our new friends left us for Connecticut. They usually bicycle about 60 miles a day. We were very sad to see them leave. The family is already trying to think about ways that we could get them to visit again.