Cassadaga Events; New Wheels; Riding for a Good Cause; Hey Buddy, Can You Spare a Pickup? Follow That Truck! Back from Hiking

Our trip to the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp near Orange City, FL, was very successful. We arrived at the Colby Memorial Temple and met Rev. Janie Owens. Suzanne gave the Sunday message and a demonstration of mediumship in the morning, and after a delicious lunch sponsored by the Temple, Suzanne gave her Awakened Living 301 presentation to a full house. As the room was filling, Suzanne chatted with one of the attendees, Tom, who lives in Delaware near her sister Janice. Tom also has a link with Henderson High School in West Chester, PA, which My Lovely Bride attended a few years ago. Tom also attended Suzanne’s presentations at the Omega Institute in New York in August.

A contingent of our friends from The Villages drove down for both events, which was much appreciated. It was a terrific day, and we enjoyed the warm reception given us by the Cassadaga Spiritualist community. 

Speaking of receptions, I will be giving My Good Friend Trevor Magee from Ireland a special reception when I see him next, because he is in Big Trouble. Why? Because in watching his video (see next paragraph for the link), My Lovely Bride decided that her 8 year old Look road bike was out of date… so what else to do but get a newer and better bike? Here is MLB in her fancy dress bike kit with her specially-designed-for-women carbon fiber Liv Avail from Village Cycles. She claims that it is faster than her old bike and climbs hills almost effortlessly. (Note to self: maybe if I pour 20 lbs. of molten lead into the frame tubes it will slow her down enough that I’m not embarrassed when we ride together…)

Here’s the background on Trevor, and a plug for a good cause: Trevor comes to visit His Lovely Cousin (and Suzanne’s great friend) Elizabeth Magee Wingle here in The Villages each summer. Trevor is a very cool guy and an avid cyclist, and next April will be visiting here and riding the 170 mile Cross-Florida Ride as a fund raiser for Macmillan Cancer Support. I encourage you to watch his video at https://vimeo.com/142449814 and donate to this worthy cause at www.justgiving.com/Trevor-Cycle
















 

We are fortunate to have many good friends here in The Villages. I had to call upon My Good Friend Bob for some help (again) last week when MLB decided that our beat-up old dining room table was in need of (a) refinishing or (b) replacement. Being a typically lazy husband, I took the Easy Approach and said, “Yes, Dear, let’s get a new table and chairs. I’ll check with Goodwill, Craig’s List and nearby church thrift stores for a replacement.” (You can guess how well that suggestion went over.) A quick trip to Pier One in Bob’s Ford F-350 (I will never criticize Ford trucks again, especially Bob’s) and we returned with the table and chairs that Suzanne had picked out. Jan and Suzanne unpacked and carried in chairs while Bob and I put the table together. At least Bob got a beer for his noble efforts and I got a glass of wine to celebrate a successful mission in making MLB happy.

Beer drinkers will note that Bob is drinking one of my favorites, Fat Tire Amber Ale. The next day, as we were driving near Lake Sumter Landing, I almost became a hijacker. As we drove down Morse Blvd., I saw Nirvana on Wheels ahead of us. No, it wasn’t Christie Brinkley in a Ferrari (although I will admit that such a vision might give me pause)… it was a semi with a Fat Tire ad on the side, and hopefully full of cases of delicious amber ale. Suzanne was driving, and I asked her to pull up close enough so I could jump into the back of the truck and abscond with a pallet or two, but all I got was this look that said something like, “Ty, when are you going to grow up?” Sigh; women just don’t understand…

Finally, I just returned from my Appalachian Trail hike. Originally planned for 7 days, I completed 4 days hiking in perfect Fall weather before the remnants of Hurricane Patricia started pushing clouds, rain and high winds into northern Georgia. A full report will follow in the next blog post, but here’s a quick summary: 4 days, 40 miles, no blisters, carrying a 40 lb. backpack; one day solo and three days with a delightful German hiker named Manuel. I only lost one pound, slept in an A.T. shelter or in my tent, and while I didn’t get eaten by a bear, I did suffer for a day or so with a stomach bug (Cryptosporidium perhaps?) in spite of treating my creek water with iodine or filtering it with a 1 micron filter. All-in-all, it was a very satisfying trip with one of the most impactful spiritual events of my life, when I was again reminded that my daughter Susan is always with me. Here is Der Blogmeister at Springer Mountain; come back in a couple of days for more!  In spite of my comments above, My Lovely Bride wishes me to share that she is very happy to have me home, and the sleeping arrangements here at home are certainly much nicer than in an A.T. shelter!