TOURIST DAY #2

I didn’t become a tourist until about 2:00 this afternoon. And that was because the morning was spent addressing the bike issue. I know, I know….you thought that I had solved the problem of where it was to travel. I thought so, too. But no, the front seat just isn’t the right place.

So, I looked into using the back of the truck. I have a sliding cover for my truck bed, and all items riding back there can be no more than 17 inches high. The bike is 22 inches high. The bike could lie down, but then it takes up too much room. I could hang the bike from my utility rack, but it’s really too heavy (about 30 pounds) to be lifting up to that height.

That only leaves one option….the trailer! So, the bike will ride in the living room in its bag. You all know by now that when something comes in the trailer, something of equal weight must come out. Twenty-six and six-tenth pounds have to come out! Oh boy. Here’s my initial solution. Take out these items…..some books (4 pounds), my primary toolkit (10 pounds), my secondary toolkit (7 pounds), a ladder (5 pounds), and some of my spare parts (2 pounds).

I was OK with these choices and then I thought about the fresh water tank. Every gallon of water that I take weighs 8.35 pounds, and I always travel with a full tank. (I like lonnnnnnng showers.) But, if I travel with just 4 gallons less, I would have plenty of weight reduction to compensate for the bike! A lot simpler solution!

My tourist events today were touring the African-American Museum of Art and Mall-Walking.

That’s it for now,
Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

TOURIST DAY #1

I’ve just gotten back home (7PM), and I’m sitting here tired and smiling. It was such a pleasant day. It took me a while, but I finally found downtown Macon and the tourist bureau. I signed up for the Trolley Tour which would take me to four different stops and last about three hours. (It ended up being four.)

The first stop was the Hay House. In all the reading last night about Macon, I remembered the name Hay, and I also remembered that one stop on some tour would be to see a hay barn. Well, I was sure surprised to see the Hay House. Here it is…..



And it was beautiful inside. The entrance doors are 6 inches thick and swing very easily on their silver-plated hinges. The entire house is elegant and is still being restored. No picture-taking was allowed inside, but just imagine a pre-Civil War mansion with all the elegance, and that’s the Hay House.

Our next stop was the Cannonball House so named because of the hit it took during the Civil War. General George Stoneman was the commander of the Union troops whose job was to tear up the railroad and the telegraph lines coming out of Macon. (Macon was not attacked, and it was not burned.) The cannonball most likely was shot at the Hay House where Confederate soldiers were watching and reporting from the cupola atop the house. But the shell missed and hit this house, luckily not exploding.

Here’s the trolley and my new friends who I met on the tour……notice the fans my friends are holding.....the Hay House was not air-conditioned.



Then we stopped at the Sydney Lanier house who is a well-known musician and poet. A truly remarkable man. His accomplishments are many, and I would like to read some of his poetry….one day.

The last stop was Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. Here’s a picture looking back at the entrance and the organ on the second floor. It gives you an idea of how the entire church looked. And…..the organist was practicing. What a treat to hear that beautiful instrument.



Well, that was my tour. Then, I went to Books-a-Million and had a cappuccino and a cookie. Then to Wal-Mart and now back home!

I’m starting to droop. Ya’ll take care.

Suzanne

I finished the Game Room! The colors are sure fun. Here’s a picture……



And, I’ve already started another room….this time, it’s an office. The colors aren’t vivid, but they are neat, and the room really needs a freshening coat of paint. Today, I emptied book shelves and pulled them into the center of the room. I removed face plates, wiped down the walls, and then starting taping. I’ll finish the preparation Monday morning and then start painting in the afternoon or on Tuesday.

Notice I said Monday?! That’s right, NOMADS only work four days a week. So, tomorrow I’ll go sightseeing. I’ll be online tonight looking up things to do. I already know they have an art museum, and I’ll be going to that for sure.

I wanted to mention that I am not the only volunteer here at the Home. Here is a picture of a volunteer who comes in two or three days a week to sort and put away donated school supplies and toiletries. She enjoys helping out, and it certainly is a benefit to the Home.



That’s about it for now.

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

Lots of bright paint today. Usually, the walls need to be some neutral color. But this is the Game Room, so the colors are bright!!! The walls will be blue, green, purple, black, and red. I painted green today, and Mike painted purple. If you look at today’s picture, you can see the green and purple on some of the hand prints. Here’s the picture…..



By the way, that neutral wall in the back became purple today.

Tomorrow, we finish the Game Room, and we move over to another room. The paint there will most likely be neutral.

That’s about it for now.

Take care,
Suzanne

P.S. Lunch today was grilled outside and was hot dogs, hamburgers, and ribs. Tender, tender ribs. Yum.

I’m in Macon, GA, now, and I’ll be here for two weeks. I’m working on a NOMADS project at the Methodist Children’s Home. Today was the first day of work, and I have a great painting project. But first I want to tell you about the evening fun.

A softball game! The staff and kids joined up together and split into two teams. I brought my chair and sat down behind the fence near home plate…..it was the only shade I could find!

Some of these guys and gals were serious players. They had their own cleats and very nice gloves. The bats were all metal. And some of those bats “sang.” I had never heard this before. I’m not sure what combination of events produced the loudest sing, but a strong hit to the outfield seemed to be one of them. Really neat to hear!

Here’s a picture of where I’m parking and the ball field beyond. The cafeteria can't be seen, but it is just out of view on the left. The food is definitely delicious……southern fried chicken today. Yummmmm.



And here’s a picture of where I’m painting. The wall in back will become bright green, and the wall on the left will become a neat shade of purple.



That’s it for now,
Take care,
Suzanne