Going to America... er, Americus

For our next act! A distilled retelling of an actual 30 second scene that illustrates how FCF manages to keep everything including the tent dry on a rainy weekend...

"Woo woo woo... Hey! What about over there?"
"Yeah, we could set up by-"
"Scuse me! Sorry to stop you.  I passed ya'll and drove back to the house quick to pick up my wife 'cause I knew she'd want to see this... What are you doing?"
"Well, we're traveling across America, horseback and bike.  He carries our instruments - we're a band too."
"Oh, look, even the dog has a pack... And he just runs a long?"
"Yep.  She's something else."
(Our interviewer nods, then with slightly furrowed brow, leans a little farther out the truck window)
"Where do you guys sleep at night?"
"We have camping gear, warm sleeping bags, etc.  It's fun.  You'd be surprised, though, how often we get invited home."
"Yeah, this one's mowed more than one backyard."
"Huh... You know, we live just down the road..."

C&M... FCF's pick for Georgians of the month

You'll never meet cooler, more welcoming people than C&M (the folks whose house was just down the road).  Not only did they take us home for 2 days, but they were key in turning Five Cent Fiddle's on-the-open-road Christmas into a cozy, old-friends-all-around Florida Christmas.  More on that later.

M's horses needed a little Hannah-style hoof care so we stayed an extra day to show natural trim techniques.  Harvey was finally able to don the chef's hat.  We cooked salmon, vegetables and made strawcumber yogurt sauce to go with.  The flavors were unusual and tasty.  It was so nice to finally cook a bit.  Hannah and M, over the hoof care textbook, were engaged in horsey conversation most of the day while Harvey and their son, W, had an impromptu music theory lesson, electric guitar in hand.

Olive, that bed's too small.... "Nuhu"

The kindness of strangers has kept our bellies full, our puppy warm and our pony dry, time and time again.  It makes us want to give more freely, give without worry... give of ourselves and let God do the rest.  We really do recommend this sort of trip to everyone for at least a few months of their lives.  And on your adventures, maybe you won't have a pony or a puppy, maybe you're not a 20 something, maybe (for whatever reason) no one invites you home on a cold night... Well, come find us - wherever we are - we'll invite you in and feed you.

Kitchen concert, Harvey's absolute zone

Oglethorpe BBQ was good eats (bumped into the son of a guy whose property we strolled past on the way to M&R's way back in Monticello - small world).  At the Andersonville National Historic Site, we briefly toured the POW museum and got to stand at the Civil War Prison, reading every plaque in site like good homeschoolers do... (pop culture may embrace the appearance of stylish geeks as cool, but it will never assimilate true nerdiness like thorough, comprehensive plaque reading and the immediate over-discussion of facts presented).  The already successful day ended in a woodsy campsite, munching a pizza brought to us by a nice guy who stopped to ask what we'd like to eat.

The next day in Americus, a chain of amazing events unfolded.  We said earlier that M&C made our Christmas wishes come true... That morning they sent us a message offering to trailer us to Florida to spend the holidays with S&H, our NY friends who trailered us to Asheville in September for the trip's start.  Knowing where we would be meant we could buy Hannah a plane ticket home to see family including her twin brother's newborn! That evening, as the temperature dropped below freezing, a man pulled up in a truck and offered to buy us a room in a pet-friendly hotel.

Wow, right?!  The guy not only bought us a room, he gave us the exact amount of money we were short to buy Hannah's plane ticket.  Double wow.  On top of that, the security guard at the SOHO hotel volunteered to keep an eye on our horse if we tied her somewhere visible.  The closest, most obvious thing was the flag pole... so Meadow spent the night tied beneath Ol' Glory.  She is getting used to such shenanigans.  Meadow happily munched the grass around the pole and left manure only in the garden mulch, politely stepping off the lawn and into the flower beds whenever the need arose.

Feeling excited about Christmas plans and the hotel room (a first for us), we decided to dine at nearby Ruby Tuesday's where we met J and fast became friends.  Hours later, our plates had been cleared away and the bar stools around us were put up but the stories of J's adventures were still being told; about his family, his time in the service, the languages he spoke, and his special little dogs.  He bought our dinner too.  At the end of the day, we felt actively reassured by our Loving Creator that we should worry less and believe more in His ability to take care of us.

Last day in Americus: We wandered through the Habitat for Humanity Global Village, which wasn't closed enough to keep Hannah from peeking at their educational models of the types of houses they build around the world.  Sat out the rain on a street corner.  Attended a rendition of the Grinch, put on by a huge local children's dance company in a theater that had Jimmy Carter's hand print in the sidewalk in front of it.  A lovely farewell dinner with our Ruby Tuesday's buddy (J). We camped in a grassy lot behind the theater, fenced in by barb-wire chain link fence, with a carport that had just enough room to hang a hammock, tie up a horse, and lean a bicycle. Sometimes it's like the American Department of Adventure builds our accommodations just before we get there.

In the game Chutes and Ladders, landing on some squares gets you climbing up a ladder to your next destination, and some find you sliding down a chute that unexpectedly gets you somewhere quick.  Our shortcut came in the morning as a trailer, and we beamed out to a different time zone, to Dothan Alabama, 100 miles South. God Bless you C and M.


- FCF

Olive Moon
Meadowlark