We hope you have enjoyed reading about Covenant's most recent mission trip to Kentucky where the team prepared meals for youth teams who worked in impoverished areas.
In case you missed it, page down below this message and read KY1, then KY2, etc. You'll follow the adventures of the team for two weeks as they managed to get a key to the Dixie B&B which doesn't serve breakfast and whose new owner never did show up, dealt with a substitute minister because the first one cut a gas line while mowing his lawn which blew him into the air and set his house on fire...and...you get the idea! It reads like a novel!
Join us again in October when we'll give you news about a Murder Mystery fund raiser for scholarships for children in Mexico. Mexican families have to provide uniforms and school supplies for their children which costs $400 to $500 depending on the grade. Many families can't afford to send their children beyond 3rd grade which means they do not have the skills to escape a poverty level life. Covenant cares and hopes to support at least 4 chidlren next year.
Then, tune in mid-January for news about the next mission trip to Reynosa and Naranjito, Mexico.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
KY 19 - July 7 - Saturday Last Day
Breakfast on a travel day is at six am. When I arrive at five some are already up and packing vans. I let both Pat and Quintin sleep in this morning. We usually serve only cereal, juice and mixed fruit. But last night some were lobbying for cold pizza in the morning. I can’t eat cold pizza, so they had hot pizza to start them off.
They are on the road a few minutes after seven. It only takes me until eight to have the kitchen clear and my car loaded. Of course I know the women of the church will be in to re-clean the kitchen. All I can say is- – “You should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it”.
They are on the road a few minutes after seven. It only takes me until eight to have the kitchen clear and my car loaded. Of course I know the women of the church will be in to re-clean the kitchen. All I can say is- – “You should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it”.
THREE CHEERS
FOR THE COVENANT MISSION TEAM
FOR GRACE UNDER PRESSURE
THESE PAST TWO WEEKS!!
KY 18 - Friday, July 6
The menu for breakfast calls for whatever we have leftover. This means French toast from the lunch bread and shelled eggs. This is a morning that waffles become popular again. We offered waffles each day but Monday and Friday were the popular times.
In preparation for the funeral we moved every item in the kitchen we use to a storage room with our food. We then thoroughly clean the kitchen including sweeping and mopping.
The women of the church arrived and as expected thoroughly re-cleaned the kitchen. I wanted to say to them, “You should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it”.
The funeral is at two o’clock. They again inform us they will not be done in the kitchen until after six. I delicately advised them that I had to feed my group at six o’clock and we would be back to the church at five-thirty. At that time we would do anything necessary to help them complete their activities.
This is where staying in the B&B pays off. Pat bakes the two cakes that will be desert tonight in the B&B kitchen oven. We later in the day brown the twenty-five pounds of hamburger used for the Tacos and keep it warm.
With this completed I am off to the IGA because my Tony’s cheese pizza is stored in the walk in freezer. The IGA has given me total access to the back areas including the freezers and coolers. All of my products are marked with a yellow label which is the route number of USFoods. During the past two weeks I have had to re-gather my items to keep them together because they kept getting moved around. When I found my pizza box it was opened and only contained 48 of the 90 slices. Since it is before five o’clock the full staff is in the store. The manager sends his assistant with me and I explain how we identified my products, etc. We proceed to the display to find the eight slice sections from my carton wrapped and offered for $5.95 a unit. There was enough left for me to recoup 70 slices for tonight.
We arrived at the kitchen at five-thirty to find the women within minutes of being done. We served dinner of salad bar, chili, Tacos, and pizza at two minutes after six. Everyone was done in time to maintain the seven o’clock schedule.
In preparation for the funeral we moved every item in the kitchen we use to a storage room with our food. We then thoroughly clean the kitchen including sweeping and mopping.
The women of the church arrived and as expected thoroughly re-cleaned the kitchen. I wanted to say to them, “You should have seen it BEFORE we cleaned it”.
The funeral is at two o’clock. They again inform us they will not be done in the kitchen until after six. I delicately advised them that I had to feed my group at six o’clock and we would be back to the church at five-thirty. At that time we would do anything necessary to help them complete their activities.
This is where staying in the B&B pays off. Pat bakes the two cakes that will be desert tonight in the B&B kitchen oven. We later in the day brown the twenty-five pounds of hamburger used for the Tacos and keep it warm.
With this completed I am off to the IGA because my Tony’s cheese pizza is stored in the walk in freezer. The IGA has given me total access to the back areas including the freezers and coolers. All of my products are marked with a yellow label which is the route number of USFoods. During the past two weeks I have had to re-gather my items to keep them together because they kept getting moved around. When I found my pizza box it was opened and only contained 48 of the 90 slices. Since it is before five o’clock the full staff is in the store. The manager sends his assistant with me and I explain how we identified my products, etc. We proceed to the display to find the eight slice sections from my carton wrapped and offered for $5.95 a unit. There was enough left for me to recoup 70 slices for tonight.
We arrived at the kitchen at five-thirty to find the women within minutes of being done. We served dinner of salad bar, chili, Tacos, and pizza at two minutes after six. Everyone was done in time to maintain the seven o’clock schedule.
KY - 17 - Thursday, July 5
This group of campers actually reads the menu we post. They already say they can’t wait to try the chili that replaces the soup on the salad bar. The only problem is I miscalculated last week. I bought one carton (four pouches) of the institutional chili and found we needed all four. I had planned on using two this week. I called the USFoods salesman to see what we could do. In order to have it delivered to Salyersville the order has to be fifteen items or three hundred dollars. OK plan B. He will deliver the one carton to a restaurant in Prestonburg for us. Only Prestonburg is eighteen miles away.
So after our morning nap, we head for Prestonburg. Have lunch in the restaurant while waiting for the delivery to arrive. I could not have asked more of the owner. When the truck arrived he had the driver offload this one carton for us ahead of everything else.
The chili was scheduled to go with the Tacos and Pizza that we serve on Thursdays. BUT due to the funeral on Friday we move spaghetti to Thursday because we will not have the time in the kitchen to cook 10 lbs of spaghetti.
It is an ill wind that doesn’t blow someone some good. As it turns out the chili is frozen hard as a rock and doesn’t thaw until Friday morning. We would have been hard pressed to serve it if there had been no change in the menu.
Unfortunately four of the campers were working cement during the day and did not get back for dinner. They had McDonalds and then joined us for our Thursday night ice cream.
And here we go again. In the past, the ice cream has been almost too soft. This church has a chest freezer. When I fish the ice cream out it is so hard we could not dip it. We sat for an additional fifteen minutes to let it soften and then dipped the scoops in boiling water. Even then it took a strong man to dip.
Did I tell you earlier how well we were doing?
So after our morning nap, we head for Prestonburg. Have lunch in the restaurant while waiting for the delivery to arrive. I could not have asked more of the owner. When the truck arrived he had the driver offload this one carton for us ahead of everything else.
The chili was scheduled to go with the Tacos and Pizza that we serve on Thursdays. BUT due to the funeral on Friday we move spaghetti to Thursday because we will not have the time in the kitchen to cook 10 lbs of spaghetti.
It is an ill wind that doesn’t blow someone some good. As it turns out the chili is frozen hard as a rock and doesn’t thaw until Friday morning. We would have been hard pressed to serve it if there had been no change in the menu.
Unfortunately four of the campers were working cement during the day and did not get back for dinner. They had McDonalds and then joined us for our Thursday night ice cream.
And here we go again. In the past, the ice cream has been almost too soft. This church has a chest freezer. When I fish the ice cream out it is so hard we could not dip it. We sat for an additional fifteen minutes to let it soften and then dipped the scoops in boiling water. Even then it took a strong man to dip.
Did I tell you earlier how well we were doing?
KY16 - Fourth of July - Evening
The Burning Forks Church has a big Fourth of July Picnic/Party. Eddie (that is how he introduces himself), the minister of the church, told me last week when we were cooking in his church that he calls for a collection on Sunday to buy fireworks. We should be sure to be there. We wouldn’t miss it. Apparently there is an open invitation to the surrounding area because when we arrive there are multitudes. Every church here seems to have a pavilion. The pavilion is crowded with the older crowd. The field has groups playing volleyball. And there has to be at least 20 teams lined up to egg toss. Eddie is trying to organize the egg toss but he is not too busy to greet Quintin and me when we arrive around eight o’clock. He grabs Quintin and pairs him up with a young girl to participate in the egg toss.
There are two men of retirement age standing on the edge of the parking lot near the pavilion somewhat by themselves. One of them is very tall. I gravitate toward them and they greet me as if they know me. We discuss many things while waiting for it to be dark enough to start fireworks. Most of the topics are answers to my questions.
I’ve heard of Burning Bush in the bible but where did Burning Forks come from? (The natural gas in the area that surfaces,) What is the philosophy of the Southern Baptist Church? What does “Free Will” Baptist mean? I’ve only seen two blacks in town, why is the black population so low? The area seems to be a hot bed for Pentecostal Churches. Are the Pentecostal Churches really as described by the Northern Media? And on and on.
Eddie apparently received almost $1000 in his collection on Sunday. He has a contact for fireworks in Paintsville that gives him “buy one get one free”. Not to mention sparklers and an item that pops when you throw it hard against the ground. The last mentioned items are distributed to every kid in attendance. For the next ten minutes there is total chaos while they chase each other around. The adults have to be on their toes.
At nine o’clock lightning appears in the sky to the North. Rain is eminent. The church members who coordinate the fireworks are good. The fireworks are as good as any professional I have seen. They lasted over twenty-five minutes. And then the rains came.
Salyersville has at least three stands selling fireworks. Not to mention that they are available in Walmart nearby. But as it turns out, fireworks that go off in the air are illegal just as they are in Pennsylvania.
There are two men of retirement age standing on the edge of the parking lot near the pavilion somewhat by themselves. One of them is very tall. I gravitate toward them and they greet me as if they know me. We discuss many things while waiting for it to be dark enough to start fireworks. Most of the topics are answers to my questions.
I’ve heard of Burning Bush in the bible but where did Burning Forks come from? (The natural gas in the area that surfaces,) What is the philosophy of the Southern Baptist Church? What does “Free Will” Baptist mean? I’ve only seen two blacks in town, why is the black population so low? The area seems to be a hot bed for Pentecostal Churches. Are the Pentecostal Churches really as described by the Northern Media? And on and on.
Eddie apparently received almost $1000 in his collection on Sunday. He has a contact for fireworks in Paintsville that gives him “buy one get one free”. Not to mention sparklers and an item that pops when you throw it hard against the ground. The last mentioned items are distributed to every kid in attendance. For the next ten minutes there is total chaos while they chase each other around. The adults have to be on their toes.
At nine o’clock lightning appears in the sky to the North. Rain is eminent. The church members who coordinate the fireworks are good. The fireworks are as good as any professional I have seen. They lasted over twenty-five minutes. And then the rains came.
Salyersville has at least three stands selling fireworks. Not to mention that they are available in Walmart nearby. But as it turns out, fireworks that go off in the air are illegal just as they are in Pennsylvania.
Friday, July 06, 2007
KY 15 - July 4 - Wednesday - A Visit to Loretta Lynn's Homestead
As I stated in last weeks narrative Wednesday is a half-day of work with the afternoon off. Pat and I have been going back to the B&B and napping from nine am to about eleven or so.
At noon however we set out for Paintsville to find Butcher Hollar (spelled hollow but pronounced here as Hollar). Have you ever paid attention to the song “Coal Miners Daughter” sung by Loretta Lynn? She was born in Butcher Hollow. Her homestead is still there perched on the side of the steep mountain.
What is so amazing about these mountains is the depth of some of the hollows. When you arrive at Van Lear, the old coal mining town that is down the road a piece toward Butcher Hollow, you think you should be there, but the road goes on for a couple of miles until you reach a country store in a dilapidated old building that was built by the coal company in 1920. However they have not mined coal here in the past forty years. The store is outfitted with Loretta Lynn memorabilia. That is because it is owned by one of Loretta Lynn’s brothers.
“My dad’s up at the homestead if you want to go up,” says the clerk. “He keeps some horses on the site.”
So we head on up—more miles of some of the narrowest winding road you will ever see.
So we are here. And of course it looks just like the building in the movie “Coal Miners’ Daughter.” The brother, in his seventies, is there with a grandson and another couple (friends) sitting on the front porch of the shack consisting of a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and dining area—none of them very large. Ten people. Eight children and parents. The kids slept upstairs in the unfinished attic.
The brother points out himself in many of the pictures displayed inside and is tells us what furniture was there during his boyhood. The walls are full of signatures of previous visitors.
Sitting on the railing of the front porch, which seems to be the only sturdy part of the building, I ply him with questions. About the area. About moon-shining….
Gee, his sister is a millionaire and here he sits. Wait a minute. He asks five dollars per person for the tour. He’s probably one, too.
At noon however we set out for Paintsville to find Butcher Hollar (spelled hollow but pronounced here as Hollar). Have you ever paid attention to the song “Coal Miners Daughter” sung by Loretta Lynn? She was born in Butcher Hollow. Her homestead is still there perched on the side of the steep mountain.
What is so amazing about these mountains is the depth of some of the hollows. When you arrive at Van Lear, the old coal mining town that is down the road a piece toward Butcher Hollow, you think you should be there, but the road goes on for a couple of miles until you reach a country store in a dilapidated old building that was built by the coal company in 1920. However they have not mined coal here in the past forty years. The store is outfitted with Loretta Lynn memorabilia. That is because it is owned by one of Loretta Lynn’s brothers.
“My dad’s up at the homestead if you want to go up,” says the clerk. “He keeps some horses on the site.”
So we head on up—more miles of some of the narrowest winding road you will ever see.
So we are here. And of course it looks just like the building in the movie “Coal Miners’ Daughter.” The brother, in his seventies, is there with a grandson and another couple (friends) sitting on the front porch of the shack consisting of a living room, bedroom, kitchen, and dining area—none of them very large. Ten people. Eight children and parents. The kids slept upstairs in the unfinished attic.
The brother points out himself in many of the pictures displayed inside and is tells us what furniture was there during his boyhood. The walls are full of signatures of previous visitors.
Sitting on the railing of the front porch, which seems to be the only sturdy part of the building, I ply him with questions. About the area. About moon-shining….
Gee, his sister is a millionaire and here he sits. Wait a minute. He asks five dollars per person for the tour. He’s probably one, too.
KY 14 - July 3 - Tuesday - Adapt. Adapt. Adapt
Quintin is getting tired and it shows on his face. Not entirely from helping us cook, but he is also going around during the day with Mark the work site project manager. And Monday night he went out with Jeff and some others getting in about 11:30. We said he could go only if he got up at 5:30 am without any nonsense—and low and behold he did. However when we got to the church to cook he sat down at one of the tables and went to sleep. When the other kids started coming in for breakfast he transferred to a mattress on the floor in one of the rooms. We (his grandparents) can’t complain. He met the requirement of getting up. We neglected to say, “and stay up.”
As we are finishing this morning we receive a visit from the woman who is more or less in charge of the kitchen here at the church. They have a member who died yesterday. The funeral is Friday and they always serve the meal following. We are being bumped from the kitchen. So we have a change of plans for Friday.
We switch the menu, serve spaghetti on Thursday, and plan to go with the nachos & pizza on Friday. One thing we have learned on this trip is to adapt.
Tuesday night is meatloaf night. Last week Mary and Molly baked extra loafs. We had three left over for this week. At fourteen slices each we had enough for today. But remember I stated earlier the teens were eating us out of house and home.
Pat made two additional loafs bringing the number to five. Unfortunately we overcooked one of the loaves from last week and it was crispy on the outside. When it came to seconds, crispy didn’t seem to matter. By the end of the meal we had two slices left.
I pride myself in making “real” mashed potatoes to go with the meatloaf. We buy potato chunks that are prepared for breakfast home fries in ten pound sealed bags. We cook them in water just as you would any potato you might prepare. However in the past we have been in schools that have large beaters for projects just like this. Once again, the dollar store to the rescue. Do you know they sell hand implements in the kitchen gadget department that are designed to mash potatoes? You’re not going to keep us down!
Tuesday night is Nacho night at ten o’clock. Quintin who has made it through the day now wants to experiment with quesadillas, a flour tortilla filled with cheese and cooked on the griddle. Served hot they were the hit of the evening. We definitely will be adding them into our menu for the future.
As we are finishing this morning we receive a visit from the woman who is more or less in charge of the kitchen here at the church. They have a member who died yesterday. The funeral is Friday and they always serve the meal following. We are being bumped from the kitchen. So we have a change of plans for Friday.
We switch the menu, serve spaghetti on Thursday, and plan to go with the nachos & pizza on Friday. One thing we have learned on this trip is to adapt.
Tuesday night is meatloaf night. Last week Mary and Molly baked extra loafs. We had three left over for this week. At fourteen slices each we had enough for today. But remember I stated earlier the teens were eating us out of house and home.
Pat made two additional loafs bringing the number to five. Unfortunately we overcooked one of the loaves from last week and it was crispy on the outside. When it came to seconds, crispy didn’t seem to matter. By the end of the meal we had two slices left.
I pride myself in making “real” mashed potatoes to go with the meatloaf. We buy potato chunks that are prepared for breakfast home fries in ten pound sealed bags. We cook them in water just as you would any potato you might prepare. However in the past we have been in schools that have large beaters for projects just like this. Once again, the dollar store to the rescue. Do you know they sell hand implements in the kitchen gadget department that are designed to mash potatoes? You’re not going to keep us down!
Tuesday night is Nacho night at ten o’clock. Quintin who has made it through the day now wants to experiment with quesadillas, a flour tortilla filled with cheese and cooked on the griddle. Served hot they were the hit of the evening. We definitely will be adding them into our menu for the future.
KY 13 - July 2 - Monday (continued)
The menu is the same for each week. That means we can purchase cases of items for economy. Being Monday we start preparing the salad bar, soup, chicken, carrots and rice, and since I overbought the number of watermelons last Thursday, we used them up tonight.
We have a few less campers this week compared to last week. But this week they are eating much more. Each week the groups have different personalities. It is one of the distinctions that make doing this so enjoyable.
Speaking of personalities, the teen speaker this week is a hoot. When I say teen, I mean he is the pastor for youth at a church just outside Reading. He’s an energetic person who is everywhere, everywhere!
Each evening at seven o’clock the group gathers for what you would call a Praise Service.
The program starts with video activities of the day produced by a company call Wrigley Video. Curt Wrigley and his son Critter (yes I said Critter) do an outstanding job in capturing the feel of the workday and the leisure time of these groups.
Go to youtube.com/ceinpa and you can experience some of the job site projects.
After the video we open with music supplied by one of the groups. And then Jeff speaks to teen problems and religion.
We have a few less campers this week compared to last week. But this week they are eating much more. Each week the groups have different personalities. It is one of the distinctions that make doing this so enjoyable.
Speaking of personalities, the teen speaker this week is a hoot. When I say teen, I mean he is the pastor for youth at a church just outside Reading. He’s an energetic person who is everywhere, everywhere!
Each evening at seven o’clock the group gathers for what you would call a Praise Service.
The program starts with video activities of the day produced by a company call Wrigley Video. Curt Wrigley and his son Critter (yes I said Critter) do an outstanding job in capturing the feel of the workday and the leisure time of these groups.
Go to youtube.com/ceinpa and you can experience some of the job site projects.
After the video we open with music supplied by one of the groups. And then Jeff speaks to teen problems and religion.
Ky 13 - July 3 - Monday - Start The Week
It is so amazing how much we were able to learn the first week and benefit from now. Our first breakfast of the week went very smoothly. We didn’t have the clean up help Mary and Molly gave us but we were still able to be out of the kitchen by 9:00. Pat and I pre-made the meat sandwiches Sunday night for the camper’s lunch. The Monday morning campers’ efforts to make the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was a disaster. The three of us, Pat, Carl and Sandy decide to do them ourselves in the future. Stay tuned…
KY 12a - Back To Reality
We spend the afternoon setting up in our new location, the old First Baptist Church. The arrangement is just better. We actually feel enthusiastic. The only problem with church kitchens is the fact that they are not designed to feed large numbers of people. The two-bowl sink is not big enough for many of our implements.
All we have to do now is find all the items we moved here. So we go through our boxes and then see what is available by checking every drawer.
We know where everything is now and we are ready to start the week.
With potential new help, Pat makes up a schedule for every meal to follow from set up to what to take out of the freezer for tomorrow.
At the leaders meeting I announce that we are two people short in the kitchen and we will need help. Of all people, Sandy, a young lady with the video team, volunteers. She turns out to be the difference. A graduate from Penn State just last month, she worked in the food department of a nursing home. Experience!
All we have to do now is find all the items we moved here. So we go through our boxes and then see what is available by checking every drawer.
We know where everything is now and we are ready to start the week.
With potential new help, Pat makes up a schedule for every meal to follow from set up to what to take out of the freezer for tomorrow.
At the leaders meeting I announce that we are two people short in the kitchen and we will need help. Of all people, Sandy, a young lady with the video team, volunteers. She turns out to be the difference. A graduate from Penn State just last month, she worked in the food department of a nursing home. Experience!
Ky 12 - July 2 - Sunday Is For Fishing
Well, church and fishing. This county has over one hundred churches. Mostly Southern Baptists.
Quintin and I went to Paintsville to the state park, an Army Corps of Engineers flood control park located high in the hills. A beautiful day to be fishing, but not even a nibble.
Quintin and I went to Paintsville to the state park, an Army Corps of Engineers flood control park located high in the hills. A beautiful day to be fishing, but not even a nibble.
Ky 11 - July 1 - An Evening At The Outdoor Theater
We saw a billboard along the highway advertising a performance of “High School Musical”. This was of special interest to our grandson, Quintin, since the Great Valley Middle School did the show this year. However I have found that nothing is easy in KY. The phone number on the billboard did not say what the theater was—it just gave a phone number. However when you called the number you got The First National Bank in KY. All they said was they were receiving a lot of calls. So I went to the library in town. “That’s the Jenny Wiley Theater down in Prestonburg.” They knew all about it, picked up the phone and called to the box office for me to make reservations. So we had tickets for the Theater.
The twenty miles to Prestonburg took only a short time and we were early because we had no idea just where it was located.
“Jenny Wiley” is a KY state park. We found the theater and realized it was an outdoor amphitheater. The best part is the park has a hotel with a dining room so we were able to have dinner before the show. The show starred teenagers from the three surrounding counties and had a tremendous energy.
The twenty miles to Prestonburg took only a short time and we were early because we had no idea just where it was located.
“Jenny Wiley” is a KY state park. We found the theater and realized it was an outdoor amphitheater. The best part is the park has a hotel with a dining room so we were able to have dinner before the show. The show starred teenagers from the three surrounding counties and had a tremendous energy.
Ky 10 - June 30 - The Fourth Of July Comes Early
Saturday is exactly what we have been waiting for. All the groups leave for home Saturday morning. We moved breakfast up to 6 am so they could get an early start for home. We were finished and out of the kitchen by 7:30 am.
And all we wanted to do was go back to bed. And we did.
However June 30, 31 & July 1 are the Fourth of July activities here. We were on the street corner down town waiting for the parade to start at one. But it didn’t. A passer-by explained that although the newspaper listed the parade at one, it was postponed to two o’clock.
The ex-sheriff of Magoffin County died on Thursday, the day the newspaper is published. His funeral was this morning (Saturday) and all the police and firemen were attending, so they postponed the parade until they were free. Don’t you just love a small town?
The parade started promptly with the sirens of the lead fire trucks. Followed by an endless number of pickup trucks with the Mr. or Miss Firecracker. This was from a pageant held Thursday night in town. Only there were categories starting at six months in increments up to 18. With the runner-ups also in line you can just guess the number of vehicles. Then came the visiting fire trucks and County vehicles followed by off road four wheelers. Hundreds of them. The drivers kept getting younger and younger. With the mountains here they are used both on and off the roads. None of which are licensed.
Finally came the local horses and riders. Again literally hundreds.
The parade started on the East end of town to the West end. And since all the participants’ vehicles were still at the East end. The whole parade turned around in order and paraded back through town from west to east.
And all we wanted to do was go back to bed. And we did.
However June 30, 31 & July 1 are the Fourth of July activities here. We were on the street corner down town waiting for the parade to start at one. But it didn’t. A passer-by explained that although the newspaper listed the parade at one, it was postponed to two o’clock.
The ex-sheriff of Magoffin County died on Thursday, the day the newspaper is published. His funeral was this morning (Saturday) and all the police and firemen were attending, so they postponed the parade until they were free. Don’t you just love a small town?
The parade started promptly with the sirens of the lead fire trucks. Followed by an endless number of pickup trucks with the Mr. or Miss Firecracker. This was from a pageant held Thursday night in town. Only there were categories starting at six months in increments up to 18. With the runner-ups also in line you can just guess the number of vehicles. Then came the visiting fire trucks and County vehicles followed by off road four wheelers. Hundreds of them. The drivers kept getting younger and younger. With the mountains here they are used both on and off the roads. None of which are licensed.
Finally came the local horses and riders. Again literally hundreds.
The parade started on the East end of town to the West end. And since all the participants’ vehicles were still at the East end. The whole parade turned around in order and paraded back through town from west to east.
Ky 9 - June 29 - Friday Is Moving Day
The “Nail Benders” are finishing up and we can move everything we have at the Forks to First Baptist down town. This means the campers can walk to meals. It should make a big difference for all of us.
I grab the group that has the largest number to start moving supplies. We back up three vehicles to the door and the campers form a bucket line. I inventory items and hand them to the first person in line and the human conveyor belt activates. Ever hear “Many hands make light work?” We simply reversed the procedure at our destination and we had almost everything there. Molly and Mary did the same procedure at the B&B to load their car but without the conveyor belt.
However Saturday breakfast, mostly cereal was still at the Forks. Most of the groups were anxious to get on the road. Molly and Mary join us for breakfast and they also are on the road home.
Don’t leave us here alone…….
I grab the group that has the largest number to start moving supplies. We back up three vehicles to the door and the campers form a bucket line. I inventory items and hand them to the first person in line and the human conveyor belt activates. Ever hear “Many hands make light work?” We simply reversed the procedure at our destination and we had almost everything there. Molly and Mary did the same procedure at the B&B to load their car but without the conveyor belt.
However Saturday breakfast, mostly cereal was still at the Forks. Most of the groups were anxious to get on the road. Molly and Mary join us for breakfast and they also are on the road home.
Don’t leave us here alone…….
Ky 8 - June 28 - The First Week Counts Down
Our routine keeps us humming. Mary and Molly keep the kitchen rolling including the cleanup. Pat, Quintin and Carl handle the dining room. In the morning Pat sets up the cereal bar, Quintin cooks on the griddle and Carl make waffles. At dinner the same routine. Pat sets up the salad bar, Carl & Quintin serve portion control.
Today’s excitement is looking for my food order that is due in around 2:00. Quintin and I hang out at the New church where the Nail Benders are working because that is the delivery address. The time comes and goes and no food. Some of which is needed for tonight’s dinner. We start riding around trying to find the truck. We go to the Forks church just in case. The workers there say the driver called there and they told him to deliver there or to the Dixie B&B. No food either place. My cell phone has no connection here in the hills, so we find a phone and call the salesman. He calls back to say the driver dropped our order at the IGA because that is where he took our frozen items last week. As it turns out they accepted the order. Well at least we have our food.
While we are in the Forks kitchen preparing dinner the phone rings several times. All from local people telling us where our food order was delivered.
Today’s excitement is looking for my food order that is due in around 2:00. Quintin and I hang out at the New church where the Nail Benders are working because that is the delivery address. The time comes and goes and no food. Some of which is needed for tonight’s dinner. We start riding around trying to find the truck. We go to the Forks church just in case. The workers there say the driver called there and they told him to deliver there or to the Dixie B&B. No food either place. My cell phone has no connection here in the hills, so we find a phone and call the salesman. He calls back to say the driver dropped our order at the IGA because that is where he took our frozen items last week. As it turns out they accepted the order. Well at least we have our food.
While we are in the Forks kitchen preparing dinner the phone rings several times. All from local people telling us where our food order was delivered.
Monday, July 02, 2007
KY-7: Half Day, With Scrapple
PACE schedules Wednesdays for a half day of work and a half day of play. We no longer have the problem of everyone arriving as one group for breakfast. Even the teens are tired by Wednesday. They straggle in to breakfast over the full hour it is planned. But the scrapple we brought with us from home (courtesy of the King Street Grille) a great hit. Even though many teens did not know what scrapple is. “If you try it and like it then we’ll tell you what is in it.”
All of them have great plans for when they stop work at one o’clock and have the afternoon off. Almost all of them include swimming.
Wednesday gives us time to catch up on our sleep. Well most of us. Mary drove off to Lexington about two hours away to meet a friend from college. Mary attended college here in KY. She then went on to meet a friend who is a college professor and to sit in on a class he was teaching. She was home about seven.
Molly spent the day at her favorite spot: the front porch, reading. You can always find her and Mary out there during the day or just after finishing dinner. Often playing a board game in the early evening. We have no television at the B&B. And in a way that is good.
Carl, Pat, Quintin and Molly drove the 18 miles to Paintsville for dinner. It is the closest town that has a restaurant that is not fast food. Once again in preparation for Thursday’s meals we visited the Walmart that is in Paintsville. Open 24 hours it is the biggest store under one roof I have ever seen.
All of them have great plans for when they stop work at one o’clock and have the afternoon off. Almost all of them include swimming.
Wednesday gives us time to catch up on our sleep. Well most of us. Mary drove off to Lexington about two hours away to meet a friend from college. Mary attended college here in KY. She then went on to meet a friend who is a college professor and to sit in on a class he was teaching. She was home about seven.
Molly spent the day at her favorite spot: the front porch, reading. You can always find her and Mary out there during the day or just after finishing dinner. Often playing a board game in the early evening. We have no television at the B&B. And in a way that is good.
Carl, Pat, Quintin and Molly drove the 18 miles to Paintsville for dinner. It is the closest town that has a restaurant that is not fast food. Once again in preparation for Thursday’s meals we visited the Walmart that is in Paintsville. Open 24 hours it is the biggest store under one roof I have ever seen.
KY-6: Dollar Store Is To Salyersvile As Walmart Is To Reynosa
Tuesday we open breakfast with French toast and bacon. 300 slices with nothing left over. They still arrive in one big group but we change the traffic flow around the cereal and juice bar. Mollie bakes cinnamon rolls that are as good as innabon. Everything is running like clockwork. The kids are out before eight o’clock. Mary and Mollie clean up, make sandwiches for Wednesday while Pat and I make the morning run to IGA. We had pre ordered the hamburger from the IGA at $1.29 per pound.
The hamburger is immediately transformed into meatloaves by Mary using Pat’s recipe and refrigerated to be cooked tonight for dinner. We are out by 9:30 again. Life is good.
However, there just are not enough containers for the salad bar items and storage. The salad bar is somewhat extensive. So it is time to visit the dollar store. There are three dollar stores in Salyersville and we are intimate with all of them. We have wiped them out of plastic containers. We are in the dollar stores so often that we often pass each other in the aisles.
This area has a laid back life style. The IGA has baggers that also take your cart to your car and put the items in. The hardware store clerks are waiting at the entrance to help you find what you need.
“That meatloaf is the best I have ever had.” That is an unsolicited testimonial. We “Molly baked” 80 potatoes to go with the meatloaf. Molly suggested wrapping the potatoes in aluminum foil so everyone would think they were baked. However we boiled them in the foil. It was fast, it was good and the deception worked.
We invited all the groups to the B&B at 9:30 for Nachos. A simple snack that is very popular among teens.
Now for the down side. The electrical storm knocked out the air conditioning in our third floor room at the B&B. The temperature kept climbing. I went to the person handling the place and asked her to open up a room on a lower floor. There was a four hour window while we were not in the building that she could have completed the request. But when we returned from dinner no other room was unlocked. Flag number five.
Leave it to Quintin. He knows every nook and cranny of this place. He showed me how to gain access to a first floor room. When the thermostat in the up stairs room hit ninety I moved into the forbidden room.
The hamburger is immediately transformed into meatloaves by Mary using Pat’s recipe and refrigerated to be cooked tonight for dinner. We are out by 9:30 again. Life is good.
However, there just are not enough containers for the salad bar items and storage. The salad bar is somewhat extensive. So it is time to visit the dollar store. There are three dollar stores in Salyersville and we are intimate with all of them. We have wiped them out of plastic containers. We are in the dollar stores so often that we often pass each other in the aisles.
This area has a laid back life style. The IGA has baggers that also take your cart to your car and put the items in. The hardware store clerks are waiting at the entrance to help you find what you need.
“That meatloaf is the best I have ever had.” That is an unsolicited testimonial. We “Molly baked” 80 potatoes to go with the meatloaf. Molly suggested wrapping the potatoes in aluminum foil so everyone would think they were baked. However we boiled them in the foil. It was fast, it was good and the deception worked.
We invited all the groups to the B&B at 9:30 for Nachos. A simple snack that is very popular among teens.
Now for the down side. The electrical storm knocked out the air conditioning in our third floor room at the B&B. The temperature kept climbing. I went to the person handling the place and asked her to open up a room on a lower floor. There was a four hour window while we were not in the building that she could have completed the request. But when we returned from dinner no other room was unlocked. Flag number five.
Leave it to Quintin. He knows every nook and cranny of this place. He showed me how to gain access to a first floor room. When the thermostat in the up stairs room hit ninety I moved into the forbidden room.
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