809 August 20, 2022 Laundry On A Bicycle
I took my walk to the Chewinko School property and back to the campground. It was a gorgeous morning to be out and moving!
We got a text shortly after 9 this morning from Grover. Unfortunately, the supplier sent the wrong Jeep part. Work will proceed Monday.
What to do with our day? We had a very full clothes hamper. Our washer died a couple of weeks ago and there is no laundry here in the campground. The laundromat is about 2 miles away. I thought about using a taxi to take me. Before I could say that out loud. Tim had his own idea. We packed the bike bags and panniers and his bike basket with everything we needed and cycled into town and washed our clothes. You have to work with what you’ve got!
We met this man, Bob, who is a pilot. He had a very fascinating story. He was flying an experimental plane with his wife as a passenger. Something went wrong with the plane…possibly vapor lock in his fuel line. The engine failed. He saw a grassy clearing where he thought that he could safely land. What he didn’t anticipate was the utility wire strung across his path. The wire snagged the plane and sent it plunging straight down. A local veterinarian was out taking care of cows when he heard the plane in trouble. He saw it go down and raced to the scene. He immediately put tourniquets on both legs and an arm. Bob had compound fracturs of three limbs and was bleeding out. The vet saved Bob’s life. Bob’s wife suffered one broken rib and a concussion. Bob had a complicated medical recovery with lots of surgeries in attempts to save his mangled legs. The surgeries were not successful and he had both legs amputated. This man was energetic and smart and determined to have a positive attitude. His goal was to work hard and learn to fly again using his prosthetic limbs. He was able to achieve that goal and continues to work as a small plane pilot. Our conversation made the time at the laundromat pass very quickly. We walked away inspired by his resilience.
As our reward, we went to lunch at the Barnhouse.
This afternoon it was 88 degrees. We spent a quiet day, reading and doing a few chores.
This evening we took a walk.
Our quote tonight is in honor of Bob.
