NOVA-CBG Super Oxford Loop by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Great day for the newly revamped and expanded Oxford Loop. Started with a nice breakfast at the Robert Morris Inn and lunch was fabulous at the Crab Claw in St. Michaels. Caught a few of the pacelines and did my share of pulling for some while also riding my own ride for portions. Fabulous time, great group to ride with and a nice single-malt whisky to end the day. Nuff said. Don't get no better then dat.
NOVA-CBG Super Oxford Loop by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

NOVA-CBG Boot Camp Ride to Ft Hunt by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Drill Sergeant Claudine hosted yet another fabulous boot camp ride this morning. Weather was perfect and we got down to Ft Hunt, did some laps, and then the boot camp exercises began: push-ups, sit-ups, and planks. Claudine may look so petite and nice, but she's an animal when it comes to the rides and workouts. She's quite the motivator. She missed her calling. She definitely should've been a Marine drill instructor down at Parris Island. Ooorah!!
NOVA-CBG Boot Camp Ride to Ft Hunt by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

NOVA-CBG Arlington Triangle Fishy Edition by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Great day for a ride. A little brisk first thing this morning but turned into a perfect day: sunny, comfortable temperature, no humidity. I started off pretty sluggishly since I haven't ridden in a few weeks and due to my mostly liquid diet over the past weeks. Plus the fact that I had a medical procedure yesterday. Started to get some oomph after about 4 miles or so and then started to kick into gear. Veered off from the group for a side trip to the office to pick up my paycheck, then met up with them again at the fish market. You can't beat some nice steamed, spiced shrimp and Maryland crab soup. After lunch we set off to the Jefferson Memorial for some group pictures, then back to Shirlington to end the ride. And then of course there was the ride after the ride festivities at Guapo's. Overall, a pretty good day.
NOVA-CBG Arlington Triangle Fishy Edition by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Millard Fuller Legacy Build 2012: La Florida, Peru

So it's the end of Day 5 and this is my first post on the Peru build here in La Florida. To say that the time passed in an instant is an understatement. It's been a whirlwind week and we managed to finish all 10 houses. We did have a good start as all the exterior block walls were already in place when we got here. However, that still left the roof, pouring the concrete floor, installing windows and doors, building interior partition walls, and some landscaping. We were blessed to have great homeowners on both the house I sponsored myself and the one that was funded by my Bike Adventure fundraising. And the crews on both houses were top notch (of course I did handpick them but still, they are fabulous). It was great to have Lael and Mark Butler act as the house leaders for each house and to have Mary Lou Bowman and Russ Cubbin on House 7, where I was working, and Holly Eaton and Tommy O'Brien on House 6 with Mark. We also worked with local Peruvian "Maestros" who provided guidance on local building practices. The fact that none of us spoke Spanish fluently didn't seem to cause many problems as we had some young translators who assisted us and we made great use of the point and gesture technique.

The homeowner family at house 7 was phenomenal. They worked so hard and were so welcoming and appreciative. And young Difreth and I became fast friends. I wish I could bring him home with me, he's just so cute. The simple bamboo hut they've been living in was yet a home and they worked very hard to keep it up. But they were so excited when we finished everything up, and they dressed up the house with balloons and ribbon and painted the front to make it their own. The family plans to move into the new home tomorrow, which is such a wonderful ending for this week's efforts. Seeing the smiles and the tears at the house dedication makes everything worth it. I'm so happy I was able to play some small part in helping La Florida establish simple, decent, affordable homes. Now we get two days to play tourist and then it's back to Los Estados Unidos. I think I'm going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation.