OFORO - are you there?

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU JUST SMILE REALLY HARD?

It's Saturday morning and I am at home with Joey. We are preparing for our PASTA DINNER tonight at the Quaker Meeting House in PA. Last night Ma made a huge pot of sauce - thanks, Ma! We both cannot wait to spend time with loved ones and feel the overflowing support. Come for yummy pasta, salad, and conversation!

Bekah and I want to thank everyone for their energy and support at Petra Cliffs last Thursday. We had a great time talking about our trip and making connections. Joey's postcards were a HIT! Here is a picture of our table:

Okay, so this is all supper GREAT, but you might be asking yourself... why can Lily not stop smilin'? WELL, I just purchased my bike! This happened approximately 22 minutes ago. I bought a 46cm Surly Long Haul Trucker. Here's the link - admire the spiffy-ness!  http://surlybikes.com/bikes/long_haul_trucker

I want to thank two people for their very enthusiastic support. First, thank you to Luis Vivanco, my Environmental Anthropology professor at UVM. He supplied me with good resources for looking at, trying out, and thinking about all sorts of touring bike options. He helped me get the ball rolling! [[Note that there will be more to come on Luis' dedication to the world of cycling. I will be writing a post about his newly published book, "Reconsidering the Bicycle: An Anthropological Perspective on a New (Old) Thing. I have been reading it and it's awesome.]] And next, Kevin Rose down at Local Motion in Burlington, VT, for his help and guidance in my purchase, his enthusiasm for our trip, and for his pure love for adventure and cycling!

This bike, this future home of mine, is due to arrive next week. I have already chosen his name - Oforo. Oforo was the name of one of my head guides/porters up Mt. Kilimanjaro last spring season after I was studying abroad in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Oforo is in his mid-fifties, only a few years away from Tanzanian life expectancy for males. He has hiked Kilimanjaro nearly 100 times. He is a light-spirited, attentive, humble, and giggly old man. We got along, Oforo and I. He would do things like poke me with his umbrella and chuckle or hide behind my backpack and tap me on the shoulder then shuffle around so I couldn't find him. He brought something to that adventure that was spiritually relaxing. He had a compassion for humanity that was gentle and alive. I admired him, looked up to him, and now, miss him. I cannot wait for a new Oforo presence to arrive in the mail.

Here is the picture of the real Oforo - the sweet man who would, about now, be saying, "safari njema!" (translation: "have a good/rich/safe trip"). He's the man on the right.