Giving Thanks 11-23-13 MLCB Post #20

I have often wanted to ride to the nearby town of Hudson, Illinois, for the Volunteer Fire Department Breakfast, which is held in November on Sundays This year, the Volunteer Fire Department wants to get a new command vehicle and a brush truck. It is about a ten mile trip to a town famous for having seen the youthful growth and development of Elbert Hubbard and Buffalo Jones. I can travel on quiet roads and have a nice ride, and get some pictures of the landscape now that the corn and beans are harvested.
I was fixing up the Voyageur and putting parts back on after painting and clear coating. I’ve cleaned all those components from earlier posts, and painted the frame a gull grey. I did not post about this because I brush painted the frame, which is a tedious process involving painting and sanding ad infinitum. Needless to say, I got behind in my work, and for that I am thankful. At about 9:30, while I was working on attaching brakes to the frame, my ears popped. I looked at the barometer and saw that it was very low, near 29.00 inches. I took my dogs for a walk, and cancelled my plans for pancakes.
I am very thankful I did, because less than an hour after I got back, winds surpassed 40 miles per hour, then 50, then 60. A torrential rain fell, accompanied by three-inch hail. I and my wife put leashes on our dogs and bicycle helmets on our heads and headed for shelter. I was very thankful that we, unlike many other Illinois Communities that day, escaped being struck by a tornado. I was also thankful that my Father taught me about the mechanics and vagaries of weather, and how to spot trouble from afar as concerns the weather.
I have a friend who has a buddy whose family lost everything in the disaster at Washington, Illinois, less than 40 miles distant. I have relatives in Pekin, another town that was hit. My folks are all fine and well, and untouched by the tornado. I was able to give my friend many pre-cycling clothes for his buddy, and my wife also sent many along as well. I am thankful they were near our sizes, and that we were able to help, because disasters are often frustrating to we who witness them. Being able to help lets us do something positive, and helps those whose lives are affected by disaster get their lives back on track.
I have a lot to be thankful for this holiday, and I thank you for reading my blog. I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving, and we’ll be getting some winter riding going as soon as the weather breaks a little. I think if it gets warmer, I may try to get to Hudson anyway. It will also be time for some projects this winter, and maybe we will even get that Voyageur finished by February.