Simply, A Saturday

 A few weeks ago during a conversation with a minister I had just met, I agreed to come to his church hall and cook breakfast for the homeless on Saturday mornings.  He insists on having them come in, sit down and the volunteers act as waitpersons.  Juice and coffee, followed by the entree of the day. Because we can make things go so much farther and feed more people it's either French toast or pancakes, with a side of sausage and McDonald's type potato patty. I enjoy doing it, but rarely get to meet or even see any of the diners because my back is turned to them while I cook.

Dinner and a prayer

It's a scramble to keep up with the orders, but it's only for 45 minutes, give or take a couple.  The best part is when I get to come out of the kitchen and make the rounds of the tables offering seconds, more coffee or whatever else they want.   By serving them restaurant style it adds a little dignity to those who are usually avoided and shunned by most.   The most surprising thing is what is most popular at the hall.  Books, yes books. Before sitting down to eat, most go directly to the book box to get a book or two.  When told why books are so popular the reaction is pretty much the same.  "Of course".    The reason is that the homeless have so much time to kill and books are not only fill that void, but also can take them to places they would never even think of going.
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Since retiring I have been using the library a lot.  The center of Fairhaven, Ma is an old Yankee town where Sam Clemens often visited his pal  Henry Rogers.   Rogers was the town benefactor and had built many of the town's public buildings. The library and town hall sit across from each other on Centre St. and each was built using a different architectural style.

Fairhaven, Ma. Town Hall

Millicent Library, Fairhaven Ma

Bikes at the library

Saturday evening dinner was at the Waterfront Grill.   This is "truth in advertising" at it's pinnacle.

Three minute scallop recipe

Waterfront Grille News Feature from Franchise Studio on Vimeo.

While dining, another tall ship docked at the pier. This one from Baltimore was a training ship and the students were all Jr. High school age. Two were getting lessons on tying down the sails. Not a bad summer for these kids.

The new arrival from Baltimore. 

Friday Afternoon Bike and Row

After visiting the tall ship Gazela in the morning, I decided to ride a couple of towns over to pick up a combination shopping bag/pannier for getting groceries.  Mattapoisett's MUP is being built in sections and part of the bike to the center of town is through the unfinished section. It soon breaks out into a spectacular view of the bay.

End of finishes section of MUP

A short ride through the woods

Break out of the woods to this view. (click any photo for big)

I had little time to get ready and ride to the docks for the Friday night whale boat row.  Some of our crew had not seen the Gazela yet and we decided to row over.   The crew of the tall ship were by now used to us coming along side and one asked if he could join us.  We welcomed Marcus aboard and he took a turn at the #2 oar.   I was at #3 and could hear his heavy breathing as he struggled to pull water.  He soon learned to pull with his back and legs, not arms, and settled into an easy row. 

As we approached the dock to pick up Marcus the tourist boat Cuttyhunk was cleaning up after a day of transporting people back and forth from the small island. There was a high school aged lad getting things in ship shape and a few commented what a great summer job this must be. 

Part of the Gazela crew

Marcus wiping perspiration while taking his turn at the #2 oar.

Working on a tourist boat.  A great summer job for a high schooler.

Gazella

It's a cheap Portuguese vinho verde (green wine),  and also a very expensive Portuguese tall ship.   She sailed into the harbor yesterday and will remain, open to the public, till Tuesday.  She is here to help celebrate the Portuguese Feast.

The days morning errands were close enough for the short extra couple of miles to visit the Gazella. While there, one of the local whaling boats came by for a visit. 

One of the Buzzards Bay Rowing Club boats

The High Speed Ferry to Martha's Vinyard Ferry is having a busy year.  This is the third or fourth season for this service and it has really caught on.  Before this it was an hour and a half drive to Woods Hole.  Lots of out of state cars in New Bedford's lot this summer. 

Also, because of the Feast, much of the fishing fleet is "in" for the weekend.  There is a blessing of the fleet on Sunday and lots of the old time Portuguese still subscribe to those superstitions.

Finally, the irony of the day photo.  A man on his bike getting gas.

The Gazella

Martha's Vinyard High Speed Ferry

The fleet is in port for the Feast

There is irony here

Errands by Bike

All of today's errands were done on the bike. The Credit Union, Library, and all the shopping got done by only using pedal power.  A combination of MUP and side streets made getting around town easy. All that after a light breakfast at Narragansett Cafe. The owner did a great job obtaining furnishing and is very proud of this sign she scored.

The evening activity was whaleboat rowing.. The wind was at a steady 17kts out of the southeast which made for a difficult row at times.  The crew was more than up to it and we got to see the maiden shakedown sailing of Linda Greenlaw, who was made famous in the movie "A Perfect Storm", as she left the harbor on her swordfishing boat the Hannah Boden.

Bike Parking

A bike at every tree.  (Click for big)

Every week more and more bikes are showing for "Yoga in the Park".  Space is at a premium.

Last night was the Buzzards Bay Rowing Club's "Full Moon Row".   Ten showed for the six person crew. Three opted out and one came along for the ride in the bow.  The starboard rowers, the 1, 3 and 5 spots sit on the left side and the port 2 and 4 seats are on the right.  The crew looks forward to the stern and the coxswain looks aft to the bow.  When he calls for "port row" the people sitting on the right row.  Confused?  Of course not.  Everyone knows when rowing, the crew sits backward. Facing the stern or the back of the boat.  It was too dark for photos on the ocean but it was ok for some shipyard and dock photos before we set out.

A private yacht home ported in Bikini

The Fredrikstad

Dry dock. This slips on rails into the deeper water. The boat settles on the pads and a very large chain drags the whole thing ashore.

To Hot To Move

It was hot. Too hot to do anything.  Actually it was the humidity that was the culprit. The waterfront always offers a  respite from extreme weather and today proved the point to any doubters that were there.  A cool breeze kept things comfortable for those in the shade and keeping still.  Almost any kind of movement or even sitting in the sun caused the body to heat up quickly.  Anyone can get away with riding a bike slowly because of the wind chill. 

A single pannier was sufficient to carry everything needed for a short stay at Fort Phoenix state reservation which was the site of the Revolutionary War's first naval battle. 

Martha's Vinyard High Speed Ferry leaving New Bedford

Waking along the water

Sitting in the shade.

The Old Road To Fall River

Click Here for the map

Distance      32 miles
Time             2:35
Max           33.2 MPH
Ave speed 12.5 MPH

Fall River and New Bedford, two industrial blue collar cities in Southeastern MA. have always been banging heads.  From high school sports, to politics to tourism.  New Bedford High and Durfee High of Fall River have been bitter rivals in soccer and basketball for decades.  Both towns had the expressway built pretty much cutting them half so traffic could pass thorough quickly on the way to "the Cape".   New Bedford bought  billboard space on that expressway, right in the center of Fall River that says, "Feel better in New Bedford".  The old road to Fall River has none of that.  It was built when cars traveling at 35 miles per hour were considered speeding.  It's rural farm country,  hilly, and has little traffic and the lanes, complying with state law, are wide enough for bikes to travel safely.

Rolling hills never seemed to bother the builders of roads circa 1950.  There must have been as much down shifting of those old jalopies as there is on today's carbon fiber bikes. Certain sections of the ride seem like nothing but shifting..  But doing close to 80 miles a few days ago, made today's 32 seem kind of lame, shifting and all.

Today's ride was inland with no ocean, ocean smell or ocean breeze. No fishing boats, lighthouses or beaches. This is farm country and some city riding.   Before moving to Austin, Texas,  Brandon was my riding partner. We have done a lot of miles together including a 400 mile bike ride of the Erie Canal .  We had planned on circumnavigating Lake Ontario this summer and we used this route as one of our training rides.  Everything got squashed when he moved.

Then

Now

The temperature hovered around the 80 degree mark with little humidity.  Combined with a lightly traveled road, those conditions made for a nice late morning bike ride.  In the country.

Three generations of tractors

Not many of these old slate silos still have their roofs. 

Abandoned a long time ago

Religion is a fading phenomena and the old churches are being remodeled into more useful buildings like homes and coffee shops.  Beans in the Belfry  is my favorite remodeling.  

As the ride reenters the urban section, riders are greeted with this WWII vintage tank. It sits on a memorial square to a city native killed in the war.