We could not find this pool for the life of us! We pulled over and waited while Aaron drove around in the Subaru looking to see if he could find it. It was buried in some trees, and he finally found it! He came back for us, and we followed him to this hidden pool.
We arrived early enough to get started at a reasonable time, around 8 a.m. It was so nice to finally be back on a decent schedule, now that we weren’t losing time, changing time zones; in general, the drives had been shortened as well. I wanted to swim today, and to actually get a workout, so I suited up before we even woke James. We woke James and got him through his morning routine. He deliriously walked to the pool and and was quickly in and out of the men’s locker room. Casey swam in front, in an attempt that James could catch a little draft. I was in a different lane, as a swimmer said to me, “I know you guys are all fun and games, but I am training for a race and need to get a real swim in.” I was definitely always looking to have fun, and couldn’t help but laugh when she said this. I guess she wanted me to know that she was hardcore, because I cared, right…
I swam several laps, but tired quickly and took a few breaks. While I rested, Casey and I joked around, with all of the ‘hardcore’ people swimming around us. I shared with him the comment, making us both feel more inclined to goof off. As I swam, I could see 5 blonde kids, ranging in age from teenagers to little kids, sitting on the bleachers, spectating. I knew they were there for the Iron Cowboy, it made me feel happy.
It was time for me to get out and shower, so that I could help James with whatever he needed as he finished his swim. When I was finished, I came out, and they were all in the locker room, so I sat on the bench and waited patiently. I kept having this feeling to go out to the RV. After about 10 min, I figured that I should heed that prompting. I went out to the RV, and Dolly was jumping up and down trying to grab the door, ”Dolly, what are you doing?” She was sobbing. “I got locked out. I can’t reach the door to get back into the RV. I just came out to see what you guys were doing.” There was a big youth group at the pavilion right next to the RV. She had seen and heard that group and thought that it was us. She got out, shut the door and she couldn’t get back in. The automatic steps on the RV had stopped working long ago, and were bungeed up, so Dolly couldn’t reach the handle to open the door. We would undo the bungees and leave the stairs down when we were settled for the day, but we would still be moving the RV, so the stairs were still bungeed up. I was so annoyed that the giant group 10 feet from her didn’t come help her, as she sobbed jumping up and down, not able to get the door open. It was obvious what was happening, poor thing. I was glad that I had heeded that thought to go out to the RV.
I stayed out by the RV so that I could console her, sweet Dolly. Who knows how long she had actually been out there. The guys soon came out, gave instructions to other cyclists, and they were off for the day. I didn’t have a plan. Dover was a small place, and my internet searches had left me empty handed. I soon saw the kids that I had seen sitting on the bleachers, watching James swim. Their very tall mother was with them, as they approached me, “Do you have a plan for the day? Would you like to use our house as a place to station yourselves for the day?” I was so happy! This complete stranger had the courage to approach me and invite me for the day. “Yes!!!! That would be so amazing! Can I please do laundry???”
We followed her home, which was just up the street from the pool. She actually had 10 kids, and her husband was a pastor. The kids were home-schooled, and they lived in a very modest house. What I loved, was that they had 2 washer and dryers! The Zyto people piled in, we piled in, and the Wingmen found their way over shortly. Our kids paired up with their kids and they spent the day playing together. Most of the playing occurred in the RV, because their kids were in disbelief at how amazing it was. I worked at the kitchen table, and visited with the family, which I really enjoyed. All of the teenage kids came in and were just in awe. It felt almost as if they had never seen ‘our kind’ before, like we were so different from them. I loved it, and tried to imagine what it was like for them.
Both parents were over 6 feet tall, so all of the kids were tall. The daughters were beautiful, and the family was very conservative. I consider myself to be very conservative, so if I think someone is more conservative than me, that means they are very, very, very conservative. In fact, the mom even hid the naked Barbie from the adult men in our group, so they wouldn’t see it. I respect that, and I am also intrigued because people are different, and it is fantastic!
We were all able to get work done, laundry done, the kids made new friends, and we just had a relaxing and fantastic day. We had been trying, for days, to get to a hose where we could fill the water in the RV. I had bought gallons of water, created homemade funnels, and still could never quite get the water full. Today was our lucky day, they brought their hose over to the RV and filled that baby right up! Zyto had grabbed us sandwiches, so everyone was fat and happy. This family was very gracious and I will forever be grateful for them taking us in for the day. I have no idea what we would have done that day had they not reached out to us.
It was soon time to load up the RV and drive to Pfeiffer Orchards for the 5k. The GPS took me somewhere random, and we ended up in a neighborhood miles away from where we needed to be. We had to do a 75 point turn to turn around at a dead end, ha! I called the Wingmen to figure out exactly how to get there. I guess that the same thing happened to them, so they had figured out the mystery before I sought instruction.
Pfeiffer Orchards was absolutely amazing! The family owners lived in an old farm house on the property, and everything was still original from the house being built in the early 70s. They let us use the house for whatever we needed, but we spent our time outside. We picked blueberries, played in the tire swing, explored the store, and just loved being there! Our Zyto girl Hannah spent two hours straight playing with the kids on the tree swing and running around with them. It was so liberating, and letting the kids just run free outside in the open air!
There was a table set up with fresh berries and produce! I felt like I was in heaven with such a perfect day! The 5k started and ended there at Pfeiffer Orchards, and the 5k was full of families! As I have mentioned before, seeing the families participate was my favorite part! The cool air that evening was so refreshing, and I felt that God had provided this amazing day for us. The Lord always sent tender mercies the day after I had endured a hard day. I am so grateful that I could lean on my spiritual beliefs; they really gave me strength throughout this journey.
When James finished, he caught a shower there at the house. He even got to ride the lift up the stairs. Everyone was sleepy and happy! Tomorrow would be the 4th of July; I couldn’t believe we were already in New England!
