Columbus, Ohio

Well atleast everyone thought the world was flat until Columbus came along. Likewise everyone on bike and build thought the rest of the trip would be flat after yesterday's smooth ride. But the trip to Columbus proved them wrong right off the bat. Our morning started with hills hills and more hills. I sure was happy to be from Connecticut where there are ample inclines I trained on. The kids from flat parts of the country with no climbing experience are still sucking wind. There is a 90/90 rule on bike and build. Any day where the ride is longer than 90 miles or the temperature is supposed to be higher than 90 degrees, we have a 5am wakeup call to beat the heat and make it to our host on time. 5 am is probably the worst hour of the day. No human should be awake at such an awful and dark time. Especially us... Especially today. After riding a bike in the sun for ten hours people only want three things: to shower to eat and to sleep and they want to do each for as long as possible. Lack if sleep also really messes up the body's recovery cycle. Regardless the witching hour came and we all rose from the dead. We got ready and did all our morning chores in the 90 minute limit, but we couldn't leave because there was a heavy fog that swallowed up everything and made riding out of the question. So we waited around until 8am for the fog to clear to the point where cars would actually be able to see us. This was a wise choice safety wise but no one was happy to wake up so early only to sit around and do nothing. Ohio is a funny place. I'm no other state I've been to do several residents have the state name painted right onto their house or barn. In the last couple days I have seen the great patriotism and state pride that the entryway to the Midwest has to offer. In these same days I have also seen more tractor dealerships than car dealerships, Amish men selling handmade baskets and furniture on the side of the road from their horse and buggy, and drive through liquor stores that are becoming more frequent. In the absence of grocery stores, there are Dollar General stores EVERYWHERE. Today I finally saw a grocery store but it was half the size of my house and combined with a hardware store. 4 miles down the road was a Krogers and it was like we entered civilization again. The ride today actually got very flat when we entered Columbus. It was about 16000 degrees today so we took frequent breaks to cool down in stores and rest our butts. I don't think I've ever sweat more before in my life.The highlight of the ride was getting onto the Ohio State football field. Alex went to school here and gave our riding group a sweet tour. Go Buckeyes! This city is huge and even though we rode through it for 14 of our 79 mile journey, we still haven't reached the center of the city yet. Tomorrow is a build day which means we have a later curfew tonight. There will be plenty of exploration to come in Columbus.

Thank you powers that be for giving us a build day that we actually got to build on. It was quite possibly the hottest day of the year and I was very happy I didn't have to cycle in it because just standing there, I dripped sweat. Today was a hodge lodge of construction jobs including truss prep and outrigger assembly, top plating for roof prep and some OSB installation. Because we have so many people and only one van, we rode to the build sit in waves. I was in the first crew who got to the two homes today at 720. With some extra time and postcards to mail, I used a sweet USPS app to locate a drop box four blocks away. These are super sweet postcards I got at a giant 32 room bookshop in the German village of Columbus last night. I've never seen a bugger maze of books; each room had it's own genre and music in the background. Anyway, I was walking up to the drop box outside a church at 730 this morning and from a block away I see a sketchy woman standing on the street corner. Not to be judgemental, but by the way she turned when she saw me coming and the way she presented herself in clothing, I knew at once she was a prostitute. As I got closer, the mess of make up frazzled hair and short tight black dress added to the clues of her occupation. I'm no detective but I can say a definitive argument was formed when I noticed her womanly area expossed and she asked me what I was up to. I was so freaked out and disgusted that I dropped my letters in the mailbox as fast as possible and was off. The build didn't start until 8 so I used the extra time to explore the run down part of the city we were in. Mnay homes were boarded up an entire neighborhoods were delapidated. In the search for a nice section amongst the rubble, I only found one street. But in a city as huge as Columbus, I know there are many more out there. This just means the section we were building in needs affordable housing the most. Go where you can do the most good was a thought that popped into my mind. And as I literally poured my sweat into the 7000 nails I banged in today, I took appreciation in the fact that the legacy of my life is starting as having a hand in giving CPR to neighborhoods across the nation. To have a hand in building a structure is a great feeling because long after I leave Columbus and maybe even this life, that home will still be standing. This is great feeling my father must get when he works on home after home and I definitely understand the gratification of working with your hands. Tonight was affordable housing presentation night and it was my groups turn to present about affordable housing and education. I quickly snapped back into teacher mode and along with my partner Michael delivered and activity and PowerPoint on the correlation between low income housing and poor education. Everyone seemed pretty interested and no one fell asleep for two long. We got many congratulations later, but that might just be because people were happy for it to be over. Reflecting on the day as the build was happening, I came to grips with my own inadequacies. We are only in each location once, so I want to be a workhorse and do as much work as possible. However, I realized that it's a huge nightmare to plan work for 32 young adults full of piss and vinegar so the level and consistency of work varies. What matters is group effort because by the end of the day of everyone puts in just a little bit, the group will have accomplished so much as a whole. I did find myself getting frustrated though as a team of too many people progressed slowly through simple tasks. I guess it's all a learning process and part of the experience but I would have much rather preferred someone giving me a task in the morning with a hammer and nails then tell me to do work. I might go nuts and burn out within the first five minutes, but I would feel better about it mentally. Regardless, it was a good build day and I think everyone is really started to work together well as a team.