A beautiful day and an interesting ride after a busy morning at Community Meals. By the time I made it home, had something to eat and grabbed a small nap, I had barely enough time to get in my intended 21.09 miles which would bump me over 9,500 for the year. Well, I would have had plenty of time but what with running into an interesting character and stopping lots to take pictures...
I drove down to Habberton and parked. I thought I might make my way over to Fox Hunter Rd where someone had lost a dog. Who knows, maybe I would come across him. But, very quickly on Habberton I ran into another bicyclist, Juan Martinez Faldon who is from Peru, of all places. I came across him as he was stopped and, lo and behold, taking a picture.
We talked a bit and he told me he was on a tour of America taking pictures of, all things, roof gables. I asked if he took pictures of anything but gables but he said no, just gables.
He said it started when he lived in Peru and was visiting Machu Picchu. On the hike up to the ruins, he happened upon a small hut with an interesting gable and took some pictures. He planned to take more pictures on the way back but the hut was gone. It was very mystical, he said and after that he found himself looking at gables as if he was seeking out the missing hut. An obsession, I guess you could say.
We rode together and it was fun to ride at someone else's pace and see where he wanted to stop; after all, the route we took I was very familiar with and it was totally new to him.
I asked if I could take his picture but he said he rather I wouldn't. I was surprised as he seem so easy going and approachable.
I was also surprised when we stopped to take the above picture since it was a newly built building. Juan said he like the color because it reminded him of how some small Indian homes back in Peru were painted. Does it matter that technically that it's not really a gable, I asked him. No, that didn't bother him. After all, he said, he interpreted the term loosely as he had some very abstract examples of the term gable.
Like what, I asked. He just smirked and said he would rather not share any examples as he usually received funny looks and smirks. "I don't think you Americans have a very sophisticated view of the world," he said. "Oh, I think I have some fairly sophisticated followers on my blog. He shrugged and we rode on.
We were getting to the end of our ride and I asked him if he would send me the pictures he took while we rode so that I could use them in my blog today. He was quiet a moment and then said, "Okay." I didn't think he would and I figured I would probably have to share them on another day but I was very surprised to see the pictures waiting for me when I arrived home. Despite his very humble presence, he must actually be very tech savvy.
Just as I was about to say good bye, he stopped along a pasture and got out his camera. I looked around but did not see any gable structures around. Juan walked over to the barbed wire fence and aimed his camera at a cow.
"What's the deal?" I asked.
"A gable."
I looked but all I saw was the cow. "Where?"
"There," he said, pointing to the cow and taking several pictures.
"The cow?"
"The horns."
"The horns," I asked.
"Yes,"
"Hmm."
"I told you that you Americans aren't very sophisticated."
"Okay. Explain."
"The horns are V shaped like a gable."
"But it's upside down."
"So? It's the shape that matters. A gable represents a peak, the highest point. The pinnacle of power. Horns of a bull are much the same."
"Interesting," I said, mulling over this, indeed, very abstract interpretation of a gable. "You know," I said with some reservation, "that's not a bull but a cow."
"Doesn't matter. It's what's on top that important, not what's below."
"I suppose."
He turned and smiled at me and then I bid him goodbye. Most definitely a very interesting character and ride.
Today's Ride: 1hr 44mins. 21.10 miles 52° Miles YTD: 9,500.01
Number of miles per day needed to reach 10,000 miles by the end of the year: 16.13
Donations for Biking for Food, which support the Community Meals at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville, AR, can be sent to: Biking for Food, St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 224 N. East Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701
Or, make a pledge per bike miles ridden at www.stpaulsfay.org/bikingforfood.html.
To see older postings, search the Archives listed on the right had panel.
To see postings before 30 November 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike3.blogspot.com
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To see postings before 11 June 2011, please go to www.mylifeasabike.blogspot.com
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