Cooks and Comedy in the Courtyard

Written by: Peter Asmuth
Last night was a “stone soup” kind of meal. Because we stayed at the Valley High School, there was no church community to feed us. On such nights, the “dinner team” is responsible for buying the groceries and preparing the meal. Unfortunately, 2 out of the 3 dinner team members had to go 100 miles to a bike store for repairs. Also, the “kitchen” was actually the nurse’s office, which had a mini microwave, a refrigerator and a sink. That’s it.

It was left to me, the only dinner team member onsite, to come up with a meal for the rest of the group. I recruited some volunteers, including Bill Black and Stephany Escalante Galindo, and, with proper training and leadership, we assembled a meal from leftovers. We made a chicken, bean and rice dish that was quite good, and a salad. We also offered week-old lasagna for the more adventurous and that, too, was a big hit; Cyclist will eat anything after a 70-mile ride. Then, we gathered around the single picnic table outside the front of the school and ate al fresco. In this way, we fulfilled the Fuller Center imperative of “living simply.”
After diner, Paul Hatch, a good-natured Mormon, started us off with a joke contest.
Eve in the Garden of Eden, feeling ignored by Adam: “Is there someone else?”
Paul, burst out laughing while we waited for the rest of the joke. He then explained the joke and began laughing all over again. The funniest part of Paul’s jokes was his reaction to them and, after a few rounds, we were all chuckling right along with him.
The featured picture shows a Navajo Hogan, which is a traditional Navajo structure used for ceremonial purposes. Most families will have one, even if the have a more modern house.

Posted in 2018 Ocean to Ocean, Blog and tagged , , , , , , , , .