From The Road: The New England Tour

New London, New Hampshire

Early June is a lush time of year in Maryland. The day before Peachy and I left Frederick, the late Spring air felt as soft as a silk scarf around my shoulders and the scent of honeysuckle wafted in and out of my consciousness. On our way we passed a field so brilliantly green as to look unreal, patches of forest with a mosaic of different shades of green, and a meadow entirely burnished with shiny golden buttercups.

We began our actual journey on a Sunday, after an emotional service at Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ and the annual church picnic. Peachy and I arrived late at the picnic, but were greeted with good food, practical gifts for the road, assurances of prayers to help us along the way, and a good year's supply of hugs. The Spring had been dry, but that day we enjoyed a gentle rain - a good beginning for our "Water for Life" adventure. We had a prayer circle under the picnic shelter, and then dashed out between the raindrops to pat Peachy with a blessing. The photo of the three of us in front of Peachy may look strained, but we are standing in that formation so the license plate (H2O 4LIF) is visible.

First stop was Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, to practice van living, rest up, and unwind with mineral baths and massages, both wonderful and affordable at the Berkeley Springs State Park.

After a few days we headed East, and were wowed by a glowing swath of red poppies, backlit by the morning sun, a gift from the Maryland Department of Transportation. Thank you! I have appreciated the flowers growing in median strips in several states for several years, but have never taken the time to let someone know how much they mean. Guess we all need to say "thanks" more often!

In Pennsylvania we noticed neat rows of young corn plants (not a single weed evident!), undulating fields of silvery-green oats shimmering in the breeze, and patches of pale winter wheat in the process of being harvested by a farmer with a team of horses. Farther on there was another "plain" farmer with a team of seven mules. The towns were neatly kept and seemed to need only a bit of bunting and a few more American flags to look poised for a patriotic parade.

There are huge old barns along there, made of tawny Pennsylvania fieldstone, signs for livestock auctions, Amish-made outdoor furniture and gazebos, crafts, quilts, and one tattoo parlor, the latter probably not much frequented by the "plain people". Altogether a beautiful and productive part of our amazing country.

Shalom until next time, when Peachy and civilization will be the subjects on tap.

From The Road: Hanging Gardens...Redux...Sort of...

Middlebury, Connecticut June 20, 2007

You have doubtless heard of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Well, Peachy is going that one better; she is equipped with a Traveling Garden. In the last post you saw a photo of Peachy in camping mode, a picnic table in the foreground with the garden in the process of having a sun bath and a dose of fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer. The latter chore, you can imagine, is better done outside in the fresh air.

The garden is practical; it is a salad garden, and should also provide extra oxygen to keep the driver extra alert. There are 27 pots of various sizes, all contained in two plastic-lined boxes, which ride in the passenger seat. Crops include 3 varieties of lettuce, rhubarb chard, beet greens, purslane, rose orach, fennel, cilantro, curly and Italian parsley, thyme, lemon thyme, lemon verbena, anise hyssop, arugula, kale, shallots, and nasturtiums. Lots of vitamins, interesting scientific experiment, and Penny likes to mess about with plants and dirt. Already the arugula has bolted and the cilantro wilted, but new seeds will be sown next week.

Collecting water for both the garden and Penny's use is an integral part of the whole pennyspeachydrive Water for Life adventure. Water weighs a bit more than 8 pounds per gallon, and a gallon just suffices to water Peachy's garden once. Penny is using about 2 gallons a day for drinking, cooking, washing dishes, and "cat baths". Together that equals about 25 pounds of water per day - for one person, and that doesn't take into account the flush toilets and showers at the campgrounds. In addition, the distance from the water faucet to the camp site has been only 30 feet, and it is taken for granted that the water is potable.

Imagine carrying enough water to cover all the needs of a family - and having to carry that water a mile or more - all the while knowing that the water may be carrying disease. These are sobering thoughts. Penny is learning a lot, gaining in empathy, and developing muscles from carrying water and climbing into and out of that upper bunk.

That's it for now, Shalom, and I'll be back on Friday, Lord willing and the creek don"t rise.

Coming up: More on the Send -off, and pictures while moving.

From The Road:

Here we are in camping mode; Peachy in her four new tires, Penny in her new red camp chair - except she just stepped away to take the picture.

Avalon, NJ

First lesson: Too much stuff! It is hard to move around, and no way can the back seat be folded down into a bed. It is more than a little ironic that though trying to simplify, I cling to more than I need. e.e. cummings says in one of his poems, "...and having is giving, but keeping is doting and nothing and nonsense...". In my case, keeping is also "tripping over". Some of this stuff needs to go. How can I be in community with brothers and sisters in the developing world when I have so much more than I need, and they have so little?

Driven to sleep in the upper bunk, I climb up with the aid of a milk crate and the "kitchen counter" behind the driver's seat. Good thing no one is looking - it is not pretty. Over time, however, the climbing becomes easier, and it is 10 degrees cooler up here!

Coming up next: Reflections on water, and an introduction to "The Traveling Garden of Peachy". Until then, Shalom.

The Send-off

Above Right: The Rev. Dr. Ted Farrar, Regional Director of CWS for the Greater Mid-Atlantic area will be working closely with Penny as she spreads the news about the CWS Africa Initiative. The Rev. Dr. Barbara Kershner Daniel is pastor of Penny's church in Frederick, MD.


Penny began her journey on the 3rd of June, setting out from her hometown of Frederick, MD. She set off and after a brief stop at a college class reunion at Swarthmore she went on to Newark, DE for a United Church of Christ. She is now heading for New York State. Here are some pictures from the gathering at Penny's church, Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, where her fellow congregates and friends celebrated her mission at their annual picnic.


Below Left: Exploring Peach, the camper-van that will carry Penny along her journey. Below Right: Penny and Peachy.

The Journey Begins: First of a series of press releases to track Penny's travels.

Journey of the Heart: A cross-country campaign to raise awareness about Church World Service and its mission.

CWS Greater Mid-Atlantic Office
May 25, 2007

Penny Hartman, mother/stepmother of eight, grandmother of another eight, and active member of Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, in Frederick, Maryland for the past ten years, has been moved by her experience with CROP to devote her energies and resources toward one of its missions. She will be traveling around the United States for one year, raising awareness of and funds for a Church World Service project called Water for Life/Water for All to address the need for clean water for more than a million people worldwide.

The trip is dubbed The Peachy Drive, named after the van that will be carrying Penny on her journey, and is a completely voluntary project undertaken by Penny.

“I plan to travel in a camper van, hoping to be invited to speak with church groups, school classes, and any interested organizations. I will be staying in state and national parks, church parking lots, and any available hospitable driveways. Since this trip is a volunteer project, the budget will be tight, though Church World Service has provided encouragement, materials, and contacts.”

The route and timetable for the adventure are flexible, but will begin in Maryland on June 3, 2007, make stops in Maine in mid-July, arrive in California in November, and return via a different route to the East Coast in May 2008. Superhighways will not be much of a priority for Penny who views both small and large groups equally.

Her journey will be documented on www.pennyspeachydrive.blogspot.com that will have postings from Penny about her speaking opportunities, water issues and sites and experiences along the way. The interactive site will have a tracking map to see where The Peachy Drive is and where it is headed.

Church World Service, an international humanitarian aid organization provides sustainable self-help and development, disaster relief and refugee assistance in more than 80 countries. CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blanket program and Kits with needed School, Health, Disaster Clean-up and Baby items, are just a few of the ways local congregations and other groups can support the work of CWS.

For more information about CWS, now celebrating its 60^th year, please visit www.churchworldservice.org.