Extreme Food Days 8-9

After being "booted" at Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic, I returned to the RV for another day of phone calls and Emails & text messages in our quest to provide plenty of food for workers and volunteers. Day 8 was supposed to be the reveal day, but it was postponed because the ground in front of the house was too muddy to park the "Move That Bus" bus.

Food Team members brought me some goodies during the day.

Cookies from the Skillet Sisters, Mary Constantine & Jennifer Alexander.

With a note packed in each bag.

Bill Garibay, Leadership Knoxville 2010 classmate, grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, which he delivered to the site wrapped in foil.

After the last dinner in the VIP Tent, someone delivered leftovers from Pero's on the Hill. Yum!

When I poked my head out the RV door before going to bed, I discovered that a play house and swing set had been erected there.

I wasn't sure how I was going to make it from the RV to the road, but I decided to think about it tomorrow.

Turns out I needn't have worried.

At 9:30 am a group arrived outside the RV yelling "Move That Gay" and began helping me down the stairs and across the muddy yard--past the swing set and play house--to the equally muddy road.

Here's Food Team member Danni Varlan flagging down a couple of guards to carry me across the road to the path to the reveal.

Long way to the reveal site....

Part of my escort team--Janet Testerman and Janet Testerman Crossley. Note the bus parked in the background.

Food Team member Judith Foltz was already there.

Couldn't resist taking this photo of my friend Cynthia Moxley, who hates having her photo taken. See the little speck in the doorway of the VIP Tent? That's Moxley. Too bad I never learned to use the telephoto function on my camera.

Then it was off to Knoxville Museum of Art for the wrap party. The Extreme Makeover folks took the stage--an emotional moment for all of them.

The Food Team and Food Tent Volunteers celebrated the end of an X-tremely busy week. Shown below are (front) Pamela Chips and Karen Kluge, (back) Dan Chips, Gary and Julia Bentley, Rosa Mar, Vicki Baumgartner, Sam Maynard, and Janet Testerman.

Someone described us as "pulling food out of thin air" all week and that's how it seemed sometimes. It was a miracle of loaves and fishes--in this case more like pizzas and sandwiches--made possible by the generosity of so many people in the community. Thanks, everyone.