Building a Preference for Showers

Some folks have asked about my 4th of July, and though there were no fireworks, there was plenty of Dr. Pepper and Chicken Salad. It all started at the end of the day, when Kevin and I got into Houston, MO. If you recall, Kevin is the new friend I met around the 3rd of July. He too is riding across the country (from Yorktown, VA to San Fransisco, CA) and is also from Indianapolis. We've been riding the same pace since meeting, though usually don't ride at the same time until the evening session (I get up early and leave, he sleeps in. I take a long afternoon break, he rides through the heat). Anyway, back to the 4th.

Rolling into Houston, we made a stop at Subway for directions and food. After getting both a free cookie and directions to the city park, we headed out for the free camping. As we began to settle in under the pavilion, a man walking his dog stopped to ask about our trip. He introduced himself as Mark and eventually invited us to come back to his mothers house to make use of the shower and get a bit of food.

After meeting his sons Derrick and Erick (a bit confusing), we learned Mark and his sons live in another part of Missouri, but visit Houston in the summer to see Mark's mother. Next thing we knew a bottle of Dr. Pepper, two glasses filled with ice, and two plates holding two chicken salad sandwiches and corn on the cob were set down before us. Instructed to eat, we did so.

After our meal, Mark showed us the bathroom, and apologized that the shower didn't have a showerhead; "I just like it that way," he told us. Having not taken a shower without a showerhead before, I wasn't sure what to expect, nor did I think about it much (if it cleaned me, I was plenty happy). But once I hopped in, I have to admit, I was forever in awe (or at least until I turned the water off).

The only experience I can compare it to is showering in a hose, except with warm water. The single stream hit my head and chest and it felt like I was completely submerged in bath water. In other showers, I've always felt partially submerged. But not this one, this one I was completely submerged, like a pool even! It was wonderful. So wonderful in fact, when I was at a hostel a couple nights later, I unscrewed their showerhead and did it again.