Read the Zapfic serial #GHAWG on LeoThreads to follow the transformation of a courier into a Harley-riding tool of God.
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Cover image is a screen capture of LeoThreads edited with MS Paint
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TL;DR
● What is GHAWG?
● Zapfic Entries 355-361
3️⃣5️⃣5️⃣ 2024-February-10 01:52:45
3️⃣5️⃣6️⃣ 2024-February-11 01:08:33
3️⃣5️⃣7️⃣ 2024-February-12 15:06:06
3️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ 2024-February-13 18:34:03
3️⃣5️⃣9️⃣ 2024-February-14 15:49:48
3️⃣6️⃣0️⃣ 2024-February-15 19:54:42
3️⃣6️⃣1️⃣ 2024-February-16 23:02:09
● Story Arc So Far
● Next Week (2024-March-11)
● Zapfic Entries 362-368
● At LeoThreads
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What Is GHAWG?
#GHAWG is short for "God's Hog: A Watchful Guardian." This fictional story tells how David Guardia, a courier and business owner from Bayonne, New Jersey, US moved into the next phase of his life after spending the final ten years of his ailing father's life helping him.
More details can be found in the first post of this weekly recap.
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Zapfic Entries 355-361
3️⃣5️⃣5️⃣ 2024-February-10 01:52:45
| After passing Ludlow we saw another Route 66 Marker. We continued along NTH until we reached Amboy. In between we saw signs for places such as Ash Hill, Klondike, Siberia, Last Remnant of Bagdad, and the ghost town of Bagdad. |
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| 🏍️ This travel entry features names unexpected for a desert state such as Arizona. Klondike and Siberia-- evocative of places covered with snow-- are place names in Arizona. Then there is the unusually named place called Last Remnant of Bagdad. All these places are on the NTH, the National Trails Highway. |
3️⃣5️⃣6️⃣ 2024-February-11 01:08:33
| At Amboy we regrouped at Roy's Motel & Cafe and refueled for the long stretch through desert toward Fenner, Goffs, and ultimately Needles. We formed a circle to say a brief prayer of thanks as well as to ask for protection. |
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| 🏍️ Just as some sports teams are in the habit of making a quick prayer before the start of a game, Our Heroes are in the habit of making a quick prayer for safe travel before they begin riding (even if we haven't seen them do this much during the course of the zaopfic serial). On this day, they will be riding for longer than usual. |
3️⃣5️⃣7️⃣ 2024-February-12 15:06:06
| After leaving Amboy, we stayed on NTH/Route 66. Four miles after leaving Amboy we passed the West & East Guardian Lions. Five miles out from Fenner, Route 66 forked from NTH. Ten miles after passing Fenner, we reached Goffs. |
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| 🏍️ By including the presence of the Guardian Lions as various locations along National Trails Highway/Route 66, this travel entry doubles as a tourist entry. 🏍️ GHAWG is the first daily zapfic serial to be published at LeoThreads on the InLeo platform. What better reminder of this than 2 large lions standing guard along NTH/Route 66? |
3️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ 2024-February-13 18:34:03
| During the 29 miles between Goffs and Needles we passed Homer and Ibis. We took the combined Old Route 66 & US 95 route before switching to the combined Old Route 66 & I-40. On reaching Needles, we decided to take a day to rest. |
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| 🏍️ Needles is a the last place on Old Route 66 within the borders of California. Arizona is just a short distance away. For a town located where Needles is, it is developed enough to offer options for an overnight stay. It's like staying at the hotel beside the airport of a major city such as Los Angeles or San Francisco. |
3️⃣5️⃣9️⃣ 2024-February-14 15:49:48
| After we checked in at Econo Lodge, we made our way to Flavor of India. Not being familiar with Indian food, I let Sanjay guide us through the menu. Rhonda and Lindsay could see I wasn't used to chicken spicier than Popeye's. |
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| 🏍️ This zapfic entry is based on two things. First, it takes advantage of what is shown on the digital map in a way which allows Sanjay Rampersad to get some focus. Second, it recalls my own personal experiences on either side of the year 2000 when it comes to dining at Indian or Pakistani restaurants. Neddless to say, I didn't handle myself well on either occasion. |
3️⃣6️⃣0️⃣ 2024-February-15 19:54:42
| "Are you OK, David?" I signaled to Sanjay I was. Once they saw I was OK, the ladies looked at each other and began laughing. I can tell Lindsay hadn't laughed that hard in many years; I began to laugh at myself, too. "Beer?" |
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| 🏍️ This entry is a pale imitation of the experiences I noted in my previous commentary. It's also shows David Guardia at his most vulnerable state short of a life-threatening situation. Had Rhonda Bella Guardia been dining only with David, she may have reacted more sympathetically toward her husband. Group dynamics changed the situation for everyone, and Rhonda reacted not only to what was happening with David but also to how Lindsay Etxeberria was reacting. David himself knew that Lindsay had been living a hard life the last several years, and inside he was happy to see Lindsay amused by something (even if it came at his expense). |
3️⃣6️⃣1️⃣ 2024-February-16 23:02:09
| "It's not what I'm used to, Sanjay," I said. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or make you look bad. Please forgive me." "Nothing to forgive, David. If anything, you gave us a story we can retell for a long time." Rhonda nodded. |
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| 🏍️ David Guardia knows this was not one of his better social experiences (to say the least), so rather than defend himself he just wrote off the night to cut his losses. He didn't want Sanjay Rampersad to feel insulted or offended by what he did, and he owned up to his behavior, which was a reaction to something he wasn't expecting to happen when he began to eat. If maintaining Sanjay's friendship cost him a night of being the butt of jokes for years to come when the tale is recounted, it was a cost David was willing to pay. |
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Next Week (2024-March-11)
Zapfic Entries 362-368
After spending the night in Needles, California, US, a night which featured dinner at the Flavor of India restuarant, Our Heroes ride into Arizona. Instead of crossing directly into Arizona, taking the path defined by Old Route 66 dictates an extra 18 miles of riding in California before crossing state lines. First riding through Topock and Oatman, Our Heroes end up in Kingman, one of the places mentioned in the song "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66".
At LeoThreads
Just before leaving Arizona to enter New Mexico, Our Heroes discover a "Bitcoin" ATM. Lindsay Etxeberria learns a bit about cryptocurrency from the Brothers Marchenko, Sanjay Rampersad, Lionel Odunsi, and David and Rhonda Bella Guardia.
NOW AVAILABLE! -- GHAWG, Uninterrupted for those who want to binge-read the daily zapfic serial one Act (or Interlude) at a time.
ALSO AVAILABLE! -- The GHAWG Diaries for those who want to witness the formation of The GHAWG Universe and how it's taking place. Published on Mondays when there is no GHAWG, Uninterrupted post (or, for that matter, any other post).
PLUS! -- GHAWG Behind the Scenes to see how elements of The GHAWG Universe take shape, from graphics to spreadsheets and other research. Included is a subseries called "Fun with Maps" showing the interesting things I find as I map out the David Guardia's ride. Curently "Fun with Maps" is at South Bend, Indiana, US.
Catch the latest zapfic entries for GHAWG at LeoThreads. Get caught up with GHAWG with these weekly summaries at InLeo.
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GHAWG Navigation
To find other weekly summary posts such as this one-- or to read the serial without annotated commentary-- use the post GHAWGnav: Navigating The GHAWG Universe.
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That's it for this Weekly Summary. I'm
[!!]Thanks for your time and for reading #GHAWG, LeoThreads at InLeo's first daily zapfic serial. Give the post an upvote or a reblog if you liked it. Feedback is welcome. Until next time!
[!!] -- signature graphic was made by @ahmadmanga