Wherever I'm With You

            Making our way to the Osheaga Music Festival in Montreal, we attempted to learn the native language. French. Mostly we learned “Je ne comprends pas! Parlez-vous anglais?” (I do not understand! Do you speak English?), which was sufficient enough in most situations. But we had to pull out the big guns when we ventured into a French restaurant, Accords. Probably one of the best meals I ever had in my life, but we definitely had to work for it. Our poor waiter, too!

            Finally getting some much needed rest at a bed and breakfast in B&B Maison Saint Louis, we woke up to an amazing breakfast of figs and mascarpone cheese with French toast. Délicieux!

With heavy bellies, we grabbed the train and headed to the island of Parc Jean-Drapeau. There was quite a line-up for Osheaga. Many of which included Weezer, The National, The Black Keys, and the Gaslight Anthem. But Arcade Fire was the grand finale!

            Until then, we strolled through the maze of stages, stopping to listen to various bands while lying in the grass and discussing where we would call home when the summer ended. By society standards, a home means a shelter. And shelters come in a range of different shapes. At the dawn of time, trees were shelter. But it could also be a tent made up of a flimsy layer of canvas or polyester, perfect for the nomadic. And as ships were invented, they too served as shelter when society braved travel to far distances and unknown lands. To some, travel is considered a rite of passage or pilgrimage; a very long journey or search of great moral significance.

So together, lying there in the grass, our journey evolved into more or less a ‘great moral significance’. It doesn’t matter the type of home we have, or the city in which it resides. It doesn’t matter how many times we have packed boxes, or lived out of them. The only foundation or distance we need to worry about is how close our two pair of feet are planted next to each other.     

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa
Not the way that I do love you

Holy roly, me, oh my, you’re the apple of my eye
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Man, oh man, you’re my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness
There ain’t nothin’ that I need

Well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
There ain’t nothin’ please me more than you

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you

La la la la, take me Home
Baby, I’m coming Home

I’ll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways & pay phone calls
I’ve been everywhere with you

That’s true

We laugh until we think we’ll die, barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

And in the sticks we’re running free like it’s only you and me
Geez, you’re something to see.

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa
Moats & boats & waterfalls & pay phone calls

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you

The night was spectacular! Fireworks sparkled in the horizon to the side of the stage as Arcade Fire performed. By the end of the night, the trip was nearly over and reality was too eager to wake us up. In the beginning, we just needed to clear our heads of responsibilities and the looming presence of the need to, as some call it, ‘grow up’. So running away gave us our best ticket to escape. Inevitably, summer turned to dust and we had to adjust, but at least now we could see where we were going. 

Somethin' filled up

my heart with nothin',

someone told me not to cry.

But now that I'm older,
my heart's colder,
and I can see that it's a lie.

Children wake up,
hold your mistake up,
before they turn the summer into dust.

If the children don't grow up,
our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust.

I guess we'll just have to adjust.

With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am goin' to be
when the reaper he reaches and touches my hand.

With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am goin’
With my lightnin' bolts a glowin'
I can see where I am, go-go, where I am

You'd better look out below

 

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you

Home is the Reason for Running

Running with the wolves.
It's time for us to go.
Left all our clothes.
With the car left by the road.

And we were running.
For a reason.
For the burning, in our veins.
And we were running.
For a reason.
We just need to get away.

Running with the wolves.
We're screaming at the stars.
Left all we own.
In a hole in our backyard.

And we were running.
For a reason.
Left our cubicles in little flaming piles.
And we were running.
For a reason.

I need to feel something different for just a little while.

I'm not coming home.
I'm staying with the wolves.
They can burn all my mail.
And disconnect my phone.

Tell my mom I'm sorry, sorry for leaving.
But I'm staying.

Now we're running to find meaning.
We're gone, and we're never coming back.

     Leaving Detroit with a bit of a heavy heart, we traveled to northern Michigan where we were surrounded by water. Our next concert was the main reason we were in Michigan at all. After finding out about this band and listening to their work, we were hooked. We had to see them in concert, only problem was that they never came our way toward the east coast. Cloud Cult is a very unique gathering of musicians, and artists. They are also very green conscience, and work under the label Earthology. I’ll spare the details, but learn more here http://www.cloudcult.com/about.cfm. With every concert they perform, two artists are hard at work painting a canvas in the background. At the end of each show, they hold an auction to sell the artworks for charity.

     Fortunately enough, our concert venue was within walking distance to a nearby campground, Interlochen State Park. We decided to rent a teepee, which seemed ignorantly fun at the time. When we arrived, it was great not to worry about setting up our tent. We just set up the Eno hammock, the cots in the teepee, made dinner and we were set for the night.

We had a few days to kill, so one day we traveled toward Traverse City and the vineyards and coastal towns of the Grand Traverse Bay area. We stopped to enjoy a vineyard or two and met very friendly locals. At one point, a nice sommelier about our age had told us her story about how her and her husband left Detroit with the energy they still had left, and had just moved to the area. Later, we also passed a quaint fishing village called Leland, where we managed to snag some cheese from this amazing shop called, what else? The Village Cheese Shanty!

We went back to the camp, attempted to go swimming, except there were signs everywhere to beware of “swimmers itch”. Sounds scary, but come to find out it really only affected small children with I guess, more delicate skin. As long as you wipe off after being in the lake for a while, you were fine. So no swimmer’s itch for us! Yay!

      That evening we walked into the Interlochen Arts Academy where the performance was taking place. The venue had immaculate sound equipment, or so Dave observed. The house was mostly filled by students from the academy, and I guess at one point it was past their curfew because they all left, leaving only a handful of people. Cloud Cult was more than worth the trip! We enjoyed the concert and walked back to the campsite by moonlight.

      In the middle of a sound sleep that night, a storm rushed in. In theory, the outer-edge poles of the teepee would have a cord wrapped around them to catch the rain at the top and absorb the water. Unfortunately for us, this was not the case. We woke up to rain dripping on our heads and frantically moved our gear unto higher ground. After finding a dry corner of the teepee, we tried to fall asleep to the sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning outside. 

     We woke up to a muddy mess outside, packed our gear up and headed north toward the Canadian border for the last time for one grand finale concert. We were thrilled about our last leg of the journey, but after leaving this beautiful region and its down-to-earth people, we felt so very close to a place we could call home. But to some, there is a different definition of “home”. It just takes a little more energy to find it.  

A million years it's been, since the search began.
Still can't find it. Still can't find it.
The fuel is nearly spent. Check the maps again.
Can't let go of it. Can't let go of it.
Now the crew is cold and drunk on chemicals.
Can't believe in it. Can't believe in it.
And I heard the captain say, I heard the captain say,
"We' re so close to it, so very close to it.
We still have energy in us."

We feel our hearts break as the engines fade.
Still need to find it. Still need to find it.
So we took the written words of our philosophers,
and built a fire from it. Let's get those engines lit.
We took the church's veil and built a mighty sail.
to carry forth this ship. but we're still losing it.
And I heard the captain say, I heard the captain say,
"We' re so close to it, so very close to it.
We still have energy in us."

The mission's over now, and my breath is running out.
Can't let go of it, can't let go of it.
I didn't mean what I said, I didn't mean what I said.
I love you more than this. I love you more than this.
Then lights they fill the air, or were they always there?
I finally see it. I finally see it.
And I heard the captain say, I heard the captain say,
"You're always close to it, so very close to it."
There's so much energy in us.

Grace me Guide

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

When nothing is owed or deserved or expected
And your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected
If you’re loved by someone, you’re never rejected
Decide what to be and go be it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

 

      On our way to Toronto, we traveled through the Grand Isles and Lake Champlain, with great views of lakeside farmlands.  We stopped for lunch at a small park, backed the car into a tree, and fixed a tail-light all within the first part of the day.

      Other than that, so far, so good. Trip was going off without a hitch. Nothing too disastrous. Nothing too serious…at least, we weren’t taking it seriously. However, on our way toward the Canadian border to see some good friends, is when the fun began to fade away.  When the border control asked us if we had any weapons or drugs, it was” no” and “no”. But when they asked us if we had any mace in the vehicle, Dave straight out answered “yes”.  So who would have known that mace was illegal in Canada? We sure didn’t.  So we were told to pull off and go see someone inside the border control offices to have them confiscate and slap our wrists.  Well, then they started asking us if we had anything else to declare before they searched our vehicle.

            “Do you have anything else I should know aboot before I search y’ca?”

            Dave and I looked at each other and were thinking the same thing. “Well, I mean, we are on a camping trip…yeah I got an axe back there and propane. I mean it’s all for camping but I can’t think of anything back there that could be illegal.  But then again, we didn’t know mace was illegal. We burned the wood back in Vermont, so we’re not carrying bugs.”

            So he proceeded to search our car. We watched the officer, kind of felt sorry for him.  Having to place all that gear back into the trunk exactly the way it came. It was a hard task for us to achieve even for us and we had unloaded and reloaded multiple times within the trip. So long story short, I guess it’s ok to carry an axe inside Canada, but mace: forget it! 

            Managing the map through Toronto should have been a lot easier than it was. But when you have a city with 3 major highways named Queen’s Way, Queen’s Quay, and Queen’s Expressway, it can get a little confusing. We got turned around twice trying to find our way to a friend’s place that we were crashing at for the night. And to make matters worse, it was the middle of rush hour!  So by the time we arrived at her home, we were ready to unwind from the craziness. She offered us a local Canadian beer and as others began to arrive, the spread on the table began to grow.  It was a long night with great conversation. We met several new people and caught up with old friends.

            The next morning, we walked to a nearby coffee shop and got an amazing cup of coffee before heading out. She helped us navigate our way around the Way, Quay, and Expressway and toward the Canadian border on the Michigan line. Our next stop was Detroit to see a concert that evening and we still had a long drive ahead of us.

      We waited two hours to cross the border. The bridge toward Detroit was backed up for miles. We were still an hour outside Detroit and still needed to check into the hotel beforehand and get showers. When our car pulled up to the border, I guess we looked suspicious because the officer had it out for us. It’s like he knew we were in a rush. He asked why our suitcase was covered up with a towel. We were drying it and I explained that we were camping. He asked why my Georgia car was all the way up here in Canada. Again, I told him we were on a long camping trip. I guess society doesn’t do this kind of thing anymore, you know: travel. So again, we were pulled over and searched. We stood in line for over an hour waiting for our car to be searched just for the State side to find out we were indeed, genuinely camping.  Meanwhile, we were not the only ones angry. A family ahead of us was missing a funeral, others were just impatiently griping about not being at work on time. So missing the concert was not that detrimental in comparison. We knew we were not going to make the opening. And we still needed a shower pretty desperately. So after they searched our car, found nothing, and let us go; we bolted to Detroit.

As Dave drove, I scrambled to the back seat and grabbed the only clothes we needed to dart up to the room and take quick showers.   Somehow, we had pulled it off! Listening to the knee slapping, foot stomping Avett Brothers, we noticed a carved plaque above the stage. It appropriately read “Grace Me Guide”.

      After the concert, we drove back to the hotel through the abandonment of what used to be Motor City. Commercial buildings, gas stations, and homes were for sale or foreclosed on every corner. Even on a weekend night, the highways of Detroit were empty. There was obvious evidence that the city had been hit hard. During the concert, the Avett Brothers played a particular song that seemed to command the audience more than the others. So here is an encore for Detroit.

There’s a darkness upon you that’s flooded in light
And in the fine print they tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
And it flies by day and it flies by night
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There was a dream and one day I could see it
Like a bird in a cage I broke in and demanded that somebody free it
And there was a kid with a head full of doubt
So I’ll scream til I die and the last of those bad thoughts are finally out

There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it 

Mountains Beyond Mountains

They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock
These days, my life, I feel it has no purpose
But late at night the feelings swim towards the surface
‘Cause on the surface the city lights shine
They’re calling at me, “come and find your kind!”

Traveling toward Vermont's Green Mountains and through the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire made for an interesting car ride. Somewhere passing through New Hampshire, there was a hailstorm so intense we had to pull off the road. Curiously enough, this is not uncommon for the White Mountain region. In the middle of summer at the highest peak and with appropriate wind conditions, temperatures can drop to freezing levels. The White Mountains are considered the “most rugged in New England”. Once the storm let up, we drove through the winding hillside and low-lying clouds. 

We also passed the Mount Washington Hotel, which was in the early 1900’s, the most luxurious hotel in America. Waterfalls lined the sides of the parkway every so often. Crossing the Vermont border, we begin to see signs for local dairies.

     Suddenly I realized, "Hey! Isn't Ben and Jerry's from Vermont?" And then driving around the next bend, there it was...the Ben and Jerry's Factory! So we stopped and got a scoop of our favorite ice cream flavors. Chubby Hubby for Dave and Half Baked for me. We skipped a tour since the rain was threatening again and the last thing we wanted was to be setting up in a hailstorm.
      We camped at a place called Smuggler's Notch State Park. For fear of a nightly hailstorm, we switched our site to the last available lean-to. A lean-to can be used to either sleep under without a tent, or for those less experienced like us- pop the tent up inside. By now, we were getting pretty efficient at assembling the beast. Notice also the blue tarp next to it that we tied off to nearby trees for cooking in the rain....er...hail. Tied tight!

The next morning it was still misty. We walked outside the tent and found these little orange guys crawling out from under the lean-to. They were pretty camera shy and very fast so we did what we could to get a photo.
       We decided to head toward Stowe in hopes that the rainy weather would subside by the afternoon so that we could go hiking. While camping, we try not to carry too many supplies. I know there are coffee makers out t here for camping. But we tend to just boil water for tea. So we treated ourselves to coffee this morning at Green Mountain Coffee. The visitor center in Waterbury gave free samples and we tried all of them. Also learned about the organically grown and Fair Trade Certified methods that Green Mountain uses.
          The rain let up eventually and we ate some carbs before our hike at Piecasso Pizza. Delicious pizza! After that, we grabbed our boots and drove to the top of Mt. Mansfield. This mountain has a lot of history behind it. There are several reason they call it Smuggler's Notch. Since the U.S. government had passed an embargo on English goods, the British shipped their supplies to Canada instead, and the smugglers made their way through Vermont's Long Trail. Prohibitionists used the same area about a 100 years later to smuggle forbidden alcohol. They used the caves to store goods when revenue agents and police were on patrol. Nearby was a "Profanity Trail" and the answer to what you are thinking is yes. It was very steep, rocky, and difficult to climb. I'm sure many foul words came out a smuggler's mouth.
      We hiked to the top of Sterling Pond Trail, enjoying the views of the pond. We took a break before trekking back down at dusk. That evening, we needed to burn our firewood before entering Canada. It made a huge romantic bonfire and made us realize that this was the last night for camping until we reached Michigan. The Green Mountains of Vermont as well as the White Mountains of New Hampshire are both a region of the Appalachian Mountains. Roughly 466 million years ago, these mountains are believed to have been the highest mountains on earth, even higher than the Himalayas are today. It's nice to know the mountains are now within a more achievable hike than Mount Everest. If they can stay the way they are, a wilderness mountain scape, surrounded by small towns of people that appreciate them; than I know we will be back to see the rest. We enjoyed the peaceful night of the woods. Tomorrow, our tour would start to take a different approach as we seek the glimmer of the city life for our few final concerts. But for now, I need the darkness. Someone please cut the lights.

Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Then we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
The dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness. Someone please cut the lights!

We rode our bikes to the nearest park
Sat under the swings, we kissed in the dark
You shield my eyes from the police lights
We run away, but we don’t know why
Black river, your city lights shine
They’re screaming at us, “we don’t need your kind!”

Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Then we can never get away from the sprawl
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight
I need the darkness. Someone, please cut the lights!

They heard me singing and they told me to stop
Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock.

Sometimes I wonder if the world’s so small
Can we ever get away from the sprawl?
Living in the sprawl
Dead shopping malls rise like mountains beyond mountains
And there’s no end in sight

I need the darkness. Someone, please cut the lights!
I need the darkness. Someone, please cut the lights!

Nothing's Gonna Change Our Minds

          We took out time traveling toward Peaks-Kenny State Park in northern Maine. Less than 100 miles north, it gave us daylight to spare and goof off along the way. We stopped at an LL Bean Outlet and several outdoor stores. Tents, tent pads, camp pads, sleeping bags, bungee cords, carabiner clips, kayaks, canoes, cookware, matches, firestarters…you name it, they had it.

Peaks-Kenney State Park has 839 acres which rest on a peninsula of Sebec Lake in Maine's Katahdin Region. We prepared ahead of time to secure what we thought would be a good camp site. However, when we drove past to check it out first, we realized it was right across from the camp hosts. Normally, we try to get the most private site we can with thick trees surrounding. We also normally don’t have a problem with neighbors who make a little noise. But we didn’t feel like sitting next to a campfire that night and listening to a faint background noise of a television set inside the camp host’s trailer. So, we made arrangements to switch sites and settled in for the afternoon.

             The next day we put on out swim suits, packed a small picnic and walked down the trail toward Sebec Lake. The water was frigid and crystal clear. It was so clear that you could stand chest deep and clearly see your feet after the sand had settled. You could only stand the temperature for small amounts of time, so we decided to lie out in the sun and people watch. Native children of Maine are born with ice water in their veins, because the temperature didn’t seem to faze them as they played. We brought out the trail mix to munch on and slowly watched as each family packed up to go home. Deciding to stay and watch the sunset, we moved to a better spot under the shade of pine trees and read a few chapters of A Walk in the Woods. I chose to read this book along our first half of the journey because it is about the Appalachian Trail, which runs form Georgia to Maine.

            While sitting there reading and munching on celery and peanut butter, we gained a small audience. A squirrel. Although something told me he wasn’t interested in the topic of the book. He scurried circles around the picnic table trying to see what the best angle was for his approach. Until finally, we made a compromise with him that if we could get a photo, we would give him a treat. And he enjoyed it.

            That night, we built a fire and had a light dinner of burnt popcorn. We reflected on the trip thus far. We had already traveled over 700 miles, for 8 days, across 6 states.  It was only half over, call it intermission. And we were nothing short of grateful for our trip.

Hey man (yes)
Do you think we’ll ever get back home?
Well I (guess)
We choose our battles one by one.
How I need (rest)
One more day of travel on the road.
How we’ve been (blessed)
Some times I don’t feel that way.

Nothing’s gonna change my mind,
I’m walkin’ a different highway.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’m travelin’ a different line.
Oh, nothing’s gonna change my mind.
You’ll find what you need if you want it.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’ll find mine.

Brothers (yes)
I know I’m up and down.
Please, try to (accept)
Apologies for the sadness that I’ve found.
The years we’ve (spent)
Nothing short of grateful for our trip.
And those we’ve (met)
Nothing short of thankful.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind,
I’m travelin’ a different highway.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’m walkin’ a different line.
Oh, nothing’s gonna change my mind.
You’ll find what you need if you want it.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’ll find mine.

Boss man said work your way
Put it off for another day
I’m not listening tomorrow may not come
Lazy men find an easy way
Easy work for easy pay
I’m not listening there ain’t no such a thing
Boss man said work your way
Put if off for another day
I’m not listening tomorrow may not come
Lazy men find an easy way
Easy work for easy pay
I’m not listening there ain’t no such a thing as that

Hey man (yo)
Do you think they’re listening
To a thing? (no no no)
I wonder what’s on their mind.
We all should (go)
Break down the walls being built around us.
We’ll make a (show)
Make it for our sons and our daughters.

Nothing’s gonna change my mind,
I’m walkin’ a different highway.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’m travelin’ a different line.
Oh, nothing’s gonna change my mind.
You’ll find what you need if you want it.
Nothing’s gonna change my mind.
I’ll find mine.

A Little Bit Lost

So long, 
lost loves.

I haven't forgotten you,
just yet.
I hung
your picture before I knew,
next to
scenes set in golden hues.
Your face,
still drifting inside my head.
The weight is gone,
heavy words that I could have said.
I sang instead
when other girls only cried.
I called it grace.
I am a mindless child.

You're gone.
What's left?
Memories of greater days
just ahead. 

Look on, you say.
Build together the obvious clues.
Taught you:
skip the series of laid out rules.
Go sing outside,
as clouds raining spark the night.
That's how we met.
Was it the greatest day of this life? 

Maine was windy and crisp even in the middle of summer. Dave and I decided to eat lunch in Portland as a halfway point to Acadia National Park. In Portland, people walk the streets proudly with their small town spirit as well as their salty waterdogs. The saline aroma of lobster something-or-other poured out of every restaurant and café. We picked a pub with waterfront views, sailboats, and dinghies. By tradition, we ordered a local beer, twice. The first beer Dave spilled across the table and onto the porch. As if that wasn’t a close enough call, he nearly did it again, giving me a soggy lobster melt sandwich.

After lunch, we headed for Allagash Brewery. Allagash is one of our favorite beers and we planned a little side field trip before getting back on track to Acadia. Unfortunately we did not have time to complete a full tour. But we managed to make out with a crate of goodies, including 2 beers we planned on saving for dinner later in the trip.

Back on the road, it started to sprinkle and we were not looking forward to setting up in the rain. The little bed and breakfasts and hotels we passed along the way, beckoned for us to stay in the dry, warm beds and zone out in front of the television after a long hot shower. Dave and I stood in front of a mom and pop ice cream stand that directly faced a large Hampton Inn, with a movie theater within walking distance. Tempting, but that was not what the trip was about. So we left to face the sprinkle or downpour, whichever it should be.

We set up in the dark again; however, we had a great tent site. We knew going into the campground that it was made for families and it was hard to get a great spot. But our spot, for lack of a better word, was a tent condo. Newly constructed, wooden dual level plat-form with guard rails surrounded our entire site. No rocks, boulders, stumps, or logs. No gargantuan moths due to the colder air. Completely secluded, neighbors were far and few between.

The next day we spent time at the docks and braced ourselves in the frigid current of the Atlantic Ocean. It was enough to take your breath away if you stayed in too long. And this was mid-day temperatures. We tested canoes and kayaks attached to the dock. You know, just in case we happened to come across a good deal at one of the multiple outdoor recreation shops we passed along the way. That night we decided to go into Bar Harbor for dinner, to take a break from the camp grub. When we were checking into the campground, a fellow camper suggested several places to us including Café This Way.

The next morning we drove into Acadia National Park. As a little island off the coast of southern Maine, it had many landscapes to explore. Before the sun set we rushed to the top of windy Cadillac Mountain, along with every other tourist. We grabbed a bottle of cider and two plastic cups and made a break for a secluded area to make a toast. We hastily opened the bottle while trying to keep the cups from flying off the cliff. Just as the sun went down past the skyline, we made a toast.

We're just a little bit lost
inside our houses.
We're just a little unkept
out in the streets. 

Find more artists like Mates Of State at Myspace Music

We said good-bye to Acadia and Bar Harbor and grabbed brekkie at 2 Cats Café. Needless to say, the restaurant had acquired more than two cats over the years. But they were all well behaved and never attempted to steal our bacon and eggs. Upon paying for the bill, I asked what all the cats’ names were. They rattled off a few names and the only one I could catch was Penelope. So long last love, I haven’t forgotten you just yet. 

But I won't ever pass up
a second to tell you
replacements a myth
'Cause I know when the kids are all grown
we will still have this blue and gold print.

Didn't Have to Say a Thing...

I Knew What She was Thinkin'
Roll, roll me away,
won't you roll me away tonight
I too am lost, I feel double-crossed
and I'm sick of what's wrong and what's right
We never even said a word,
we just walked out and got on that bike
And we rolled
We rolled clean out of sight

We rolled across the high plains
Deep into the mountains
Felt so good to me
Finally feelin' free

Having already noticed a mistake, Google’s directions wanted to take us into the back of the campground, when obvious signs for the entrance stood right in front of us. We had real maps as a backup, and they contradicted the carefully planned directions. So the first part of our trip, we ditched Google Maps and planned our every mile with a fold out map and highlighter. Back to basics people! Again, plan not to plan…but maintaining an adaptable personality is always a good idea! Windows down, we drove through a back country road where the crisp air distinctly smelled of Christmas trees and pine needles. Nothing quite like it!

As liberating as this was, our first campsite in New Hampshire was a walk-in which we were in a hurry to get to before dark. Needless to say we arrived just at dusk? So as not to have to make too many trips in the dark to the site, we tried first to pile as much stuff up as possible. This did not work so well and we ended up walking past our site, stepping ankle deep in puddles and busting butts on rocks and tree limbs that we could only see by moonlight. All the while in between, my eyes swelling with tears for brief moments. Thank goodness for the full moon! Our site was so knobby, sandy, and close to the water that the campground had to install a wooden, raised tent pad above the marshland that was not quite large enough to accommodate our tent, leaving a foot of overhang on each side. In the dark, we battled 4 inch moths in our faces, all the while setting up our tent, as well as trying to cook. Meanwhile, our brand new mattresses inflated inside the tent, which we were told could take a couple of hours the first time unrolling them from their factory sealed freshness. You know that “new car smell”? Well, for people like us, there is a “new camp gear smell”. Nice! At the end of the night, we passed out on our comfy camp pads, with visions of new camp gear dancing in our heads.

The next morning, we gazed our surroundings…it was well worth the bruise on my butt. However, as beautiful as everything was, we had to go into town. Dave was scheduled to have a phone interview and we had to find a cell tower fast! We drove to the nearest town 2 hours early, grabbed greasy breakfast at a diner, and found a quiet spot to pull the car over for the interview. After it was all over, it was finally time to go back and relax!

Between the greasy diner, sweaty walk-in, muddy ankles, and oily hair, Dave was brave (or desperate) enough to swim in the pond. I on the other hand was not so easily convinced. “Where are the showers? I’d rather just have a hot bath and get fully cleaned.”
“Oh, I thought I told you. This campground doesn’t have showers.”
“Shocking.” I suddenly remembered the exact moment he was telling me. And I remember telling myself: no big deal, I’ve gone a couple of days without a shower before. But this wasn’t the same. I jealously watched Dave as he swam out to the center of the pond. I’m not really a prissy girl, but I just couldn’t get myself to join him. He managed to come out clean and leach-less, “That wasn’t so bad…except something kept wrapping around my legs.” Needless to say, the next day I found another campground nearby and took advantage of their hot showers before venturing into Maine.


Stood alone on a mountain top,
starin' out at the Great Divide
I could go east, I could go west,
it was all up to me to decide
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin'
and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon
My heart was singin'

Roll, roll me away,
I'm gonna roll me away tonight
Gotta keep rollin, gotta keep ridin',
keep searchin' till I find what's right
And as the sunset faded
I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said next time
Next time
We'll get it right 

~Bob Seger

Re-Arrange Us.

It's the way I see it, and oh what a point of view
It's the line that calms us all, like a bell on fire
It's the line that calms us all, and how we love the call
Aim the sound at me

Out of all the concerts we attended, we never managed to experience a concert in Athens. In case some of you are not aware, Athens is a huge scene for music. Such artists as R.E.M., B52’s, Widespread Panic, Indigo Girls, Neutral Milk Hotel… the list goes on, have originated from this town. So as a nod to the past two years living in Georgia and its music, our first leg of the adventure begins at the 40 Watt Club.

We spent time with my parents, dropped off Dublin (our cat and recent addition to our family), and headed down the Atlanta highway to see Mates of State. Mates of State might not be on the top of the charts because they are more of an indie band, but because of this fact they have a cult following of die hard fans, us being two of them! After grabbing a bite to eat at Dave’s favorite veggie restaurant The Grit, we waited in line for the concert to start. The husband and wife musicians pushed their kids in strollers through the crowd. I think Dave and I and a few other people were the only ones to notice.

Finally inside the theater, we realized how small and intimate the space was. What we did not realize, was how this first concert was going to set the stage for our trip. Upon arrival, we purchased several CD’s and a band shirt with a ship. If music is our sweeping undercurrent, than the ship is our vessel. I turned to Dave, “I could be an anchor. Drop me in the bay and watch me hold you steady.” It's the way I see it and oh what a point of view…

The concrete floors were porous and stained with an aroma of mostly Terrapin beer. We found a cozy vinyl seat in a side room with a red ambient glow from retro glass lamps. Just in case you were bored, there were old school arcade games. We ordered drinks and anxiously awaited the start of the show when we heard the first song of many on our journey. We recognized “Free Energy” instantly and pushed our way to the main stage. Dave and I were able to stand directly in front. Our clothing (and come to think of it…skin) thundered through our bodies from the speakers. By time the headliner Mates of State came on, there must have been no more than 60 people; however the energy from the crowd was incredible and the band rocked the house! The singers teased each other mid-song; one tapped the others ass with a tambourine, which in return would try to throw off the beat. It was inspiring watching a couple that travels from state to state in an RV, both passionate about music, and so madly in love. After the show, we were assured that this crazy idea of a journey was exactly what we needed. We just needed to stop, shake it off, and re-arrange.

To be Continued...

Now that time is on our side.

We're breakin out this time
makin out with the wind
and i'm so disconnected
i'm never gonna check back in

we're gonna start a new life
see how it goes
before we're tired and too slow

we'll never get any other life
there's too far to go
so together we make this whole

While living in Atlanta, we were going to concerts on a regular basis. It was probably one of the most enjoyable experiences we had. As you may have noticed, our blog is full of past concerts including The Flaming Lips, Bob Dylan, and more. A few concerts we did not get to include in the blog were Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie as well as Joanna Newsom (which we made a special case for even though we were living out of boxes and sleeping on an air mattress). Music had become a sweeping undercurrent…therefore we let the tide take us. So we bought tickets and booked arrangements to follow suit for one large road trip / concert hop / camping excursion across New England and Canada. We had some major planning involved to be able to accomplish the magnitude of our journey. However, believe it or not, it seems you have to plan not to plan…so at a time when “home” was out of reach, Dave and I left with all the free will and confidence we could muster up.

do you know why the spirit's calling
from mountain to sea
it reminds us we're alive, this moment,
of who we are, what we could be

there's nothing to pray for
there's nothing to know
we're never waking up if we never let it go
the fever is coming
it's shaking the ground
the city's alive so tonight we break out
it's coming apart now it's not too far
we'll never know why we arrive where we are
we'll never know why we bring the seed in these times
but if you wanna get high kid, just open your eyes

this is all we've got tonight
this is all we got tonight
we are young and still alive
and now the time is on our side

Click to listen.

To be continued…

Decatur Beer Festival

Mike got drunk.

Brette got drunk.

Dave cried.

Good times!

The Great Decatur Craft Beer Festival whooped our ass last year. We live less than 1 mile from downtown Decatur, so fortunately we were able to stumble home. Being the newbies at this festival, we learned a lot of techniques in order to stay on top of the game this year. http://decaturbeerfestival.org/

First, you need to absorb the endless amounts of pints with something.

Pretzels are always a good choice...

Remember to be polite to the volunteers serving your tastings...even though they understand they are serving drunks, they tend not to like vulgar comments. Also remember to make new friends...

When offered a sample of hops, dont lean into the persons hand and eat it like a bird,
grabbing a pinch from the person's hand is the most sanitary method.

Also, don't drink and drive, hail a cab instead...

Don't forget the tender moments...

when a stranger mistakes you and your brother as gay lovers,

which breaks the ice for him to ask you to be his best man,

and in turn makes you cry like a baby...

Overall, it was a great Beer Festival !

I'm On A Boat!

On the Carnival Glory ship, Dave and I were able to relax for an entire week! Usually we stay sane with our occasional 3 day weekend going camping in the mountains, or to the lake or Savannah. However, it was time for a full week of absolute hedonistic exploration.
    On the cruise ship, we checked into our cabin. After a previous cruise we took together, we decided that we at least needed a window to know when the sun was up so we made the most out of each day. So I knew that we were getting a window, but when I walked into the room, there was a door leading to what else? A BALCONY!!! Dave suprised me by upgrading our room and now we are totally spoiled and will never do it any other way! We spent more time on the balcony than we did at the pool. And what really made it was Dave's Eno hammock which swayed from beams while we would watch the sunset drinking a cocktail...

      The first stop through the Western Caribbean was Cozumel, Mexico. We did not book any excursions. We thought we would just wing it and do whatever we wanted. So we rented a convertible Zip car and drove the whole island....once we filled the gas after narrowly making it to the only gas station.
     We had lunch at a genuine Mexican restaurant where we got salsa, guacamole and jalapeno poppers. Margaritas were just the beginning....we had sex on the beach (cough..)...I mean "Sex on the Beach", and Bahamaritas, and many other tropical drinks before stumbling back to our rental car. I know....we shouldn't drink and drive. But we were the only ones on the road and we enjoyed the ocean for a while before escaping to another beach where we enjoyed playful swimming.

    After Cozumel, our next stop was Belize. Belize is still a very poor country, but they have many beautiful rivers where you can do cave tubing. Cave tubing must have been invented by Belizians, because I have never seen it anywhere else. Basically you float on a river tube down a dark cave with only a coal miners flashlight on your head.  Sounds scary, but was totally fun! The second tour we did in Belize was zip lining. Dave had already experienced zip lining in Costa Rica, however I thought I was going to vomit before my first time. But after that I couldn't get enough of it!

   Our third port of call on our trip was Costa Maya. Let me just say that visiting this beautiful country and meeting the people that we did made Dave and I want to just sell everything we had and move there. Did I mention they make this yummy dish where they put chili powder on pineapple? Just try it and you'll know what I am talking about! After visiting the a few Mayan ruins which were very fascinating, we separated from the rest of the tour group to visit a blue lagoon. It sat on the edge of a small privately run hotel and campground. It was ran by a German couple that just decided one day that they wanted to get away from their everyday life in the big city. So they bought the property, added a restaurant, learned Spanish and look like the most content couple I have ever seen. So yeah...when you meet people that do this kind of thing and not just talk about it, it makes you think.  We ate a delicious meal with yet another margarita and grabbed a kayak. It is an amazing feeling when you are the only two people on the entire lagoon. In a selfish way, you begin to imagine that the fantasy is yours.