To the left, to the left. Some of you will get it. Others might not. It’s ok either way.

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4000+ miles. 20 days of travel. 10 states visted. 8 generous homes. 1 Honda that defied the odds.

Hello, Seattle.

It has been a long trip, but every mile was worth it. I met so many amazing people, and all of them were unique. Every time I travel, at the very end of the trip, I am always grateful that I did it, that I stepped away from comfort, stepped away from easy, and put one foot in front of the other into something unknown. Even though this time I was in my own country, I found it no less amazing.

People are so incredibly different from one another. California is nothing like Arkansas. Texas is nothing like Indiana. I’m glad I got to see so many different states and meet some many people.

I loved having Will with me from New Mexico to California. He is one of my dearest friends in the world and I think it’s safe to say that he teaches me more than almost anyone. The Grand Canyon was nothing like we’d ever seen. The hike down and up wasn’t easy, but it was good. There are few things like sleeping at the very bottom of the country while looking up at millions of stars, so many stars that it is almost impossible to pick out constellations.

Having Jess and Daley ride from Riverside to Seattle was really wonderful. Both of them are so easy going and great to travel with. I am grateful to both of them for putting up with my idiosyncrasies.

Many thanks to all of you who gave me shelter and meals. You all were incredibly hospitable and I can’t thank you enough. If you are ever in need of anything, or if you’re ever in the Northwest, then please do look me up so we can get together. I owe you a meal. And probably lots and lots of money.

Sorry Laura that I lost your map and that I accidentally stole your iPod cord. I’m pretty awesome.

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And so many thanks to all of you who took time to travel along with me and put up with my inconsistent writing habits. I hope that you got some enjoyment out of it. The internet is a very weird place, but for what it is, I am grateful for it. It’s so very odd how you can have ideas of who people are on the internet, actually meet them, and find out they are so much more wonderful than you had imagined them being.

So thank you. It was an honor to have you along.

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And now I sit here alone. I’ve been in Seattle for about a week now, getting to know new people, figuring out the metro system, and perusing the city. It’s all very daunting at times, but I just keep telling myself One step at a time. I begin graduate school on Tuesday to study theology. A new season is about to begin.

I’m ready. I think.

If a photograph could speak, then the photograph above would tell you a story of rest. It would tell you a story of a girl who is trying to find her place in the world, both geographically and emotionally. It would speak of the coffee that previously occupied it, and it would tell you that the coffee sends its regards. It would speak with eloquence a story of a boy who set his camera down for a few days.

If a photograph could proclaim, it would speak a story of a boy who is the midst of a lot of change that is both exciting and daunting in the same breath. A boy who wonders who he is in regards to God and others. A boy without a home for the time being, but not without provision. A boy that is admittedly afraid of a lot of things, though he is calm on the outside.

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Thank you so much, Johnny and Jamie, for your incredible hospitality. Giving up your apartment for a few days was not necessary but very greatly appreciated. Jess and I rested and had coffee every morning. It was wonderful. Thank you.

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It’s time to end this journey and begin another one altogether.

To The Up, To The Up.

We drive North. Long open roads. Mountain ranges. Pine trees line the highways and bring smells of purity and earth. The long hours create time to reflect on the previous weeks and the previous years. Hours of quiet. The music playing through my two remaining speakers are white noise to my thoughts. The Album Leaf, Rosie Thomas, The Cobalt Season, Glen Hansard, Damien Rice, Joni Mitchell, Feist, The Arcade Fire. All of them have come along to bring companionship and to speak into the ideas that run through my mind.

I think about a lot of things. A life of simplicity. What it has been like to live out of a car for weeks at a time. Meeting new people every day. Hiking the Grand Canyon. Singleness. The possibility of marriage. The fear of marriage. Graduate school. Money. God. Whether or not Fezzik is going to make it all the way to Seattle. Where should we eat tonight? Should we eat tonight? New friends that will be made. What kind of job should I get? Can I actually pay for school? I totally can’t pay for school. My family. My friends back in Indiana. I wonder how many of my old girlfriends are already married? I don’t want to know. Quit thinking about that. Stop it. Stop. Ok. We should go to Wendy’s. Yes.

San Francisco to Medford, Oregon is about a 6 or 7 hour drive, depending on how well one’s car can make it up the mountains. It was a lovely drive though. Northern California has these massive fields of golden grain. We pass Mount Shasta with its breathtaking height. We finally break the Oregon border and wave goodbye to California and to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who really need to find another muse besides their home state. Seriously.

I got an email from Will and Kendra up in Medford, who are really great people and incredibly generous, saying that they’d be willing to put us up for a night. They didn’t have room for us, but their friend Joey said he’d let us sleep on his floor for the evening. Fine with us. We met Will in Kendra in a Fred Meyer parking lot, said our hellos, and then started driving toward Joey’s house since it was already 9:30 p.m.

Staying with random people is always an interesting experience. You have no idea what it’s going to be like until you’re in the middle of it. Sometimes it’s absolutely wonderful and other times you get in really bad situations. Most of the time it’s right in the middle. One time I was in Florence, Italy looking for a place to stay. Some guy I’d never seen stopped me and asked if I was looking for a hostel. I told him I was and he said that he owned one and that I could stay there for 10 Euros, which is a very good price. I told him I’d take it and he led the way.

Apparently “hostel” was code for “my dirty apartment with a random Japanese man who doesn’t speak any English but loves to play old Eagles songs from his computer all through the night and talk to you as if you are fluent in Japanese.”

It was a very awkward night.

Like I said, you never know what you’re going to get.

So we walked into Joey’s house, and the very first thing I come to understand is that we have somehow stepped into the Death Star. Joey had quite a bit of Star Wars schwag around his house. A poster. Desktop background and screensaver. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head with Star Wars outfits. That sort of thing.

There was also heavy metal music playing on the stereo.

I instantly loved Joey.

I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone like Joey Perez III. First of all, he loves metal music. I mean really really loves it. Manowar was pumping all things metal through the air in his house.

Joey is incredibly animated. Will says that Joey has two volumes: Loud and very loud. It’s obvious that he really loves life, and I appreciated that about him quite a lot. Whenever Joey loved something he would say, “That is so metal.” Whenever Joey didn’t like something he’d exclaim “That is so Yanni.” He also rated things on how terrible they were by awarding Yanni Points. For instance, anything that was an enemy of metal, as Joey put it. was very Yanni. Classical music got 6 Yanni Points. I believe he said that the state of Ohio got a few Yanni Points as well. I can’t remember exactly.

As our conversation went along I randomly wrote down some things that Joey said in my Moleskine. Here are a few quotes out of context:

“He’s got an authority mustache.”

“I never wanted to be your weekend lover.”

“I should drink my coffee in the shower. That’d be pretty metal.”

“How cool would it be to grind someone’s bones into the dust of the past?”

“E-vites on the internet are not metal. They get 8 Yanni Points.”

“Heavy Metal players carry guitar picks in their hearts.”

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It was an amazing night. I laughed harder there than anywhere else on my trip.

You should know that in the morning, when we woke up, Joey was in a suit and tie. He’s a real estate agent in Medford.

Of course he is.

Will and Kendra took the three of us out for coffee and breakfast that next morning, but before we left I asked Joey to give me his best metal pose.

Medford was an amazing experience. Easily one of the best of the trip. I have never met anyone like Joey in my life, and Will and Kendra were wonderful to spend time with. I honestly felt like God was gifting us with that bit of time.

Joey, we all would like to say that you, my friend, are so metal.

I’d like to apologize up front for the amount of photographs in this post, as it might take a bit longer to load.

Sorry.

Sometimes photographs tell better stories.

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We spent three days in San Francisco staying with a wonderful girl named Laruen who lives on the north side of the city. Lauren works at the University of San Francisco as a Resident Director of a dorm. She graciously emailed me and said we could crash on her floor for a few days. Lauren was pretty busy with work and with the fact that her boyfriend was in town, so we didn’t see much of her except for the mornings and evenings. Still, I am terribly thankful to her for putting up three strangers. She was incredibly hospitable and gracious. Thank you Lauren. Please do let me know when you and John come up to the northwest.

We spent most of our time with Ryan and Holly Sharp, friends of Daley and Jess who have their own design company and also form the band The Cobalt Season.

We spent a good bit of time at their house hanging out with their little boy Paxton and a few of their friends. Ryan gave Jess an old Holga and a lot of film. We all jumped for joy.

Thank you so much, Ryan and Holly, for showing us around the city, taking us to the Farmer’s Market, and going yard sale shopping (I got a window for free and funky Puma shoes I bought for $5). I’ll be sure to come to your show when you’re in the Northwest.

One of the greatest joys of my time in San Francisco was meeting Daniel Dixon. Jess told me, before I met Daniel, that I would probably never meet a nicer person. I believe she might have been correct.

I also met Adam Kleine, a friend of Ryan and Holly’s. Adam and I share a love of adventure races, so we decided to sign up for the Ron Herzon 50k Trail Run north of Seattle in November. Adam will probably kick my tail in the race, but I’m used to that in ultra-marathons.

These two photos were taken by Daley. I like them both.

Here are some more photographic visuals from our excursions in the city.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is getting to eat meals with new people at new places. This stop on the road trip was no exception.

One thing we did, which was unusual for us, was to go to a movie. We went to a small independent theater off Embarcadero to see the film Once. It was incredibly charming. Very honest and vulnerable with believable characters and circumstances, and the ending was perfect. If you have the opportunity to see the film then I would do so before it leaves theaters. The soundtrack is wonderful as well.

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On the home stretch now towards Seattle. Two more stops over the course of the week and hopefully we’ll arrive with Fezzik in one piece.

7 hours to Medford, Oregon, then to Portland, and then Seattle.

I wish I could post more often with more detail, but I decided a long time ago that I would not let writing/blogging get in the way of living. It’s not worth it. Blogs are good mediums for creativity, but I refuse to miss out on experiencing life and being with people because of the pressure to blog. I know people who miss out on so much because they continually feel the need to be blogging, and I don’t want to be like that.

So I’m sorry, but not really.

Thanks for going with us. Almost there.

Leaving Riverside was difficult. I spent more time there than I had anticipated, but it was worth it. Willie had to fly home to see his family and to start school back at Belmont in Nashville, but Daley and I had already planned on having him drive up with me to Seattle.

But, 3 hours before we left, we convinced a third party to join us on the road:

Hello Jessica Grady. Welcome. We shall have adventures together.

I met Daley and Jess 3 days before, and now they’re in my car on the way to Seattle. We had to do a little rearranging of my stuff, but Lauren, as it turns out, is a master organizer. We unpacked and repacked my Honda to fit another person in the back. It is ridiculous. You should see my Honda try to climb the hills of California.

Unfortunately, the lack of space meant that Jess had to start out in the back because she’s the smallest.

But Daley, being the man of gentleness that he is, switched out with her.

I drove. It’s what I do a lot.

I have been driving from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Daley and Jess since Riverside. We’re driving to Seattle. We like to stop at In-n-Out. And Chipotle.

We left Riverside, drove through L.A. and Hollywood, got to Ventura and stopped to get some food, and eventually made it to Solvang, CA to stay a night with the Moirs, friends of mine who lived in Indiana for a stint in their lives.

Kelli and Whitney were kind enough to stay up ’till we arrived at 10:00 at night. We socialized, slept, and then had a lovely breakfast. Many thanks to the Moirs for their hospitality.

And then onward to San Francisco. I refuse to leave my heart there. It’s not worth it.

Willie and I left the Grand Canyon and called Daley, a guy who I’d never met but had told me he’d help me find a place to stay in Southern California. Daley called his friend Lauren who very graciously agreed to take two strangers into her house for a few days, for which Will and I were extremely grateful. Lauren is an incredible person. We had never spoken a word to us and we were treated like family. Will and I probably said “Thank you so much” so many times that she most likely wanted to kick us out.

Thank you again Lauren. You really don’t know how grateful we are.

And thanks for doing our laundry. It smelled like an unfortunate case of perspiration, Honda, The Grand Canyon, beard, and other things that shall remain anonymous. That was gracious of you to not say anything, because most people do.

We spent most of the time there with Lauren, Daley, and Jess. We had never met any of them, but therein lies the excitement of traveling. Everyday holds the unknown.

The first morning we were there we went to Laguna Beach to shoot some photos and to meet Amos Lanka, a designer who was in town with his friend Heidi from Colorado Springs.

MTV wants will on the next season of their “Look How Rich I Am” show, whatever that may be. Pick your poison.

I had no idea what to expect when going to Riverside. I’m from the Midwest. Zulu, Indiana has approx. 36 people, 35 since I left for Seattle. People in the Midwest are quiet, to themselves, patient drivers, and generally down to earth.

California is like it’s own country, especially Orange County.

If Zulu and LA got in a bout of fisticuffs, well I think LA would probably think it was Zulu, Africa, and therefore assume there were lions and such, thus sending it’s actors who have been in movies who have slain lions, but the actors would be scared and fold, and Zulu would be triumphant, because you really shouldn’t mess with Texas Indiana, especially if you have seen the movie Hoosiers with Gene Hackman, who is continually intimidating.

Run-on sentences are our friends.

Willie and I spent a good bit of time traveling last year, and at the end up it decided that we should mail a Polaroid to each other every week while he lived in New Jersey and I lived in Indiana so as to keep up with each other through a visual medium. This was the first time we put them all together to recollect and tell the stories behind each photograph.

Daley had a photo shoot while we were there for a book cover. Jess did the modeling. Lauren helped. I felt awkward because we were in a woman’s bathroom.

Daley, Jess, and I took approximately 1 badillion photos in those few days.

Badillion.

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I apologize for the lack of writing I’ve been doing. I’ve been trying to experience as much as I can, and that leaves little time to write. I’m sitting in an apartment in San Francisco. There is so much that has happened.

I have some thoughts that I will try to pen tomorrow regarding the people I have spent time with thus far.

I type this while sitting in a lovely house in Riverside, California. You and I have some catching up to do.

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I have always loved the road. Endless black asphalt dotted with yellow guiding the way into the uncertain. There is simplicity with which it speaks, not judging or expecting anything. It is only there, continuing to be, and I appreciate that in a personified sort of manner.

After leaving the Boyetts I set out for Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Let’s open up a restaurant in Santa Fe.) A few months ago my lifelong friend Caleb asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding. Always a groomsman, never…tied down to anything.

The ceremony was conveniently placed right in the middle of my travels. The wedding was outdoors and absolutely wonderful. Caleb and Cassie had sex that night. Good hustle Caleb.

After a few really good days in Santa Fe it was about time to leave for, well, I hadn’t really decided until the last night I was there. But there was a reason for that. I had to pick someone up from the Greyhound station that night who would be helping in the process of determining our next destination.

Will Owen, of EuroBeard 2006 fame, took a bus from Philly to Santa Fe so he could spend a week driving with me across the Southwest United States. Willie and I traveled across most of Europe last Spring/Summer together, with highlights being getting pickpocketed in Rome, having a South Carolina woman watch us while we slept on a boat on the Adriatic Sea, and having numerous people ask us how long it had been since we’d bathed.

Will and I stayed with a Vietnam veteran in Santa Fe named Kenny, who happens to live in an amazing house made of adobe. Kenny cusses like a sailor but was more generous than a saint.

Kenny and I were talking about photography one night. He asked if I liked Polaroid cameras. I said that I’d heard of them. He asked if I’d like to have a few. I said sure. When I got back to my room last night I had two manual focus SX-70’s on my bed. I wet my pants.

Staying with Kenny was incredible. I’ve never met anyone like him. He had no idea who we were but he gave us a key to his house and his car for us to use. Unreal. What a ridiculous journey this has been.

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Willie and I said our goodbyes to Caleb, Coop and Kenny and hit the road for the Grand Canyon. We talked about going up to Colorado Springs to see Miss Alyssa, but the Grand Canyon was calling our names. I do apologize Alyssa, but I’ll see you in Seattle soon.

I have always wanted to hike down the Grand Canyon and camp down by the Colorado River. I’d seen photos of the canyon, but as usual nature photographs don’t do the nature justice.

The terrain through Arizona leading up to the canyon is surprisingly flat. I think I envisioned mountains leading up to it, but I was incorrect.

Will and I had heard that you needed reservations to camp at the bottom of the Canyon, but we were hopeful. We tried calling the Rangers office, but ended up going through a hundred different people and messages only to find out that you can get keychains in the gift shop.

We drove up to the Backcountry office where they told us that no one got reservations during the summer because no one wants to hike down into the canyon where it gets to be over 100º every day.

We told her we’d take two permits.

Willie and I started down the Kaibab Trail off the South Rim. It’s a 6.3 mile hike down to the Phantom Camp at the river. The Ranger told us that it’d be 100º+ at the bottom, which didn’t make sense to me sense I was told in 10th grade science class that heat rises. As it turns out though, she was right. It was incredibly hot in the canyon. The hike down wasn’t bad at all really. 3 hours of down without many switchbacks. We got to the bottom and set up our camp.

There are so many things I love about Will, but one of them is that he doesn’t need much at all to be content. We had a little food, a few blankets, and some water. We slept out under the night sky from about midnight to 4 am. I’ve never seen so many stars. They shown brilliantly, as if showing off just for us, communicating that which cannot be expressed with words. This photo is of the dawn just before it broke over the canyon walls with a flood of light and warmth.

Willie and I had breakfast and then headed up Bright Angel Trail for 9.6 miles. It took us around 4.5 hours, but mostly because I was slowing Will down.

This last photo was taken at the top by a nice girl from The Netherlands that we met. She thought we smelled a little. Probably true.

Of all the places I have been in the world, throughout 22 countries in the last year, I have never seen something as majestic as the Grand Canyon. I don’t often tell people that they need to see something, but I would tell anyone that they really must try to see the canyon in their lifetime, even if just from the top. It’s $25 to get into the canyon and another $10 for a backcountry permit to camp, but it is worth every penny. I wish I could convey what it was really like.

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This trip has been so enjoyable thus far. After Will and I got out of the canyon we got in the car, got some food, and started driving 7 hours to Riverside, California near Los Angeles. So many more stories to tell and so much more traveling to do.

1,437 mi – About 22 hours 49 minutes of driving time.

What helps me pass the time?

I left Dallas and drove the 4 hours on 287N to Amarillo. Dallas and Fort Worth have some messed up interstate connections. You better know where you’re going if you’re going to survive in Dallas, especially in regards to the other drivers. They will scoff at you with their Bluetooth’s and their SUVs.

Texas is not the most visually stunning place I’ve ever been, but I’m not complaining. I’m thankful for open highway. It almost gives you an excuse to shut down for awhile and just drive.

Jason Boyett emailed me when I was planning this trip and said I was welcome to come over and stay with him and his wife and kids if I needed a bed along the way. He also said that they were having a family get together of sorts at an amusement park in Amarillo and that I’d be welcome to come along. This excited me to great lengths.

Unfortunately, mother nature had different plans in mind.

But we will not be intimidated. We will not be overcome by trying circumstances. Give us your best, mother earth! Throw what you may at us and we will still triumph!

Being with the Boyetts was an honor and a privilege. Staying with them was incredibly encouraging. Every time I travel, whether it is domestically or globally, I try to figure out how many families I can stay with while on the road. I feel as though God teaches me the most from families and from marriages. I could see that Jason and Aimee really love each other simply by the way they look at one another and by the way they interact with their brilliant kids Owen and Ellie. Jason is an authentic and honest man. This was one of those marriages and families that gave me hope for the possibility of my own one day, not just of having one, but having a good one.

Jason would tell you that they are far from perfect, but I would tell you that they are pretty perfect. And Jason would be wrong and I would be right.

Jason has written quite a few books, and I would recommend picking them up if you have the chance. I would also recommend going to Amarillo and stopping by Coldstone to get their coffee ice cream with Reese’s peanut butter cups mixed inside.

Many thanks to the Boyett’s for their generosity and hospitality. And even more thanks to Owen for giving up his amazing bedroom for this random traveler.

Onward to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

I drive around the country with my bike on my roof.

And I’m a pro at handsurfing.

It’s a solid 10 hours from Nashville to Dallas. I listened to a few playlists on my iPod and a good amount of XMU on XM Radio. Most of that driving was through Arkansas, which apparently has a population of 4.

My Check Engine Light of Doom! finally went off on my dashboard, but I’m guessing that it will probably come back to taunt me very soon. I’ll still mock it until it goes away again.

I have two beefs (puns!) with Texas. I’ve composed a small letter.

Dear Texas,

Firstly, I am not one to speed, for I am rarely in a hurry. I usually drive about 3 or 4 mph over the speed limit to keep with the flow of traffic. I was on your I-30 going West traveling at 64 mph in a 60 zone. I would say that plenty fast and very reasonable. Then suddenly one of your citizens came up behind me and tailed me at an unacceptable distance. Then he started flashing his lights at me. Apparently I was not passing the semi-truck next to me at an appropriate speed. I finally merged over and let him pass. I saw that he had one of those pretentious Bluetooth ear pieces in, the kind that people wear around the mall and the market because they MUST BE CONNECTED AT ALL TIMES.

In a very God honoring way, I wanted to kick him in the ear.

All that to say, your automobile operators are a tad bit impatient.

Secondly, I think there’s a need to discuss your on/off ramp system and your “access” roads. These are completely unnecessary. All of your other friends have the ramps in normal fashions. Indiana. California. Ohio. Massachusetts. All very normal. But you had to go and be annoying and confusing. I am not a fan. Your ramps need to go away.

xoxo,
Joshua

First thing in Texas I met up with Zach Bulick and his friend Daniel at Chiles for dinner. Zach is a student in Vancouver and Daniel is about to enter into the Air Force. Zach is down in Seattle every so often, which is good because I know a total of 4 people in my new city of residence.

The couch on which I would be taking residence for the next 2 nights would be that of Chris and Anne Jackson. They both work at a church in Rockwall called Lakepointe where they do design and writing. It’s been a great couple days. We went to Taco Diner for dinner in Uptown, which is near downtown Dallas, respectively. Andrew, who also works at Lakepointe, went with us. We all had a lovely time.

When I was talking to Anne about staying on their couch I asked how I could repay them. She asked if I could take a few photos for her to use for her site and such.

A photographic shoot ensued. Andrew came along with his camera.

Chris came as well. He had to hold Anne’s purse. He was thrilled.

Here are some photos from the day:

It’s been a wonderful 2 days with the Jacksons. Tomorrow I’m on the road again heading toward 6 hours to Amarillo, Texas. I’m staying with a family who is having their family reunion at an amusement park in Amarillo. They asked me if I wanted to join them.

Obviously.

Set out on Sunday morning and drove the easy 6 hours from Fort Wayne to Nashville. I love driving. It calms me down to where I can clear my head and relax. I can also make mega mixtapes. This trek included listening to the audio book of Blue Like Jazz, and rounding out the trip with a little Death Cab For Cutie, which is probably going to be a staple of the trip since I am moving to Seattle.

I got to Nashville and stayed with my lifelong friend Coop. My car made it the 6 hours, but not without the dreaded Check Engine light taunting me the entire way. Bring it on, Check Engine light of doom! I refuse to be deterred!

While Cooper was at work one night I went to a coffee shop to do some reading/writing/‘rithmatic. While I was there my friend Lacey Hearty, whom I met at Mars Hill Bible Church in Michigan, was online. I told her where I was and she said she was right down the road, so she came by. We ended up getting Clint and Bob-o the Cop-o and going to Q’doba. Delicious. Lacey is a brilliant girl who asks wonderful questions about God and faith. Our conversation was incredibly refreshing.

But Lacey is a terrible driver.

Jokes!

The second person I met up with in Nashville was Miss Tara Leigh Cobble. It was a very random meeting sponsored by Twitter. She was in town and I was in town. We’d never met, but I’d heard her music and she’d heard my, well,…she’d never heard of me. That’s the way I like it. We spent the morning at Fido, a local coffee shop where you have to be very, very hip to be there. They tried to kick me out, but because I was with Tara I was permitted to continue to exist. I was mildly thankful.

So we talked for a quite a while. She told me stories about her life and I made up stories about my own. Then we went to Target, because we do love Target, or Targét, if you will. And you will.

She bought gum. I bought paste for my teeth. A very enjoyable experience. Sidenote: I love how Target smells.

Tara is an absolutely wonderful person. Right when you meet her you realize that she is full of life. I love being with people like that. As an introvert I try to avoid most of the human population, but people like Tara really refresh me. She also smells nice.

After Tara and I said our tearful goodbyes, I ended up sneaking back into Fido to meet up with Matthew Paul Turner. Matthew has written quite a few books and is working on another right now. His lovely editor Andrea also joined us for the evening. I had a splendid time with both of them and I am grateful to have met them.

After spending time with Matthew and Andrea I headed over to Kroger with Coop and Clint, along with Chris and Daniel. I’ve hung out with Chris before at an Irish Pub in Nashville where he bought the beer. I was grateful for my Guinness. This was my first introduction to Daniel, who is an actor and is moving shortly to Chicago to pursue acting/waiting tables, both equally well I’m sure.

At Kroger we picked up some dinner and I socialized with the check out ladies, who needless to say, had quite a bit of spunk. I think were flirting with me.

Then we all went to Chris’ new house to watch Planet Earth, which is probably the absolute best mini-series of all time.

It was a very busy few days, but I had a splendid time. I am grateful to have met so many wonderful people and to Coop for giving me a couch to sleep on.

And now onward to Dallas to stay with Chris and Anne. Sorry Arkansas, but I’m just using you for your highway system. I hope we can still be friends.