Tuesday Nite! June 20, 2007
Somewhere in TN towards Ada, OK
At 3:30 am the night before, in a small town in TN, we filled up the gas and checked into a local Econo Lodge. We drove smoothly at least 12 hours and I was exhausted. I immediately brushed my teeth to get rid of rot-breath from eating meals only from the neglected food groups.
We were early to rise, as would be the norm for the trip. I have always loathed the morning, yet every day of this trip, no matter how hungover or sleep-deprived, I felt refreshed and full of vigor.
Feeling like a piece of shit? Take a road trip!
I have to give full credit to the first album we heard when we balled the jack. The New Deal - Gone, Gone, Gone. This album will put a kick in your step and a gleam in your eye. I couldn't believe how uplifting the music was: I remember no one uttered a word during its play, but preferred to keep the beat by tapping with feet or hands, or nodding the head in tempo, to admire it in quiet awe. We were tuned in.
Again, the vistas were pretty intense. I remember Chris pointed out the horizon being layered from the differences in the hills distances and visibility. Because I had not noticed that before, I kept seeing these layers through each state we drove through. I had brought a basic digital camera, and I had a lot of memory to spare. I didn't discriminate on what kinds of pictures to take, but I made sure to include abstract shots, weird angles, and sport-sport-night-party-fast mode. Of course, most of the pictures were of vistas.
We drove through Oklahoma City, it was pouring buckets when we passed through the city. It took many hills and back roads before we were A-fficially in the boonies: Ada, Oklahoma. Graham's uncle Todd was whom we were visiting, as well as his other uncle Greg, and grandmother.
Hill after hill, valley after valley, and side road after side road, we found ourselves in the epicenter of nowhere, Todd's house. I'm happy to at least have food, alcohol, and a tornado-proof shelter for the time being.
We arrived and the first thing I remember is walking into an inviting room. I hadn't even sat down yet. The carpet was red and the couches looked very comfortable. But after sitting for hours in a car, I wanted to stand. Deep Purple's Black Night was playing from Made in Japan. This is my kind of hangout! Greg, and two of of Todd's friends were in the kitchen drinking and conversing. Todd offered me a Nicaraguan cerveza called Tona. I was floored...after many of them.
The night ended with the playing of Diesel Boy - The Human Resource. It is a VERY intense listen which sent my jaw straight to the ground.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
On tour without instruments
Monday, May 18, 2007
Lancaster, PA to Ada, OK, via Tennessee on I-40
Everyone slept in until about noon. Nothing cures grogginess like a fresh pot of coffee—and bocce. The weather could have been better: sunny, humid, around 90 degrees, not even a zephyr in th air. The house is perched on a hill with the backyard sloping upwards towards a dell....... nah it was more like a glade. Graham, Aaron, Chris, and I balled on the bocce battleground, which was anything but bland and boring. B. The game continued uphills, around the house (fortunately not through it), past fences and retaining walls, the neighbors yard, and rolled about 1000 feet down the street. This was a game that Abbie Normal invented. If it were not for our plans, I would have stayed there all month playing bocce and jamming out.
We said our goodbyes to Robert, Deb, Aaron, and Sammi-Chan. There's never enough time to hang out.
We balled the jack towards Ada, OK, where Graham's family lives. It wasn't possible to get there in one night but we needed about 11-14 hours of driving per day despite that. For energy, we stockpiled delicious Isaac's sandwiches. I made sure to get ones I have never had before, Rose of Sharon, Pipit, and the Texas Wren which are Portabello mushroom sandwich, Chicken salad sandwich, and another chicken breast sandwich. They name their sandwiches after birds; ya see what they did there? I remember spending a lot of time looking for Isaac's on Chocolate Lane, more like Chocolate Rain
Conversation came in bursts on this stretch, not that it was awkward or anything. Because we would be trading the roles of driving, passenger, and backseat, we delegated duties to each other. The driver obviously drives, and is to concentrate on not fucking up, and to listen to the navigator, the passenger, who is to give the driver perishables and directions; the backseat person does the same thing as the navigator, but it more like the navigator's secretary.
The vistas and landscapes were incredible, I would have never noticed or cared about the Blue Ridge until that day, it just seemed significant. Chris pointed out the layers in the horizon. From PA to VA/AK the views went from mountainous to verdant. It would only get better.
Lancaster, PA to Ada, OK, via Tennessee on I-40
Everyone slept in until about noon. Nothing cures grogginess like a fresh pot of coffee—and bocce. The weather could have been better: sunny, humid, around 90 degrees, not even a zephyr in th air. The house is perched on a hill with the backyard sloping upwards towards a dell....... nah it was more like a glade. Graham, Aaron, Chris, and I balled on the bocce battleground, which was anything but bland and boring. B. The game continued uphills, around the house (fortunately not through it), past fences and retaining walls, the neighbors yard, and rolled about 1000 feet down the street. This was a game that Abbie Normal invented. If it were not for our plans, I would have stayed there all month playing bocce and jamming out.
We said our goodbyes to Robert, Deb, Aaron, and Sammi-Chan. There's never enough time to hang out.
We balled the jack towards Ada, OK, where Graham's family lives. It wasn't possible to get there in one night but we needed about 11-14 hours of driving per day despite that. For energy, we stockpiled delicious Isaac's sandwiches. I made sure to get ones I have never had before, Rose of Sharon, Pipit, and the Texas Wren which are Portabello mushroom sandwich, Chicken salad sandwich, and another chicken breast sandwich. They name their sandwiches after birds; ya see what they did there? I remember spending a lot of time looking for Isaac's on Chocolate Lane, more like Chocolate Rain
Conversation came in bursts on this stretch, not that it was awkward or anything. Because we would be trading the roles of driving, passenger, and backseat, we delegated duties to each other. The driver obviously drives, and is to concentrate on not fucking up, and to listen to the navigator, the passenger, who is to give the driver perishables and directions; the backseat person does the same thing as the navigator, but it more like the navigator's secretary.
The vistas and landscapes were incredible, I would have never noticed or cared about the Blue Ridge until that day, it just seemed significant. Chris pointed out the layers in the horizon. From PA to VA/AK the views went from mountainous to verdant. It would only get better.
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