eleanor rigby

Queens, NY - A clear and warm sunny afternoon in the Big Apple.

Its exciting to be in the northeast, finally, after my epic-length journey through the south. There is no place in the world like New York City. My friend Pete put it like this: "Here in Queens, we're a twenty-minute train ride to the center of the world." New York has that kind of feel to it. It never sleeps. At any hour of the day there's something going on.

But first, lets talk about Washington D.C.

After my last post, we collected the last of our stuff at the beachhouse, stalling a bit for time. None of us really wanted to leave. There was such a feeling of being unplugged from the world in the Outer Banks. We all knew that, as soon as we left, we would have to re-plug. I already remember that week as a happy blurry dream. However, I definitely felt as though I had lost momentum. Driving to Washington, I remember feeling sluggish, my normal explorative zeal dulled by a solid week of sunshine, beachside naps, and late-night parties.

It took me about five hours or so to get to Adam's place in Arlington, VA. Adam was one of my first roommates at the house in San Mateo. He went to Colby College with Heather. In DC, Adam works as an appraiser, and has a lovely condo in the Crystal City neighborhood of Arlington. He's only a ten minute drive to the monuments, in good traffic.

After catching up a little, Adam took me to the "Old Town" district of Alexandria, which is truly gorgeous. Sitting along the Potomac, Old Town is littered with beautiful two/three story brick townhouse buildings. Many of the streets are cobblestoned. It reminded me a little of Princeton, NJ. Adam, the history buff, gave me brief overview of the history of DC. He told me of floods Alexandria had endured, pointing out a building which had depth markers along its granite corner.

We got dinner at the Union Street Public Market. I had the rib-eye steak. The restaurant provided, with my steak, a side of blue cheese. I'd never seen that before. As though the Guinness and steak weren't already enough, I added insult to injury by dipping chunks of my steak into delicious chunky blue cheese. Adam added that the restaurants of the area weren't particularly health-conscious, which seemed a bit of an understatement at the time.

After dinner, Adam suggested a few different things we could do, which included taking an hour-long drive to the coast of Maryland for a party. My zeal for adventure restored, I voted for the party.

The party was held on a dock along some ocean inlet near Leonardtown, MD. Some thirty or so people were enjoying the bluegrass harmonies emitted by a six-piece band. It was a lovely scene, and I had one of those moments. I felt as though I had stumbled upon a secret little pocket of American life. People were drinking beers and wine, rocking in their motored and pontoon boats to sweet harmonies and banjo pluckin'. I was a happy little fly on the wall.

That is, until I took a ride on the electric boat.

Amongst the variety of boats at the dock was an electric motor boat. It ran off twelve batteries, one at a time, and could theoretically run for a very long time before needing recharging. With the bluegrass outfit finishing, the collective BAL of the party was approaching its zenith. Everyone was talking about the electric boat. Discussion continued for fifteen minutes or so before about sixteen people (yours truly included) got on the electric boat for a spin around the inlet river.

You could barely make out the murmur of the boat engine. We cruised with libations. There was hootin' and a hollerin' amongst the passengers. Around midnight, the captain decided it was time to drop in on some neighbors. He was eager to keep the party moving. Low on provisions, we docked and sent a small search party to the house. The team returned a few minutes later with an escort from the residence. Not happy to have had their party crashed, words were exchanged. Inebriated accusations were flung about. Melodrama ensued. We cast off and, with the safety of space between us, the escorts grew bolder with their angry tirade.

Shaken by the confrontation, a soap opera of drunken proportions ensued on the electric boat. The captain swore that he would return to the house the next morning to "clear up the matter". I got the impression that, with little else to do in this riverside community, the locals were prone to scuffles like this. I had seen both the beautiful and the ugly of the place in one night.

It just goes to show: Every coin has two sides.

Adam offered to drive his friends at the party back to theirs. We squished six people into Adam's Saab and drove for twenty minutes or so to another inlet town. Clambering out, I noticed that I had totally lost sensation in my right leg. Inside Adam's friends' place, I met Smarty the cat. We got back to Adam's around 3am, or so, and slept soundly.

After sleeping in a bit, Adam and I got some breakfast at Bob and Edith's. I asked if they had any fruit. They said they didn't, and I remembered Adam's comment of the healthfulness of the local eateries. We then made for the monuments. Washington D.C. on Memorial Day is amazing. We parked the car near the Jefferson Memorial and began our giant looping tour. The mall was a zoo. Veterans were everywhere. People were handing out little American flags. We started with the FDR Memorial, which is comprised mostly of giant sculpted blocks of dark granite. Enormous walls with famous FDR quotes carved out. Statues of the man himself and Eleanor. There were statues depicting the impact of the great depression. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FDR_Memorial)

Next was the Korean War Memorial, which depicts a number of soldiers in rain gear sloshing their way through combat. They wore tired and forlorn expressions. Most memorable to me was their eyes, empty and melancholy.

I was eight or nine years old, I think, the last time I was in DC. A family vacation. Roaming around the monuments that day, old synapses fired for the first time in over twenty years. Fuzzy memories surfaced of visiting the monuments as a child. I remembered my dad letting me take pictures with his SLR camera. I remembered the four of us getting dinner at some restaurant and leaving an umbrella behind. I remembered growing tired from walking. I remembered, most vividly, visiting the Air and Space Museum. I had really wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial then, but on the day my family visited, it had been closed due to a bomb threat.

So, with very long-standing unfinished business in mind, we next went to the Lincoln Memorial. It was nice.

We moved on to the Vietnam War Memorial, where an assemblage of soldiers from each branch of the military were presenting flags. The band played the national anthem, and I paused, hand over heart. I asked a man with a greyhound in tow if I could take his picture, not realizing that the assemblage has begun reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. I love this picture. The man was a veteran, and I could tell that, to him, the Pledge of Allegiance brought about deep reflections the likes I'll probably never know.

We continued on to the WWII Monument, which is a rotunda of identical obelisk-like sculptures, one for each state or territory. Adam spent five minutes or so trying to determine the significance of the order in which each state/territory was placed. It had something to do with the order in which they were incorporated into the union.

From there, I had wanted to see the American History Smithsonian.

Unfortunately, it had been closed for quite some time for major renovations. Instead, we went to the Air and Space Museum, where a selection of the most treasured items from the American History Museum had been relocated. My favorite items were Kermit the Frog and the sign from the tv show M.A.S.H. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_the_Frog)

We next made our way to the National Archives, but had to wait a little while for the Memorial Day parade to cross. In front of the grandstand, a WWI veteran was honored. He was 100+ years old and had snuck into the army when he was 16.

The National Archives has these gigantic immovable steel doors at the front of the building. We went in to see the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, but we never got any further than a very old Magna Carta document. There was a long line to see the other documents, and Adam and I were weary and impatient. We skipped the "big three" and visited Adam's brother Greg, who lived only blocks away. Greg and his wife Charlene live in an awesome condo which features a great roof-top view of the city.

Adam and I started our walk back to the car with our dogs barking. The trip was shortened a little by taking a DC Metro train part of the way. After another couple miles of walking, we spent a minute at the Jefferson Memorial and drove back to Adam's.

In the evening, Adam and I went to a local sports bar. Adam was a regular there, the waitress giving him a familiar pat on the back when she came to the table. We had wings, burgers, and beer. And were both able to watch our respective baseball teams play.

Later in the night, Adam and I went to the Loews Uptown Theatre, one of the movie palaces on my list. The Uptown holds the incredible distinction of having hosted the world premier of Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odessey."

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Kubrick)

The basic dimensions of the theater seemed familiar. The Uptown has a short breezeway leading to a small lobby. Cherry coke is for sale. There's floor level and balcony seating available. There is no Wurlitzer organ. The balcony felt as though it was a little too far away from the screen. The decoration of the theater is, at best, sparse. The seats had been recently replaced. The ceiling was ... I can't remember exactly what it looked like, but it was essentially bare. The balcony level has a narrow passageway behind the seats with restrooms. The restrooms have little parlor areas attached, similar to the ones I saw at the Tampa, but not decorated with antique furniture. The shining star of the theater is its screen. It's extremely wide and curves inward at both ends. It was almost too big to see all at once, but I liked it. Overall, the Uptown Theatre was unimpressive. It had obviously been modernized, and therefore sterilized, so thoroughly that little of its original character remained. I was glad to have seen it (especially that screen), but wasn't wowed as I had been with the previous movie palaces.

Oh yeah, and we saw "Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End." Horrible. Three hours of my life which I'll never get back. (D+)

In the morning I said my goodbyes to Adam and spent a little while getting lost before finding my way back to I-95. The drive was pleasant. I drove through Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York in about six hours. It was nice to drive along the Jersey Turnpike. I grew nostalgic driving past exit 9, which will take you to New Brunswick, home of Rutgers, my alma mater. I was boggled at how many tolls I had to pay to reach New York. In total I spent about twenty dollars for the privilege of crossing various turnpikes and bridges. While getting gas, Pete called me to check my progress. He recommended taking the Lincoln Tunnel to Manhattan, rather than the Verrazano Bridge (as I had originally intended). Following his advice, I meet with no traffic crossing into New York City. It was an absolute pleasure driving across Manhattan. I passed Times Square and Radio City Music Hall before reaching the Queensboro Bridge. I found Pete's place in Queens pretty easily.

After a bear hug from my old friend, we spent a couple hours catching up. Pete and I were buddies at Rutgers. He and I, and his wife Sara, were also members of the College Avenue Players. CAP is a student-run non-theater-major acting troupe which uses Scott Hall (an ordinary lecture hall) as its performance venue. Not being intended for stage performances, Scott Hall is transformed before each show into something resembling a stage. Immediately after a show the entire thing is broken down. CAP, back in those days, would put up six shows a year. The group did dramatic plays, but specialized in sketch comedy. Those were good times back then.

Later in the evening, my friend Jay arrived. Jay and I became friends our freshman year living on the fourth floor of the Tinsley dormitory at RU. We spent the next three years as housemates living off campus. Sara joined up with us a little later. It was so cool to be hanging out with this group. These are some of the funniest people I know, and I laughed really hard that night. We cruised Pete's neighborhood and went to a few Irish bars for Guinness and dinner. I had shepherd's pie in one of them (C).

And now, this morning, I'm drinking lots of coffee and writing. The den in Pete and Sara's apartment is very conducive to writing, I must say. I was describing to Jay last night how much of a pleasure it has been writing this blog. It sometimes feels like a dream job. I need to find someone who will pay me to do this stuff.

Later today, Pete and I will roam about Pete's neighborhood and then I'll be seeing his show "Chicago City Limits" in Manhattan. I've seen the show once before in San Luis Obispo, CA, but because it's an improv show, I expect it to be completely different.

(http://www.chicagocitylimits.com/)

Here I go, once again. Still having a ball.

More soon.

Andy

- To see all the DC and NYC pictures to date:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2Hw

holiday road

Southern Shores, NC - A warm, still, and sunny morning at the beachhouse.

The past week has just been a little slice of paradise. The consensus amongst those still here is that we should tough out another couple weeks or so. Southern Shores and Kitty Hawk, Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head. There are national parks and wildlife refuges all around. Mini-golf and ice cream. Horseshoes has become the official sport here. Hours have been spent refining one's horseshoe grip and release point. Frisbee, baseball, and timer-shot pool divin'. Good times.

Up until now we've been amongst sleepy beachside villages with barely a beachgoer walking about. Most of the houses have been vacant. The coastline has been only sparsely dotted with folks determined to get the perfect tan. The driving has been relaxed, as no one's in a particular hurry.

But it all changes this weekend. The locals have been murmuring. They're bracing for the upcoming tide of holiday-minded visitors who will quickly transform the outer banks into a carnival-like frenzy. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After posting last Tuesday, the group of us went to the Outer Banks Brewing Station in Kill Devil Hills. The building reminded me of a church, with a high-pitched roof hanging exposed over the dining room. A few of us tried their porter, a very tasty beverage (A-). Then we tried a second. Dinner was awesome, crabcakes and seafood pastas. I'd give the food and the service an A-. We returned to the house for a marathon of horseshoes followed by hours spent trying to finish a game of Trivial Pursuit.

On Wednesday we spent the entire morning preparing for a trip to Pea Island NWR (http://www.fws.gov/peaisland/). A fair amount of lolligagging went on. That, and a lot more horseshoes. It took about an hour or so to drive south to Pea Island, over the Oregon Inlet. Pea Island is a wildlife refuge, most impressive for the variety of birds visible from its big-looped trail. Hundreds of types of birds visit over the year as its a popular winter migration destination. At the beginning of the hike, we passed a little pond with turtles swimming about. Along the trail, there are observation decks, with fixed binoculars, allowing the everyone a better view. In the visitor center, the rangers had telescopes set up, aimed at birds' nests. Some majestic looking bird of prey could be spied through the eyepiece.

Once everyone finished their hike, we made for the beach across the street. It was empty and we set up our camp. Ocean-soaked and sandy baseball toss. Paddleball. I read Sterling Hayden's autobiography and day-dreamed about long ocean voyages. Squadrons of pelicans would cruise by in formation. The water was pretty choppy and cold, but good to cool off quickly with. Naps.

The drive back was relaxed. Chad, Helen, and I stopped at a Dairy Queen for ice cream. We met with an older gentleman originally from Morristown, NJ. He'd lived in the area for 26 years or so and told us how he was bracing for the imminent flood of vacationers. He says:

"For eight months out of the year, its just like this. Calm and relaxed. And then, for four months you can't make a left turn."

We went to the local Food Lion to get ingredients for dinner that night (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_Lion). I got the makings for a big ol' salad and Chad got the last of the things he'd need to make eggplant parmesan. Back at the house, Chad made an eggplant parm to die for. He sliced up the eggplant really thin and then spent an hour just pan frying them all up. And to boot, there was a Red Sox/Yankees game on that night on ESPN. it was clear from the start of that game that the Yankees were in the driving seat. Andy Pettitte totally out-pitched Curt Schilling and the Yankees won 8-3. Dinner was wonderful. That night, the girls of the house stayed up until about sunrise the next morning.

I think I must've awoken only a couple hours after that. Horseshoes were played for a good part of the morning. In the late morning we were visited by a local chihuahua, who was named "Napoleon" due to his gigantic ego and small size. He was dy-no-mite. We walked all over the neighborhood looking for its owner, but no go. So, the dog hung out with us for a few hours and then moved on to the next party. It was very friendly to us, but very territorial whenever anyone, or dog, approached the house. It would only let Chad pick it up.

In the afternoon we hit the beach and later had burgers and beers for dinner. Not too long later, we watched the newest Mike Judge film called "Idoicracy." (B) Not a whole lot of note went on this day.

On Friday, Chris, Hiedi, and I got up relatively early and drove to the Alligator River NWR, back on the "mainland." The the wildlife refuge key attraction seemed to be its many waterways, canals, streams for canoeing or kayaking. We didn't have any floatation devices with us, so we went for a hike along the Sandy Ridge Trail. It should have been called the Buggy Ridge Trail. All the bugs nearly carried the three of us away. They were persistent little buggers. Chris spotted a cool little frog.

Meanwhile, back on the outer banks, Chad and Helen rented a two-person kayak and cruised the Currituck Sound off of Duck (just north or Southern Shores). Chad said later that the water they explored was no more than 2-3 feet deep in most places.

At the Alligator River, the three of us were marching back to the car double-time. We'd seen some beautiful marsh flowers and some critters, but the bugs were too much. On the way back, we made a stop for ice cream and fresh seafood at the local market. Hiedi was collecting ingredients for dinner.

I took the Integra for a spin over to the post office, and found that it hadn't liked sitting still for the last four days. The white wonder stalled a couple times at red lights. It was as though the fuel line were a little clogged, or maybe the filter. Whatever it was, I was sure that nothing had completely broken, as the problem went away after driving another twenty minutes or so. Perhaps I could give click and clack a call, it is Sunday morning after all...

We all returned to the house later in the afternoon and shared stories of our trips. Poolside. After a long pool session, Hiedi made dinner for us all. Red snapper, broiled shrimp, green beans, and coconut rice. The group of us were pleased with the results. After a short food-coma, we played round-robin style Taboo, which is a lot of fun after a couple glasses of wine.

Saturday. We spent the bulk of the afternoon Saturday on the beach, watching the tide come in and napping. A little nerf football. A dip or two in the ocean. A whole lot of sunblock. We watched pelicans fly by in formation. I read Sterling Hayden's autobiography and day-dreamed about ocean voyages. Napoleon the chihuahua came back. A bit later, a white escort station wagon pulled up and claimed him.

In the evening we drove to Henry's Beef and Seafood, which on the outside looked to be a nice seafood restaurant. In reality, the place was a little divey. The waitresses had a pronounced southern accent. Overall I'd say the place gets a B-. Afterwards, Chad, Helen, and I went to Lost Treasure Mini-Golf for eighteen holes. Being a Saturday night, the place was a little crowded. What was unique about this spot was the train-ride one had to take before the competitive putting. The train would whisk the golfers around the putting courses before dropping them off at the start-point. We stopped for ice cream on the way home.

Later in ther night, the group of us made one last trip to the moon-lit beach. The air was warm and the ocean calm. We stared out at the sea. I reflected on my trip, on how far I'd come and how far I had yet to go. I returned to the house to finish this blog and publish it when the laptop crashed. When I finally got it back working, I found that somehow half of the blog had vanished.

That brings me to this Sunday morning. I woke up a little early to re-write what had been lost. I have to pack the rest of my stuff in the Integra. Today I go to Washington D.C. to visit with my old San Mateo roomie Adam.

This trip is unbelievable. I've more or less managed to completely unplug here. I feel so fortunate and lucky to be able to do all this. I miss you all.

More soon.

Andy

To see all the OBX pictures: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2Hh

that would make one in a row

Southern Shores, NC - A bright and blue clear sunny morning at the Outer Banks, I'm the first one up today

Its a nice feeling to wake up to the sound of the ocean.

Last Sunday, I woke up dead last, as the Leaders tend to be early risers. I had some coffee and read about how Atlanta and Boston had split their doubleheader with tit-for-tat laughers. The Sox won the first game 13-3, and Atlanta answered by taking the night game 14-0. Matsuzaka pitched well in the first game, and John Smoltz got his 199th win in the second.

The t-ball party a memory, Steve and Michelle picked up the odd juice box and beer bottle from the back yard. The party had been a success. I packed up my things, once more, and left town. The traffic was nonexistant, as it seemed everyone was at church. From Atlanta, I took the 20 to 95, and then 95 to Fayetteville. The drive was pretty unremarkable, alothugh I did make excellent time. I'm not sure if I even stopped in South Carolina, I remember passing through it pretty quickly. I was in Fayetteville in no time.

Fayetteville, NC is more or less a military town, as it is right next to Ft. Bragg. Heather and I went to high school together at Bonny Eagle. After graduating in '95, she went to Colby College in Waterville, ME, while I went to Rutgers. After graduating from Colby, Heather and her friend Adam started renting a house in San Mateo, but they needed another roommate to fill the third bedroom. Heather asked me, and it took me about two days to decide I'd do it. A few months later, I'd set out on my first cross-country trip in an '88 Honda Accord. That car was in far worse shape than the Integra is now, and it survived. Chad and I made it from Jersey to Californina in seven days. That pace seems remarkable to me now. Those are some long driving days.

So anyway, Heather and her doggie Jake greeted me later that afternoon. It was nice to catch up a bit with my old friend and play with her dachshund/chihuahua mix "designer dog." She had emailed me a week earlier, asking what I wanted for dinner the night I was visiting. Without hesitation, I answered "rib-eye steak, baked potatoes, and a spinach salad." This meal was more or less a staple back home in SF. The dinner was marvelous.

Later on, Heather and I watched "The Graduate", which I had brought along on the trip. Such a classic. Dustin Hoffman and that Alfa Romeo. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_Spider)

The next day ended up being a much longer and more difficult drive than I'd expected. My normal routine, when traveling, is to stop at the first Starbucks I see and get directions via the internet. However, along this particular trip I didn't see a single one. I must've stopped at four or five different promising-looking exits to no avail. I got lost in Rocky Mount for twenty minutes or so when a contact popped out. Finally I called Chad and got directions from him, which I probably should have just done in the first place.

It took about another three hours to get to Southern Shores, which is just north of Kitty Hawk. My mood steadily improved as I drove past long swampy/beachy marshes and sleepy beach communities. The best part was cruising over the long bridges which connect the mainland to the outer bank islands. They go on for miles and miles and have gorgeous views across the sea.

I pulled into the beachhouse driveway and was greeted by my previous roommates Chad and Chris. After I graduated from school, I lived with Chris and Chad in a condo at the outskirts of New Brunswick. The condo was really nice, but the neighborhood was sketch-ville. After about six-months there I moved to California.

The beachhouse is awesome, its a block from the beach and has a pool and hot-tub. I could see that someone had set up a horseshoe pit off the side of the driveway. Chad was pitching shoes.

Chris and Chad gave me the tour of the place and beers were had. I was happy to have a place to stay for more than a couple days. From there on things were less complicated. Horseshoes, pool, beachwalking, beers, grilling, and so on. Later in the night, the group of us decided it was time to do some cannonballs. I was pretty pleased with the enthusiams the team had, and we did many timer-shot dives. Fun. Super fun. I would watch the little orange light on the Canon and give everyone the go.

I was excited for the week ahead. It felt like a vacation from my vacation.

This morning I went for a run along the beach and drank a whole bunch of coffee. Chad, Helen, and I went for a walk to the pier. Now we're doing a horseshoe marathon in the front. This is just a little slice of heaven.

To see all the pictures from Fayetteville and the outer banks:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2HS

More soon.

Andy

they say its nice this time of year in Anchorage

Atlanta, GA - A cool and clear night in Atlanta, a picture perfect day altogether, except for the polar bears

It would seem I've brought very San Francisco-ish weather with me to Georgia. There was actually a nip to the air last night, and today was sunny, warm, and dry. It was such a relief to me, after so many muggy days and nights in Florida.

After making my exit from Miami, I cruised up 95 along Florida’s eastern edge. Then I made a stop at some Starbucks for coffee and a lil’ internet. Interstate 95 in Florida stood out as being the buggiest stretch of highway I’d seen yet. Making stops for gas, I could tell which cars had been on the interstate and which hadn’t by the splatterings on windshields and bumpers.

I met with a little rain driving along Florida route 40, but the skies were still pretty light.

I got to Ocala NF at about 4:30 and met with some very nice folks running the front gate. I asked whether there were any interesting creatures lurking about. They said that bears were still roaming about, even though they usually were farther north by this time of year. They said it may have been due to the fires in along the Georgia/Florida border.

Home that night was campsite #5. It rained a little as I set up the tent, but nothing substantial. The tent dried out after ten minutes or so. At the recommendation of the ladies at the gate, I put on my swimming trunks and made for the swimming hole. The pool at Juniper Springs campground was gorgeous. The crystal clear water was about 75 degrees, which was perfect after getting sweaty setting up the tent. I chatted with some nice ladies who frequented the spot. We sat around and watched a bold raccoon lurking about, trying to find dinner amongst our things.

The backside of the spring has a concrete ledge about 3-4 feet above the water. Off this ledge was water about 20' deep, so I figured it was time to do some more canonballs. I strategically placed the camera for timer shots and took a few plunges. Only really paying attention to the flashing orange light on the Canon, I totally botched one of the jumps and rolled forward, going face-first into the water. Wham! My head got boxed around a bit. My right ear was water-logged for the rest of the night, and my teeth ached. Nothing a couple ibuprofins couldn't fix though.

I had chili and spinach for dinner, and listened to the second game of a day-night doubleheader against Detroit. While eating, I felt the pressure dip a little. A warm breeze blew across my face and I knew it was about to rain. I scarfed down the rest of dinner and scooped up the xm radio. It started to rain hard just as I got the last of my things into the tent. It would rain on and off for the rest of the night, but it was a warm rain. I left the doors open on the tent and finished the game. I also had another armadillo sighting. Sleep.

The next morning I packed up my soggy tent, and left the campgrounds around 10:30am, Atlanta bound. Buggy bug bug. I stopped in Tifton, GA for some Starbucks time. Say what you will about Starbucks, but their omnipresence in America sure has come in handy on this trip of mine. Strong coffee and fast internet.

I had no trouble getting to Steve and Michelle's place near Grant Park. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Park_%28Atlanta%29) Michelle is my roommate Diane's sister. She and Steve have a really nice spot in Atlanta with thier two boys, Graham and Jacob. They also have a very friendly octogenarian cat named Theo. Theo loves getting attention from grown-ups, but tends to steer away from kids.

That night Graham and Jacob stayed with friends in the nieghborhood, and Steve, Michelle, and I ventured out for snacks and dinner. We started at this spot very close to theirs called Estonia, which served drinks and light fare. We had this great appetizer, which was kettle potato chips smothered with tons of crumpled blue cheese and tomato chunks. So good.

Listening to moe. in the car (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moe.), we took a spin downtown and cruised amongst the Atlanta skyline, which I thought was striking. We got dinner at this really nice Greek restaurant. Lamb kabobs were had (insert Homer drooling sound). The coolest part of the night was back at theirs on the back porch, where Steve and Michelle have a big chimenea. At last, I could burn some of the firewood in my trunk that had been sitting there since Arizona. It was super-dry, after baking in my car for so long, and burned fast. One bundle down. Three to go.

In the morning, Steve and I went for a run around the neighborhood. We spent the bulk of the time in the Oakland Cemetary, the final resting place of many famous Atlantans. The most interesting part, to me, was the large sections given to fallen confederate soldiers. The run was great, but I could tell that I was getting out of shape a bit on this trip. I set up my soggy tent in the backyard to dry out. I don't think I'll be using it for a while now, since the rest of my stops along the east coast will be with friends.

Later on, Steve, Michelle, and I took a drive to over to the "little five points" section of town, which is to Atlanta as Haight St. is to San Francisco. We got brunch on the patio of an English-type bar/restaurant. An important soccer match was being watched inside, so lots of drunkin hootin' and a hollerin' in there. We strolled the various shops along the main drag, and then went back for the t-ball party.

Graham and Jacob are members of the Pirates, part of a t-ball league that plays around Grant Park. Their team was undefeated this year, going 8-0, so a party was clearly in order. Steve also got involved as an assistant coach this year. As the evening came, some two-dozen or so kids and parents arrived for the festivities. Many delicious snacks and beverages were had. Burgers and dogs were grilled. Children ran about with seemingly boundless energy. A couple guys there told me that I HAD to visit Glacier NP, in upstate Montana, during my westbound trip. I'd been told that a couple times before.

Next, Dave (the coach) gave out trophies to his unbeaten team of t-ballers. It was a great sight for me. The kids were so excited to be getting trophies, and Dave got a little choked-up while speaking about how each of the Pirates had contributed and improved over the year. I thought: This is where it begins. At some point, probably every major leaguer playing today had some kind of childhood experience like this. It starts with t-ballers learning some of the fundamentals of baseball: how to charge and field a groundball, how to catch fly-balls, and how to be a good sport. This was America, right before my eyes.

Dave is a huge fan of the Red Sox (and of baseball in general), and so we got to talking later on about how the Sox were playing this year. We talked aboout Barry Bonds, Nomar Garciaparra, and Red Sox teams of past decades. He described to me the joy of coaching and I was glad to've met him.

The party was a success, and I felt like I'd seen some of the southern culture I'd been looking for. Things just move at a slightly slower pace down here. I've enjoyed my time here. The whole Leader family made me feel very at home in their wonderful little niche of Atlanta. I'm a little sad to go, I must say. I've felt that way about almost every place I've seen on this trip, save Texas.

But, the itinerary calls. Tomorrow I'll take the 20 eastbound out of Atlanta and head for Fayetteville, NC, to visit my old friend Heather. It was Heather who originally invited me to move to California, not too long after I'd graduated from Rutgers. By the time I'm done, I will have visited every one of my past roommates from the house in San Mateo (except for Kory, who has dropped off the face of the planet).

What can I say? I'm having the time of my life. And I miss you all greatly.

To see all the Ocala and Atlanta pics: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AcMnLVq3aN2G0

More soon.

Andy