In the course of my teaching, over many years, and many different courses and curricula, there are some ideas and concepts which meander through the various discussions and dialogs. Often I think that I really am teaching the same things in every class regardless of what department, skills set or academic discipline the teaching happens to be in.

One idea which weaves its way through my teaching is one I call “maha leela”. I think that I don’t necessarily define or describe it as it is traditionally done, but, let’s not get hung up on technicalities…it is a metaphor, after all.

Maha in hindi means “great, like mahatma, great soul, maharaji, great king. Leela translates as “game, or sport or play”, like the plays the thing and we’re all actors. And so, this great play we call life is a dream of the gods. Our lives are creations of the gods and we are here to entertain in this great play we call life. And, the gods are really enjoying themselves, laughing their asses off really, because they have created the play, put us into it as actors, but, have not told us what our roles nor what our dialog should be. So we are all just bumping into one another trying to figure out role and script. What all and any of us have to figure it out is improvisation. Improvisation…LIFE IS ONE LONG IMPROVISATION. There are a number of spiritual teachings which come from this: like compassion and devotion to the gods. We need compassion for ourselves and compassion for each other because the other humans are having as much trouble figuring out as you are, I am.

Devotion to the gods…. If we practice our meditation and service our roles and dialog should become clear. I have thought long, deep and hard about this as I have exposed myself and others to the concept. Until last night, I thought the gods must be pretty cruel to put us into this predicament. Laughing at us and exploiting our naivete.  I had a realization…we should be thankful for the opportunity and ability to improvise. What a gift!! In our gratitude we should practice it as much as we possibly can. Must not get stuck in the mud of permanence but remember that all is impermanent and as such we must always reach for a more compassionate relationship with others and a greater understanding of the need and beauty of improvisation. Beware the dogmatist, beware the fundamentalist. All structures, forms and practices must be open to improvisation and imagination to be vibrant and open to change.

And now for something completely different…

It is getting chilly out there! Into the 20’s last night and looking like 20’s and 30’s for the foreseeable future. But, Ozzy and I are dedicated to the van and to teaching at the university through January. (I love my students this semester. One of the nicest group of first year students I can ever remember having. I am teaching a lot, because they need to learn a lot, but, they are bright eyed facing me, showing up, doing the work and making the attempt to become more thoughtful and understanding of academics and their lives.) I will teach through this semester and then through Winterim, the January term, after which I will get back on the road. Arizona has popped up in several conversations lately and that may be my destination, don’t know.

Ozzy had a bit of a hard time a couple of weeks ago and needed to be on prednisone. That in addition to the full moon, lunar eclipse and howling and barking all night of the coyotes, he was not himself. He wanted to be a wild dog, but I wouldn’t let him. All is better and I continue to just be so grateful for us finding each other. He’s such a good dog!

I had about a dozen people request post cards from me. If you’re interested, send me your snail mail address.

Hello Everyone,
I have been printing postcards using photographs I have taken. If you, yes you, would like to receive one, please send your snail mail address to me at ozzymozkowitz@gmail.com and I will send one to you. It will be an original print on one side and a thought on the other.
Jay

We are coming to the end of summer, I haven't posted in quite some time and want to resume my posting this evening. 

 

I have worked at the top of Loon Mountain all summer long, two or three days a week.  We have an artisan collective on the mountain where seven of us display and sell our work.  I have been displaying a bunch of my photographs and have sold a number of them.  It really is a great job where I get to take the gondola up when I work. Great views and often many people from all around the world.  I get to practice my French, Spanish, German and smattering of greetings in Chinese and Hebrew. But, I am now burned out and ready for this gig to end. Also, as an employee of Loon, for one payment of $15, I have full access to the Mountain Club, the Loon spa...steam room, shower, sauna, whirlpool, cardio/weight rooms! I love the steam room and have been steaming and showering twice a week for the past month. Not a bad setup for a guy who lives in his van.

 

I began teaching this past week, back at Plymouth State University.  I am teaching one section of a First Year Seminar course entitled, Is Success Synonymous with Happiness.  I taught this for eight years and then took a few years to teach my course, Myths, Masks and Identity.  Anyway, I'm back at it and at least for the first week I think I still "have it".  My students are likeable and appear to want to buy into the program.

 

With Loon in the summer and teaching a section of a course in the fall, I think I will be able to travel from January through April or May. I am thinking that I would like to go to Europe for maybe six weeks.  Of course, the biggest dilemma there is what to do with Ozzy. He and I have become so attached that anything short of taking him with me would be a heartache for the both of us...we'll see what happens.  I may just get back into Van Morrison, where Ozzy and I continue to live, parked on Tish's property in Plymouth, at the point five, and travel south again. I would like to return to Asheville, North Carolina and the whole Blue Ridge Appalachian chain from Great Smokey Mountains to Front Royal and Harrisonburg, Virginia. Ozzy right now suffers a bit from allergies, red eyes, lots of scratching of itches. Van Morrison continues to run well, but, I think pretty soon I will have to put money out for oil change, tires and brakes.

 

I have seen lots of good bands this summer for not a lot of money.  I have been sitting in front of the Flying Monkey Theatre in Plymouth and hoping that someone going to the show has an extra ticket which I can buy for cheap.  Most tickets from the box office cost from 50 to 80 dollars which is too rich for my blood.  But, I have gone to The Wailers ($10), Dr. John($15), Rickie Lee Jones($10), Keb' Mo'(Free, Guest list, met him downtown Plymouth) and tonight I got into Los Lobos for Free, extra ticket someone had and didn't want money for it. The highlight was Rickie Lee Jones, just a perfect show! Dr. John was really good too, his voice and piano playing are as good as ever.

I, also, played some music this summer. I am a busker/street musician at heart and got to play twice at the Plymouth Farmer's Market, without amplification. I strolled and the second outing was joined by Peter Heimlich on banjo and guitar, and Ella Grey on fiddle.  It was a lot of fun.

 

Coming up this week will be the Faculty Art Show opening at the university, in which I have a photograph. I'm liking being back at the university and Plymouth.

 

 

 

Extra, Extra read all about it...
wow, last post was almost exactly a month ago!!

I have been mostly in Plymouth...living in the van (given a name, which I will get to) at "The Point Five" on New Hebron Road.  Tish Hill's property.  I was laying in the van one night and the name came to me...don't know why I didn't think of it earlier.  Been thinking about naming the van because it has really been the third member of the journey.  So, we now call the van, Morrison.  How much more obvious could it be?!!?  A shout out to Schultzy at J&M auto who put Morrison back on the road after spewing coolant out the rear end. (Morrison, not Schultzy.)  Fixed up in 20 minutes and charged a minimal amount of money.  Other than that, Morrison runs well.

I have been working on the top of Loon Mountain at the Artist Village where about six of us contribute work to the gift shop.  I took some pretty good photos on my journey and have been printing, matting and framing them and actually selling some!! (If you go to my timeline on Facebook, you will be able to see many of them.) Many people have made very positive comments about them and over the past two weeks I have sold about a dozen photos.  I am printing them from a computer I bought, Dell 380 Desktop with Windows7 for $160 from the university.  All in all I have made about a $350 investment which has been slowly but surely returned through sales.  I am pleased. It really is hardly like working...I mostly schmooze all day long.

I also put together a website for myself www.ozzymozkowitz.wix.com/jaym and business cards.  Please, take a look.  Did it all by myself and am proud of it.

Also, after saying that I did not want to teach again I have decided to return to the classroom in the Fall to teach one section of First Year Seminar, Is Success Synonymous with Happiness?  I think this will set up a good new pattern for me...work on the mountain in summer, one section of a course in fall and then back on the road January through May.  Money from the university along with the mountain and social security will be the perfect amount for me to continue my journeys.

We have been parking at night in the National Forest when not at The Point Five so we are closer to work at Loon and don't have to use so much gas to commute.  So, all in all, things are looking pretty good.

Ozzy is happy and healthy, if a bit bored now that much of my time is spent at Loon.  He was going to work with me but the bosses put the kibosh on that.  Too bad.  A lot of people have asked for him as he is the real celebrity of the two of us.  I have put photos of him in the shop and people all have their dog comments to make.

I will try and return to my habit of fairly consistent blog postings...

It's Sunday and I wanted to post my weekly update but, I'm not really prepared yet to provide the narrative I want to.  I am in Plymouth, NH, parking at the "point five" on New Hebron Road, getting ready to begin work in a week on top of Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH.  I will be looking for places to park up there and will be spending most of my time in the Lincoln area.  I found out the other day that my senior national park pass works as a parking permit in the national forest and so I don't have to buy a permit and I will be able to park in the forest which I will probably do over the summer.

As I said, I'm not really ready for a final observational post for the road trip that Ozzy and I have been on.  There are lots of issues I would like to address upon which I have been quite reflective.  When I feel I can articulate my feelings appropriately, I will update again.

I did spend time putting a website together this week and the readers of this blog may be interested in giving it a look.  Any feedback would be appreciated: 

ozzymozkowitz.wix.com/jaym

So, I'm off for a cup of coffee and fresh air to clear my head...

From Colorado I took the interstates to Bloomington, IN where I spent the day taking care of chores.  Laundry and shower for me and a bath at PetSmart for Ozzy.  He picked up a bunch of pine tar in Colorado and needed a bath.  Unfortunately, when I got him back, he was clean but none of the tar was removed.  Anyway, spent a nice evening with Dani, who I met in Smokey Mountains.  Rob worked all day, but I did get to spend a few minutes with him, also. Bloomington is nice.

Traveled from Bloomington to Clarksburg, WV on the highways and spent the night at a rest stop on Route 70.  Decided to take a smaller road from there and got onto Route 50 which I took to avoid tolls and just to take a smaller road.  What could have been a four hour trip from Clarksburg to Lancaster, PA turned into a seven hour trip.  Route 50 through West Virginia and Maryland was nothing like I expected...it was beautiful, but, treacherous.  Hairpin turns all along with soft or no shoulders and lots of semis coming in the opposite direction.  Hair raising in some places.

But, I made it to Lancaster and again was put up on Judy Watson's sofa for a couple of nights.  Last night we went to a club in Lancaster and saw a friend's band. (Bob Lawson's Mama Tried.)  Met up with Dewie there and ran into an old friend, Peter Kingsley.

Ozzy and I are now waiting for Judy to get up so we can say goodbye and hit the road.  Will take one or two days to get to New Hampshire.  At the risk of tempting the fates, I must commend the van which has been a real trooper.  In the last three weeks we have gone from NH to Quebec to Ottawa to Madison to Estes Park to Bloomington to Lancaster without any vehicles incidents at all.  The van just keeps on truckin'.  One more leg of the journey to go, Lancaster to NH and then Ozzy, the van and I will settle for a little bit.

I will be working on top of Loon Mountain at the Artist Village we have there.  I have taken some pretty good photos on my journey and will be spending time printing and matting them for sale at the shop on top of the mountain.  I will be looking for a place to park and live in the van in the Lincoln area, spending more time up there and less in Plymouth.  I am already being asked what happens after this summer... 

Wow! Whoa! Whew! What a ride!  When last I updated this blog I was in the upper penninsula of Michigan.  Today it comes to you from Estes Park, CO, just outside of the Rocky Mountain National Park. 1,500 miles and 22 hours from each other.  The road was long and grueling.  I did go to Madison, WI where I spent one day in reminiscence. It was an incredibly beautiful day and Ozzy and I spent most of our time behind the student union building for the University of Wisconsin, where there were hundreds of people out enjoying the weather beside the lake.  It was beautiful.  But, neither Madison nor I are the same as we used to be almost 40 years ago.  Not much the same, but, I am glad I returned as I have many fond memories of Mad City.  Some of the happiest days of my life were spent there.

From Madison I decided to get on the interstates, which I usually avoid, and put the pedal to the metal and hightail it to the Rocky Mountains.  Pouring, beating down rain for most of the trip.  Much of the midwest has had too much rain and the crops and farming in general have been suffering.  I listened to a number of farm reports.  Of interest in those many miles are the many calves and foals one sees along the road.  Also, the cloud formations when the skies broke were incredibly beautiful.  Needed to get two new tires in Cedar Rapids and back on the road.

As much as I don't like the interstates for their speed and the need to maneuver around semis and RV's of every description, I needed the speed on this trip and when I stopped for the nights I slept in the interstate rest areas.  What a welcome sight it was to see the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign and welcome area. I arrived in Colorado on Wednesday and spent the night in a welcome area outside of Greeley, CO.  Now, it would be disingenuous of me not to mention that Thursday morning I drove into Garden City, CO and found the Natural Herb and Wellness Center where I made a legal purchase of recreational pot.  And that's enough of that subject.

So, I have been sick since I left Quebec City two weeks ago.  Razor blade sore throat and ear infection.  Very uncomfortable and made the grind of the long drive ever more difficult.  When I arrived at the National Park I felt even more sick than when I arrived and suspect that the altitude effected me, as well.  I loaded an altimeter app on my phone and my campsite is at 8200 feet above sea level.  Mile and a half.  The first two days in the park I could not walk ten feet without feeling nauseous and wanting to pass out.  Ozzy and I have been really incompatible here.  He is jazzed and ready to go.  But being the really good dog that he is he is always sympathetic when I don't feel well and allows me to move at my own rate. (Friday morning I could hardly get out of bed.) But, I am feeling better this morning, not 100%.  I have one more night in the park and I am hoping that today's rest will get me ready for the long drive ahead.  (And, despite my illness, the beauty of the park shines through.  What an incredible place.  Lots of photos.  Some on Facebook.)

I finished reading Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and a Louis L'Amour, swashbuckling pirate saga.  It was fluff and very enjoyable.  I think I will try and find another of his books to read.

Tomorrow I head back on the road.  Next firm destination, Bloomington, IN.  Coming your way Dani and Rob.  A day or two there and off to Lancaster, PA coming your way Judy.  and, then to NH to begin preparing for my work at Loon. So, I plan on being in NH somewhere in the middle to late June.

I am not unhappy with my decision to return to NH and work for the summer.  I really don't know what I was thinking in the first place.  The road has become difficult for me.  Too many miles and too many expenses for me to bear by myself.  Gas is a killer at $2.50 a gallon and in Canada at $1.15 a litre (close to $4.00 gallon).  I am tired and road weary.  I posted on Facebook once that I just can't remember that I am 65 and not 25 anymore.  The problem I find in most of the places I go is that I still think and feel like a younger man, but, alas, that is not the truth of the matter.  So, today I will rest up and when I get to a lower elevation will heal and feel ready for the road again.  I have reached my westernmost terminus and it is now eastward bound.
 

Dear Readers of my Blog, Jay and Ozzy Hit The Road,

I have been fortunate to have been able to avoid work the past year and live my life mostly on the road traveling, exploring new places, meeting new people and having experiences not possible in my life previous to my retirement.  It's been really wonderful, for the most part.  I have also been able to revisit places, people and do things who and which I remember fondly from my past.  Two nights ago I spent at the hostel in Ottawa which is in a jail, which I stayed at 37 years ago when I hitched from Madison, WI through the eastern provinces of Canada.  This morning I find myself just outside of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on my way back to Madison, WI.

What this is leading up to is that I have had to make an important decision regarding the future of my travels, and life, in general.  I can no longer financially afford to continue the traveling and avoiding work and just cannot do this any longer by myself.  (I could not imagine having a better friend or companion than Ozzy, but, he refuses to get a job, contribute to the care of the van, does not share the driving, has navigational skills which leave much to be desired and otherwise does very little to help with finances or the physical demands of this life.)  I am close to being broke and am afraid with my income as it is now, will be broke very soon.

So, after all of my braggadocio of getting in the van and finding a completely new life someplace, I will be returning to New Hampshire the middle to end of June to begin a job waiting for me there.  It is an easy and fun job...so, it won't really be like working, but will afford me the additional income I need to supplement my social security check which is what I am living on now.  I will be again working on top of Loon Mountain at the artist village where I have worked the past few summers.  I will be tending the shop, busking and doing origami with kids.  I am hoping to have 20 hours on the clock and will dedicate my extra time to being there busking and origamiing.  I hope to be able to find a place in or near Lincoln where I can park my van for free and continue to live in it with Ozzy.  I'm tired and road weary and, as hard as it is for me to accept, 65 years old!!  Life on the road can be grueling.

So, I am in Michigan.  My plan is to take 2-3 days to go to Madison.  From Madison I will take 3-4 days to go to the Rocky Mountain National Park, outside Estes Park, CO and spend some time there until I head to Bloomington, IN to meet up with Rob and Dani for a day or two.  I met them at the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and they say Bloominton should not be missed and it is on my way back to NH where I will return from Bloomington, probably after a stop in Lancaster, PA.  I should be in NH by mid to late June.

So,there you have it.  I read a Bill Bryson travel book and am just finishing up Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.  I have had some very similar experiences as the two of them.  But, one major difference is that they never had to fret about money.  They stayed for the nights wherever they wanted and ate whatever they wanted.  I, on the other hand fret about money all of the time.  It can be really distressing to go into a beautiful city like Ottawa or Quebec and look at all of the beautiful things in all of the windows but not have the possibility of doing more than just looking.

I will continuing updating so long as I am on the road and hope that you will continue to follow my travels.

Best to All,

Jay and Ozzy

Yes!!!  The plan is coming together.  In a campground just 5 minutes outside of the center of Quebec City, Camping Quebec en Ville.  $30 Canadian a night...$24 American.  Will probably stay here for 3 nights...

How did I end up here today?  Allow me to make a short story long...

In 1968 I was in a house in Dayton, Ohio when the police raided the place...it was a crash pad of stereotypical description.  When they raided they found a bag of pot and took everyone down to the police station where we were all fingerprinted and put in jail for at least 24 hours.  Having been fingerprinted in 1968, I have been consequently on the FBI's list for narcotics violations.  Although I had never been charged, brought to court or convicted of any crime, this incident has followed me for the past 47 years.  Not always, but, often I have been stopped at Canadian customs and asked to explain why I have a red mark next to my name for "suspicion of possession of narcotics."  It happened earlier today as I entered Canada at West Stewartstown, NH.  I was pulled into the carport, van searched, spoke with an immigration officer on the phone to explain.  But, as you already know, I made it into the country and am safe and sound just outside of Quebec City, where I hope to spend some great time in the Old City, which I love a lot.  

Oh yeah, and free wifi, which is amazing because now that I am in Canada my Verizon wireless data rates are more than in the US.

How did I get here?  I said to Ozzy, we just need to surrender to the universe and it will provide...

The drums beat, the trumpets blare, the walls come crumbling down...

 

We will be back on the road again tomorrow and updating the blog at least every Sunday from this point forward...

 

My month in Plymouth was mostly a great stop on the journey.  I saw the PSU Student Juried Art Show, the BFA Show, the Contemporary Dance Ensemble,   Battle of the Bands, Spring Fling, Graduation, attended and listened to some pretty good music, played open mics, recited my poem Rain Upon The Roof at the Centripetal release party, sat in on the junior BFA reviews, and, best of all, connected with friends, other faculty and students.  Of course, most rewarding was my reconnecting with students.  I have formed so many wonderful relationships over the years and many students came to me this past month and said very kind things to me about my teaching and their time in class with me.  Really, just a humbling and honored experience.  Also, made new student friends.

 

I had time to get some business in order, including getting my new passport and cleaning, modifying and organizing the van for the next travel portion of my life.  Took the van to my mechanic for a once over who gave it a thumbs up for further driving.  Went to the doctor for a physical and all of my numbers look pretty good.  I have not taken one of my medications for a month because of finances and doctor feels my health is good and we can try not taking that medication for a while.  Also, have had a lot of comments from people who like my haircut and think I look pretty healthy.

 

A huge shout out to Tish Risley Hill for allowing me to park at "the point five" for the past month.  I was road weary when I got here and being able to know that I had a firm place to stay made my life a whole lot easier.  I finished reading my Bill Bryson book and one of my former students, Sarah, thoughtfully gave me a copy of Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

 

Ozzy and I will be back on the road tomorrow headed initially for Quebec City.  How long we will be there I do not know and what happens after Quebec is still uncertain. Maybe east to Nova Scotia for a bit, maybe directly west on the TransCanadian Highway.  Certainly Ottawa somewhere along the line.  Maybe then to Madison, WI and Bloomington, IN or keep heading west toward the Rockies and into Banff and then Vancouver.  The world, as they say, is my oyster.  Finances are a bit tight, but, if I can busk and gig a bit I should be okay.  The rent from my condo continues to come as scheduled as does my social security check.

 

Today's plan is to fine tune my mosquito/black fly screening system which I have integrated into van logistics.  Other than that, just a day of rest and relaxation.  Tomorrow Ozzy and I will be in Plymouth until about 10:30/11:00AM to check mail and say some goodbyes.  Then, I will head to Tamworth for lunch with Peter and then on the road north.  I like to use both this blog and Facebook for updates to my travels, so check Facebook from time to time if you're interested.

 

I hear the traveling music, and awa-a-a-ay we go...

Emeritus on hiatus...

Briefly, went to Newport, RI...got kicked off of King's Beach at about 10PM...no overnight parking.  Drove to Everett Street where Amie lives and parked on the street for the night.  Saw Amie the next day at her place of work, Pour judgment. (Getting through Providence, RI was a joke...the worst roads and signage imaginable.)   Hit the road and made it to Newmarket, NH where I parked in the parking lot over night.  So, now I am in Plymouth.  I'm gonna be here through graduation, May 16 and then on to Quebec City and west across Canada to Madison, WI.  

 

I am looking forward to a few weeks off the road and spending time with friends/students.  Have already been to Juried Student Art Show and PSU's Got Talent. Will be staying on Tish's property for the duration. 

 

Today, looks to be a nice day, a good one for some spring cleaning.  The van needs some dusting and sprucing.  Until next time...

I took a couple of days to go from Harpers Ferry to Lancaster, PA.  Again, thanks to Judy Watson's kindness I spent the past week crashing on her sofa at night.  Day times were spent at the Buchanan Park Dog Park where Ozzy continued to exhibit the characteristics of a happy dog, occasionally running and chasing other dogs in play.  Went there a couple of times with my friend Dewie and her dog, Mollie. Many people comment on what a happy dog he seems to be.  Time this past week was also spent at Longs Park in Lancaster where I would just park and read the book on Rin Tin Tin which I have been enjoying quite a bit. Had brunch one late morning with Jill and Jim Yescalis, two friends from the sixties.  It was a great visit.  Got some business taken care of: set up a new mailing address (if you would like it, please message me off record) and got my passport photos taken, and submitted my renewal application for my passport which I am hoping to receive in four to six weeks in my new mailbox. Took two!! showers and did my laundry. Friday morning went to Central Market. Also, continued to have conversations with customer service at Verizon Wireless for a problem I have been experiencing with them.  Don't want to get into it here and now, too nice a morning to spoil with that story. It was really nice to take the time off the road for the week. I had become a bit road weary and needed some time to stop, take care of business and just "chill" for a bit.

Yesterday, the plan was to meet Dewie and Merry at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Dewie called in the morning to say she was having plumbing problems and wouldn't make it.   So Merry and I decided to go to the Brandywine River Museum instead.  The Brandywine is the homestead property and museum of the Wyeth Family, N.C., Andrew and Jamie.  There was a special exhibit of Jamie's work and we took a guided tour of N.C.'s home and studio.  It was a whole lot of fun.  Extraordinary techniques and narratives by all three generations.  I think that it was a better choice than going to the Philly Museum.  From Brandywine I dropped right onto Route 202 North, then onto 611 North, through some really beautiful rolling farm and horse country, through the Alleghanys and Poconos, through the beautiful picaresque Delaware Water Gap and River Canal, and ended up last night in Middletown, NY at a rest area on I-84, which fortuitously put me about 2 miles away from the Starbucks in which I am writing this blog.

And, Ozzy was a very good dog last night.  At Judy's in Lancaster on the sofa, he bed hogged every night. Last night I told him to go to his bed and he actually stayed there all night long without hogging me at all. Maybe he was as tired of me kicking him in the middle of the night as I was being scrunched by him.

On the road today to I know not where...

Just spent a couple of really nice days zigzagging through the civil war historical center of Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylavania. ("The Hallowed Trail", as one visitor center person called it.) Had no real direction so went north, south, east and west as the mood would take me.  Drove up the Syline Drive from Harrisonburg, VA and ended up in Front Royal, Virginia.  Drove south through beautiful vineyard and horse country, into Culpeper, up to Winchester, over to Harpers Ferry into Frederick, VA, up and over to Gettysburg.  Harpers Ferry was really well presented by the National Park Service.  In fact, I'd like to compliment the service on what a great job it has done in preserving and presenting the natural and human histories of the places I have been.  Pretty much followed the Appalachian Trail from the Great Smokies, into the Cherokee National Forest,  Blue Ridge Parkway, Shenandoah Valley, Skyline Drive on into Harpers Ferry. All along the way there are wonderful spaces with educational presentations using a variety of media. I am impressed.  And, most every town and city along the way has a terrific visitor center with knowledgeable people there who are wanting to tell you their history and have you explore their community.  I have made it a habit recently to go directly to the visitor center, tell them that I have no idea what I want to do or where I want to go and invariably I am treated to all kinds of literature, directions and ideas for what to do and where to go next.  Great experience. (I had a great time in Harpers Ferry and don't usually buy souvenirs, but, feeling good, I bought Ozzy a National Bark Ranger bandanna.  He seems to like it alright...looks very handsome.)

The only real objective in mind is to find Ozzy a fenced in dog park and when I first get to a visitor center that's what I ask for.  Always gets smiles from the people behind the counter.  Most every community has one.  Okay Plymouth, NH...I still love you with all my heart, but, why no dog park is beyond me.  Every town of Plymouth's size has one. And, watching how Ozzy has blossomed and become more sociable and playful, I wonder how much better he would have been had he had one in Plymouth to go to.  They are just wonderful places for dogs to socialize and figure out how to be a dog. And, I think sometimes, good place for people to socialize and figure out how to be more like human beings.

It is not just early "season" down here, but, more like "pre-season."  So, most of the campground and visitor centers in the parks are still closed for the winter.  It has made it difficult to find places to sleep for the night (slept the past four nights in interstate rest areas and a Flying J truck stop), but on the other hand I have pretty much had the most beautiful places all to myself.  No traffic, crowds, etc.  Imagine having a 33 mile stretch of the Shenandoah Valley all to yourself, except for the many deer I saw.  I could have, and at times did, drive on either side of the road to get the best view without fear of other cars to disturb me.  It was terrific.  I have posted a couple of photos on my Facebook page which you might like to check out.

I have made it back to Lancaster, PA where I plan to spend 3 or 4 days.

Also bought a book about Rin Tin Tin which is great.  The dog was more famous and was paid more money than most of the human actors of the time.  Hmmm, the dog more popular than the human?

   

With reference to my last post...I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway into the Cherokee National Forest looking for a campsite. The Backbone camping area, Shady Valley?  Nothing is open, it turns out, in any national sites north of the Great Smokies...too early in the season.  So, I found myself in Damascus, TN and found a shop that caters to Appalachian Trail hikers.  The guy inside said that I could just go up Route 58 and park beside the road on any pull-off.  So, I drove the Jefferson Forest for a while until I found a suitable spot. Got there around three in the afternoon and napped on and off until almost 8:00PM when I had the realization that I was headed toward being a part of a headline that you read about people camping in Deliverance territory.  You know, "Retired University Professor found eviscerated floating in the Jefferson Forest River. When questioned, the two toothless meth-addled suspects said that they were just out lookin' for a good tahm."  So, I drove back to Damascus and found the Hikers Inn.  A really nice hostel, the details of which are noted in my previous post.

So, I have taken care of all of my business except for completing my Passport Renewal Application.  I wrote the Letter of Recommendation, did my laundry, made calls to and updated needed business with Travelers Insurance, Verizon Wireless, Overlook Condo Association, Mid-State Medical, UPS Store and got my oil ["all"] changed.  Today the plan is to hang out in Harrisonburg, VA at the library, just across the street form the really nice Visitor Center in which I am writing this post, and will complete my passport information.

After, Ozzy and I will go to a great dog park we found yesterday on the outskirts of Harrisonburg...very nice park, dogs and people.  And nice little city.  Home of James Madison University.  Had a nice, reasonably priced lunch at The Artful Dodger.  A funky, hip place.

I have a project which has been bugging me for a while.  Ozzy's feeding station in the van is just not as efficient or accessible as I would like it to be, so, I think there will be a trip to PetSmart and Lowe's in my future today as well. 

After Harrisonburg?  Not sure.  Maybe head into W. VA for a day or two.  Think I will go over to the Skyline Drive and just kinda feel my way to the next stop in the journey.

I'm usually much better at making a short story long, but, allow me to try a long story short...staying tonight in Hikers Inn, Damascus, TN.  Just off the Appalachian Trail.  Ozzy and me $25.00 for the night.  The hot shower was worth that alone!  Safe in a warm room, clean and secure.  What a nice place this is...my hat off to Paul and Lee, Proprietors.  Will sleep soundly tonight.

I did not go to Johnson City, TN on Thursday.  I went to Asheville, NC instead.  But, I am now in Johnson City having left Asheville earlier this morning.  I spent a couple of good days in Asheville and West Asheville. Visited my friend Bethany at her wonderful store, Rhetorical Factory, on Haywood St. in W. Asheville. On Thursday when I left the Smoky Mountain Park, Rob and Dani the people I met from Bloomington, IN also left the park.  Amazingly, as I was sitting talking to Bethany, they walked into the store.  Small world!! Busked in front of the store on Saturday.  Stayed the nights behind Phil's studio next to the emerge-n-see-art ambulance.  Spent lots of time at the French Broad Dog Park with Ozzy and walked downtown in Asheville around Pack Square and Pritchard Park.  Very nice city.  Expensive, too expensive for me to eat out, but it does have a Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Harris Tweeter, from which stores I can make a pretty good cuisine. Lots of buskers on the streets, just one group which I thought was pretty good, and I scoped out the downtown area to find the best places to set up and play.  Didn't play downtown this trip, but am ready for the next time in Asheville.

I will spend a short time in Johnson City today and then head to the Cherokee National Park, not too far away, where I understand campsites are $10/night.  Want to spend a couple of days in the woods again. Feeling a bit road weary and trying to figure out just what it is I am trying to do.

I have been trying to make believe that I have no responsibilities, but, in fact I do...

Today:

Write a recommendation for Ali who is applying for a job as a Montessori teacher.

Do my laundry.

Tomorrow:

Call Mid-State Medical and make an appointment for a check-up when I am in Plymouth in May.

Call Conor at Verizon and figure out what's going on with my Verizon account.

Get an oil change.

Fill out my passport renewal application.

Call Mark at UPS to see about getting a mailbox.

Call Travelers Insurance to check on status of my homeowner's insurance.

Okay, a recommendation letter for Ali...

Before I get to current events, I would like to just comment on my time in Athens, GA.  Went there after deciding to head north again out of Jacksonville, FL.  I liked the place and would have liked to have explored some more.  Had dinner in a place called Clocked...nothing real memorable, but, good and cheap.  Earlier in the day I talked to a University of Georgia police officer who told me I could probably get away with parking and sleeping overnight in the parking garage downtown.  I was rousted out of there by a garage security guy who told me I couldn't stay there. But, I made it to 4:00AM and parked there the night before and got 8 good hours of sleep.[Georgia became more and more difficult to find safe and risk free overnight parking.  Wal-Marts are not camper friendly, for the most part, and post scary looking signs about towing at owner's expense for unauthorized vehicles. Georgia turned out to be my least favorite of places, so far.) 

And, oh yes, let me rant a bit about people and their dogs in Georgia.  I have never seen so many unneutered male dogs in my life.  Their owners bring them to the dog parks and practice very little control over them.  Ozzy was mounted and attacked by a few of these dogs.  He suffered no physical injuries, but lost a bit of his confidence and developed some kind of skin problem which I'm not sure what it was, but, am sure that it was from these encounters.  I have kept my eye on it and all seems to be healing well.  Thought for a while we would need to visit a vet, but, all is okay.  Eddie at Cafe Monte Alto has a sign that no pets are allowed in the coffee shop.  I have always said, and am now even more convinced, that his sign should read, "No stupid pet owners allowed inside."  

So, at 4:00AM, Athens, GA, awakened by security guard, headed to Smoky Mountain National Park which brings me to current events. I spent an incredibly wonderful week in the Elkmont Campground beside the Little River. (See my video on FaceBook.)  Met some really nice thirty-something people from Bloomington, IN who encouraged me to visit, and, I will when I head toward Madison, WI.  Rob is a sound engineer for concerts and a musician, and Dani is a drummer who plays in a Motown band called The Vallures.  I love it.  She also works at a music store in Bloomington.

Last night I went to the Sugarland Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg, TN.  Those who know me know that I really don't drink much alcohol at all.  But at Sugarland they have these booths where a server gives samples of their eight "shines" and I could not resist.  Rye, Corn, Peach, Apple...Free samples of all eight kinds.  So, after I partook in that process there was a band, Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustlers at the distillery.  Free "shine" and free music.  A great night out and way to end my time in the Smokies.

It's Thursday and raining hard today.  I decided to leave the park today.  Was gonna stay one more day, but, just time to go.  It was a great week.  Read a good book by Bill Bryson, practiced guitar and mandolin, walked with Ozzy through the woods, gazed into the campfire and river and made believe that I have no responsibilities.  I am writing from Starbucks in Pigeon Forge, TN, home of Dollywood. (Doesn't open for the season until Saturday.)

Headed today, I think, to Johnson City, TN...rock me mama...

A couple of links for you: First is Buffalo Wabs and the Price Hill Hustle, second is The Sugarland Distilling Company.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2pMhTqxM6Q
http://www.sugarlandsdistilling.com/

Very brief post...
I am staying in the Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Great campsite.  See video I posted on Facebook. No phone/internet service at all.  Writing this from Gatlinburg, TN where my observation, without meaning disparagement to any of my Christian friends, is that there are a lot of Christians, declaring themselves so by the lines and verses, and churches' and schools' names on their t-shirts, who have gone to frolic in Gomorrah.  If you've been to Gatlinburg you know what I mean.
So, the long and short is there will not be a Sunday update as Ozzy and I now plan to remain in the woods for a couple of days.

Executive decision time...
I am just north of Jacksonville, FL without any desire to go further south into Florida.  Ozzy, especially, and I spent a very uncomfortable night in the humidity and heat.  So, I am going to abandon my plans to go to Daytona Beach and instead will return in a northerly direction back into Georgia.  I'm going to go to Athens, GA today, home of the University of Georgia and more moderate temperatures.
I am not unhappy about not continuing to Daytona Beach. On this journey I have tried to eliminate generalizations about myself...I am this way or I am that way.  But, honestly, I am not a hot weather or beach person.  {Can't remember the last time I wore shorts: maybe forty years ago? maybe fifty?}  The only real reason I would have gone to the beach would have been to look at young women in very little clothing.  (Not a bad thing, but not worth the gas, time and heat.)  So, I am turning around and headed north.
I had a mixed time in Savannah.  What a beautiful city with so much to offer in art, landscape/architecture and culture.  However, I really never felt safe there.  After leaving I read several articles on the internet about the crime in Savannah. It appears I was not wrong in feeling the way I did.  Too bad, lovely city. I did try to apply for a Busker's License, but the approval time could be two to three weeks...too long for me to stay.
So, Ozzy and I are off to Athens.  Don't know yet how this effects my plans to go to New Orleans, or the rest of any of my plans, for that matter.  I have been trying to play it all without any real set agenda. However, I am thinking seriously about returning to Plymouth in May for graduation at Plymouth State. There are still quite a few students who will be graduating who were students of mine.  I would like to see them "walk."  So, there you have it...for now...

I had a great visit with Kathleen and Paul in Charleston, SC.  Watched Shark Tank, Antique Road Show, Survivor, two NASCAR 500 races, and the movie Across the Universe which I have seen several times and love.  Terrific movie.

Last Sunday I went to the UU Church with Kathleen for a sitting meditation.  She and I met 40 years ago when I was a member of a spiritual organization which practiced a sitting meditation.  I was a "premie", a devotee of Guru Maraji, a thirteen year-old guru.  It was a great stop on the path to enlightenment, upon which path I have made several other great stops and hope to make many more.  Enlightenment is always a becoming.  People ask me if I'm a Buddhist and my response is that I am, when I am practicing Buddhism. And, I can just tell that enlightenment, for me, will not be achieved in this lifetime. I have been on retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh on three or four occasions and today consider him my teacher.

Ozzy and I have been on the road now for a little over six months.  It really has been a great experience and I am looking forward to more.  Vehicle is running great, finances are good, we have visited many interesting places, done lots of interesting things. Ozzy has bloomed with this experience.  He is such a happy dog. Every new place we go to we find a dog park and he has become less and less of a loner, walking the fringes of the parks.  He has begun to run and play with other dogs, by himself run back and forth and in circles. Tail is always up and wagging. A smile on his face.  It brings tears to my eyes to watch him play.  How many of you remember what he was like when he first came into my life?

I saw some great music in Charleston.  Went to the Gogol Bordello concert I was thinking about and had the best time.  So much fun!  I had wanted to see them for the past couple of years but it was never really the right time or place.  The stars aligned for the show in Charleston, in the Music Farm, a great venue for the band and the band was even better than I had hoped.  Their videos don't do them justice.

I performed a house concert for Kathleen, Paul and Katie, a very nice teacher friend of Kathleen's, which was fun.

I left Charleston Thursday morning and spent the next day quietly in Hilton Head, SC.  Let me talk about food, a bit...A couple of years ago I began a new diet, eliminating meat, sugar, white flour and dairy, especially cheese, milk and ice cream from my diet.  I eat mostly whole grains, fruit and vegetables.  I have discovered over time that I just can't digest cheese and meat. But, I had cravings for emmenthaler cheese which I love and could never find in Plymouth, but found in Charleston and other places.  To make a long story short, I binged on it and suffered the consequences with a discomfitted gut.  This, as much as any other reason, forced me into a low-key day in Hilton Head.  I am now back on track with eating and foreseeing more pleasant feelings.

In Savannah today.  Would like to spend a couple of days here exploring.  Spent the night in Walmart parking lot.  Weather was not nice yesterday and went to see the movie, Still Alice.  Very moving!

So, where next after Savannah?  I always thought that New Orleans would be my next destination, but, looking at the map, it is a long way from Savannah to New Orleans with not a lot in between.  Thinking about going to Florida, maybe Daytona Beach, it's spring break time, and then maybe across to Tallahassee, Mobile and into New Orleans.  Never been to Daytona Beach for Spring Break.  I will, of course, keep you updated.

*********

I wrote all of the above yesterday, Saturday before a wonderful day of exploring Savannah.  Happened upon a Farmers' Market in Forsyth Park.  Waited in line 20 minutes for a cup of coffee at The Sentient Bean, happily waited, not so much for the coffee as for the ambience.  Spent most of the day in the park in the most dog friendly place I have ever been.  Zillions of dogs being walked.  I am told downtown businesses put out water bowls on the streets.  Walked Ozzy in the park on a leash which he usually doesn't like, but, he was very, very well behaved and got lots of compliments from others on his good behavior. Found out busking in the city requires a license which can only be gotten here on Wednesdays.  Don't know if I'll be here that long.  Though, maybe falling in love with Savannah?  Today off to the center market and maybe the River Street District.  Feeling great, good night sleep last night in Walmart parking lot next to a nice clean wooded mulched area.  All systems go...

Okay, Ozzy's visit to the vet went very well.  He was a good boy and the vet says that he is in perfect shape.

I have spent the past couple of days just walking around downtown Charleston.  I have been here many times and have always loved it here.  Would like to busk but the weather continues to frustrate my efforts to do so.  Went to see a couple of bands at the Palmetto Brewery with Kathleen and Paul.

Will go this morning to church with Kathleen.  We will be going to the Unitarian Universalist church in downtown Charleston.  It is the oldest UU church in the south originally built revolutionary war era.  Has a graveyard surrounding which is really interesting.  Hope I don't draw lightning bolts to the site.

Don't know how much longer I will be here.  Weather continues to be dismal.  Gogol Bordello is playing in town Tuesday night and I would really like to catch the show.  Don't know.  So, I will be here through Monday and maybe through Wednesday, then off to Savannah, Georgia.

That's all for today's post. (I did post mid-week, you may want to check out.)  I can smell the coffee...

The joke has become that wherever the arrow is pointing on the weather map, on the Weather Channel, to show where the inclimate weather is, it's really pointing at me.   In the past 3 months on the road I have not had more than half a dozen good weather days.  I know, nothing to complain about compared to relentless winter in New England, but, I am now in Mount Pleasant, SC, outside of Charleston where the past couple of days have been 21 degrees lower than normal and the whole stretch for February not 21 degrees lower, but, consistently lower.  Places that I have left become more and more weather difficult...Asheville, Chapel Hill, Lancaster.  I really want to walk around Charleston but it has just been too wet and chilly.  Just can't find the warmth I've been looking for.  It is all my fault, so, before you offer your hospitality to me, better think twice...

Am staying in Mount Pleasant in Kathleen and Paul's driveway in the van.  Warm enough for that.  Days are spent finding purpose with Paul and dog parking it with Ozzy.  Kathleen and Paul have a couple of dogs and all get along perfectly.  Ozzy goes to the vet today for heartworm prevention.  I don't think about that much in the north country, but, Kathleen says it's really important down here in the south.  I was wondering what unexpected expense would eat into my tax return, which I already received.

Kathleen has been following my blog and suggested I write about food.  So, I try the best I can while on the road to eat as healthily as possible.  Not easy, but, can be done.  What is even more difficult is finding affordable food.  But, here's my routine.  Breakfast these days I try to get from Harris Teeter...I have a VIC (Very Important Customer) Card which gets me discounts and Thursdays I get 5% off as a senior citizen discount.  So breakfast this morning was eggs, bacon and taters for $2.11.  Great for price and good wholesome choices for food...hot and fresh.  Lunch, I often get a salad at Trader Joe's.  A great selection of salads and cost under $5.00.  Whole Foods also offers a really great buffet at $8.99lb.  I can usually get a meal for from $5.00-$7.00.  Harris Teeter is the least expensive, but, is not as healthy as the other two. Whole Foods buffet offers lots of variety and healthy choices.  When driving I like to have a snacky kind of thing I can munch on and these days it's been Kashi Island Vanilla whole grain/multi-grain cereal and Trader Joe's Tropical Tendency dried fruit mix, mango, pineapple, coconut, orange.  I also try to have a jar of either grapefruit or peaches in juice.  I wash it all down with Poland Springs lime sparkling water.  I drink gallons of it.  The long and short is that I try to eat healthy and cheap which means very little dining out.  When I get to New Orleans that will change a bit as I will not be able to resist the spices and seafoods of the place.

Last night I went out with Paul and Kathleen to the Performing Arts Center in N. Charleston.  We saw a really good opening band, The Spirit Family Reunion...acoustic, guitar, banjo, bass, snare kit, dobro and washboard.  Very lively and musicians were having a great time.  They opened for the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks and nine other really fine musicians.  High energy, big sound, great vocals and lead breaks.  All played with each other really well and all were great players.

How can I forget to mention that I got all of my hair cut off...at Causey's Barber Shop in Mount Pleasant. Pictures of Facebook.

Not a great day for walking Charleston, so before Ozzy's vet appointment will be a laid back day...take him dog parking and try and find purpose with Paul.

My last post I ranted about the United States Postal Service.  Well, I gave them another chance the next day.  Thought to myself that maybe I was a bit short tempered and maybe I let them get to me and there was a reasonable solution rather than giving up my postal box.  So, I called the next day and was put on hold immediately for twenty-five more minutes!  Done with them!  But, lest we lose the irony of this particular situation...I do have to renew my passport.  You know what that means...

Back on the road.  Left Chapel Hill yesterday, Saturday.  Over to Wilmington, NC and down to Charleston, SC from where I am writing this entry.  In Mount Pleasant with my friends Kathleen and Paul.  Had a really great stay in Chapel Hill with Sam and Nadine.  We played a fun gig Friday night and I am very grateful for their hospitality.  I stayed in their music room for the week as it was very cold in Chapel Hill.  A very laid back week...me at my office, The Open Eye Cafe and Bakery and Ozzy at his office, The Homestead Park Dog Park. Today we went to the dog park in Isle Palms.

Tomorrow...get all of my hair cut off...

Beautiful temperature today in the mid 60's.  Walked on the sand at the ocean.

Think I'll keep it short.  Be well.  Keep warm and dry, especially to my New England friends who continue to experience an unrelenting winter.

After many years of renting a post office box in Plymouth, NH, I will be giving it up at the end of February.  It will not be a great hardship as most of my business and personal communications take place electronically.  But, I tried to renew my box rental today and after my experience with the United States Postal Service (USPS) today, I will never go back to supporting it ever again!!!  It is not hard to see why the USPS is suffering as it is...
First, I would like to say that the workers at the Plymouth PO have been helpful and conscientious over the years that I have rented there.  I hold no grudge, animosity or negative feelings toward them at all.
I tried to renew my rental on-line today and it was the most awful experience I have had in a long time. Just figuring out what to do on the website was confusing enough.)  I even did my taxes today on-line and that experience was positive in every way.  Went smoothly and my return is filed with a considerable amount of money coming my way.  About $75 more through the software than when I had calculated it myself.  So, the IRS better than the USPS?  Who would have thought...
So, I went on-line to renew my PO Box and filled out all information correctly.  I know I did.  So after I paid $39 for six months on my credit card, a note on the website comes up that I have to show up with two forms of ID to complete the process.  What?!  So I call Plymouth and instead of the website renewing my PO Box that I have had for many years, it rented a different numbered box.  So, Natalie at the Plymouth location gives me a telephone 800 number to call to straighten it out.  I was on hold for 50 minutes before I got to speak to a human being.  Told him, Tyrese, I remember the name because it's a character on Walking Dead, the situation.  He says I need to go to the post office in Plymouth.  I tell him I'm on the road, did the form on-line because I can't go to the Plymouth location. He says that he'll get back to me and without time for objection, after a maybe two minute conversation, puts me on hold where I listened to the same announcements as I had for the past 50 minutes before I spoke with him.  The announcements which detail how wonderful the USPS is.  Another 30 minutes on hold until I hung up,(total now of 80 minutes on hold), called the Plymouth PO and told them that if they could not fix my problem, I was stopping payment and ending my rental of the box.  Told Natalie that I had nothing against the Plymouth workers but would not support the USPS any longer if not resolved.  So, needless to say, I got no satisfaction through a very frustrating process and will no longer be using my PO Box after the end of February.
As I say, most of my communications are electronic and I don't need them...
I would like for the Postmaster General, whoever he or she is these days, to try and renew a post office box rental on-line and after figuring out how to do it, and then getting it messed up, through no fault of his/her own to try and fix the problem by calling USPS costumer service.
I can be reached j_moskow@plymouth.edu, mejyou@yahoo.com, on Facebook, or through this blog.
There, off my chest and deeper into the new millenium...

And, poof!!, just like that, back in Carboro/Chapel Hill, NC...[Cue the wavy screen, dream/flashback music as we return to Asheville, one week ago today.]
There I am busking on Pack Square, Asheville, NC...beautiful Sunday.  Sunny but brisk.  (Turns out it was the nicest day I was in Asheville.  It's been chilly, and although I would have liked to busk more, it was just too cold.)  Played for a couple of hours in an okay location.  Not the best as it was taken by a trumpet player who probably made more than I did.  I made $20.00 and moved on to lunch, which I had at Dobras Tea.  Have now spent time at Dobras Tea in Burlington, VT, Amherst, MA and now Asheville, NC.  Also, went to the French Broad River Park where there is a dog park.  Sunday, being the first real nice day in a while, every dog in the city was at the park.  Must have been 50 dogs in just the enclosed area.  It became too aggressive in there for me and Ozzy and didn't stay long.  A lot of owners not really in control of their dogs.  (Turned out though that most of the time there were only a few dogs there at a time and the French Broad River Park became a place we would go often to play in the dog park and for me to just chill and take a nap.)
Slept at the River location that night and the next day visited my new friend, Bethany at Rhetorical Factory who hired me to play a party she was having at the store on Friday.  $50 for an hour of music. I was concerned about playing my guitar on the street as lots could happen to it, so I went in search of an inexpensive guitar for busking.  Found and bought a NEW Epiphone DR 100 for $99.00!!  Looked it up on the internet and it received great reviews.  I kept looking for problems but really couldn't find any.  So, I bought it and it plays pretty well. (Played my first gig with it at The Rhetorical Factory party Friday night and it played just fine.)
But, I digress...so Tuesday I got in touch with an old friend of my brother who lives near Asheville.  Pete invited me to an Old Timey music round in Brevard, NC where I went and met him and listened to some pretty good players...banjos, fiddles, guitars, mandolins, bass...it was a lot of fun and then I went to Pete's house where Ozzy and I spent the night inside.  Pete and I had a really great time talking and playing music together.  He and my brother go back 50 years together and they used to play music which I was familiar with and we played a lot of those songs together.  I showered.
A bunch of low-key days Wednesday through Friday. (Public restrooms downtown for bathing and shaving.) Ozzy and I played at the park.  I walked through the River Arts District of Asheville where there are many studios and galleries open to the public.  Lots of really terrific work in all types of media.
Friday the gig at The Rhetorical Factory went well if not well attended.  Great feedback from those who were there about my playing.  Pleased.
So, I kept watching the weather and it looks like ugly rain/sleet/ice forecasted for Asheville area next couple of days.  I was going to stay longer, but, returned to Carboro today. I would like to give a shout out to Phil in Asheville who helped facilitate my lodging for my stay in Asheville.  Parked the van behind his studio in Woodfin, NC.  Last night I stayed in Bob Seven's Emerge-See-Art Ambulance which is also parked on the river behind Phil's Studio.  (The ambulance is amazing and you ought to check out pictures of it that I have posted on Facebook.)  There was heat in there and it was very gracious of Bob to let me and Ozzy stay there.  We have not met but Phil paved the way.
I would like to spend more time in Asheville when the weather is warmer.  More I want to do there...another fish taco at the Lucky Otter comes to mind.
[Back to the present.]
So back in Chapel Hill and naturally not here more than five minutes and the first place we stop?  Ozzy's dog park of course, where we saw a friend he had made when we were here the week before...
Sam, Nadine and I have a gig on Friday at Johnny's Gone Fishin' in Carboro.  After that, I am headed to Charleston, SC and hopefully the warm weather I have been looking for but have not yet found.

So, this is cool!  I'm sitting in my van, Pack Square, Asheville, North Carolina, "shitty" computer (as Craig, who gave it to me for free described it, which has worked just fine for the past 4 months), plugged into my power converter, using the City of Asheville Guest wifi, preparing in an hour or so to get onto the street to busk...this is cool!
A friend in New Hampshire, Sophie told me to look up her sister when I got here.  Went to her really nice shop, The Rhetorical Factory, a recycled clothing store, similar to Off The Hanger in Plymouth, in West Asheville, where I met her sister, Bethany and a friend, Phil.  Phil is allowing me to park nights behind his studio on Riverside Drive in Woodfin, NC, just about 5 miles from downtown Asheville.  Spent a restful night there last night and will be there for the week I stay here in Asheville.  Both Bethany and Phil are artists and the little time I have spent with them so far has been very nice.
The trip from Chapel Hill to Asheville was pretty uneventful, and I might even say pretty boring...not much really between the two places.  So far, I like Asheville alot.
I plan to be here for about a week and a half, busking and exploring.  After, I will return to Chapel Hill as I booked a gig at a place called Johnny's Gone Fishin' with Sam and Nadine.  Not sure of the date yet, will be either February 20 or 21.  Not sure after Chapel Hill.  I am kind of being drawn to Plymouth to take care of some business that needs attending to.  So, after Chapel Hill it will be either north to Plymouth or south to Charleston, SC to spend some time with Kathleen and Paul.
Ozzy is great...healthy and happy.  He likes the new bed I made him and all I do at night is say, "Go to bed," he goes, I get comfortable in mine and we are two peas in a pod.
Temperature is moderate, if not warm.  Today should be really nice in the mid 60's.  Looks like almost anything is better than what I left in NH.  I keep watching the weather and winter seems cold and relentless up there.  Glad to be out of it...
I posted a mid-week note here at the blog.  So, if you haven't read it, please do.

Ozzy and I have now been in the south for a few days.  We have been sleeping in the van in Sam and Nadine's driveway in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It's been really nice to catch up with the two of them.  As they are busy during the days I have been just exploring the Chapel Hill/Durham area.
Our first stop here was a dog park for Ozzy where we have returned on several occasions.
I had a southern breakfast yesterday at Elmo's Diner in Carboro, NC.  Biscuit and sausage gravy, eggs, home fries and turkey sausage.  Once of that is enough but as Sheriff Andy Taylor would say, it was m-M M-M g-o-o-OD.  It will be all salad, all the time for a while...
Sam and Nadine and I played at a place in Chapel Hill called the Cave.  A funky little place which had a "songwriter's song circle."  Close enough.  We had a lot of fun.
Today I went into Durham and drove through the campus of Duke which is really beautiful.  Then I went to the Nasher Museum where there is a Miro exhibit which was really good.  There were a bunch of 6-9 year old boys and girls there and as I have said before, any day spent with second graders is a good day.
Now at Pep Boys getting a transmission flush...just maintennace.  Pleased that it will cost about forty dollars less than quoted in Pennsylvania.  Yesterday I worked a bit on organizing and upgrading some systems inside the van...Ozzy's food and water station and the curtain system I use at night when I go to bed.
So, all is well.  I think I will be here for another couple of days and then head to Asheville.  It has been chilly there but looks to warm up a bit for the weekend.  Got out of New England just in time as I check the weather frequently and it has been bitter/frigid cold with no real end in sight.
Asheville in my sights....

Livingston, VA...7:30AM...30 degrees...50 degrees before the end of the day...out of my long johns and winter boots...into my cowboy boots...North Carolina in my sights...back onto smaller roads...gonna be a great day!

I left Plymouth, New Hampshire st 9:30 this morning in a minor snow storm.  Except for the fishtail into the left lane, back into the right, left again and then right concluding in a 180 facing in the opposite direction, on Routes 3/25 between Holderness and Meredith, NH, my trip so far has been fairly uneventful.  (The slipping and sliding was a pretty good adrenaline rush for one day.)  I went west into Vermont and then south through Massachuset into Connecticut.  I saw the last of the snowstorm around Hartland, VT.  I will be spending the night at a rest stop just south of Orange, CT.  I am tired and think I will try and make it to Newark, Delaware tomorrow and then to North Carolina.
This trip is different than the one which returned me to Plymouth for teaching this past January.  Today I took major interstates because I want to find warmth quickly.  Even here in CT it will be cold tonight and looks like Delaware will be colder than I would want it to be.  My last trip was nice and meandering on smaller roads without the mission to find much of anything but what would present itself.
It is time for me to find new adventures.  I am thankful for friends who helped along the way and will miss some deeply.  New friends and old.
I may return to Plymouth for graduation as there still are students in the system whom I would like to cheer as they walk across the platform.
Stay tuned the journey continues.

I missed my Sunday update.  No one should worry.  I have been 100% safe, warm, dry and sound.  Done living in my undisclosed location which was my office on campus where Ozzy and I lived for three weeks.  We had the air mattress, heat and a desk top computer with a monthly free trial of Netflix.  Watched Ken Burns' documentary on Jazz, which I HIGHLY recommend.  Just a terrific piece of work.
I reconfigured the inside of the van a bit and now Ozzy has his own full size bed...I swapped out my bureau for a chest with a flip up top.  I put it next to my bed with a couple of pillows and a blanket on top.  Ozzy now sleeps next to me on it.  No more bed hogging!
I had planned to leave New Hampshire on Sunday February 1 but have decided to leave Friday morning January 30.  I really need to find warmer weather and new adventures.  I had also planned to stop in Pennsylvania on my way south, but, now have also decided to keep going until probably Asheville, NC.  I need a change, big time.
I have money in the bank from working through January and with gas prices almost half what they were when I first started this journey, I am feeling in pretty good financial shape.
I will play at the open mic at the Common Man on Thursday night, sleep in the van (20 degrees) and then head out Friday morning.
I will keep you all updated...

Okay, this midweek post may turn into a rant...I have just finished submitting grades for my winter term class, a class which supports  my thinking that retirement from the classroom was a good decision...
I originally signed up to teach my class when I thought that I would probably be missing the classroom and it would be nice to go back for a three week term after a full summer and semester off.  I was missing the classroom and looked forward to getting back to it for the month of January.  After this January teaching experience I am turned off to ever going back to university teaching....
Allow me to begin with the good points.  I had 5 students in all, two who were really terrific.  They were interested, conscientious, engaged and attended all classes without absence.  Pleasures to have as students.
Now, here we go...
I had one student, to that student's benefit, contacted me before the course began to let me know that the student had a week commitment for another academic program and would miss that week of classes.  Could I accommodate this in some way?  I agreed, we discussed the accommodations, deadlines, work to be done, etc. So the student is gone for a week of a three week class and writes to me that the other experience is keeping the student busier than first thought, and so, can I accept the work on another deadline?  What can I say?  So the student returns and hands in work.  I then notice that night that it appears that the first assignment, due before departure, is not done.  I ask the student the next day and, "Oh, I didn't hand it in, I didn't finish it."  I think that if I am willing to accommodate, the student should certainly reciprocate with timely work and all work completed.
So, I have another student, with documented anxiety disorder and Asperger's Syndrome.  This student comes to class the first week and then contracts the flu and goes home for the whole second week of class.  I write to the student to drop the class, the student calls me, we work out a plan for the needed work.  (Remember, I have already allowed another student to make things up and know that I would be taken to task for treating students differently.)  So, the student returns to class and it is time to make a mask.  We make masks out of plaster-craft which is a gauze material impregnated with plaster.  You wet it and smooth it.  I don't know how many times I went over and modeled how the material should be smoothed.  Never got it!  Never got it either when I kept correcting and instructed how to hold the paint brush closer to the brush end and not at the other end.  At least, half a dozen times, I looked over, saw the student, unfocused, using the brush as I instructed him not to.  So, now I am teaching how to hold a paint brush to someone who doesn't have the focus to copy one simple instruction.
And, now, the real kicker!  I have a student who did not give me documentation as to a learning disability, but, who is clearly in need of modified instruction.  I could say so much about how it appears that this student has never been allowed to do or think for self.  It even appears that the student may have been emotionally and psychologically brutalized for ever trying to think for self.  I certainly think that this student has absolutely no idea what I talked about for three weeks.  Anyway, when the student is done painting the mask I ask the student to go clean the paint out of the Tupperware and brush.  Student goes to the sink and I look over in a bit, hear water running, but it doesn't seem like anything is getting done.  I look again in a bit and same thing.  So I walk over, water is running, Tupperware is on counter and this conversation ensues.  "J (not the student's real name), you need to just take the Tupperware, put it under the water and sponge it out." Student holds up a sponge and says, "The sponge is hard."  I take the sponge, "You need to put it under the water and it will soften up."  I am teaching a university student how to use a sponge!!!!!!!
I would like to say that I like all of the students and for the most part I really don't think it's their fault that they are the way they are.  But, why are these people here?  I feel badly, but, I no longer have the capacity for this and am done.  And no longer have the capacity for students who ask for accommodation and then don't show the level of commitment that should be returned.  I'm done!!!
The university is not for everyone!!!
I will post again on Sunday, as always.

Two more weeks...February 1 and we are on the road...we cannot wait!!!!

Night times have been bitterly cold the past week in Plymouth.  I have been inside and warm sleeping on my new air mattress which is comfortable.  I put a folded blanket beside the mattress where Ozzy sleeps, as, unfortunately, the mattress really isn't big enough for the two of us.  He dutifully lays on the blanket through the night and must be comfortable based on the snoring I hear coming from him. 
Yesterday, although chilly, was in the twenties and sunny.  Ozzy and I took a really nice walk on Squam Lake which is frozen.  We will probably walk on the lake again today.  I wish I could let him off leash as that would have been a perfect place for him to run, but, I just can't trust him to come back to me. I am looking forward to going places again where there are enclosed dog parks.
Today I have started preparing for a workshop I will be leading at the Pemi Youth Center starting this Thursday.  I volunteered my time there last spring for a mask-making workshop and really enjoyed myself.  For the next three weeks I will be going back to the Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays where I will lead a workshop on making "Flag Books."  It should be fun!  My group is likely to be 5th through 7th grade.  My first real teaching assignment many years ago was teaching middle school science.  That experience completely turned me off to middle schoolers.  God bless the middle school teacher who is a breed unto him/herself.  However, I really enjoyed my time last year at the Pemi Center and had my mind changed about middle schoolers.  Not sure I would want to be with them all day long, but, a small group for an hour or a bit longer is just fine.  Fun, really!
I have been ready to get back in the van and back on the road for a couple of weeks, but, still have three weeks until I leave.  My target date is February 1 and I will hit the road on that date.  I agreed to be a judge for the high school juried art show on the 29th for the Friends of the Arts, and a former student of mine is having an opening for her art show on the 31st.  Then I am gone!!
My course has been going well.  I have 5 students who seem to be enjoying the class and having some aha moments concerning mythology and identity.  We discussed the shootings in Paris as I brought up the point of the power of mythology, the narrative, and how the fundamentalists read the texts as prose and literal as opposed to poetry and metaphor.  This is a major problem.  There is so much attachment to the words as the teaching rather than understanding the words as temporal metaphoric guides on how to experience what the words are trying to explain.  The limitations of the words open all to misunderstanding.  What else explains how people can kill as they do in the name of Allah, Jesus Christ...?
Stay warm...

I'm not feeling very well today.  Waking up "off".  I have some medical conditions for which I take medication and just to simply describe my life medically, I have good days and I have bad days.  Today is a bad day.  Light headed, feeling achy and a bit feverish.  I have a condition called atrial fibrilation coupled with high blood pressure, for which I take medication daily.  Aspirin, lisiniprol, amlodipine, digoxin, and metreperol.  I'm actually amazed that I don't have more bad days and have as many good days as I do.  So, as I sit here this morning posting my Sunday update, in my long johns and t-shirt, it's not a good day...I will go out soon and find some food.  After eating I usually feel better.

Anyway, I have left my house-sitting experience and am now in a place that I am hesitant to make public because I don't really have permission to be here.  But, I am warm, dry and safe.  If I am found I only will be asked to leave without any major hassle.  The first night here I slept on the floor with my sleeping bag and blanket.  I did get some sleep, if not the most comfortable experience.  But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining and the adversity of the first night on the floor led me to find an item which will be helpful in the new location and when I return to the van.  I found an air mattress which is the same width as my bed in the van.

Peter and I built the bed to be 26" wide.  It was the best width for the van.  But, up until the other morning I could not find a mattress compatible with that width. Twins are 37" wide, fulls are 54" wide.  What I have been doing is finding egg carton foam full size mattress pads and folding them in half, 27" and using them on the bed.  Yesterday, after sleeping on the floor, I was bound and determined to find something better, and did.  I found a "slim twin" air mattress, 26" wide!!!  Made for cots.  I have a pump to fill it with air and I slept beautifully last night on it.  When I move back into the van it will fit perfectly on the bed.  I love it and so does Ozzy!

Tomorrow is the first day of my teaching for the winter term and I anticipate a good night's sleep.

Last night was a snow storm which has made all look beautiful outside.  I have not been out yet, but, now, off I go...