It's the Journey That Counts

After seeing more Judgment Day billboards than I care to recount, I have arrived here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The last few weeks of puttering across the United States has been cleansing and revitalizing. It is amazing how distance from what you once knew as your life can clarify the mind and restore creative drive.

So, here come the photos, which always have a way of telling what words cannot, though I will try as I go along posting to share tidbits and stories to accompany the photos.

Cincinnati, OH was my first stop, where I was hosted by the lovely Katie and her crew of dogs (here are 2 of the 3).


She introduced me to a local Cincinnati favorite food, not pictured, which was a sweet cocoa/chili type dish atop noodles. It was delicious.
From Cincinnati, I went to Kansas City, MO, where I reconnected with friends, Angel and Nate, and Jim and Amy. Seeing these old friends was great, but I didn't take many photos there (sorry KC! too much wine).

Next, I drove to the middle of nowhere, Kansas, which was right between KC and New Mexico. There, I had my first experience on Couchsurfer.org, an online network of folks who host travelers for a night or two. My host was Laia, who was fabulous. She made her own bread and pizza for us, and I learned a bit about Spain and her experience thus far being here and teaching Americans Spanish. Here we are, after trying to go to the local bar at 8pm, which was closed because there was a softball game and the owners went to the game, which Laia knew was the case, because everyone knew everyone, and everyone waved at each other driving past.

After a slow, easy morning at Laia's, I moved on to New Mexico, where I fell in love. With red clay. And the earth, like never before. So, my favorite photos are coming, next post. For now, here are some I took on the way to NM, and these are still Kansas.


Music at this point included Talking Heads; a mix by my last roommate, Katelyn (and this amazing song by CocoRosie!); and a few mixes made by Brooke which included songs by Leonard Cohen, Bonnie Prince Billy, Prince (STARFISH AND COFFEE!), and more. My CD mixes by friends kept me very happy throughout the drive. NM is coming!