Fenway and #2
Chelmsford, MA 1:55 PM Another beautiful day here in Massachusetts. I am getting ready to head out on 95 to the train station. I’ll take that in to Fenway Park where I hope to secure a ticket for tonight’s 7:00 baseball game against Detroit. I don’t have a ticket, but was told they open some sales up before the game starts. If that doesn’t work, I’ll have to beg. I’ll be back with the results… 12:02 AM I took the green line in from Riverside to Fenway. I ran a little later than I planned, but for once it was someone else’s fault. I had to purchase...
Read MoreTurkey
Boston/Chelmsford, MA 6:13 PM I was a tourist again today. My Uncle Bill has been a great tour guide, taking me to places, coming in at times, and sitting in the car with the paper at times. Today we hit Boston. Time is short, so I will recap where we went. We started with the JFK Library. Then we headed to the U.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides). This is a Navy ship from the 1800′s. From there we headed to the site of the Boston Massacre. He let me off because parking is ridiculous ($27). He drove around as I walked around. It was weird because I was in the middle of downtown Boston, but...
Read MoreIt all started here…
Lexington & Concord, MA 7:01 PM Another busy day in the life. It started off with waking up from a sound sleep in a bed. The clock in the room I was in was an hour slow. I didn’t realize it until this morning. I woke up at what is late for me, 8 AM. It turned out it was 9:15. It felt good to sleep and have no plan. I tied up a few loose ends by calling my car loan company, their address was wrong, how about that? And then Compaq wanted their faulty hard drive back. I explained, from my bed (as I made the car call from as well), that I had old info still on there and I wanted to keep it....
Read MoreMaine Update 1 – Saturday
Bar Harbor via Biddeford, ME 8:44 AM I’m back at Maureen’s place. I’m alone. Everyone has left to go back to the real world. Maureen is at class. She’s back on task and focus. Sean and Mike left a few minutes ago to make the 8 hour drive back to Rochester. Here I am, the sun shining, the beach beckoning from her window. I’ll type, pack, hit the beach, and then head to my aunt and uncle’s outside of Boston. I left off sitting in the Opera House, waiting to see what the rain would do. I will tell you it didn’t do much, other than rain. On Saturday, from 7 AM to 11 PM, it rained....
Read MoreMaine Update 2 – Sunday
Bar Harbor via Biddeford, ME 11:12 AM The day started much better than the last one. We woke up to the shining sun. We woke up earlier than planned as an alarm in the hostel was going off. Mike was first up and around at 6 AM. He showered, then I did, then Maureen, and then Sean. We were amped to do all that was teased with yesterday. Acadia was the spot and we did what we could to get there. The first thing we did was go out to the cars and see how wet everything was. Luckily, the stuff that was wet did not seep over/soak everything else. That is still TBD once I get everything out of...
Read MoreWalden Pond
Walden Pond, MA 11:52 PM I rose from the floor at Maureen’s today, said my goodbye to my new friends, typed out the Maine entries, and packed my car. It was another amazing day, with no clouds, and a slight breeze off of the water. Before I could leave Maine I had to officially say goodbye. I got out a towel, my chair, and my notebook and walked the ¼ mile to the public beach access. I walked out to see some families sitting and a lot of kids running around in Biddeford Pool. I made my way to some open space, took off my sandals, got out my spread, and went down to put my feet in the...
Read MoreAnother state
Biddeford, ME 5:04 PM I left the comforts of the water, family, and the sailboat and am now in Biddeford, ME, which is 20 miles south of Portland. Plans changed slightly. I met Sean and Mike here today. We’re headed to Acadia tomorrow to camp. Sean has a friend, Maureen, who we are staying with. She is a med student at Univ. of New England. As I lean to my right I can see Saco Bay, which leads to the ocean. It’s a weird thing how the tides work here. Earlier we were on the beach. There is an island straight ahead that in a few hours will not be an island. The water rises and falls...
Read MoreDestiny
Salem Sound – Beverly, MA 10:15 AM I am typing form the library of the Jubilee Yacht Club. This is the place my Aunt and Uncle keep their 38 foot sailboat, Destiny. As I type I can feel the boat rocking back and forth on the water. This is cool except I am not on the water. I got here late Sunday afternoon. It’s been gray and raining off and on. Lucky for us it’s been dry in the day and wet at night. It makes for good sleeping when you’re on a boat and you can hear the rain hitting you from above. We got in Sunday and made ourselves comfortable in the new surroundings. Sean and I,...
Read MoreBuzzed on the boat
Destiny 7:19 PM I知 sitting on the deck of Destiny. The setting sun is reflecting off of the water. It hits me in the face as it passes by the US flag. Uncle Bill just left to go to the yacht club meeting. He is the purser/financial guy. Aunt Mary and Sean are at the movies. I am alone! Unless you count Toto, their dog. He痴 sleeping at my feet. We finally had a beautiful day. It痴 been a while since I致e seen the sun. We went ashore to shower. Then it was off to lunch at another club. I had a good chicken sandwich. They had chicken salad that looked pretty good. Sean had pizza. We then...
Read MoreWeekend
Chelmsford, MA 10:25 AM I am sitting at the dining room table of my Uncle Bill and Aunt Mary’s condo in Chelmsford (north of Boston), MA. It’s a rainy Sunday as Charley has made his way up to town. He’s not hitting like he did in Florida but I still wish he’d get out of here. I was supposed to be in Martha’s Vineyard this weekend. I pushed it back because of the expected rain. I may push it back again because its %80 chance today and tomorrow. You don’t want to be at Martha’s Vineyard in the rain. I may go with UB & AM to their sail boat in Boston Harbor. But, it’s...
Read MoreKinko’s
Princeton, NJ 11:30 AM After an exhausting two and half days in NYC, I’m back near Princeton typing at the Kinko’s. They want to charge .15 per minute here for the Internet. A little steep in my eyes. But here I am, feeling proud of my time in the Big Apple. I will admit I was drained physically and mentally from my time there, and went to bed near 10 last night. There is so much to do and see and I tried to do it all. I think all tourists are intimidated by going to the city. I had been there a couple of times but I had always had a tour guide. This time I was on my own. Joe showed me...
Read MoreCatch Up
NYC 12:27 PM I am in the public librbay on 79th. I’m in NYC. My time is short as they only allow 15 minute internet intervals. My CPU is pretty much fixed. I was at Comp USA from 9:30 AM until 6:15 PM on Saturday. Doug and Steve took care of me. I satyed in the back and they helped me when they could. WE had to install a new hard drive. not something you ever want to do. I got back, packed a bag and headed to the North Jersey shore with Ginny and Michael. Their entire family goes there pretty muvh every weekend. In a two bedroom house there were the 3 of us, Nana and Pop Pop, Walt,...
Read MoreAlbert
Princeton, NJ 5:47 PM Another busy day in Jersey. I woke up after a great nights sleep and did some emails. My email system is delayed because it is now all web based. I had an interview at 10:45 and made the five minute drive. I was greeted by a mean sounding dog, Wallace. He turned out to be a baby. He wanted to be petted the whole time I was there. I think he was a chocoalte lab. Very cool. I was interiewing an OR Nurse, Janice. She had some great insight into the field and some interesting stories to tell. She’s the kind of person that likes fast paced action. An operating room is...
Read MoreComp USA
South Brunswick, NJ 7:15 PM It’s been a busy day. I made the 5 and a half hour drive to near Princeton, NJ. I got on the road 30 minutes later than targeted, at 8:30. I hit the Thurway and followed Bryan’s page and a half of detailed directions to the T. They were perfect, as I never got lost and saw all of the gas stations and hot dog stands he used as landmarks. Way better than Mapquest. I am at Bryan’s house, the house he was born and raised in. I am staying in his room which is still the same as when he left for college. The hockey picutres, the trophies, and the hockey...
Read MoreHome
Rochester, NY 12:45 PM Days at home are supposed to be relaxing. Today I’ve been working on renewing my health insurance. My hard drive is crashing so I’ve been on the phone with CompUSA and Compaq dealing with that. A new one should be arriving tomorrow and then I have to have the files transferred. It would be bad if my drive crashes. Then, I’ve been setting up my itinerary for Thursday and beyond. I’ll be in central New Jersey, Atlantic City, NYC, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston, and Acadia National Park in Maine. A travel agents job is not easy. Setting up...
Read MoreO.A.R.
Rochester, NY 12:05 PM It might be the best day of the summer here in Rochester. It’s supposed to get up to 82. I can’t see a cloud from where I sit, which is on the deck of my parent’s place. The beach is in front of me and there are some kids on both sides of the house, in the water and playing in the sand. I am getting back to reality after a longer than planned on weekend. Yesterday was a memorable one. It was a day like this one, except it was quite breezy. It was a perfect night for a concert and that is where we went. I had driven home on Friday because O.A.R. was playing last...
Read MoreFairfax County Fire and Rescue
Alexandria, VA I left off in the fire station. It was about 9 PM, I think. Here is how I got there: I arrived for my interview at about 3 PM. I was to meet Joe Merritt at the fire house. He is a guy I know from my time in Memphis. He and my sister in law are great friends. He and I had a great night, the night before my brothers wedding, in Memphis. Joe, myself, Caytie, Bryan, and two girlfriends of Seasons hit the town. It was one of those nights where you don’t care whose looking at you. For me, at that time in my life, it was a rarity. I was a dancing, drinking, cigarette smoking...
Read MoreFairfax County Fire Staion 11
Alexandria, VA 9:08 PM I am sitting in the call room of the Fairfax County Fire House Station 11 in Alexandria, VA. Fairfax County Fire Department is known as one of the tops in the business. I’m spending the night here and riding along with Joe Merritt in the medic unit. We’ve had one call so far. The shift will run until 7 AM. I have a bunk. I had dinner with the other guys. I think there was 10 of us. This is incredible. More to come…
Read MoreTraffic
Baltimore, MD 5:45 PM In front of me stood the Mall. Behind me was the Washington Monument. Huge buildings all around me. Presidents, Senators, the people that run our country, are all in the vicinity. I am in DC. I just got off of the Metro after my interview in Bethesda. I came from the Center and Cancer for Blood Disorders. This was an interesting place. They are testing drugs on all sorts of diseases. These drugs are in testing and not yet FDA approved. I may have interviewed a person that will help find the cure for cancer or another great discovery. It was interesting and important for...
Read MoreCamden
Baltimore, MD 9:51 AM It’s a rainy day in Baltimore. I pulled into town at about 4:00 yesterday. In Philly, I finished off my laundry, had a bit of lunch, did some bills and emails and hit the road. It’s a 2 hour drive. It was nothing spectacular, other than more tolls, a lot of congestion, and me staring at a scrap paper trying to figure out where to go. As I came in on I95 South, the harbor appeared. I got off at the Boston St. exit and proceeded towards john’s apartment. He is a friend of the family’s. We’ve known each other maybe since we were born. I pulled into town, the water...
Read MoreCheese Steak
Philadelphia, PA 10:05 AM I am on the outskirts of the city of Brotherly Love. I’m near Villanova University at my friend Ted’s apartment. He is off to work. I have some clothes in the dryer and will be taking off to Baltimore at some point. I’ll be there for a few days as I have interviews and I’d like to see DC. Philly has been a good, mellow place. My brain was on overload after Gettysburg and Harrisburg. This was good to clear the head a bit. On Friday Ted, his girlfriend Stef, and I went out to a bar they like. We had a couple and were home by midnight. Saturday was lazy and then...
Read MoreHarrisburg
Philadelphia, PA 1:31 PM I woke up at 6:15 to get ready for the golf tournament. Outside the windows radiated the sound of heavy rain. It was the sound that puts you back to sleep when you hear it. I got up, hit the shower, and put on my golf gear. The rain continued. Dale and I looked at the radar and it didn’t look too bad. We made the dash to the car. Dale is more of a morning person than I am se he did most of the talking. We got to the golf course at about 7:20. The tournament was not until 8, but there weren’t too many cars. We got out, shook some hands, and were told the course was...
Read MoreDeep Stuff
Harrisburg, PA 10:54 PM I am down in the basement again. This time it is the basement of an old church that has been converted into a house. I’m in Harrisburg, PA at another cousin’s house. I didn’t realize how big my extended family is. My dad’s side is much bigger than my mom’s. I am at his cousin Suzy’s. Her husband Dale and I are playing in a golf tournament tomorrow that is a fund raiser for a high school football team. I’ve learned high school sports are huge in Pennsylvania. All of the championship games, no matter what sport, are on TV. That would be fun for the...
Read MoreGettysburg 1
Gettysburg, PA 11:17 PM When a day starts off with you going to a place where more than 50,000 American’s were killed or wounded, it starts pretty deep. After a mean breakfast, Arden and I ventured out for my tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Arden is a man that knows a lot about a lot. We went to the information center, I picked up two brochures for a driving tour, and off we went. I was armed with my camera and my ears as Arden explained details. The tour would have been great with these two things, but when you add the fact the Gettysburg has been preserved as closely as possible to...
Read MoreGettysburg 2
Gettysburg, PA The Civil War was more than just battles. From what I understand, it was the first time our country had been tested in regards to rights of a state. Lincoln came in and said slaves are free. The Union told Lincoln that they were not free and that they wanted to succeed from the Union. It was on from there. This was a battle about rights of slaves, but also about rights of states. What would have happened if the Union lost? Would our country be the same way it is now? Would it be better as some of my friends down south seem to believe? I don’t know. Arden told me about the...
Read MorePA
Gettysburg, PA 11:52 PM I am downstairs in the basement of my father’s cousin, Arden, in Gettysburg, PA. He and his wife Patty have taken me in for a couple of days. I left Uniontown this morning at 11:30 and drove the 3 hours to get here. This was the most diverse drive to date in terms of geography. I left coal country and rose and fell in elevation right off the bat. My Hyundai had not been tested like this yet. The rise through the mountains revved the engine and the descent tested my brakes and handling. I am no car tester, so all’s I’ll say is that I made it without a hitch. I was...
Read MoreDemocrat and Chronicle Article
Rochester, NY From 7/18/04 On the road, a ’seeker’ finds fulfillment and meaning MARK HARE This may be a first. I was interviewed the other day by Andrew Harrison, a “seeker,” for a book he may write. But his life is more interesting than mine, so I interviewed him at the same time. Andrew, 29, is a Greece native, but most recently a resident of Charlotte, N.C., where he sold security services to businesses. By conventional standards it was a pretty good job. “A lot of friends would tell me they’d love to have my job,” he says. He worked from home, could sleep in...
Read MoreMothman
Uniontown, PA 7:17 PM I’m at the library in Uniontown, PA. It took me about 30 minutes to find it once I got into downtown. I went into CVS after being on the phone with Kinko’s. The fools told me they were fifteen minutes form Uniontown. It’s 45 and when I talked with them they could have pointed me a totally different way and I would be sitting there now. Instead, I am here. I had a scheduling dilemma today as I crossed into Pennsylvania. To the north was Pittsburgh. To the south was Uniontown. Pitt was a place I wanted to check out. I had heard it’s beautiful with the three rivers....
Read MoreThe Worlds Largest
Columbus, OH It’s 8:15 AM. Bailey and Chaz, the dogs, are battling. They’ve been playing like it’s their last day ever since I’ve been here. Bailey, a chocolate lab, is Steve’s and Chaz, a boxer, is Shaun and Chris’. I woke up at about 7 this morning as they were getting Kendall around to go the sitters. After hanging around during the morning yesterday, Steve and I went to meet a friend of his from his old job for lunch. Carol and her family were about 30 minutes away and we were about 30 minutes late. It took a while for us to get around. There were 6 of them and Steve and I....
Read MoreBack at it
Columbus, OH 9:25 AM I’m out on the porch in Columbus, OH with Steve (from Charlotte) and his friend’s Shaun and Chris and their baby Kendall. Their house is on the outskirts of Columbus. I slept on a pull out couch. It’s funny how I’ve been at my parent’s house for the last few weeks and today I woke up and felt more relaxed than I have in a few weeks. I must have been running myself ragged at home. How can I be more relaxed at a stranger’s house? I woke up early yesterday to finish packing and get ready for the drive. It had been a while since I’d been anywhere. My packing...
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