after having it suggested to me by friends, family and complete strangers, i've decided to make a very minimal blog of my thesis travels.
first of all, I'd like to say a tremendous Thankyou So Much to the families and friends who have so generously put me up/put up with me. without your support and hospitality, this project would be inconceivable.
because i'm starting this blog already almost 1/2way through my travels, this first post is gonna be a big one. but que sera sera; life is a game of catch-up.
after a long trek from chicago to connecticut and a few days with the Moynihan family, i arrived in Boston in early Feb and stayed with friends in the Fameless and Roxbury houses for a stint.
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| cameras, guitars and friends at the fameless house |
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| more :) |
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| brian feran lara v-ness and blair--"please kill me" |
i spent a few days in Columbia, Maryland with Bob and Jean, relaxing and soaking up the literary little city, then continued down the coast towards Raleigh, with a stop in Virginia to see Sue, Bobby, and Allison.
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| bob moon has a very good heart |
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| auntie sue and the twins |
next was North Carolina for a few days with the lovely, youth-full Larson family :) thanks again Eric for the tour of North Carolina state, the James Joyce, and the inspirational window into the home, art, and life of late poet, author and Duke professor Reynolds Price.
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| liam (who was chewing on a marker) meg, and stella |
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| eric&marion, the kids and the dingo-pup |
in South Carolina, the climate warmed, creating a stark contrast with my near-uninhabitable midwestern and northern homeland. i felt a little guilty sending updates back. it was stunningly beautiful. thanks again to Connor&Rebecca Callaway and Ralph&Gayle Drigger. (gayle- I did end up detouring through mcClellanville, and it was everything you described.)
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| at the park with the family |
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| cigars and open air on ralph's 38' cruiser |
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| my 6'5, very jacked pro-fisherman cousin |
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| good southern dinner, family, and hospitality |
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| ralph staying busy |
Connor gave me a haircut. thanks connor.
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| old hair |
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| "bro-hawk" |
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| new hair |
armed with Connor's leather jacket and haircut, i drove south to Orlando where i met Alexandra, her pug, and she introduced me to two members of a favorite revolutionary hip-hop group, the
Solillaquists of Sound.
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| Lilo the pug |
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| alexandra |
i found my way to Tampa Bay where i stayed with Sandy and Jack for a few days, every afternoon making the same toast: "To another day in Paradise!" it was lovely, relaxing, and i miss it (and them) already. highlights included a day on clearwater beach, a tour of Sand Key, delicious beers, and a visit to the Salvador Dali museum (which was absolutely wild).
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| jack staying busy |
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| clearwater beach |
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| with sandy at the Dali museum |
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| Salvi Dali - what a guy |
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| the gulf |
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| life imitating art? |
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traffic jam in paradise!
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| sundown |
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all too soon, it was time to put Florida in the rearview and head back north. there was a huge thunder storm and 6 tornadoes between me and Nashville, but after 12 careful hours, i made it just fine.
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| stormy roads |
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| passing through Atlanta |
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| Gnashville at night |
downtown Nashville (during the day) was really something--dozens of great small bars and hole-in-the-wall music venues lining Broadway street--huge, epic pieces of architecture everywhere--and fragile, downbeat musicians strumming for a buck on every corner. call me a cowboy, but i loved it.
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| hard rock nashville |
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| rain-swollen cumberland river |
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| afternoon at Tootsies : |
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| venue of Legends and ultra-fast bartenders |
and here's me uploading these photos over erratic wifi, enjoying a delicious, cheap, smoker-friendly hotel room, and preparing to go out for a night of live music at the local bars.
again, Thankyou So Much to everyone who has hosted me thus far. it's been a real treat to share a little life and trade a few stories. hopefully i'll see you all soon :)
keep well, cheers,
elliot
