I camped the past two nights alongside a couple I suspect have never camped before, nor perhaps ever seen a forest. For two days they delivered noun, verb and adjective forms of the F-bomb in their authentic, nasally East Coast style. I’m guessing it left quite an impression of ‘the great outdoors’ on their (yet walking) toddler, who elicited several “stop F’ing crying!” pleas of his own. That notwithstanding, per the photo the campground was ‘lovely, dark and deep.’

“Make myself a bed, by the waterside…” (Brokedown Palace)

Somewhere along the New York parkway system.

“Lost now on the country miles in his Cadillac” (Cassidy)

For the past weeks I’ve been humming a song to my self that gave me this idea while stopping for gas. Wouldn’t you know, we got it in the first set of the first night- perfect.

“Found this card, by the side of the road. Jack of diamonds, battered and old…” (Big Bad Blues)

More sights from the van window- hippie chick at the Jones Beach show dancing with her hula hoop. These ladies do not hula hoop per se, they just dance like everyone else at a dead show, but while they are dancing, they keep a hula hoop suspended, apparently effortlessly. Click this link to watch the full video.

“…She can dance a Cajun rythm, Jump like a Willys in 4 wheel drive…” (Sugar Magnolia)

From the moving van window (55 mph) crossing the Bridge to Long Island

“Don’t tell me this town ain’t got no heart, when I can hear it beat out loud…” (Shakedown Street)

. …leaving home 6 hours later than intended left me feeling behind, which affected my driving- I was pulled over in Ohio by a real redneck trooper- marine looking fella with a serious neck and a disdain for me and my out of state plates.

“…But the heat came ’round and busted me, For smilin’ on a cloudy day…” (The Other One)

Seen at the same rest stop/chicken ranch

“…Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right…” (Scarlet Begonias)

Woke up from my first nap to find these things sharing the rest stop with me

“Back to back, chicken shack…” (US Blues)

Road home and Plan B for poor camping weather

“Catch a few winks, under the bed- and then you head back to Tennessee, Jed” (Tennessee Jed)

This blog is temporal- created to track a 2 week journey I’m taking to see some concerts. Most of the content will be pictures, and if I can think of enough, the captions will be lyrics of tunes I’m hearing on the road. To kick things off here’s one that is fitting at the start of a journey:

“Wildflower seed in the sand and wind, may the four winds blow you home again.” (Franklin’s Tower)