Amish Country in Ohio

Took this video while traveling north from Mount Eaton Ohio on Route 92 through an area with a large Amish population.

Nick's Bar

Nick's Bar in Worcester is a gem. http://www.myspace.com/nicksworcester

Rory's Restaurant and Pub

Discovered Rory's in Darien Ct. It was a really nice place with great food and friendly folks.

I was in Don's Bar in Jacksonville, Illinois and observed the crab races there.

Cape Girardeau, Missouri

Here are the floodgates along the Mississippi River looking into the town.

Jim

Last night I was in a bar in Clearfield Pa.http://history.rays-place.com/pa/clear-b-clearfield.htm and met Jim, a man with a story. He had it tough. He was in Viet Nam in 1967 for 2 years and survivied. He did the hippie thing and hitched around the country for some years and then he sponsered a Vietnamese family to relocate over here because the father had been executed during the war as he was an officer in the south. He married the daughter and they lived in California together for 22 years until she died of a heart attack in 1997. That took a toll in him mentally and Jim suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and he's bi-polar. He also lost his lower left leg about 10 years ago due to an infection. We had a great comversation together and I had to assist him to his home as he could not walk too well. He was a very soft spoken and kind fellow and I was glad I got to meet him.

Had to wait 6 hrs to get loaded at a paper mill in Big Island, Virginia.

Last night I discovered the Lake Church Inn in the little town of Lake Church Wisconsin which lies next to Lake Michigan. The food was great and the people there were enjoyable and friendly. All Wisconsin towns have a bar or pub that functions as a social meeting place similar to the British pub. Above is an old photo of the pub and inn. One thing I had to try in Wisconsin was a drink called "An Old Fashion". It's something that every Wisconsinite has an opinion about. They make it with whisky or brandy and it can be sweet or sour.

Today I had a nice walk into the town of Danville Virginia. It's struggling as it's lost it's tobacco industry and it's textile mill. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danville,_Virginia

I was in Homestead Pa. this week and parked my truck behind these stacks that are left as a monument to the Carnegie steel mills that were once there. The whole area where the mill once was has been transformed into a shopping area. What was once production has become consumption. People I spoke with said that the air quality during the mills heyday was very bad. Here is a link for more about the history of Homestead. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homestead,_Pennsylvania

Went to the Church Brewworks in Pittsburgh, very unique. http://www.churchbrew.com/

I'm sitting here in Pittsburgh at a cigar bar having a root beer. Soon I will have lunch at the Primanti Brothers Bar where they make a special sandwich with cole slaw and french fries in it. It's a specialty for Pittsburgh like the Italian Sandwich is for Portland. http://www.myspace.com/primantibrothers It's raining cats and dogs but I think the sun will be out soon. I wish I had my camera but alas it's in Sweden!

Hurry Up and Wait

I'm sitting here in Philadelphia waiting to be unloaded. It's going to be a beautiful day and I'm looking forward to getting home tomorrow. Spring has spring and it's supposed to get into the 70's over the weekend. Hurray for the end of Winter !!

Back on the Road

Tonight I leave again for New Jersey to deliver in the morning. It's always hard to leave home but at least I'll only be out 6 days. Susanne is cooking a chicken dish that she had with the boys in New York last weekend. Hopefully there will be some leftovers I can take with me.

Went to see "In a Dream" this afternoon in New York. I cried a bit. I found it hit close to home in my own relationship with Susanne over the years. A wonderful and very intimate film of breaking apart and coming together. Galaxies colliding, ever changing through time. http://www.inadreammovie.com/

Joel and Zoe have left, flying over the pond back to England. I wish my son was not so far away but such is life. Today is the reception for Leo's mentor exhibit at SVA. I'm very much looking forward to seeing his and the other students work. It's back on the road tomorrow to parts unknown and I look forward to being home this coming weekend.

This blog is a work in progress. I hope to communicate some of the experiences and stories I gather as I'm traveling about transporting the things that we as a society consume.