Much Brotherly Love

Back to our wonderful homeland. It was Wintertime 2009 not so long ago. We left Walden and traveled through Montpelier (so Amy could get one more day of babysitting in) and headed southbound with a full car and a full tank of veggie oil. The plan was to make it back in time for Robert’s annual Grinch Party, and we did just that (sans a sleepy Amy). This is also where I begin my unintended journey to gain an upwards of 10 lbs…

FEVER, FEVER, FUN!

The temperatures are cooling, and we have tried to imagine what it will be like when these great outdoors become less friendly and less like an addition to our cabin. See, we have no bathroom or plumbing (our running water has frozen) and we are used to going “#1” amongst the trees and “#2” up the path in the outhouse or at the house. So far, we have still been able to find comfort in the chilled air, but we are anticipating the changes.

BALLS!

While visiting with Dorothy and Jay, we make and share lots of great vegetarian meals together. We have given a lot of business to Montpelier’s well stocked co-op, Hunger Mountain. At least once a day one of us is paying a visit to stock up on supplies and ingredients for the many dishes we have made. A few favorites have been Steak (seitan) and Salad, Indian Night, Tofu Scramble, Tempeh Reubens (made with Jay’s home made rye bread), and Falafel (from scratch)!

The Big Push

We left Chicago early. Our plan was to drive 950+ miles to Montpelier in two days (probably the most driving we have done between destinations). We left at the perfect time, missed Chicago morning traffic, and by the evening rush we had already passed through Cleveland, OH. Driving a little further thru Pennsylvania in the north-west town of Erie, we made our way into New York and spent the night in a motel. We cooked dinner in the room, watched some tube and fell asleep. We got another early start in the morning and made our way across the state.

Chicago (Burbs)

After awaking and saying our good-byes in Minneapolis, we got an oil change and drove to Chicago. Our actual destination was Bolingbrook, Illinois, which is a suburb, located 45 minutes outside of Chi-Town. Our drive took us all day. We passed through Madision, WI,

Minneapolis

After awaking and briefly searching for grease with no luck, we set out for Minneapolis. We spent a few hours driving straight there, arriving at Pete and Barbra’s in the afternoon. We have been to Minneapolis on several occasions since Amy has a few relatives living in and around the Twin Cities. Pete is Amy’s uncle and we were to stay with him and his lovely wife Barbara for the next 2 days.

Missoula, MT

We arrived in Missoula, MT after Beth, who we stayed with in Gainesville, FL, had spoke of it with a big smile as the place she’d like to live someday. She was pretty awesome, so we figured it would be a good place to check out. After finding a no frills motel in town, we booked a room for the night- then decided to stay for two nights, and then realized we should probably stay for July 4th, too.

Eugene, Oregon

Totally last minute, we wrote to couchsurfers in Eugene, OR the day we were leaving Melissa’s. On our way there, we received a phone call from one of the couchsurfers girlfriend saying his place was full, but she could host us still. We got there late, which she had generously said would be fine with her, and met up at her place. We hung out chatting for a bit with Holly and Richey, and they were rad.

San Francisco – MewithoutYou

This wouldn’t be our first time seeing MewithoutYou perform, and this definitely wouldn’t be our first time seeing them play at a venue so far from our home (we once crossed paths and saw them play in Munich, Germany, and another time by luck in Omaha, NE). The deal is that MWY tour a lot, and when we travel, coincidentally, we happen to be in or near the same cities. It just so happened that the band has been touring to support their newest album, “It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All A Dream! It’s Alright” (which is awesome), and we were both heading into California around the same time. We have been friends with these guys since our high school days, and have been so happy for all of their success with the band over the past few years. Aaron and the band have also been somewhat of the inspiration for us to travel using WVO (waste vegetable oil) as they do the same in their tour bus.

Tucson, Arizona

Pulling into the driveway, we were so glad to have finally arrived for a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Bridges! They greeted us with great big hugs, and we settled in for a week at their place. During our stay, they took such good care of us and shared lots of stories and tales that kept us entertained the entire time. It was great to get to know them better, to learn about such interesting and exciting experiences they’ve had, and to see their faces light up as they brought up old and memories. The two have a great passion for life, and they never cease to inspire and move people around them with their kind and generous ways, laughter and good senses of humor, and with the never ending love and respect they have for one another.