Owner: The Hometown Invasion Tour URL:http://www.hometowninvasion.com/blog.php Join Date: Thu, 31 May 2007 20:02:06 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: For one year Justin Sailor is headed to 50 states staying with host families he has never met, taking the ultimate US road trip. Along the way he is blogging and photographing his experience. Site statistics:Click here
In the V-A 2007-06-04 16:19:29 Virginia! Its not entirely wanted for my Virginia experience, but you never know, there may be more Virginia on my way back down from Maine. What happened is I was planning to knock out West Virginia first while near the southern end of the state. When that fell through last minute I had to go with whatever connections I had, and after a few missed connections I found myself going all the way through Virginia to the northern end outside of D.C. So I missed a lot of the state and it may be underrepsented, but one area was represented quite well compared to some stops.
For two nights I found myself in Alexandria where most of my time was playing ketchup and mustard, sending mail, cleaning my car, buying some new socks and undies, and all that fun stuff. All that stuff has to be done from time to time and it can take up a big portion of time. But when it comes to the best of list that Im working on for the trip I found the best Irish pub so far, Murphys in old town Alexan
My Way by Frank Sinatra 2007-06-13 07:32:04 Of all the CDs people have given me to listen to on the road there is one song from my friend Jen H. that has become of my favorites. This was a big dream and so many of the words in this song hit the spot such as: "Tnd is near" (of my trip) and of coruse "I've traveled each and every highway; and more, much more than this, I did it my way." It couldn't be truer than that. I took my dream and did it my way. Graduated from college and did it my way.
================
My Way by FrankSinatra
And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.
Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.
I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Yes, there were Read more:Frank Sinatra
Orange You Gladys... 2007-06-12 13:00:07 a beautiful day!
What an evening last night. Jeanie, her friend John, and myself loaded up and headed to Cape Henlopen State Park. Of course on the way there Jeanie didnt let me get by without an interview on video. Shell be adding it to her video collection of different artists and so forth. So John asked the questions while I gave the synopsis of my trip. So we arrived at the park, headed up the tower, then back down the tower to grab rice, then back up, and down again. It was off to the beach, once again at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean as well as Delaware Bay, one of the few places on the east coast where you can watch the sunrise and sunset over water. We spotted a couple dolphins in the water thanks to a couple from Michigan who had their surfboards out, and we watched the sunset as the big pink bouncy ball of a sun dipped below the horizon. It really did look like a big pink bouncy ball though.
The night was finished with a great late night burger at 11 ocl Read more:Orange
205 Lavania 2007-06-11 13:08:45 Angela pulls through in desperate times. Heres a challenging task for you. Drive a few hundred miles away from home to a town youve never been to and start making cold calls to try and find a host family for the night. Not an easy thing to do. And while I was making tons of calls myself (youd be surprised who says yes and who says no), my dear friend Angela helped me out and went on a limb to find a host for me.
So I found myself at 205 Lavinia in Milton, DE. It will be an eclectic and memorable stop on the trip. Im being hosted by Jeannie who operates a small art community out of her home. She has a beautiful property that stretches out to the pond with a most adorable little dock under a tree. Around the house are art pieces by artists. At the house shell host exhibitions and events. What I give Jeannie great respect for is she tries to bring in artists across the world to stay here, tell about their work, their home, and teach. Currently shes hoping t
The First State 2007-06-10 12:55:30 On December 7th, 1787 Delaware was admitted as the first state. Itd be interesting to go back to that time and hear what they thought of the actual size of the state. As the country got older and moved west the states got bigger. After admitting Delaware into the union there was only one state to every come about that was smaller, Rhode Island. While speaking on the sizes of states, there remain only two states of the 50 that I have never been to now, the biggest and the smallest ones. Rhode Island, Ill see you in a few weeks, and Alaska hopefully Ill be seeing you soon too.
This stop confirms what I said in another blog entry about how you can choose to live in any kind of environment in this country. Theres a big difference between Potomac, MD and Milton, DE. And I was impressed by the drive. First
I had to get out of the hustle and bustle of D.C. and a slow moving freeway. As I made it into Delaware I started seeing beautiful fields and farms. All of a sudden it Read more:State
Around Maryland #2 2007-06-09 19:15:35 Little Town VA
According to the gauge on Charles car the temperature got as high as 103 degrees, in the words of his grandmother it was close. We headed for an afternoon drive into Virginia to see where Charles and John used to live and have a taste of small town life there. We went up to Leesburg and down through Aldie to Middleburg. Its horse country. And a dirt road is considered to be prestigious. A change of pace and scenery compared to D.C. and Potomac. It was quaint. In this country people can choose to live at any kind of pace or lifestyle they desire. There is such a broad array of towns and cities. There may be a rather long chapter in the book devoted to it, from Celebration, FL to Loup City, NE to Roseburg, OR, and they all have entirely different climates as well.
Dinner Time
More conversation with America. I would love to start a new project, something that has to do with dinner table conversations. Im sure you could go to many dinner tables and fi Read more:Maryland
Around Maryland #1 2007-06-09 19:14:24 Maryland was a great stop, fantastic. Great hosts and great variety. John and Charles will be friends for a lifetime. Waiting until the last minute to try and write about it all is a mistake. But I did knock out a pretty good blog entry on D.C. Because Im not writing as often these entries are just getting longer, and longer, and longer. Oops.
Baltimore
For a short evening I made a couple new friends on a drive to Baltimore. This was last Tuesday already. I was picked up by Frank and Willie. This time around, the connection is that their niece is one of my best friends. I was happy to meet up with them and head to a different part of Maryland. We took the drive up to Baltimore and visited Little Italy. As my Best of the H.I.T. list grows I was able to add another, the best garlic bread at Sabatinos Italian Restaurant. I love garlic! But after some great garlic you need to eat something sweet. So head to Vaccaros Italian Pastry Shop. Theyve got a big menu Read more:Maryland
Connecting with America 2007-06-07 22:19:12 Possibly the greatest part of my trip is making connections across this country. Not the kind of connections they tell you about in business class, you know, not the networking kind where you shake hands and exchange business cards. Ive been able to connect with people across this country from all kinds of backgrounds through conversation. It probably goes back to being a kid and always wanting to sit at the adult table and listen to their conversation. As my memory has it I never said a whole lot and would just listen.
This was a great week of conversation. A lot of hours spent talking with Charles. Unfortunately, John had a busy work schedule and we didnt get to talk as much. The best part of the conversation was Charles questions. I get a lot of questions on this trip, a lot. Its very rare that someone comes up with a question I havent already heard. But Charles nailed it. He really challenged me with questions. What kind of reciprocity do you give on your tri Read more:Connecting
, America
Another Incredible Day 2007-06-14 09:31:49 Yesterday was one of those days of the trip, just one of those best days. It was a long day! In addition to staying with Jeanie for five nights, John also really took me under his wing and offered his time to take me around town, introduce me to different folks, and it was great to get to know him closely in a few days. Check and Johns hair salon, Salon Milton.
The day started by heading to Debs. I heard about Debs place all week and impressive it was. She built an amazing studio for her glass blowing, which was built nearly of all green materials to be environmentally friendly. It was only a week or two ago that I was talking about glass blowing with someone else on the trip and wanting to see how its done. Her place is called The Studio on 24, so check it out. I was honored to pick a piece from the gallery and it will long live as one of the greatest gifts. In the words of John, Deb is one of the most generous and kind people he knows. It was an amazing start to Read more:Incredible
Rice Triumphs 2007-06-15 10:29:00 While in Potomac, MD I was packing up and getting read to hit the road. Then I saw Charles suspiciously walking around the corner with Rice in one hand and my camera in the other. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but he just let me know that Rice would triumph. Sure enough! Thanks for the photos Charles, well done.
Arriving in West Orange 2007-06-15 09:55:47 State by state Im getting closer. Each one is feeling like a big milestone lately and Ive been moving a lot faster the last few states than I have in others. I made it to West Orange
, just a 30-minute train ride into New York City. Originally I wasnt planning on making another trip back to NYC unless I had a big reason. But, if Im this close and my best buddy is only a short rain ride away, you bet Im going to go. Though I arrived in New Jersey last night I will spend the weekend in NYC before coming back to spend a few more days in New Jersey.
Im staying with Jeanne and Kevin here in West Orange. Jeanne is the cousin of my good friend Jen H. (shes the one that leaves all the witty comments from Chicago and the UK). They both went to DePaul University to study theatre, now for over a decade they have lived in the greater New York City area.
Jen nominated Jeanne to be a host over a year ago! I called right away and remember Jeanne saying that they dont make Read more:Arriving
Famous Squirrels 2007-06-23 10:11:53 Rice has become a celebrity, there is no denying it (the first squirrel to visit all 50 states). Sometimes when I arrive at a new host they are more excited to meet Rice than they are me. And Im cool with that, I completely understand that people would rather meet a fake plastic squirrel than another human being. If I had known Rice was going to become such a big hit across the country I would have planned to incorporate more. But once again, this is practice, the next trip will be bigger and better. Today, we must pay tribute to well known squirrels.
Did you know that National Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21st? For more fun squirrel knowledge visit Squirrels
.org and the Wikipedia squirrel entry.
Here is the famous water skiing squirrel:
The recent Bud Light squirrel has become quite popular as well:
Recently I saw the logo for the golf U.S. Open:
Don't forget about the Bradford Fighting Squirrels:
And of course there is Super Squirrel:
Bob Ross used to fee Read more:Famous
To Connecticut I Go 2007-06-23 09:47:29 Yesterday started as a slow day. Breakfast was served around noon and I took time to do some laundry, the laundry must be done. There are always lots of chores on the trip, spent some time straightening out my stuff in the Compass, and I gave it a nice bath and massage, washing it up to give it a great shine again.
Being from the U.P. I dont really know what traffic means, at least not compared to metro areas. So there I am, getting ready to leave West Orange on my way to Connecticut
, the time is about 5:30, the middle of rush hour. Rush hour never crossed my mind. Traffic was backed up a long ways behind the George Washington Bridge, I moved about five miles in an hour. It was the worst backup Ive had on the trip and I was getting a little impatient. I do miss the long open drives out west.
Eventually I finally made it to Stamford, CT. Larry is hosting me. Lets see my brother went to school with this girl Rachel who works out here in Connecticut, so thats how I
Cool Jobs 2007-06-22 13:49:34 As Ive mentioned many times over the course of this trip, one of the coolest things I get to learn is about all these different jobs people do to keep America running. I want a cool job, I suppose I have one, its just not paid. It seems this week was represented by cool jobs. Everywhere you go has pros and cons. And Id have to say that one of the few cons that exist in the Upper Peninsula back home, is there isnt a lot of variety of jobs. Im just not exposed to as much stuff in my hometown of Baraga as I have been expose to on this trip.
For example of cool jobs that they dont have in Baraga is Kevins job that I mentioned, being a lighting director for some of the nations largest TV productions. Thats just cool. Im simply fascinated by it. My kindergarten friend Kim designs clothes for Target, what she designs goes all over the world. Devon works on Wall Street with some of the biggest names in the country when it comes to banking, just a little differen
New York City Weekend 2007-06-18 10:37:12 In New York
City with my kindergarten crush and one of my absolute best friends from college. After seeing Devon in NYC three times, its time to get him out of that city and get him to the U.P. back home in Michigan. Anyways, it was a great weekend in New York City
. Lots of walking, lots and lots of walking. I wasnt as concerned about seeing a lot of the city as much as I wanted to just hang out with a couple friends.
I know some people who work hard, and sometimes I consider myself a workaholic. But never have I known someone to work as hard as my friend Devon. Hes committed and devoted, putting in more hours a week than anyone else I know. Someday when I can do it Im going to make that kid take a vacation and well go on a huge road trip together. Hes working on Wall Street as a financial analyst for Deutsche Bank. Its one of the finest looking buildings in lower Manhattan. For a long time Ive been wanting to see his office and go up in one of those skyscrap Read more:Weekend
A Movie Script 2007-06-17 09:50:44 Any movie producers out there that are following my trip? I have a movie for you. Here it goes
Back in kindergarten I remember this cute girl named Kim. She would always take my hat and run around the room with it and not give it back. At that age there is no bigger sign of a crush than that. Well after 1st grade Kim moved away. When I was a senior in high school about eleven years later I made a point of it to get back in touch with her. During my freshman year at MSU I we were able to meet up twice for the first time since first grade. After a while we lost touch again.
Thanks to the growing world wide web and thanks to the wonders of Facebook I was able to get back in touch at the beginning of this trip and we have kept in touch through it all. And then I found out I was going to be back to the New York City area, where Kim is now living. So another six years later we were able to meet up again and spend the weekend together along with my best friend Devon.
I think it
NYC, NYC, and more NYC 2007-06-16 08:42:58 During spring break, the first week of March in 2006, Devon, Khalid, Kevin and I hopped in my car for a road trip to New York City. My first real road trip. On the drive out I remember trying to find the right time to tell them about my big plans. So I spilled my idea, the very idea that Im living out now. For some reason I remember them all giving me blank stares as if they were thinking, Oh sure, whatever you say Bugsy. At the end of a great week I remember telling Devon, I have a feeling Ill make it back here again sooner than later.
It took nine months to make it back to New York City after that first trip. And what a trip it was. Sure I dreamed about being on a talk show, being flown to NYC, and having everything paid for for a few days. I never thought it would actually happen. And when it did, wow what a trip! I sure didnt expect a surprise of my family being there. So that was my second trip to NYC, experiencing it in a way not many people get to.
Onc
Guest Post: Sean Aiken 2007-06-25 14:28:26 Searching for his passion, one job at a time - Sean Aiken
He said it with a conviction that comes with a money-back guarantee: "Go after what you love doing and the money will come."
This was the advice of David Chilton, author of The Wealthy Barber, during a conference I attended last month in Vancouver. He was speaking to the importance of finding something you love doing; refusing to allow the thought of an uncertain financial future to impede you along the way.
Although I'd heard it before, this time it was different. Hearing it firsthand from someone who used his RRSP money to finance publication of a book that would become a Canadian bestseller, I believed it.
He spoke with such a sense of certainty and confidence that I could not help but be inspired. It reaffirmed my beliefs in what I have set out to accomplish - find a career that I will love. Tapping into 'a very lucrative market'
As part of this process, I have set out to accept job offers for one week at a time fro Read more:Guest
Frisbee Golf & Guitar Hero 2007-06-24 16:28:26 Theres no doubt that one of the absolute coolest parts of this trip is all the new things I get to try. One of the strangest sports Ive tried is probably iceblocking. The newest addition the the list is Frisbee
golf, real Frisbee golf. Ive palyed with the real discs before earlier on this trip just in the backyard while in South Dakota. And I used to play with a regular Frisbee when I was a kid around my hard. But this was the real deal and a course through the woods. It was tricky! Ive got a lot to learn, but it was a lot of fun. A great way to spend the afternoon with some friends, and free! The park we were at here in Connecticut is one of the nicest parks Ive been to on the trip. There is a lot of good fun people can have without spending a lot of money. Id say its better than spending $50 out on the golf course. Just dont lose a disc in the woods. Thanks for the game Larry and Mike!
Variety is the spice. And after playing an outdoor game mine as well follow up with Read more:Guitar
, Guitar Hero
Famous Squirrels 2007-06-23 10:11:53 Rice has become a celebrity, there is no denying it (the first squirrel to visit all 50 states). Sometimes when I arrive at a new host they are more excited to meet Rice than they are me. And Im cool with that, I completely understand that people would rather meet a fake plastic squirrel than another human being. If I had known Rice was going to become such a big hit across the country I would have planned to incorporate more. But once again, this is practice, the next trip will be bigger and better. Today, we must pay tribute to well known squirrels.
Did you know that National Squirrel Appreciation Day is January 21st? For more fun squirrel knowledge visit Squirrels
.org and the Wikipedia squirrel entry.
Check out these squirrels in Glendale, OH. Looks like I might have to stop there.
Here is the famous water skiing squirrel:
The recent Bud Light squirrel has become quite popular as well:
Recently I saw the logo for the golf U.S. Open:
Don't forget about the Bradford F Read more:Famous
To Connecticut I Go 2007-06-23 09:47:29 Yesterday started as a slow day. Breakfast was served around noon and I took time to do some laundry, the laundry must be done. There are always lots of chores on the trip, spent some time straightening out my stuff in the Compass, and I gave it a nice bath and massage, washing it up to give it a great shine again.
Being from the U.P. I dont really know what traffic means, at least not compared to metro areas. So there I am, getting ready to leave West Orange on my way to Connecticut
, the time is about 5:30, the middle of rush hour. Rush hour never crossed my mind. Traffic was backed up a long ways behind the George Washington Bridge, I moved about five miles in an hour. It was the worst backup Ive had on the trip and I was getting a little impatient. I do miss the long open drives out west.
Eventually I finally made it to Stamford, CT. Larry is hosting me. Lets see my brother went to school with this girl Rachel who works out here in Connecticut, so thats how I got in tou
Cool Jobs 2007-06-22 13:49:34 As Ive mentioned many times over the course of this trip, one of the coolest things I get to learn is about all these different jobs people do to keep America running. I want a cool job, I suppose I have one, its just not paid. It seems this week was represented by cool jobs. Everywhere you go has pros and cons. And Id have to say that one of the few cons that exist in the Upper Peninsula back home, is there isnt a lot of variety of jobs. Im just not exposed to as much stuff in my hometown of Baraga as I have been expose to on this trip.
For example of cool jobs that they dont have in Baraga is Kevins job that I mentioned, being a lighting director for some of the nations largest TV productions. Thats just cool. Im simply fascinated by it. My kindergarten friend Kim designs clothes for Target, what she designs goes all over the world. Devon works on Wall Street with some of the biggest names in the country when it comes to banking, just a little different than Superior Nati
New York City Weekend 2007-06-18 10:37:12 In New York
City with my kindergarten crush and one of my absolute best friends from college. After seeing Devon in NYC three times, its time to get him out of that city and get him to the U.P. back home in Michigan. Anyways, it was a great weekend in New York City
. Lots of walking, lots and lots of walking. I wasnt as concerned about seeing a lot of the city as much as I wanted to just hang out with a couple friends.
I know some people who work hard, and sometimes I consider myself a workaholic. But never have I known someone to work as hard as my friend Devon. Hes committed and devoted, putting in more hours a week than anyone else I know. Someday when I can do it Im going to make that kid take a vacation and well go on a huge road trip together. Hes working on Wall Street as a financial analyst for Deutsche Bank. Its one of the finest looking buildings in lower Manhattan. For a long time Ive been wanting to see his office and go up in one of those skyscrapers. He gave Ki Read more:Weekend
A Movie Script 2007-06-17 09:50:44 Any movie producers out there that are following my trip? I have a movie for you. Here it goes
Back in kindergarten I remember this cute girl named Kim. She would always take my hat and run around the room with it and not give it back. At that age there is no bigger sign of a crush than that. Well after 1st grade Kim moved away. When I was a senior in high school about eleven years later I made a point of it to get back in touch with her. During my freshman year at MSU I we were able to meet up twice for the first time since first grade. After a while we lost touch again.
Thanks to the growing world wide web and thanks to the wonders of Facebook I was able to get back in touch at the beginning of this trip and we have kept in touch through it all. And then I found out I was going to be back to the New York City area, where Kim is now living. So another six years later we were able to meet up again and spend the weekend together along with my best friend Devon.
I think its
NYC, NYC, and more NYC 2007-06-16 08:42:58 During spring break, the first week of March in 2006, Devon, Khalid, Kevin and I hopped in my car for a road trip to New York City. My first real road trip. On the drive out I remember trying to find the right time to tell them about my big plans. So I spilled my idea, the very idea that Im living out now. For some reason I remember them all giving me blank stares as if they were thinking, Oh sure, whatever you say Bugsy. At the end of a great week I remember telling Devon, I have a feeling Ill make it back here again sooner than later.
It took nine months to make it back to New York City after that first trip. And what a trip it was. Sure I dreamed about being on a talk show, being flown to NYC, and having everything paid for for a few days. I never thought it would actually happen. And when it did, wow what a trip! I sure didnt expect a surprise of my family being there. So that was my second trip to NYC, experiencing it in a way not many people get to.
Once again, I hav
Rice Triumphs 2007-06-15 10:29:00 While in Potomac, MD I was packing up and getting read to hit the road. Then I saw Charles suspiciously walking around the corner with Rice in one hand and my camera in the other. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but he just let me know that Rice would triumph. Sure enough! Thanks for the photos Charles, well done.
Arriving in West Orange 2007-06-15 09:55:47 State by state Im getting closer. Each one is feeling like a big milestone lately and Ive been moving a lot faster the last few states than I have in others. I made it to West Orange
, just a 30-minute train ride into New York City. Originally I wasnt planning on making another trip back to NYC unless I had a big reason. But, if Im this close and my best buddy is only a short rain ride away, you bet Im going to go. Though I arrived in New Jersey last night I will spend the weekend in NYC before coming back to spend a few more days in New Jersey.
Im staying with Jeanne and Kevin here in West Orange. Jeanne is the cousin of my good friend Jen H. (shes the one that leaves all the witty comments from Chicago and the UK). They both went to DePaul University to study theatre, now for over a decade they have lived in the greater New York City area.
Jen nominated Jeanne to be a host over a year ago! I called right away and remember Jeanne saying that they dont make plans to host p Read more:Arriving
Another Incredible Day 2007-06-14 09:31:49 Yesterday was one of those days of the trip, just one of those best days. It was a long day! In addition to staying with Jeanie for five nights, John also really took me under his wing and offered his time to take me around town, introduce me to different folks, and it was great to get to know him closely in a few days. Check and Johns hair salon, Salon Milton.
The day started by heading to Debs. I heard about Debs place all week and impressive it was. She built an amazing studio for her glass blowing, which was built nearly of all green materials to be environmentally friendly. It was only a week or two ago that I was talking about glass blowing with someone else on the trip and wanting to see how its done. Her place is called The Studio on 24, so check it out. I was honored to pick a piece from the gallery and it will long live as one of the greatest gifts. In the words of John, Deb is one of the most generous and kind people he knows. It was an amazing start to the day. Read more:Incredible
My Way by Frank Sinatra 2007-06-13 07:32:04 Of all the CDs people have given me to listen to on the road there is one song from my friend Jen H. that has become of my favorites. This was a big dream and so many of the words in this song hit the spot such as: "Tnd is near" (of my trip) and of coruse "I've traveled each and every highway; and more, much more than this, I did it my way." It couldn't be truer than that. I took my dream and did it my way. Graduated from college and did it my way.
================
My Way by FrankSinatra
And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final curtain.
My friend, Ill say it clear,
Ill state my case, of which Im certain.
Ive lived a life thats full.
Ive traveled each and evry highway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Regrets, Ive had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption.
I planned each charted course;
Each careful step along the byway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.
Yes, there were Read more:Frank Sinatra
Orange You Gladys... 2007-06-12 13:00:07 a beautiful day!
What an evening last night. Jeanie, her friend John, and myself loaded up and headed to Cape Henlopen State Park. Of course on the way there Jeanie didnt let me get by without an interview on video. Shell be adding it to her video collection of different artists and so forth. So John asked the questions while I gave the synopsis of my trip. So we arrived at the park, headed up the tower, then back down the tower to grab rice, then back up, and down again. It was off to the beach, once again at the shore of the Atlantic Ocean as well as Delaware Bay, one of the few places on the east coast where you can watch the sunrise and sunset over water. We spotted a couple dolphins in the water thanks to a couple from Michigan who had their surfboards out, and we watched the sunset as the big pink bouncy ball of a sun dipped below the horizon. It really did look like a big pink bouncy ball though.
The night was finished with a great late night burger at 11 oclock. Th Read more:Orange
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