8.24.11

I decided to break up the drive from Delaware to Vermont into two stints. I said goodbye to my family late Saturday evening and spent a solid 2.5 hrs driving north. I made it as far as the NJ Turnpike, some place between the DE/NJ border and NYC.

The benefit to living in my rig is that my house follows me wherever I decide to go. My queen-size bed included. I like to think of it as luxurious vagabond travel, and with each mile I go and random place I sleep I seem to find myself more romantically entwined with my home on the road.

Passing by New York City was tough. My first taste of that city in the spring was an epicurean delight to my soul. I could feel that familiar energy from the city attempting to enter my hands and turn the steering wheel towards each exit I passed, but I didn’t give in. I’ll readily admit that I have crush on the busy streets of Manhattan and the quirky bodega markets in Brooklyn. I’d say I’m in love, but I don’t want to leave her, NYC, hanging while I continue my quest for road time this year. She deserves more of my attention, and I intend, at some point, to return and dig in deeper to find out what that city is really all about. I have a feeling that what I consider a mere taste of that culture, really doesn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things.

The drive north was rather uneventful until I decided to pull off for some fuel in Sharon, VT. The name of the town seemed familiar to me, and while I was pumping my gas I realized the reason. Sharon, Vermont is where Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet was born. Being from Utah, I thought it might be interesting to take the short detour to see the plaque or whatever other historical marker might be there. The visit ended up being much longer than I anticipated actually – mostly due to the fact that it wasn’t just a plaque to mark the site, it had a functioning visitor center. I have to admit, it was as if I had just walked into something right out of Salt Lake City, Ut – my hometown.

I’m a sucker for history, so I spent some time perusing the pictures, plaques and watched a short film about their prophet. I’m always intrigued by religion and how people interact with it. It is a fascinating topic and one that permeates the fabric of the world and how many people view it. It is also the thing that causes many wars, pain and oppression – that’s why it is intriguing to me. For all the good it can do for people, it can also incite some bad behavior for those that misuse it for power and manipulation. As for the visitor center. It was a rather benign experience with no casualties to report. The people working there were nice and answered the questions I had. It was a worthwhile journey to break up the monotony of the drive.

I’ve been back at the grind for the last couple of days and TSM #17 is shaping up to be a fine release. I’ve also been working on the music I’ll be performing over the next few months between movie tour stops. I’ve been digging up some older songs and I’m looking forward to working them into the best set I can put together. More than anything I’m looking forward to sharing my music with people, since this will be the first year I’m making any attempt to consistently play. The two-lane time is getting closer.

–JM