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9/11/2014

Affirmations - Jshwa Hale

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To hear the FOTW session featuring Josh discussing his journey with affirmations, click here.

Affirmation- a declaration or statement that something is true.

It was a real pleasure to have Jshwa (Josh) take part in last weekend's FOTW discussion - we appreciate you, and are looking forward to keeping in touch. 

In this session, Jshwa delves in on how he uses affirmations along with his studies in neuroscience to successfully create the positive life that he wants, and hopes to share with others. He creates affirmations that he desires to see manifested and uses a process that he developed successfully. Affirmations can be applied to all facets of life: friendship, career, family, love, etc.

Affirmations can be as simple as:

I will have a great day.
I have a loving family that supports me in my dreams.
I am grateful for the experiences with my family.
I encounter love in all my relationships.
I take small steps every day to be healthier.

But the affirmations alone will not bring change; you must visualize, translate it into words and take action to make it happen, and believe it reflects an intent of honest self improvement. Jshwa incorporates recordings played when the mind is in a particular state (when brain is producing alpha waves) to bypass the conscious filters of the brain and into the subconscious. Through repetition and creating a habit of hearing these affirmations, the mind reconditions/rewires itself. He has spoken to the universe, and she has responded!
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Jshwa shares his experience and lifestyle change with us - years ago, he was a DJ in Seattle, rockin' out at crazy parties, drugs, smoking, proud of his 'f*$% the world' attitude and had a personal appearance to reflect it. When he shared a photo of himself back in the day, I almost keeled over and thinking the shock his in-laws had when they met him for the first time. "Here's my boyfriend, mom and dad!" Sure, life was a huge shindig, but he was not fulfilled, experiencing high highs and low lows - time to create balance! In thinking about the changes he wanted to create in his life, he began to think positively about what he desired - the qualities he wanted to strengthen, the things he wanted to see more of, how he wanted to view himself, and slowly change his habits to reflect it his intentions.

Fast forward to now - Jshwa is happily married to a beautiful woman (Laura!), and is part of a wonderful, loving family. Drugs and smoking are no longer part of his life; he and Laura are honing in their farming skills, doing honest work and micromanaging their nutrition by going all organic. Their land is filled will an overall sense of peace and tranquility. His mind is calm, and focuses on love of family, positivity and the future- he has created the reality that he wanted! To contact him and learn more - click here. For his Facebook Page- click here!

From Left: Anna, Jshwa, Laura, Lisa, myself, Ben and Tom
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'When you really want something to happen, the whole world conspires to help you achieve it.' - The Alchemist (Paulo Cohelo) 

A personal story to share along the same lines- back in June, we were getting ready to embark on this project and a realization dawned on us. 

It was the weekend the RV was to be completed for us to pick up and bring home to our humble abode...and then we saw that there was no way to bring the land yacht up our driveway. A gigantic oak tree encroached and hung over it. Cue small moment of freak out, then planning for options. Do we park it in the public parking lot of the city for few days and go back and forth while we move our belongings into it? Park on different side roads nearby? We needed to have an electric hookup to dewinterize, run the water pumps and flush out the tanks...how do we go about that? 

I'm a firm believer in that things will always work out - maybe not in the way you'd expect it to, but in ways that, I dare say, turn out to be better down the road anyways whether or not it is realized at the time. 

"No fear," I told Ben. "Something will work out. It always does!"

That weekend, we looked out our window:
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Mother Nature had taken care of our problem - we had the rest of the tree removed, and was able to bring the RV home!

Our minds create a coherence between beliefs and reality, and perception plays a huge role in our beliefs. A healthy mind and spirit = healthy body in harmony. A stressed mind will manifest itself in fear and illness. Do you have stories about affirmations you've manifested in your life? Please share! Stay positive, no fear!

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9/7/2014

Calgary, Kamloops, and Surrey Events

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Calgary, Alberta was one of our most inspiring stops. Thank you to Cory for helping us secure a spot for our gathering, and our hosts Todd and Scott for taking AMAZING care of us!!! Their house was a sanctuary for us for three nights, and was opened for other observers to come and hang out post meet and greet. It was a casual BBQ with smokies (Canadian for hot dogs) and plenty of great conversations to be shared and wine to be had! 
"The best part is seeing how people transition from their normal, guarded, attitude toward discussing these topics, to an open and excited approach to sharing thoughts and observations with like-minded people." -Ben

Sacha and Julie, pictured below exchanging phone numbers, came up with a GREAT idea to have a monthly 0bservers Potluck to keep everyone connected and stay in touch - AWESOME! It turned out to be quite the party, lasting until 2:30A (of course we were in bed before 9P)!
We ended up staying another day in Calgary- Hope fell incredibly ill. I'll spare you the fine details, but sleep completely eluded us and it was incredibly stressful. Thanks Scott for taking us to the animal ER! 

We drove to Kamloops, BC on the 1st, keeping a watchful eye on Hope as we got ready for events. It was an 8+ hour drive, with plenty of stops throughout for the dogs. There were parts of the drive that were not easy - mountain passes, steep grades, runaway lanes for heavy vehicles whose brakes have failed, etc. Glad we don't have to do that again- there were definitely parts on the road where we just held our breath until it was clear!
Our host Lisa was very kind and took great care of us - including having plain rice and boiled chicken for the dogs... they were pretty pleased. The lecture at Thompson Rivers went very well, with sponsors and folks from the area coming out to hear Ben speak. Canadians are just awesome, and I am not being biased because I was born there! :) Thank you to Colin of TRU for hosting us! We had a potluck dinner with some members of the Kamloops Astronomical Society, with a small presentation the following evening. 
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Surrey, BC was our next stop- it was a beautiful day to share sunspots! Hope had improved greatly although we hadn't caught up on sleep yet. Our event took place at Bear Creek Park- we even had some folks from the RCMP come out to chat and ask questions. Ben is always impressed to see students with a love of science, and Bryan was one of the younger observers (15) that came out to support us. 
Eleven days, twenty six+ hours of driving and 1500+ miles later... it was finally time to return back to the US. The border crossing was painless, and as Ben said, it was great to be "back in the land of great internet and RV friendly gas stations!" 

We had a great time in Canada, and hope to be back again soon. Canadians are just awesome!
Our next blog post coming out in the next few days will feature information on the most recent FOTW call that featured Jshwa Hale for those that have been curious! Have a great week!

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9/3/2014

Montana, Canada Part Two

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Hi everyone!
It is now September and we are sitting in Kamloops, amazed that we're still alive and in one piece.

Our drive through the rest of the Dakotas and Montana felt incredibly long. Endless rows of corn, soybeans, and sunflowers (ND = #1 in production)! Memories were made in Butte (Laura, love you and your family - until we meet again in Colorado), where new and lasting friendships were made, and hours spent troubleshooting the RV to keep the journey moving. First issue was a melted electric plug- we probably tried to draw more power than allowed, or had a loose connection. Second issue was waking up in the morning after a rough storm to find no power to our fridge. We checked the connections, tried everything to turn the fridge on with no luck. After research on the make and model of our fridge (thanks Google!) and a small freak out moment on the thought of wasting food, we found the recall box had been tripped. The compartment behind the fridge was completely wet from the storm, which likely triggered it. We used magnets to reset it and voila - a working fridge and once again, happy couple!! Yes... magnets.

Canada, Part Two

We are almost through our 11 day journey through Alberta and British Columbia, and boy, what a journey it has been! 

Lethbridge, AB was a fantastic stop - our hosts, Kendall and Sandy, took great care of us and we had a great event (articles from Lethbridge Herald and Global Lethbridge). Thank you Lyle for bring us Taber corn - amazingly sweet corn due to the area receiving more bright sunny days than anywhere else in Canada. Taber is actually known as the Corn Capital of Canada - can you taste the difference from sweet corn in the US? Yes! Sweet delicious Taber corn, we surely enjoyed you... until we meet again! 

The drive to Edmonton, AB was uneventful, but we we had a fantastic event at Whitemud! Thanks to Adam for helping us, and to Ron for the fun photo below! So many great conversations and fun times. Connecting to the internet was again, an issue for us, but Christopher saved the day by coming early and giving us access to his hotspot. Woohoo! Thanks Nial for bring a cooler with drinks for everyone - wish we lived a bit closer... would love to be back in Edmonton someday. 
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The next morning, we headed off to Alliance, Alberta, a small town (population 120) southeast of Edmonton. Mayor Sue had invited us to share research with her community, and we were parked right outside their recently rebuilt community complex. The previous one had collapsed from a storm, and the community came together quickly and combined efforts to build another one. We love being in small towns, and this particular one has such a sense of support, community, and spirit all around. 

Some very interesting things that we appreciated learning - Alliance is part of the Battle River Railway, a community owned rail line that serves several communities in the surrounding area. Parts of the rail network were being salvaged following declines in grain output, and central Alberta farmers collectively came together to purchase the line and has helped local producers stay in business. 
I also had a chance to explore their Doll Museum, home to many, many eclectic dolls! Some brought back nostalgic feelings of childhood - there was a doll made in the 1800s that had straw legs, which was very neat to see. Some of the the photos below feature the Dionne Quintuplets - what a heart felt story. The quintuplets (all girls) sparked much attention after their birth as they survived more than a few days, and were taken away from their parents to become wards of the government under fear of private exploitation. The irony - they essentially became a large tourist attraction, living in an exclusive hospital called 'Quintland', where 3 million tourists came through in less than 10 years; they were involved in product endorsements, featured in movies, magazines, the list goes on. The government made an asinine amount of money peering in all the intimate details of their lives and exploiting their childhood. Remaining survivors Annette and Cecile turned 80 this year - my heart hurt learning their story...wishing them much love, and peace. There were so many other dolls to see - what an impressive collection!
Another post to come soon with our Calgary update and adventures in Kamloops and Vancouver! Thanks for reading!

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8/17/2014

St. Clair, MN...Meeting another Traveling Team On the Road

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We had a great time in St. Clair, MN last week - Gary and Nancy were spectacular hosts. Ben showed off his skills backing in the RV; they were impressed! They shared so much knowledge with us - it was our pleasure to get to know them and learn about their history, city and family. St. Clair was one of many cities that sustained substantial flood damage in September 2010 and it took a collective community effort to move forward. Students were pulled out of school beforehand for sandbagging operations in preparation for the storm, and it was an understatement to say that community came together (some kayaking through the streets) to mitigate the damage done to their homes, and those of their neighbors. The strength, sacrifice and resiliency of the human spirit is just astounding in times of tribulation, and the photos showed nothing less.
 
Our event was held at Memorial Park, and our Sun provided another day of viewing pleasure to check out her spots. Gary (aka Suspender Guy) had a surprise treat for us before we left :
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Custom Suspicious0bserver Suspenders!

I could hear Ben's inner child screaming with delight and fashion approval. These aren't your every day, run of the mill suspenders - they are free of metals and clips, extremely sturdy and produced in Minnesota by Suspender Guy! Click on the link or photo to reserve your pair! 
We truly enjoyed our stay and were incredibly sad to leave. Great people with kind hearts - they are family to us now! We headed to Summit, SD for a quiet stop to catch up on some work...assumed it was going to be an uneventful few days. I was enjoying some corn on the cob that afternoon when Ben stuck his head in the RV and said, "...You might want to come out here and check this out." 

I poked my head outside and LO AND BEHOLD:
Were my eyes deceiving me? Was there another young couple that lived on the road, enjoying the RV lifestyle while making as many stops as we were? We are not alone - meet Heath and Alyssa Padgett. 

Newlyweds from Texas, Heath and Alyssa, 23, decided to purchase a Coachman and travel around the country for seven months, working an hourly job in each state, peering into the lives of workers, learning their stories while enjoying the views on this extended honeymoon. They are filming a documentary as well! We shared trials and tribulations of our travels, and found a resonating note with them. We admire their tenacity to pursue a bigger dream. "I don't know if I can see going back to the real world after this," Alyssa had mused. We get it. Flashback to our lives before this journey even came into creation - we both had great jobs, had purchased a quaint little home in a thriving community, close to great schools...life was content. The next 30 years of our lives would unfold here. Or so we thought. Who knows what the future holds for us, or the Padgetts? To quote Ehrmann - "whether or not it is clear to [us], no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."
We are currently in Bismarck, ND - took a small break from the RV to stay in a hotel, and are thankful for a spacious shower, a toilet where the wall isn't a foot away from your face, and a big OPEN room. Ben was banished from the RV bedroom one night the other week due to some major issues with flatulence. In my defense, its a very small space, with tiny windows and substandard airflow! Happy to be here. It is clear from below who has already claimed their spots on the bed. We've made some adjustments to our schedule this week, it is updated under The Journey tab of the site. Until next week! 
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8/12/2014

The Mobile Observatory survives Chicago, and the week ahead...

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After the navigational nightmare in Philadelphia, Ben had turned to me and said "No more big cities. None. We can be outside of the city; close enough where people in the city can make it out. But NO MORE BIG CITIES!"

Fast forward a few weeks later. It is a week before our event in Chicago...

Me: "Chicago is coming up in a couple of days. By the way, I scheduled an event at the Planetarium. In the big city. Also, we have TWO events!"

Ben: "Don't you remember what I said about not being in big cities? We have two events?!"

Me: "Vaguely...did I mention that Lollapalooza is happening the very same weekend? About a mile from where we'll be."

Ben: "...You want me to have a heart attack and die, don't you? I'm not going to make it past 50..."

...We survived! Our event on August 2nd took place with Joe Guzman (Chicago Astronomer) just outside the Adler Planetarium - it was a beautiful day; there were several weddings and events going on, and the lakefront location provided gorgeous views as we looked at sunspots and Ben shared the news regarding his research paper. Happy times.
Navigating through the city that night was not easy. Every road we needed to turn on was closed. People were everywhere... and only half followed road signals. Highways = heavy fast moving traffic, and directions were not kind (take ramp right, and in .2 miles, get all the way to the other side for the left ramp, etc) - we both breathed sighs of relief upon making it to our evening destination.  On the 3rd, we brought The Mobile Observatory to Abbey Pub. We all had brunch (delicious Irish breakfast with rashers and black and white pudding) as conversations were shared... Thanks Tom for inviting us! Even though it was the first time we had met many of these folks, it didn't seem like it at all- more like old friends reconnecting again.
The next few days were spent at a farm in Wisconsin, thank you Ted and Autumn for your amazing hospitality! We had a great time exploring their farm; bits will be shared in the documentary that Ben is diligently working on.
Up next was our meet and greet in Madison, WI. The KOA stay was pleasant (thank you kindly to those that came out!), and gave us time to catch up on much needed work. We've accepted that we will always be in a perpetual state of being behind on tasks, no matter the time management tactic we employ. Our last official stop in WI was Cole Watch Tower. Much admiration goes to Billy and Nyoka as it is a tremendous undertaking to restore seven stories of this tower. They've made a TON of progress on this historical landmark and prevented it from being torn down. We can't wait to reconnect with them in the future and see how things are!
Next up: Minneapolis! Thanks to those that came out to meet and share words of support. Catherine made AMAZING chocolate oatmeal cookies that we just gobbled up. Feelings of shame looking at the empty plate that evening. On the healthier side, friends brought fresh veggies from the garden, yum! Currently tucked away in St. Clair, MN preparing for the next few weeks. Canada pushed our buttons last time as finding internet to access was not easy, and we hope to have a better time during our second leg up there. The schedule has been grueling, it has not been easy... we surely miss the comforts of home and seeing our family and friends, but the journey must go on! Should there be anything you'd like to see on the site, please contact us!

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8/1/2014

NY, The Emlenton Mill in PA, Barberton, OH and Carmel, IN

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Another month begins! The last two weeks seem like a blur, but it was very productive; making new connections and forming friendships that will last a lifetime. Our Warsaw, NY stop was brief, meeting with supporters from Rochester and the surrounding area. We spent some time having really eye opening conversations with Brian, who is taking a similar journey with his family, but to promote love and healing, teaching his six year old all different facets of life as they travel the country. His son, Tristan, has his own Twitter handle, https://twitter.com/TristanIsLove, and we are so excited to follow them on their journey and keep in touch. All of their devices are powered by solar panels on top of their Subaru!

Next stop was The Emlenton Mill in Emlenton, PA. Our hosts, Nancy and Paul, had much to share with us. Nancy had the opportunity to travel all over the world when younger, and we loved hearing about her cultural experiences. The Mill itself was filled with things to do; from learning the history of the first steam powered grist mill and exploring the museum, checking out the antiques and bunkhouse, and enjoying dessert from the creamery overlooking the Allegheny. Needless to say, we ate quite a bit of ice cream during our stay! Great folks, with so much love and work put into the mill... we wish them nothing but happiness and success, and know we will keep in touch! 

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After a restful stop in Emlenton, we headed to Barberton, OH to prepare for a live show at The Barberton Herald's main office. We are so appreciative of Cheryl and Tim for helping us with this new format - recording and streaming to share some of the basics with viewers, allowing questions to be directed through comments. People seemed to really enjoy the format, as we received many messages the next couple of days requesting Ben to do more live shows like this! The staff of this wonderful family owned business were all incredibly hospitable, treating us to a VERY tasty fried chicken lunch (and sending more with us for the road)! We hope to be back someday!
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Our next event was slated to take place north of Indianapolis, in the city of Carmel. We had a prime location in the Arts & Design District (thanks Teresa for making it happen!) and had the opportunity to stay with incredible hosts, Skipper and Carol. We feel incredibly lucky to have met them - they are a lovely couple, and we know we will see them again before the end of the year! Skipper turns out to be a fantastic cook; this worked very well for us :) 

A number of people came out to visit us in Carmel, including sponsors and a team that drove 2.5 hours to see The Mobile Observatory (Kara and Chance, you guys rock). Ben was able to do a few interviews, including one with Gary Welsh (http://advanceindiana.blogspot.com/2014/07/suspiciousobservers-mobile-observatory.html). We all had fun cramming together under the awning when the rain came in, and all observed in awe at the double rainbow that appeared afterwards (with references to the viral video of course). 
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We are currently in Michigan, planning for our next stop in Grass Lake this afternoon, and will head to Chicago this weekend for two events (we're ambitious)- one with Joe Guzman (Chicago Astronomer) at the Adler Planetarium,  and a casual stop at The Abbey Pub! It is going to be a hectic weekend as we realized Lollapalooza is also taking place less than two miles away! Preparing mentally to deal with Chicago traffic... until next week! Love to all. 

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7/20/2014

Canada Adventures

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We survived a whole week in Canada- it sure went by fast! Our first stop was in St Phillippe, just south of Montreal. Struggling with the internet was an understatement; the wifi was very restrictive and did not meet our needs, forcing us wake up super early to bring the RV to good old Tim Horton's to ensure the news got out on time...talk about perseverance!
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Outside of that, our event was very enjoyable! Thank you to Michael for bringing doughnuts and coffee to share; we had some very thought provoking conversations with truly brilliant minds, including a physicist that has done extensive research with infrared imaging, and John of wearebeings.com, who shared some of his work and diagrams that blew us away. Very extensive and consistently evolving over time, with plenty of information to ponder - definitely recommend! 

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Parliament Hill
Next stop was Gatineau, Quebec - thank you to Martin, our host and friend always. He helped facilitate such a great event! He also took us to explore Ottawa, and his wife Yannet fed us plenty of delicious food. We truly enjoyed our time in Gatineau... met some very wonderful people!
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The next morning, we headed into Toronto to prepare for our event at the Daily Bread Food Bank. Kelee, the Production Manager, assisted in putting together a great space and gave us a tour of their operations, which was incredible. It is insanely well organized with 11,000 volunteers a year, processing 12 million pounds of food each year with over 160 programs to help those in need. Along with an amazing community garden, their systems for tracking are astounding, and they even have a catering kitchen with a program to help those looking to be in the field to transition with a very good placement rate. It was a wonderful event, with a great turnout of folks (got some Canadian trinkets to remember our journey!) and Kelee not only put together some great snacks to munch on during the event - he even provided wine at the end- how can you beat that?! 
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On the 18th & 19th, we spent our time at Uxbridge for their 3rd annual Ribfest - what an awesome time! We got to enjoy live music, eat some fantastic ribs, and Ben got to try poutine for the first time. The description of it was never enticing to him ("Cheese curds and gravy?"), but I encouraged him to try it... and it was all gone pretty quickly - success! Definitely not something we can eat all the time, but it was very tasty. There was great live music in the evenings, and Ben took the stage for a presentation on our Sun and took some photos with sponsors that had come to visit. Thank you to Steve, who took such great care of us during our time there. Hope to run into you again soon! 
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After spending a great evening with my family (they fed us copious amounts of food - it was the kind of full feeling where you breathe in and out but your stomach doesn't move), we quickly passed out and got a good nights rest before heading back to the US. It is now Sunday evening; the drive has been long (but pleasantly very easy at the border!), and we will always look back with great memories on our week in Canada. Currently in Warsaw, NY catching up on work and preparing for the week ahead - wishing everyone a safe one!

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7/10/2014

Sodom Mountain Campground and Driving to Vermont

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We made it to Southwick, MA to Sodom Mountain and stayed through the holiday weekend. It was nice to not have to drive around for a few days! We got caught in a torrential downpour (aka the shear of Arthur) while walking to laundry facilities- that was fun. The campground itself was clean and well maintained - definitely worth a stop if in the area. Thank you to those that came out - including Eric, who brought us a ton of fresh vegetables for the journey, Adrienne for wonderful little gifts for our the dogs, Tra and Alicia for coming back the following day to chat even more, and to Sodom Mountain Campground for accommodating our guests. 

On the 5th, the weather was PERFECT to look at sunspots -we brought out the telescope and shared the views with those around, and many were amazed to see just how many spots were present. Once the sun went down, we moved on to look at the moon. We shared an amazing dinner with our neighbor campers Steve and Barbara (we loved connecting with them and their VERY highly intelligent Border Collie). 

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OFF TO VERMONT | The drive was incredibly scenic, with little traffic, and the dogs slept most of the way...the  combination made for a pleasant drive. We spent the last couple of days tucked away in the Northeast Kingdom just outside of St. Johnsbury, where we stayed with our very hospitable and kind hosts, Denny and Jon (and their beautiful pitbull mix Maxine and feline Louie).

Denny is in the process of opening nekopenmarket.org, a not-for-profit credit exchange to help facilitate bartering, whether it be for goods or services. Check it out - she hopes to expand this to not be limited to just Vermont, and create a lesser dependence on the monetary system.

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Anthony, Justice, Ben, Dakota, Curtis, Nadia and Harmony
We spent the next morning with some very wonderful kids to share some knowledge about the Sun and planets- some were already aware that water had been discovered on planets, and knew more Greek mythology than we thought was possible at their age. There is hope for the future!

We had a great time conversing with these bright minds; we received hand written thank you letters with pictures from each one (including drawings of solar systems and chocolate bars- important for them that when they travel in space in the future, the chocolate comes along). 
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Thank you so much to Denny and Jon for their unbelievable hospitality and kindness. They fed us some delicious meals, took great care of us, and we shared wonderful conversations together and had an amazing time. So much love for you guys, and hope we meet again someday! 

They let us leave on full stomachs (pancakes with Vermont syrup of course for breakfast, and burgers with Vermont white cheddar for lunch) - wonderful house with a lot of love!

We are currently at our next stop in Vermont, with an incredible view - almost 200 acres of farmland and PLENTY of running room for the dogs! Our hosts run an ambulance dispatch and a garage so they know vehicles, and are giving a check-up for the RV to make sure everything is in good working order before we get ready to cross the border! We got hit with some slight showers, but caught a rainbow afterwards - lovely, isn't it? We are just LOVING everything about Vermont!
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7/1/2014

Ringing Rocks, Lost River Caverns, Getting Acclimated to the RV Lifestyle

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Is it already July 1st?! Seems like time is flying by... after leaving Philadelphia, we arrived at Ringing Rocks Campground in Upper Black Eddy, PA. Tucked away in a quiet wooded area, it was the perfect place to spend some time to catch up on work and planning our next stops- thanks to Bob and Devon for such a pleasant experience. 

Then, it was on to Lost River Caverns! It was a pretty hot day in Hellertown when we arrived, so we were more than happy to go 100 feet under and explore the natural limestone caverns (naturally nice and cool). Thank you Bev for taking us on the tour (and Jim for those delicious kiffles!), and sharing the wonderful history behind the story of the caverns. The entrance was opened in 1883 by quarry workers, and has been operating as a commercial show cave since 1930. It was used to host weddings, fraternity initiation ceremonies, even ballroom dancing! It was amazing to see how water over time naturally dissolved the limestone to create passageways and chambers. Lots of neat formations, along with florescent minerals. The gift shop is delightful - not to mention, filled with hundred of beautiful antique guns. 

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The event was originally scheduled for 3-6PM but we did not wrap up until 8:30PM. Conditions weren't right to check out sunspots, but many interesting and stimulating conversations where shared - loved that people were open to exchanging experiences. Got to meet some VERY wonderful sponsors, and the dogs enjoyed running around the picnic grove- at one point Achilles shot off to try to catch a deer (OK, so this happened a few times), but overall, a great time. Much appreciation to those that came!

Although it has only been a short time since we've been on the road, it has taken a bit of patience to adapt to living in this bumpy house on wheels. Blood pressure from the beginning of the journey to the end will vary dramatically, I'm sure! We're getting a system developed when we get to areas with the RV; Ben does a pretty impressive job of handling the rig, AND backing into tight campsites! Being at campgrounds opens your eyes to a whole new world - no idea that there were so many full time RVers around! The size of our space has been no big deal.. for me, smaller space= easier to clean! I'm sure the anxiety of navigating around new places will ease over time. Have received great tips from other full-timers, so if you have any to share, please send them our way! :) 

We decided for fuel/lodging considerations to meet in the middle of Albany and Boston, and will be at Sodom Mountain Campgrounds in Southwick, MA through the July 4th weekend. We realize this could mean a bit of a drive for those in both places, and sure hope you can make it out to see us! Currently in New Jersey where the internet reception is temperamental, so this will be all for tonight! 

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6/27/2014

Hersheypark Camping and Philadelphia Troubles

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Hersheypark Camping Resort was a wonderful stop to make- thank you to all that came out to check out The Mobile Observatory. Wonderful conversations, truly great people... we would love to come back in the future! Sad to leave, and it was such a shame that the downpour interrupted what would have been a very pleasant evening of discussion and grilling (burgers and s'mores)! 

Driving into Philadelphia was not easy... but we made it safely and were able to get a delicious lunch with Christopher (hand drawn noodles in Chinatown!) and had the opportunity to get some photos taken (Christopher Kadish Photography). The photo on the homepage turned out amazing! He is a great guy with some serious photography skills and passion for his work. 

Original afternoon plans: get into the Drexel Hill/Swarthmore area to meet up with family, have some dinner and plan for our Chapterhouse Cafe & Gallery event. Navigating through the area (during rush hour) almost induced a heart attack for the both of us as we got lost, and everywhere we tried to go was not RV friendly (low hanging wires, tight roads with tree branches, one way roads with nowhere to turn around). We burned quite a bit of gas trying to get our bearings straight and after adding a small RV issue, we needed to move on. I could feel my blood pressure going down as we got out of the city, and yet, we both hope to return to the City of Brotherly Love at some point in the future. 

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Christopher Kadish Photography
We made it to Ringing Rocks Family Campground in Upper Black Eddy, PA late in the evening and will be here until we head to Hellertown on Saturday... time to go find a hammer to go ring some rocks!

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