December 20th, 2006

Spent half of the day on planes. Made it back to Florida. Had a couple interviews today. Kristin was interviewed on the radio in Madison, WI and we recorded it. Kristin started the last and final painting of the project this afternoon. It will be the Hawaii inspired piece and will be left here in Florida. We have officially made it to all 50 states. It took a little over 13 months. We've come full circle and we did it! All that is left is placing the last painting and there will be a piece in every state.

December 19th, 2006

We wanted to go surfing this morning before we had to check out of our hotel, but every rental place I contacted wanted us to rent for a minimum of two days. Instead, we wandered around Honolulu and Waikiki. We went to the Iolani Palace, which is the only palace in the United States. We went back by The Ramsay Museum and talked with Russ a bit more. We went to the Capitol Building, Aloha Tower, King Kamehameha Statue, and went shopping in Waikiki. We dropped off our rental car at about 5 and took the shuttle to the airport. At 7 pm we boarded the plane and said our last "Mahalo" to Hawaii.

December 18th, 2006

We woke up this morning to one of the most amazing views I have ever seen in my entire life. We couldn't see it last night, but the view from their deck is breath taking. This morning we started driving around Maui and I must say that Maui has a totally different feel than Oahu. Maui to us seemed even more laid back and natural. We drove past farms, pastures, and forest. We stopped off at the Kula Lodge and had an amazing breakfast. From there we headed over to the dry arid side of Maui. We went to Lahaina, which was one of the first areas that Ramsay stayed when she first arrived to Hawaii. She told how she met Harry Belefonte and pointed out the breadfruit tree that she spoke to him under. One of the coolest things we did was go out on a whale watching tour on a sailboat. We had a great view of Maui and the surrounding islands. We saw whales breach and got a couple pictures of them flipping their tales out of the water. Ramsay and Dr. Norm had stayed on shore and picked us up when the boat brought us back. Unfortunately, after that we had to head straight to the airport to catch our flight back to Oahu. We had such an amazing time and were sad to say goodbye to our new friends.
We got back to Honolulu at about 6 pm and picked up another rental car. We went back to the hotel, grabbed some food and started packing because we have to leave tomorrow.

December 17th, 2006

Today we went to the Valley of the Temples, specifically we went to the Byodo-in Temple. The Temple is a replica a temple in Uji, Japan that was built over 900 yrs ago. After having lunch near the temple, we headed to the Honolulu Airport to catch our flight to Maui. We met up with Ramsay and Dr. Norm and went to dinner in the town of Makawao. After an awesome dinner, we went to their house which is on the slope of Haleakala Crater. They even said that they have clouds pass right through their house! It was also interesting to learn that one of their neighbors is actually Oprah Winfrey. They have and amazing house which they have remodeled and decorated magnificently. It was very surprising to feel the difference in temperature just from the town of Makawao, to where their house is further up.

December 16th, 2006

Today we went to place the Georgia inspired painting, "The Secret Within", at The Ramsay Museum. We met with Russ and the famous artist Ramsay. We had a great time talking about our traveling experiences and life in general. Ramsay took us on a tour of Chinatown and actually showed us historic buildings she helped to save from being torn down. After, she and her husband Dr. Norman Goldstein took us out for dinner. We had an amazing night, and they even insisted that we come with them to Maui tomorrow.

December 15th, 2006

This morning we headed out toward the North Shore. One of the first stops we made was at the Dillingham Airfield and watched some skydivers. We are also big fans of the show Lost and we heard that they have a piece of the fuselage from the Oceanic Flight 815 housed at the airfield. We drove out west along the airfield and saw it. After getting some pics we then drove along the beach stopping every now and then to get pictures. From there we headed toward Hale'iwa and even went south of there to the Dole Plantation. It is a big tourist trap, but it was worth a quick look, and the pineapple ice cream is awesome. After the plantation, we went to Hale'iwa and wondered around.
Continuing north on 83 we stopped off at Laniakea Beach. Here turtles come right onto the beach to lay in the sun. We got some good pictures and video of one of the turtles as it was making its way out of the water. The turtles were incredibly huge too. The next stop we made was in the Waimea Valley at the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. I almost got attacked by a peacock while trying to take its picture, so that was memorable.
It was so surreal driving right by Waimea Bay. As a kid growing up in Florida, surfing every chance I got, I couldn't believe I was on the North Shore. I was driving by all of these famous spots I had only seen in videos and magazines. When we got to Ehukai Beach Park, I could hardly contain myself walking out to get my first glimpse of Banzai Pipeline. The waves we decent, but the wind was blowing hard off shore, making it choppy. We hung out for a while and got some pics and video. They day before they had held the Rip Curl Pro, and they were tearing down stands. I could have kicked myself for not knowing and insisting we come out to watch Andy Irons win the Triple Crown, just yesterday.
We continued on 83 and stopped at Giovanni's Shrimp Truck in Kahuku for lunch. The food was awesome and we even signed the truck, which is a tradition. On our way back to Waikiki, we stopped at the Sugar Mill Ruins, as well as some other shooting locations for Lost that we recognized.

December 14th, 2006

Last night I ended up taking some medicine and took a nap, but ended up sleeping all night. We woke up early though and headed out to the Leeward side of the island. We took in the drive and one of the first things we noticed right away, were all of the squatters living right on the beach. They have their make shift houses comprising tents, poles, palm fronds, and broken down vehicles. Our first stop was at Kaneana Cave. At first we over shot it and ended up turning around at Ka'ena Point State Park. You can walk right into the cave and explore. We didn't have a flashlight so we didn't venture very far. The local legend behind this cave tells of a shark man that lived in the cave and would lure his victims in.
Originally when we headed out to that side of the island we thought we would be able to travel all the way to the North Shore on 93. But the road actually turned into a rugged, rocky road at Ka'ena State Park and leads out to Ka'ena Point. Being that we have a rental car we didn't try and go off road to keep going, we had to turn around. Since we were headed back in the direction, we decided to check out Pearl Harbor and see if there were tickets left to go out to the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial. Luckily, when we got there, we only had about a 10 minute wait. They first show a video comprised all of actual video of the attack. It is very striking and definitely puts you in a mood of reflection and appreciation, before you go out to the sunken ship. We took the boat ride out and walked around the Memorial. It is another one of those places in our country that really weighs heavily on you when your standing on that ground.
After leaving Pearl Harbor we headed out passed Diamond Head and over to the Halona Blow Hole. The Blow Hole is a lava tube that sprays water and mist up into the air as waves crash inside of it. Amazingly while we were at the Blow Hole lookout we saw some whales breaching out of the water! It was first time we had ever seen whales, so we were extremely excited. From there we continued driving on 72 past Koko Head Crater and stopped at Makappu'u Point and got some pics. On our way back to Waikiki we stopped at the Nu'uanu' Pali Lookout and took in the spectacular view there. We then hung out in Waikiki for the rest of the night.

December 13th, 2006

Unfortunately, I have gotten a bit behind on posting daily blogs. As phase one of the project is coming to an end, we have been extremely busy promoting the project's completion. We have been getting a lot of good responses from all of the press releases we have been sending out. We have had quite a few interviews in the past few days and have more scheduled this week. As I am writing this we are on a flight to Hawaii, our fiftieth and final state! It really is hard to believe that in a few hours we will have been to all fifty states! Unfortunately, I got sick a couple of days ago and have had a fever for the past few days, not the ideal way to go to Hawaii, but hopefully it will pass in a few days. Were about 2 hours into our 9 hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu.
We got in at about 3:30 pm to Honolulu. We got our suitcase and the painting that is going to be placed here in HI, and then caught a shuttle to pick up our rental car. From there we checked into our hotel in Waikiki. I'm still not feeling well so I am going to take a nap before we go exploring.

December 8th, 2006

Crossed into Georgia at 4:52 pm.

December 4th, 2006

Crossed into South Carolina at 3:09 pm.

November 27th, 2006

This morning we stopped at the Outer Banks Welcome Center, it is here that they have a "Monument to a Century of Flight". They even buried a time capsule for people to to be opened in 2103 which will be the 200th anniversary of the Wright Bros. first flight. Which we thought that was pretty cool. We continued south and stopped at Wright Bros. National Memorial. We got there just as they had started to play a video about the first flight. It was extremely interesting. They mostly talked about the different experiments the Wright Bros. performed while making their 1902 Glider and 1903 Flyer. After the video we walked around and took in the exhibits, then went out and walked up the the granite monument that is on top of hill the brothers used to launch their gliders. They have planted grass all over the dunes that they used so that they wouldn't blow away over the years.

After there, we continued south into the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and went to the Balboa Island Lighthouse and the visitor center there. We propped the camera in the window of the Element and got our picture in front of the lighthouse. After Kristin got a stamp in her journal we drove across the road to the beach. You can drive your car out on the beach in certain areas on the Cape and this area was one of them. It was pretty sandy but we decided to try it. Kristin went up on top of a sand dune to film me while I drove along the waters edge. I didn't venture too far, cause they sand was really loose. On the way back I started to get stuck and had Kristin get in and drive while I pushed so that we didn't end up digging ourselves into the sand. We made it out fine, thanks to the trusty Element. I love the water and really liked the area, even Kristin liked the North Carolina coast, which is remarkable, because she isn't too fond of the beach.

After leaving Cape Hatteras we headed west to Roanoke Island. Roanoke Island is the first place that a child of English decent was born in the New World. We went to Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, which is also known as the site of The Lost Colony. It story of the colony is shrouded in mystery, because they have no idea what happened to the people at the colony, they seemed to just disappear. From The Lost Colony we continued west we are going to try and get a hotel tomorrow in Smithville where there seems to be some good deals. Kristin is going to start the MD piece.

November 26th, 2006

First thing we did today was go to the State House in Annapolis. It is really beautiful and unlike most it doesn't have a gold dome. There area around the Capitol Circle is great too. We walked by the shops and restaurants before getting back on the road. We continued east and when we arrived the Bay Bridge, we realized we didn't have any cash for the toll. The lady said they didn't take checks, but told us to just drive through and it would take a picture of our license plate and we would be sent a bill. We felt bad, but felt even worse when we left the booth and sirens and lights went off. We felt like we were in Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy, and "we just ain't gonna pay no toll, so we crashed the gate doing ninety eight". Anyway, we continued east and stopped in Ocean City, MD. Ocean City was nice, but it seemed a little quiet because most everything was closed for the season or didn't open until later. We walk out on the beach near the fishing pier for a while and got pictures.

After we left the east coast O.C. we continued south toward NC. The coolest part of this drive was going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel It has been called "One of the Seven Engineering Marvels of the Modern World". Once we got to the south side of the bridge/tunnel we stopped at the Restaurant/Giftshop and redeemed a coupon, you get when you pay the toll, for a free soda. We went to VA in the beginning of the trip so we closed our eyes while we drove through to get to NC. We got into NC at about 8 o'clock. We stayed the night in a parking lot in Kitty Hawk. First thing tomorrow we are going to check out the Wright Bros. National Memorial.

November 25th, 2006

This morning we went to a Panera down the road from where we slept, to get on the internet again. As we pulled in, the parking lot was alive with police and onlookers. We parked and watched from a distance wondering what was going on. Apparently a dead body was found in a parked car in front of the exact Panera we were at last night! They have no idea what happened. It was totally like something out of CSI. They roped off the area and forensics came and took pictures and evidence. It was really interesting. Here is an article about the incident.

After checking our email and waiting for the gallery to open, we headed downtown. We met with Linda Krensky owner of Light Street Gallery. We talked, and toured the gallery. The Light Street Gallery will be displaying "Along The Dotted Line", till the end of the year, and Linda even expressed interest in showing some more of Kristin's work aside from the project. After getting some pictures we headed off to Washington, D.C..

We got into D.C. drove through downtown and went to the National Mall. Close by, went to the front of the White House and got some pics. There were a lot of protesters yelling and offering for people to get pictures while wearing George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice masks. There were also people dressed up in prison outfits wearing Bush masks. It was a little bit scary, mostly because it reminded me of the robbery scenes in one of "biggest cinematic epics" ever made, "Point Break". After there, we Johnny Utah'ed our way over to the George Washington Monument. While trying to get to the Lincoln Memorial we prematurely ended up at Arlington National Cemetery, which is just inside VA. At Arlington we went to John F. Kennedy's Grave and got some pics and video of the graves and the eternal flame. We then walked over to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was getting late, but we stayed until it was dark to see the changing of the guard. It was so crazy to watch the soldier walking and marching so perfectly and meticulously. You have to admire the amount of discipline it takes to be that still and perfect in your timing. It made me think of a unique parallel that could be drawn between the soldier and a monk, who both train and disciplines there mind and body, but for different reasons.

After watching the changing of the guard we headed back to theLincoln Memorial, we have both been to D.C. before this, but had never seen the memorial lit up at night and it was awesome. After getting pictures with Abe, we went over to The U.S. Capitol Building and got some pics of it. We debated whether or not to stay near D.C. for the night, but decided to drive on closer to Annapolis and spend the night.

November 24th, 2006

Today we went to Baltimore. The first stop we made was at the Shot Tower. From there we proceeded to Edgar Allen Poe's grave at The Westminster Hall and Burying Ground. We also went to Babe Ruth's birthplace and museum. After that we went down to the Inner Harbor. Next was Federal Hill. From here you have an awesome view of Baltimore. It was from here that Union Troops placed cannons facing the city to assure that the state and city would remain loyal during the Civil War. The next stop was Fort McHenry. We watched a video about the Fort, and the Battle of Baltimore. It was the morning, after watching this battle that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. We toured the fort, and went into the barracks and captain's quarters. In a twist of irony, we were also surprised to learn that during the Civil War, Francis Scott Key's grandson as well other political leaders, were imprisoned here at the Fort for being sympathetic towards the Confederacy. After leaving the Fort we got some dinner and ended up in Timonium, which is north of Baltimore. The Delaware piece will be left at The Light Street Gallery in downtown Baltimore. The gallery will be open tomorrow and we will drop off the painting before leaving the city. We are going to get on the internet for a while and then go to bed.

November 23rd, 2006

Kristin finished the Delaware inspired painting last night and it is called "Along The Dotted Line". We have been trying yesterday and today to get in touch with an organization so we could volunteer today. We have found that today is one of the biggest volunteering days of the year. We have been told that most organizations have more volunteers than needed. One person I talked to even said that it was as if people are competing to volunteer today. We joked that volunteering seems to be a cutthroat business nowadays. Nobody wants us. I even started calling retirement homes, some said they don't need people, others say that they don't have volunteers come on holidays. We have now learned that if you plan on volunteering on a Thanksgiving plan way ahead and sign up early.

As we were about to checkout of the hotel today they offered to give us the same rate, even though it was a holiday. We gladly accepted, because it's rainy cold, and we think everything is going to be closed.

We just hung out today. Nothing was open except gas stations, so we ended up buying the last two turkey tv dinners that they had, and made them in the hotel microwave. It wasn't as pathetic as it sounds. Ok, maybe it was, but it was fun.