A Goonie Good Day

Sept. 25th 2013 Astoria, OR

A Goonie Day 

Today was a day.  An amazing day.  It rained all night last night and into the morning, but today, the sun came out.  After warm showers in the RV, a dog walk and a delicious homemade breakfast, we ventured out to find some good Americanos and some tasty locally baked treats.  We turned around 5 times looking for Three Cups Coffee House.  We finally found it, but it seemed a little too mainstream for our taste, if that’s even possible in this tiny town, so we decided to check out Alley Cat’s Espresso, a non-profit coffee shop that benefits a no kill shelter.   We were able to find this one, so we thought. We pulled up to an empty store front and I went next door to inquire and found out that  it had moved, so we ventured back to the Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro where we had dinner the night before.  

Astoria Coffee House and Bistro

It was getting late in the day and we were trying to see the Goonies house, so we just went back to old faithful.  Their chocolate cake from the night before was so moist and overly generous with chocolate icing so we knew the baked goods were going to be quite delicious.  With our Dopio Americanos, pumpkin bread and coffee cake in hand, we ventured to the Goonies house.  

I took some back roads so we could see something other than the main strip of Astoria.  As we were driving by little victorian houses delicately placed on the steep hills, on this stunningly sunny day, with the windows down, I heard something in the distance.  It sounded like lots of dogs barking so I slowed down to listen (an instinct from running a pet sitting business for 9 years) and suddenly I realized the noise we had heard were indeed... sea lions, not dogs.  Maybe a hundred of them, all talking to each other and making a fuss.  The sound was traveling up the hill from the Columbia River where they were all sunbathing on the docks.  I was ecstatic.  I parked the car and jumped out.  We were directly across from their perch high up in the air so we could see them and Nick busted out the binoculars.  We stood there, taking in the moment, grabbed a few picturesque pictures and continued on our way to the Goonies house.  

Me making a weird face at Nick. 

After another few dead ends and U-turns we finally approached the Goonies House sign.  We parked and walked up the tire worn gravel road to the promised land.  As we got to the top it looked like a house like any other house.  

The owner of the house was super nice.  

There was a little donation box and a small sign on the side of the house that said “The Goondocks”. That was all that differentiated this house from any other house.  But this was a house where dreams were born.  So many dreamers of our generation have a profound connection to this house and the characters that started their journey here.  (That’s why 15,000 people a year come to see this house and just stare at it).  

Can you believe this house was vacant for years before the current owners bought it?

The Goonies’ journey of persistence and determination that they followed through with, against all odds and won most triumphantly (because as we all know GOONIES NEVER DIE) has shaped a generation of 80’s babies from a young age.  Every one of us wants to live that story.  We are the underdogs, the freaks, the nerds, the punks, the fat kids, the Sloths of the world.  We are the dreamers.  And this house represents the birthplace of our dreams; the beginning. It represents HOPE and possibility.  Possibility that what seems impossible can actually be reality.  I am a Goonie!! I never give up when I set my mind on something.  Maybe that’s why I’m traveling the country in a 33’ motorhome without musicians to find my place in the musical world.  There’s something in me that just can not give it up, even though it would be easier and more comfortable to live in a house and stay in one place,  and work a steady job, I just can’t.  

After reflecting at this sparkly magical site, we made our way back to the car at the bottom of the gravel road and back into the flat world of reality.  What eased my heartache at walking away from this place was the thought of the sea lions.  

We drove down the windy hills back to the base of the town at the waters edge.  The call of the sea lions amplified as we got closer.  We had to grab a hot beverage to combat the crisp air of the wet fall winds on the water, and we stopped into the Astoria Coffee Roasters and grabbed another Americano... to share.  The coffee guy was awesome and chatted us up as you’d expect any small business owner in a small town to do.  He gave us the lowdown on the Sea Lions across the street.  Most of them are displaced males and they are there everyday for 10 months of the year.  They go south for the summer during breeding season apparently.  Our friendly caffeine dealer also told us to ignore the “Do Not Enter” signs and said we can walk out on the pier, no problem.  This was all good to know.  

We took the walk across Route 30 and out onto the private pier to gape at the congregation of rejected sea lions; the underdogs of the sea.  They were amazing.  A constant choir of barking filled the air that rose and fell with testosterone driven arguments that seemed to erupt out of nowhere.  A constant musical chairs of sorts was going on, where sea lions were jumping in and out of the waters trying to find an open space to soak in the rays of the coy sun peeping in and out from behind the clouds. 

We had the pleasure of watching a few of the tenants of the boats pass through the crowd of furry finned mammals that had taken over the piers.  A game of cat and mouse ensued.  I’ve never been chased by a bull sea lion and I would not like to be, but watching from a distance, it was hilarious to see the big burley seamen back away from 300 pounds of snarl and bark.  The men raised their hands above their heads trying to make themselves appear bigger but this bull-headed bull wasn’t backing down that easily.  This went on for several minutes until the sea lion decided to walk out on the pier and clear a walking path for the men.  The men ran by quickly and the sea lion barked after them.  He seemed a bit upset for a while after they passed and kept looking down the walkway huffing and grunting.  

I took this shot as we were leaving the docks.  How amazingly Random is it? Rainbows, there are rainbows in my photo!!!!

        
Yet agian, it was difficult to pull myself away from this moment, but our last expedition of the day was calling us.  We had to get to the Point in Warrenton where the Columbia River runs into the Pacific Ocean before the sun set.  We finished theis day of exploration by chasing the sun as it receded to the west and moved on to light the other side of the earth.  We watched the silhouettes of storks flying in formation against the orange backdrop as we sat on the jagged gray rocks of the jetty. There was a sense of harmony in the endless crashing of the waves against the protected shores. The day was so wonderful that I couldn’t look away from it until it’s last little glimmer had gone out.  

So Long NoLa...

My last shift drink cup from Cafe Amelie courtesy of Jordan the Mistress of the bar.  

Our time in New Orleans, this time around, is coming to an end.  Nick and I have both worked our last shifts at Muriel's and Cafe Amelie, respectively.  We are getting ready for the next leg of our trip heading to Colorado by way of Houston, Austin and other various stops.

What I did not expect is having anxiety about leaving New Orleans.  I have gotten into a bit of a rhythm here.  I swim 3-4 times a week and have begun a habitual workout regimen.  I've gotten into the habit of getting a gi-normous piece of gluten-free banana choc. chip bread and an iced tea from Fairgrinds coffee shop.  I've come to appreciate the 3 o'clock rain that doesn't seem to really cool things off enough. But the thing I will miss the most that I did not expect is my day job.  The people at Cafe Amelie have turned out to be some of the most awesome people I have met thus far on the trip.  After knowing me for barely 2 months, many of them came out to show me love and support when I performed in the WWII Museum's Stagedoor Canteen Idol Competition .  They were my cheering section.  I never had as big a cheering section in Philadelphia, where I had lived for the last 11 years!!  These people are so full of life and love to live it!

Each individual at Amelie is just that, an individual.  Somehow amongst the vast differences we find a common ground and miraculously, everyone gets along.  We don't LOVE each another all the time, but the staff goes out together, plans events together and genuinely likes and supports one another.  Many of the staff members are on their way to somewhere else, working at the Cafe just until they are finished with school, or until they get accepted to school.  Others who have had a hard time keeping a job in the past, have been there for years.  It feels like a family.  And I'm going to miss the traditions there.  The constant banter of sexually charged dialogue and inuendos, the weekend staff breakfasts where we try to eat our eggs before they get cold, the never-ending-never-old siracha hot cock sauce jokes,  the pranks that Jerry, the Chef, plays on the staff, the leaky ceiling blues, the sweat soaked uniforms we don as we tend to picky customers, in 95 degree heat and 95% humidity, who just don't seem to understand why we are sweating so profusely, the Mardi Gras stories, the Decadence stories, hell, ALL of the stories.  Working in this restaurant located in the French quarter of New Orleans, EVERYONE has STORIES!!!!

In the time that I've spent at this Victorian Estate turned tourist eatery I've been reminded of something about myself; No matter what, I enjoy being part of something. Somehow it makes life more enjoyable and the struggles a little easier.  When the computers went down at the beginning of service on Sunday brunch, it was ok, because we all worked together to make it as seamless as possible.  When the air conditioner broke down mid-July and there was no relief from the heat the complaints were lighter, because we were all suffering together.  When the washer broke and all of the napkins had to be dried at a remote location causing them to be horribly wrinkled and annoyingly difficult to fold properly, it was just funny because of the impossible task we all laughed and kept on folding.  I walked away with a sense of community, a sense of family.  Anyone who knows me knows that this is something I seek out everywhere I go, but finding it isn't always a success.

So, last Sunday, as I drove toward the East, back to the RV, the sun was litterally setting on my time at Cafe Amelie.  I have been so so very lucky to have been able to work there and meet all of these amazing people.  I look forward to my return.  This isn't goodbye, just a so long...

What I've Been Doing In NOLA.

This is a photo of Stanley on the corner of Jackson Square.  

Ok, so I've been in NOLA for almost a month.  Here's What I've done in a nutshell (pecan preferred):

WE FOUND A PLACE TO LIVE
called Parc D'orleans RV park.  It's, for some reason, touted the least desireable park of all 4 parks on the Chef Menteur Highway, but for us it is the BEST!  It's less crowded that the other tiny parks and about twice the size.  There are no stray/ferral cats running around like there were at some of the other parks  AND it was the second least expensive.  It is not gated like all of the other parks which was a concern due to all of the online reviews about the neighborhood.  Sure,we see lots of "laidies of the night" except I see them mostly during the day in their booty shorts and tittie tops.  This being said, we have had no problems.  Parc D'orleans is quiet and peaceful and I feel perfectly safe.  But then again, I've lived in Philly for the last 11 years...

Parc D'Orleans 

I GOT A JOB
at Cafe Amelie.  A little Cafe tucked away behind an iron gate in the heart of the French Quarter on Royal Street.  This quaint european-esque sanctuary occupies the former estate of the American Princess of Monaco built in the early 1800's and is not the norm for the French Quarter.  No fried or breaded foods here.    A simple menu created by exec. Chef Jerry and executed beautifully by the lovely cooks in the kitchen.  Our Shrimp and grits are topped with a corn Maque Choux (mock-shoe) savory and rich and complete with andouille sausage, cream, butter and bacon fat because that's how they role down south.  Never enough forms of fat in one dish.
I often feel as though I'm in an episode of Downton Abbey here.  I imagine what it would have been like to actually live in the servant's quarters where our office now resides and see the horse drawn carriages prance past the water fountain and into the carriage house, now our bar/restaurant/kitchen.  I think about all the people who had visited the princess while she resided there and the drama behind the scenes.  Anyway, I digress...
Amelie is a pretty great place to work.  It's a small business so there's not a lot of corporate rigamarole to deal with.  It operates pretty straight forward.  No menu tests to take, no week long training, afterall, we are just serving food to people.  It's not rocket science.

Cafe Amelie, Nick snapped a pic the day I went in for my interview!

I GOT INTO A BAND
called Fifty Shades of Blues.  It's a startup band, which is nice because we are all learning the songs at the same time, rather than me having to catch up to the rest of the band.  It's mostly jazz and blues tunes.  Some well known, others well known in certain circles.  I'm really happy with the professional level of the band memebers and that some of my song suggestions were actually considered and approved.  We are planning to start booking gigs in June!  That's coming up fast!  So far we've had 2 rehearsals each about 5 hours long.  Yes, I am a hustler baby.  Trying to get it all in!

Fifty Shades of Blues

I VOLUNTEER ON A FARM
called Sheaux Fresh.  It's a little plot of land across the river in Algiers that's privately owned and has been turned into a small farm that grows specialty produce for local restaurants.  They use organic farming principles and I'm hoping to learn a lot.  I've tasted Arugula flowers that are a nutty spicy surprise and some of the spiciest mustard greens I've ever had. Sometimes Nick drops me off and I take the Ferry back across the river into town.  It's pretty awesome.  I've harvested mustard greens, and curly endive and we had "compost day" last week.  Boy, that was fun.  I required an immediate shower when I arrived back to the RV.  Nothing like shovelling rotting produce filled with worms in 80 degree temperatures to get your blood pumping.  Oh, and I almost forgot about emptying the collection buckets of "liquid fertilizer" into 50 gallon drums.  Exhilarating and disgusting!
Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of this...yet.

I'VE BEEN EATING OUT A LOT
Booty's, Satsuma Cafe, Crescent Pie and Sausage Co., The Red Slipper, Maurepas, Fair Grinds Coffee Shop, Felipe's, El Gato Negro, Green Goddess, Smashburger, Slim Goodies Diner,  Taco Stand outside of BJ's Bar, Pizza Delicious, Reviews and pics to follow....

Crawfish Boil

Looks like there's more to eat than there acutally is.

Wat Mongkolratanaram Tampa Buddhist Temple

As soon as we realized we were stranded in Tampa for more than a few days I started looking up things to do around this town.  I stumbled upon Wat Mondkolratanaram Temple.  The Yelp reviews of it said things like "unique experience" and "there's nothing like it".  My curiosity was peeked, but I didn't follow up on going here until the garage manager at Cummins printed out pages of things to do and this Buddhist Temple was among them.  He highly recommeneded it and so we went.



Here's what it is.  Every Sunday the Temple opens up to the public from 10am to 2pm.  The temple is located on the bank of a river and they set up vendors on the huge wrap around porch of one of the buildings on the compound.

There are these signs posted all over the grounds of the temple including the Meditation Garden.  

You can get various traditional Thai meals, noodle soups, desserts, juices, coffee, and more.  There are tons of tables and benches along the river where you can sit and enjoy this communal environment.  There are flowers and plants for sale and early on in the day there is usually some live music.  It gets very busy and they do run out of certain items as the day goes on.  Expect a crowd, but this is part of the charm.   We arrived on the later side, around 12:30 and the crowds were not too bad, but some of the food options were gone already.  

These are the huge vats of oil cooling down after hours of frying up sweet potato and plantains!! Yum! 

Chicken Curry with rice Vermicelli, sprouts, basil and carrots 

Fried Plantains and Sweet Potato,  

View of the River from our table.  

The best technique we discovered is to purchase your main food items and then get on the coconut custard line.  You grab a to-to box and scribble your name on it, pay and give the box back to the vendor.

You can return in 30 minutes or so and your custards will be waiting for you and you just scoop up your pre-written care package and enjoy!  

Coconut Custard.  Sweet and creamy. It's like having a nibble of Thailand in the palm of your hand.  

You are welcome to join the monks in the temple at 2pm for their service, but you'll have to leave your shoes outside!

Homesick for the Holidays

Ice Cream at the Franklin Fountain with my good friend Adam. 

I want to go home. At least several times a day, i think about all the things back home that I miss.  My friends: hitting up the Boom Room where there are always friendly faces and a welcoming microphone or driving up to El Bar and ordering a tonic with lime and being my friend’s “wing man” as i pour my own flask filled with Gin into my sober glass. I miss my favorite restaurants with Brunches that are actually worth waking up for and the coffee shops where I can order a cup of coffee and not cringe in fear of the first sip as to whether I just wasted $2 of my hard earned and quickly depleting money.  The culture: walking down broad street and seeing all of the young and hopeful artists and actors and dancers from U Arts or grimacing at all of the bearded hipsters who put way too much time into their bicycles and tattoos. And who can forget the dirty streets that make it feel like real life instead of this make believe sod planted world called Florida that I’ve been floating through.  Although, I do appreciate the sun and copious palm trees.

It’s so hard everyday not to just turn around and go back to the place that I miss and didn’t realize how much I love.  Philly has given me so many opportunities like being in short films and dancing in shows on the Schkyukill River and taught me so many lessons like what friends to trust and when to walk away from a bad situation.  I grew into myself in Philly and now, on the road, in this metal tin can that I now call “home”, which has decided to betray me and become imobile, I feel like I just graduated college again and I don’t know who I am. I’m searching for some meaning.  Freedom is a wonderful thing, but sometimes it’s pretty scary.  I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing every day.  I’m just “living my life”, but I’m not sure this is how I want to live it.  I want to work hard and make something of myself.  I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have a “job”.  I worked throughout college and after college I had 3 jobs at once and I loved it! Right now it’s so hard to keep my eye on the prize and without direction I just get lost.  My days are filled with problem solving, exercising and trying not to eat my way out of this boredom.  The road is a bit of a lonely place, it’s true.  My bond with Nick has gotten stronger than it’s ever been.  We spend so much time together, it’s a little bizarre.  Sometimes, I wish I had fallen in love with an amazing musician.  That would make this journey a bit easier, but maybe harder too.  Musicians are so unpredictable and narcissistic.  Who knows, maybe I still will fall in love with one along the way and have a riotous affair!  See?  That’s what I’m talking about!  That’s the kind of stuff I was expecting to happen.  Not getting stranded in a Cummins garage in the outskirts of Tampa with a cracked head gasket.  That’s not glamourous and exciting!  What is a leaking head gasket supposed to inspire?  

So, on this day when Jesus rose from the grave, I am far from home and the ones I love, I have found comfort in a bottle of Malbec and the familiar faces on Netflix, whom I’ve come to know very well.  ( Of course, there’s no WIFI here, so i’m watching it on my iphone. Eh, at least I have an iphone).  The wine is good and the wheat thins are flowing, so I must go, as my guitar is calling me.  Hopefully she will give me comfort on this warm spring night, in this odd southern town where I’m being held captive behind metal gates, under artificial lights.  

Brunch at Cafe Estelle was the best. 

Expectations, What Are They Good For...?

We all have expectations and we all have disappointments.  When things don't go the way you want  or expect them to, what do you do?

Nick and I embarked on the "Dream It True Tour" about 3 months ago.  What we couldn't possibly realize is how different it is to live on the road.  There's obvious changes that effect you in ways you wouldn't ever think of.  Like, we no longer work every day.  I used to walk dogs a least 2 hours a day, on a slow day.  I'm not doing that anymore, nor am I walking up flights of stairs all day.  We have two little steps to get into our RV.  So, with the lack of regular physical activity and the love of food, I've put on a few pounds! I usually weigh about 118.  I got up to 124, which may not sound like a lot, but if I didn't recognize it and make a change it would have continued.  Six pounds is the difference between my clothes fitting comfortably and being just a little too tight.  It's the difference between a tight shirt fitting smoothly and suddenly seeing a muffin top.  Or my thighs rubbing where they never did before.  Bottom line is that I don't feel comfortable in my own skin.    So, I've taken up swimming and biking and walking and watching what I eat.  Friggin' Charleston, SC got me with all of their delicious BBQ meats and cured pig products.  I haven't had any meat other than fish in over a month.  I cook a lot of vegetable stirfrys with organic locally grown greens and root vegetables.  I use My Fitness Pal app on my phone to keep track of what I eat and how much I exercise.  I have NEVER done this in my entire life, ever.

One of my super duper nutritious and DELICIOUS meals.

I'm sure part of my motivation in somewhat obsessing over my food and exercise is to feel a bit of control.  I was in such a comfort zone in Philly.  I had my friends, I had my places I'd get drinks, places to get food, I knew where everything was all the time, I knew where to get my pants hemmed and my shoes fixed, and of course I had a steady income coming in.  It takes a long time to figure out these things, so when you are moving all the time, it's nearly impossible to feel grounded.  All of these new adjustments add up and can make me feel a little crazy; unbalanced. In Philly, sure,  I had an odd schedule compared to the average person, but it was normal and regular to me. Out on the road, I feel as though I am at the mercy of so many factors.  For example, the weather can disrupt our driving schedule very easily.  If it's too windy, we can't drive because we are considered a "high profile" vehicle so high winds mean high danger. We don't drink the water in the holding tank of the RV, so we have to refill BPA free jugs of water every few days which takes time and forethought. When there's a problem with the RV, not only do we have to worry about the expense and having to locate a reputable place to do the work, but we also have to worry about where to stay while the RV is getting worked on! All of these little problems add up and it's not what I had expected.  It's not bad, just a different reality than what I had envisioned.

  I guess I had imagined myself immersed in musicians sitting around campfires and singing to the wee hours of the morning.  This was a very romantic vision, but far from reality, at least, so far.  As far as musicians go, I kind of expected that people would be interested in our trip and want to be a part of what we are doing. It was challenging in Philly to organize musicians, well, on the road it's way more difficult.  Most good musicians are super busy and are into their own projects, the less affluent musicians may show interest in my endeavors, but don't really have the chops to get involved or just aren't dedicated or have kids or whatever other issues that don't lend themselves to playing out or rehearsing. Still other musicians feel threatened by a new talented musician infiltrating on their "territory".   So, there are so many factors, more than I had thought there would be, that make life on the road so much different than life back home.

I've been going to open mics, jam sessions, jazz nights and sitting in with lots of musicians, but I haven't really made any headway, at least not in my eyes.  One night I sang at 4 different venues between sitting in and open mics. No one can say I haven't been putting myself out there.

Elise sitting in with some Jazz cats at Roadhouse Cafe in Fort Myers.  

It's said that crazy can be described as someone doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.  Well, at the moment, I've stopped trying to promote my music that has already been created and began to open myself to collaboration.  Collaboration creates connection and connections are what life is about.  I've decided to build relationships with people through the artistic process of creation.  Giving life to something new that never existed before.  That is how to build a solid relationship that lasts.  So, this is my new tactic.  This is the new plan.  It will have to be reassessed in the near future, but so far, so good.  I recorded a song last night in a small studio with a local producer and I'm working on another song with a local guitar player.  Maybe that's what this trip is about and not  just ME and MY music, but US and OUR music.

Don't forget to comment and visit my other pages for more info on my crazy journey!

Elise's FB Page

Elise's Reverbnation Page

Elise's Youtube Page

Camping In Fayetteville NC: Art's RV Sites

Nick and I aren't particularly fancy people.  We like good food and being comfortable and that keeps us pretty happy.  In the RV being comfortable for us means being warm, and besides heading south, staying warm means being plugged into shore power.  Which is exactly what we did at Art's RV Sites and it was perfect for us.  The sites were surrounding Art's house and dispersed throughout his yard.    We had a full hook up (water, electric and sewer) for $12.50 a day with our Passport America membership.  You can't beat that with a stick.  We were comfortable, it was convenient and we didn't have, nor did we need any of the bells and whistles of other RV campgrounds or "resorts" like the pool, which isn't open this time of year anyway.  Art was a classic southern guy who loved classic American cars.  He drove his 1940 Ford around everyday while enjoying a good smoke.  You could tell he was a collector of sorts by the El Camino in the yard and the 1920 something restored vehicle in the garage.  There didn't seem to be too much going on in this town but everyone was pretty damn friendly.
We stayed a few days and enjoyed the decent weather and the affordable full hookup campsite.  We would pay for a day thinking that we were leaving the next day, but then the next day we found ourselves staying another night.  We knew we wouldn't find another campground as inexpensive,  comfortable and welcoming as Art's.
 It was pretty quiet, except for the distant rumblings of what we assumed were cannon's firing from Fort Bragg.  We weren't hassled when we had an unexpected visitor.  Our friend and fellow musician Jay D Clark, who introduced Nick and I 7 1/2 years ago,  came to visit us from his last road tour The Exam Jam. That was pretty cool meeting up on the road in a different town away from home. He spent the night and slept in our rig on the kitchen table that doubles as a bed. We woke up the next made some breakfast, Jay D grabbed a shower and off he went on his was back to Philly before his next show in Connecticut. It was cool being able to provide a warm meal and a hot shower to a fellow friend/musician travelling around.
  All in all Fayetteville was a nice stop along the way there seems to be more to this little town than meets the eye.  We will definitely be visiting Art anytime we pass though.