Sunday, May 29, 2011

Back in the USA

We made it back to the USA without a hitch.  I think I'm getting the hang of the 30-hour travelfest involved with flying from Austral-Asia to the USA.  We sold most of our stuff but couldn't part with a surfboard, kiteboard, 2 kites, 2 snowboards, and a few items of clothing.  We've been back for 3+ weeks and still haven't felt the need to buy anymore clothing -- I think this nomadic lifestyle is really starting to stick.

1am at the Detroit airport.  30+ hours of travel and we still squeaked out a smile. 
After a great week visiting with my parents, sister and nephew, we took my dad's truck down to Indiana to visit Scott's sister, Becky, and her family.  We had never visited Becky at her home.  It was also our first visit with Nick, her husband, and their two kids Cayden (4) and Camren (5).  After a bit of hiding upstairs, the boys introduced themselves to Uncle Scott with a baseball to the skull. We had so much fun with them over the next 24 hours -- playing Cayden Ball, watching T-ball, and eating at Shake 'N Shake (because it's all about the shakes).


Next, we drove to surprise Scott's brother, Skip, at his college graduation party.  Skip is no ordinary college student.  He is 39 years old with 4 teenage kids.  We are so impressed that Skip stuck with it for four years during an incredibly hectic time for his whole family.  They thought we were still in New Zealand, so the surprise was priceless, as was the look on Skip's face (see below).



We are back at my parents' house in Ann Arbor.  I call it the 5-star resort -- all-you-can eat and drink, fluffy bed, a free gym membership, manicured lawn, spa-like showers, our own car, wireless internet, a TV in every room, fresh coffee waiting in the pot every morning, and our favorite orange kitty.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Repetition is a Sign

by Scott

We are in the final days of our year in New Zealand. The gear is gone, and it's raining, so I've found time to record a song I wrote last year in Australia.

The song was inspired by Ann Arbor's Chris Bathgate. He writes beautifully mysterious songs with lines like:
I twiddle my thumbs at the rag I've become and wait for the world within
cause all I need is the night as my steed and a kiss to serve as my shield
cause it's comfort and ease on evenings like these that turn all my poisons prose
It takes a secret decoder ring to figure out what he's talking about, but it's undeniably poetic. Unfortunately, my brain doesn't work like that. Simple chords. Simple lines. Simple man. Simple mind. Repetition is a sign (mp3).

My band in a box--every van dwelling songwriter should have one