After returning from Panama at the June, I made my way to Washington DC to watch the National Independence Day Parade, and then launched my journey on the highway.  Travelling with both dogs took some creative packing - which means they have more stuff than I do - but the truck is comfy and we are cruising.

The first thing I noticed was the number of cars on the highway with windows rolled down.  Yep, thats right: windows down! I am not the only one travelling without the air conditioner running, lots of people are.   I remember in my youth, when I travelled across the country with my parents and brother (which meant crossing the desert too) we did so with a vehicle that didn't even have an air conditioner. Most likely I slept through it, although I am sure we were all a little on the grumpy side from the heat.

I have indulged in the luxury of AC for decades, and thought my life better for it, and it was - let's face it: driving a car with AC means that my hair hasn't been blown into a ball of knots, my skin doesn't feel like it is covered with a film of dirt deposited from the wind, and surely I smell a lot better too. Also, I don't have to turn the volume up so high on my radio to hear the music over the sound of the wind blowing. 

It surprises me as to how comfortable I have been driving without AC and using the air to cool me - it really isn't as hot as I had thought it would be, and of course, Coastal NC is VERY HOT.  Needless to say, parking lots are hotter than hades, but parking under a shade tree really helps. I have a cooler with cold water for me and the dogs, fresh cheeses and bread, and raw beef for the pups, so we are all feeling fat and sassy.

 I stop every hour or so at a rest stop and take them for a walk on the leash.  That isn't so rewarding for the dogs, but it gets them out a little.  I did let them run in a soybean field late Monday afteroon in Wilson NC, and they enjoyed that a lot.  I was a bit reluctant to let them play there at first because what lay before my eyes was this immense soy bean field with lots of dead weeds and green lush soy beans.  I had to wonder what kind of defoliant was used to kill off the weeds - gave pause to the fact that soy is in so many of our food products, but then set the dogs to run figuring they wouldn't be eating the greens. 

Yesterday, when I arrived in West Virginia, there was a fabulous field as part of the rest stop so I was able to let them run free...and wow!  What a sight!  They had so much fun!  I love to watch Cleo running - she looks like a young pony (and about the size too) and runs with this graceful gait and happy look on her face - it is a beautiful thing to watch, and I smile each time I watch her.  What a treat for me. 

While the dogs were playing, I met Bob, a magnetic physicist driving from Boston to Florida, and so made a new friend - that was an added bonus.  In talking about my concerns over the effects of defoliants on our food sources, I learned that he and his daughter had both been through chemo.  and subsequently told him about my project in Panama - a little at a time, the world gets closer and closer.  Cool.

The dogs were a bit cramped in the back of the truck, so I rearranged things and now Cleo is riding in front with me.  That is quite a trick in itself, as she is about 70 pounds now, and long - gosh so long!  She has been great to ride with - she can fit across the front bench of the pick up truck as long as she has her head on my lap, so isn't a problem as long as she lies down...the problem comes when she wants to stand up.  Then I have to move her head from in front of my own head so that I can see while driving.  She is soooooo large!  I am having fun, and feeling good - and anxious to learn more.

The country is changing, and the news of the bank failings and economy have reached the people, and it is showing in how people travel. Everyone I have talked with is scared, spending less.  I am going to try to talk with more people as I go along on this journey to see how they feel - what direction they see our country going, how they plan to live through the upcoming crisis.  There is a definitive lack of confidence in our government.

It is time to hit the road again - the cost of gas is so high, but I am headed north towards Vermont to work - I have a job lined up there working with Steve Myott in a film making workshop, and hope to pull up some more jobs through Craiglist - but they are few and far between up there in the North East Kingdom - even Couch Surfing is limited!

Peace, love and happiness

A Mime is a Terrible Thing to Waste

I worked today as a mime for a wonderful, warm-hearted couple, Casey and Casey Townsend, who are making their first film independently under the name of Gimcrackery Video Productions. They posted a notice on Craigslist looking for background actors to work as mimes today, and I signed up to check it out, and am glad I did. The film was shot today at Worms and Coffee, a small family run gas station/bait shop/store/coffee shop in Hell Hole Swamp, North Carolina. Try finding that on Google map!

The scene was a protest rally to protect the rights of Mimes, who are being persecuted in the story. There are a plethora of social and political implications to the storyline, but I would be putting my interpretation on someone else's work, and I am not sure what their purpose is with this project. During the introduction at the beginning of the film shoot, Casey announced they wanted to promote clean, family-oriented films without sexual content and cursing. The word that best describes the Townsend's is 'wholesome,' and my time with them was reflective of that genre.

I arrived two hours early thinking I might be able to help set up or sign in the background actors, and the Townsend's welcomed me and put me to work right away. I felt like part of the group instantly, a feeling I really enjoy I invited my friend Steve Myott to join me, a performing artist from Wilmington who was free for the day, and they made us feel right at home. Within minutes I was making up slogans and designing signs for protesters, while checking in background actors. That sounds like an official job, but all I did was work with another woman pass out release forms, contact information, and the lyrics to a song we would all be singing together. It was a great community effort, with children, parents, young adults and old adults alike coming to help this delightful young couple in their creative venture. Within half an hour, there were at least eight people working on either taping poster board on sticks, writing slogans for the signs, or coloring in the slogans. How cool is that!

The atmosphere was really relaxed, in fact, far more relaxed than any other film I have ever worked on...and I have worked on quite a few sets over the last decade. The producers looked like they were having fun - an oxymoron in today's pressure filled world - and evoked a genuine sense that they were enjoying every moment of the filming. It was an amateur production, but I left feeling part of something much larger than any of the big budget films I have worked on in the past. Yep...gotta love Craigslist.

My name is Michelle Moore, and I am a 52 year old woman from coastal NC, with an adventurous streak deeply embedded in my nature. I am planning on embarking on a bohemian journey this summer, living with my two dogs in my pick up truck, using Craigslist as the source for everything I need as I travel about the US. Yep, I love Craigslist, what they do, what they stand for, and an admirer of Jim Buckmaster who led Craigslist to be one of the world's most popular websites while maintaining its public service mission.

I discovered Craigslist through my mid-20's kids who came home last year to provide care while I was ill undergoing chemo for HepC. After an extended illness, the cost of health care and living while too sick to work, I found myself in the position where I could no longer afford the mortgage payment on my condo and was faced with having to move. My kids suggested I list the condo on Craigslist, which I did, and within hours I had a renter, and within a month I moved. Incredible experience! I moved into a rental property, hired movers, a painter, and sold some of my personal items - all through contacts found on Craigslist. The people I met who were providing services were wonderful, salt-of-the-earth folks, and I found myself feeling a sense of connectedness with the community on a level which had been lacking in my life.

I am healthy now, but in debt to the roots of my hair - further than that, if the truth be known. Last week, I started using Craigslist to see what kinds of jobs and gigs are available around the country. My hope was to find a way to sell some of my writing or blog for $$$$ and to pick up some interesting temporary work to bring in enough money to pay on the second mortgage and to provide me with money to live. I need to move out of my house before the first of June when tourists start arriving on the coast of NC, as this house is a beach vacation rental. My 'plan du jour' was to load my two dogs into my pick up truck along with camping gear and clothing, and head out across the country to work in different jobs which I might enjoy. The journey would bring me into contact with all kinds of people, and I want to discover the flavor of America now in these troubled times. The idea of a bohemian adventure and lifestyle appeals to me now, and I was thinking along that line when I read a blog on the roots of Craigslist. When I finished reading, I knew that I was onto something new, and found my direction.

What I want to do is to set out on a journey using only Craigslist as a means to find gigs, places to stay, people to share the cost of travel through ride-share, for everything. I want to see just how far the Craigslist community stretches - and I want to write about it in a daily blog that people can follow. I am confident that I can build a good readership for my blog, and in an ideal dream world, would like to find a magazine or periodical, either online or on paper, which will sponsor my project and publish my work, and maybe pay me :) I think this is the coolest idea, and am really excited about it.

I don't know what the protocol is for this kind of adventure, or if there is one. I did a Google search, and no one else has done this yet, so I am jumping on it. I have contacted Craigslist to let them know what I am planning, and am seeking sponsorship. I believe more direction will come as I prepare for this journey, but I am open to suggestions and ideas.

My home I love in Panama is all natural, organic and self sustainging, and I want to learn how I can live as simply and healthily as possible on this journey here in the US. Along that line, I am going to attempt to make this journey without air conditioning, something that is unheard of in summer travel these days. I remember taking a trip with my parents across the US when I was a small child - we did not have air conditioning then - and we crossed the desert!

This is going to be so cool, and I am really excited. I know I am going to meet some really great people and learn so much while traveling.

I am so happy to see WeEarth up and running on the web.  You have done a fabulous job!  It is grass roots movements and people like those of you at WeEarth that make this world so phenomenal!  Glad to see your first day was such a success.  I look forward to exploring the companies whom advertise on this site, especially those aimed at building with "green" products.  This is such a fabulous site!