this says it all...

on the walk back to the venue.
need i say more?

ps. a recap to come. all photos never before seen. no words.

the end

the newfound family.
sun setting.
lovelovelove.

BROOKLYN - home bittersweet home, 5/11

ah man.
this really pains me................
and i write it as i listen to the tour mix j made.
"back in the new york groove" is playing...
our homecoming show could NOT have been any more perfect.
we ate absolutely amazing, mouthwatering, sloppy BBQ right down the street from the glasslands.
drank a few beers.
and i know i've said we killed it before about shows on this tour, but this time was different.
we were home.
we were sad.
we were pumped.
we were DONE.
we survived.
this was IT.
and did i mention we were HOT?
literally, HOT.
sweat dripping from our hairlines and down the collars of our shirts.
it was so hot in there they couldn't even keep the beer cold.
the lineup changed about eight times.
we had no cares in the world and we played our sweating hearts out.
the night ended with about 15 people crammed in the van, music blaring, and everyone helping us unload our shit back into our practice space.
we were home.
and we had roadies for our last show.
brilliant.

the wonderful dirty jers - 5/10

we decided, spur of the moment, to head into jersey heights to crash with our old pal kevin.
ahhh, back to the city, where we spent at least two hours in bronx traffic. but keep in mind, our hours in the van were fast-dwindling, which made traffic-jam time almost sacred. we cherished every moment (between curse words) and were sure to pat the silver bullet's curvaceous dash board every now and again, just to let her know how much we loved her. but for real, WHERE THE HELL DO ALL THESE CARS AND PEOPLE COME FROM AND WHERE IS EVERYONE GOING ALL THE DAMN TIME???!??!?!
we arrived to a huge spread of food: tacos, tortillas, beans and rice and beer and shots of tequila. amen.
these four photos (the only ones taken on jersey soil) pretty much say it all.
must it really end??? (sob)
ps. just so you know, i woke up and lost my mind for approximately 20 minutes, gyrating, charlie brown-dancing and shouting all tourette's-like.
pss. if you are wondering where jess' jersey pic is... well, she was probably moving the van. for the 3rd time. in less than 24 hours.
psss. we finished our time in jersey at la isla, in hoboken, eating the best damn cuban food this side of the country. i swear.

was it all just a dream???

yeah, i know.
i've COMPLETELY slacked on finishing this tale.
i think it's a combo of things holding me back. i am:
a. in denial that we are no longer on the road
b. busy trying to wrap my head around the experience
c. adjusting to life outside of the van
d. diving, wait, no... WADING back into a routine (this has proved most difficult)

but seriously. who's got the damn keys?

our stay on the farm - 5/9

the photos pretty much explain it all.
we stayed with denise and her husband jason. she spins wool. BEAUTIFUL wool.
they raise sheep and chickens and live off the land.
we heard owls all night long and were awoken by a rooster.
perfection.

nectars - burlington, VT 5/8

i drove.
crossing the border was truly a piece of cake. the dude tried to scare me and confuse me and i was like "whatever."
and then he asked how many t-shirts we have and i was all like "whatever."
and when he asked who our manager was, i was like "uhhhh, whatever!"
CAUSE THIS IS MY UNITED STATES OF WHATEVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we paid the toll and we were back.
the drive to burlington was beautiful.
we found a hotel, checked in, showered for the first time in days and ate a really healthy dinner downtown.
from there we walked down to the marina to watch the sun set over lake champlain.
we killed nectars. it was, by far, the best show out of the last four or five.
i wasn't nervous in any way, shape or form.
jess and andy killed it too, besides these two hairy dudes that kept going up there between songs and telling her what to do. idiots. truly idiots.
i got up and sang fangs with her.
we were all drinking red ribbons.
we gave some dude from burton a ride back to his hotel and then went back to our room and made popcorn. we were rowdy, but not loud. father cheadle turned out the lights at 4am.
we all love vermont.