Day Eighteen: New York, NY

Today I got to hang with my pops for a while in Westchester and Campanella and I took the train into the city for some fun... We met Camping in midtown for a quick beer and some NYC pie and then hopped on the Seven Train to one of my favourite places in New York... Flushing Meadows. Flushing, Queens is, of course, the home of the New York Mets and the new ballpark Citi Field. So, myself, Camp, and Camp got a chance to catch the red hot Mets host the visiting Detroit Tigers in an interleague matchup in New York. And, being that the Mets are rolling right now, they kindly put up fourteen, to beat the Tigers 14-6!

Citi Field is beautiful; it isn't Shea, but it is still The Mets... I came here once last summer, during their inaugural season, and I like it even more now. The throwback tribute to the Brooklyn Dodgers and Jackie Robinson Rotunda is gorgeous and puts us on the map among the hottest new stadiums. During the rain delay, we got a chance to scope out other parts of the stadium, including the Mets Hall of Fame (check out the ball that got thru Buckner's legs, classic!) and clubhouse shoppe so Camping could try on some ridiculous Mets gear like this leather jacket... dude's a character...












We tooled around late-night in Manhattan before heading back out to my dad's place in White Plains. It's always a fun time hanging with the Camps and it's always fun hanging in New York! I love that I still have family roots around the city and can make it back here every year.

Day Seventeen: Saratoga Springs, NY > Bronxville, NY

Well, I got to celebrate National Go Skateboarding Day today... but not exactly by choice. For the third time of the summer, I ran out of gas in the bus and had to track down some petrol. No big deal; that's why I travel with a longboard and gas can... and I conveniently tend to run out of gas within a skate's distance from the pump... so, not part of the plan, but certainly part of the adventure... Campanella came down to the city with me, so he was there to stay by the bus with Luna and to laugh at me and take photos as I retrieved petrol by longboard...

We pulled into Bronxville in the afternoon and had dinner with my ma and sister... always good to have my ma's pasta and homemade sauce. We just chilled out for a while and caught up and started discussing Kristen's plans for her move to Denver! Yes, my kid sister Krissie just got a transfer with Starbucks out to Denver and will be moving back with me in the next couple of weeks when I return to Colourful Colorado... I'm psyched for her; she's finally moving to the place she's wanted to live for years...

Oh, and I met this dude at the pump... classic 'stash...

Day Sixteen: Saratoga Springs, NY

Happy Father's Day! Dad, I'll see you tomorrow to celebrate...

Today, I woke up and drove to Glens Falls, NY to participate in a group art exhibition at a local gallery called 42 Degrees. Jon King, co-owner of the art space, asked me to be in the show and I was honoured to be part of a great exhibition with some incredibly talented artists and chill out with a full morning brunch bar of food and bloody marys. It was cool meeting my new friends Bruce Horan and Susie and catching up with them, their perspectives on art / art school in NYC, printmaking, and life. Bruce just got his MFA from Pratt and his work is beautiful.

The afternoon saw me back in the lots selling prints for day two of SPAC. Thanks to everyone I met in the lots for your generous responses and kind support. The Antelope Stakes print will be available for purchase once I return home to Denver while they last. I sold most of them in the lots and at the art show in Glens Falls, but please just drop me a line if you are still interested in picking one up.

More friends showed up tonight, plus more sun, plus more great live music... perhaps the best of the summer! In honour of Father's Day, Phish opened with Brother and invited all of their children out on stage to sit in a big tub... each of the dads in the band had kids join them up there (only one boy, Jack Fishman)... pretty cool. Plus, we got a Talking Heads tune (Cities), Swept Away > Steep > Makisupa, a big YEM, and they graciously validated my print by playing a ripping Antelope to close the first set.

After the show, we went to Esperanto in Saratoga, a late-night hotspot serving up doughboys... so good! And, back to the campsite at Lee's Campground for an after-party. This is what it looks like when you suddenly wake Chops from his chair by the fire...

Day Fifteen: Hartford, CT > Massachusetts > Saratoga Springs, NY

I love being back in the Adirondacks, seeing old friends, and returning to good 'ole SPAC for a two-night stand with Phish. I left Hartford early in the morning to allow myself a little hang time in Saratoga Springs before the show. Luna and I explored the town and spent some time in Congress Park, roaming the fountains and playing ball. Now, we're at Uncommon Grounds to check in with cyberworld and pick up an espresso buzz as showtime approaches...

I got to the lots early and unveiled my new prints. I've been so incredibly busy this spring, but I was able to work up one print for one set of Phish shows... this be it! Saratoga Springs is home to the oldest organized sporting venue in the United States (Saratoga Race Course), and so I decided to play with the concept of the Travers Stakes... transposing the horse race into an antelope race coming out of SPAC... naturally. More details about the print can be be found here.

I roamed the lots in the hot hot heat (humid and obviously sunny), slinging art, and meeting up with friends... by the end of the day, I met up with Bryan, Sarah, Jared, Chuck, Hasch, Karlee, Chops, Roy, Brandon, Amy... pretty freaking cool! Turns out that every time I make it back to Saratoga, plenty of the old crew makes it out too... it's just a great place and is a close-enough venue for a lot of the east-coasters to make... works out great for me!

Day Fourteen: Hartford, CT

I rediscovered that the bus isn't exactly temperature-regulated during early morning hours and Luna and I both woke up panting and searching for water. Oh well, it's time to get up and get rolling... day two of this little four-night run... Last night's show was pretty hot, especially the abnormally intense jam in Down With Disease... plus a couple of rarities with Dinner and a Movie and a ripping Walk Away.

I'm slinging Magic Hats in the parking lot, and beer sales seem to be going well... turns out a lot of people love drinking beer but don't bring any to the lots with them. I just ran into a guy who owns an art gallery in Glens Falls, NY and after seeing some of my work, he asked me if I wanted to be part of a group show in upstate New York Sunday... of course, I committed. It's a good opportunity for exposure... plus, well, I find it hard to say no.

Oooh, tonight they opened things up nicely... first set: Fee > Rift; set deux: Halley's Comet. And for closure, two Tweezer Reprises... strange band... gotta love it.

Day Thirteen: Bellows Falls, VT > Massachusetts > Hartford, CT

Well, I've made it this far, and it's awfully early in the day... I might as well spend some time hanging in Vermont this morning and head for Hartford... I'll have myself a little day hike and make it to the Meadows Music Center in time to hop back on the Phish wagon...

Campanella, Haschman, and Chops are in Hartford, so I'll get to hang with them and return to the venue of the best Phish show of the past decade (revisit last summer): 14 August 2009! Looks like I'll catch two here before heading up to Saratoga for another epic two-night run at SPAC...

Day Twelve: Montreal, QC > Connecticut > Bellows Falls, VT

Day two in Montreal brings thunderstorms and wet streets, but we couldn't be rained out! Colleen and Aidan and I went out exploring centre ville and dodged the rain as we bounced from spot to spot. After they headed home, I ended up stumbling upon (though, not totally accidental) the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts... and they had a big exhibition on Miles Davis. We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz was a wild multimedia retrospective tribute.

As I walked through the rooms filled of Miles art, music, instruments, memorabilia, and feelings, I traveled the journey of his career - one album at a time. A funny moment: When I walked into the room that showcased the Kind of Blue era, I was wooed by the sweetest sounds of 1959, so much that I sat down to take it all in... well, about forty minutes later I nodded back into consciousness when I dropped my journal and my hat... I woke up to a couple standing next to me dying laughing at my display of napping in the art museum.

Late in the evening, I decided to hit the road and head back to the states. I ended up in Burlington around midnight and chilled out in town for a couple hours... Church Street was pretty happening for a Wednesday night in the summer. I ended my Burlington stint with a capuccino to go from the Radio Bean and hit the road...

I had a beautiful early morning cruise through the mountains and along the Connecticut River... it rained the whole way until the sun started breaking through for the day. I rolled into a town called Bellows Falls for the sunrise over the water... still not tired, I decided to sit by the water with Luna for an hour or so and watch her go for a morning swim...