CHECKS TO:
GAIL PURTAN FUND KARMANOS CANCER INSTITUTE 4100 JOHN R DETROIT, MI  48201
1-800-527-6266
"IN MEMORY OF MARY LOGSDON" - IN NOTE SECTION OF CHECK


JUNE 14, 2006 "LYDIA, LYDIA, I JUST MET LYDIA, LYDIA, THE TATTOOED LADY"

9:00AM and Breakfast is being served at the Lighthouse in the beautiful Wellfleet village on the Cape. I asked this striking redhead washing the windows where I could get a good breakfast. The Lighthouse looked like a bar, so THAT is the reason I asked and NOT because she looked good from my angle…

Well, it was open, and I had some darn good pancakes with coffee. I went over to the library in town, which was closed. Myself and a few others huddled like pigeons working our laptops to do whatever we needed to do. In my case, I needed to get that June 13 article into the archives. That took some time, but I did hand out more cards.

Rosalie suggested that perhaps I needed to get a new batch made, and I think she is right. I have burned through over half of the 1,000 I had made, and I am not down the East coast yet. I got word from Rosalie that Congresswoman Candice Miller is sending a check to the Gail Purtan Fund in Mary's memory. Very cool. I plan on checking in with her when I hit Washington D.C. I wonder if I can get a photo of me and the bike in front of the Capitol Steps. Perhaps the Oval Office would be better.

Well, the trip down the Cape was uneventful, and everything went very normal, until lunch time. Reality got bent again, as I sat in a Taco Bell and reading the previous day's worth of email, downloaded during the session at the library in Willfleet.

Two very intriguing ladies made their way into the T.Bell and ordered lunch. I was spellbound by the colorful and well executed tattoos that covered the dark haired lady's torso. The blond had a very detailed Celtic cross on her back. We ended up leaving at the same time, and the dark haired girl said "What part of Michigan are YOU from?" I told her. It seems she is originally from Flint, Michigan. Well, since the ice was broken, I asked about having a picture with them. They said, "Sure, as long as you're not one of those "Porno" guys."

Oh ye of little faith. The photo will be enclosed in another entry, along with some others. It turns out that her "body art" was, basically, a story about her life. Her right arm dealt with her love for anything with sugar in it. Her right arm dealt with subjects more serious, including the fact that her deceased husband had shot her daughter, then killed himself. The tattoos were how she handled her grief. It was easy to follow the thought processes being displayed on skin. On back she had tattoos of six guns and the Texas lone star. Very artful lady, to say the least. I continued down the coast.

I paid a brief visit to Fall River, Mass. There is a museum there called Battleship Cove. The last time I was there, I was with Pat Cooperman, Mrs. C, and Mary. The USS Massachusetts is docked there, along with a well preserved WWII Destroyer, the USS Lionfish, which is probably the most complete submarine from the WWII era, and - get this - the only two PT boats that are still existing from WWII. There is also a Russian Cruiser, and one of ours as well. I looked around for a bit, then, hit the road again.

I called Sue, a former member of the 1st Michigan, now living in Rhode Island, when I got to her area, but she was swamped with work. I continued south toward the Florida Keys. I am currently in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Thank God for spell-check, because I would NOT be able to spell a third of these names from out here. Narragansett, Squomahamanishpeming, etc. etc.  I threw a rock into the Atlantic Ocean and it almost hit France. REALLY. Well, it disappeared in the Fog, so I would imagine it kept going. I didn't hear a splash, though. Perhaps the waves crashing on the rocks covered it up, but I doubt it.

It sure is quiet here in the room tonight. I paid a bit extra for the room, but I didn't feel like going back into town. I should be able to make New Jersey tomorrow.
Yeah, like THAT is a goal, now isn't it? I have to say that I have had some fun trying to imitate the speech patterns of the people from the area that I happen to be in.

In some cases it is fairly easy. Others, like that guy from yesterday talking about Hoffa, would be virtually impossible to imitate. He was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too Hard to understand.

More miles in the morning. More writing in the morning, and during the day, too.