Last Stop, Toussaint Academy

After an amazing day and night at Father Joe's Villages, we left the RV in a secure lot and drove the short distance to Toussaint Academy in the car. Crystal had departed on her 6AM flight back home to Providence, RI, so our new friend, Kent showed up to do the filming. Unfortunately, we soon learned that strict privacy laws prevent the filming of teenagers at shelters, so we bid Kent goodbye until next time. He was great about it and I hope we get to work together in the future.

Toussaint Academy is named after Pierre Toussaint, a legendary freed slave who lived in New York in the 18th century. His life story is absolutely amazing, but a little too long to go into here. Check him out on the web for sure! (see photo)

Deb led a wonderful art workshop for the 12 students who participated and everyone had a lot of fun. Since Toussaint is an alternative arts and sciences high school, the kids produced some amazing art work. Some of it was so good that the kids decided to keep it instead of giving it to us for future exhibition. But that is fine, all of our activities are strictly voluntary.

Although we couldn't film the kids in the shelter, we did film our tour of the facility lead by the Jodi, the amazing program director. We also enjoyed some great coffee and food next door at Pierre's Place, a cafe owned and operated by Toussaint. We video taped great interviews with two Toussaint graduates who work at the cafe. Jodi made a short documentary film a few years ago about the school and a few of its students and has agreed to find it and let us use it in the project. Since Toussaint has a great in-house recording studio and music program, we decided to skip our recording session, but expect to receive a CD with some of the students' original music.

At the end of the day, we headed for the San Diego Zoo (not home) where Gayle and I spent the night in the RV in preparation for the annual zoo walkathon early the next morning. After that, we headed (not home) to Santa Monica where I performed with my side kick Joe Cicero before really heading home to Ojai.

God it's good to be home!

Father Joe's Village Voyage

Hello everyone!

We reluctantly left our friends at N. County Interfaith Community Council early in the morning. Several people came out to say good bye and everyone wants us to come back soon. It was a challenge finding I-15 to get to San Diego, but eventually we found our way through the traffic and arrived just in time.

What an amazing day we had at Father Joe's Villages in San Diego! The place is huge and simply amazing; it is a city within a city and is home to many homeless people. We parked our RV in front of one of the buildings, immersed in a sea of humanity, an experience that was totally incredible. We went to sleep and woke up to the sound of many different voices and conversations, many of them talking about the RV, Hearts Of Fire and why we were there. Many people wanted to know about our project and wished they had known sooner so they could participate.

Once again, Deb Ogburn did a fabulous job leading the art workshops - we had two, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. We had a wonderful time with the adults and children who participated. Ruth, the Excecutive Director, was simply incredible and attended to our every need. She even found soy milk for my coffee! We didn't get much sleep the night before, so the coffee was a necessity. As usual, the participants created some fascinating drawings and engaged in a great discussion about what the drawings meant to them. Since Deb is an art therapist, she uses the art to really make a difference for each person and helps them develop insights from their work. We are constantly amazed by what people say about their work and their lives (See Photo)

A woman and mother of four children told us about her trip to a local suburb to take advantage of a modeling job offered to two of her daughters. As we have heard from many people, she and her family have difficulty getting to appointments, interviews, etc. using public transportation because of the limited availability. The modeling appointment was at 7PM and they stopped at a grocery store to pick up the pictures they needed for the appointment. As is also the case with many families, they had ho child care, so the whole family pretty much goes everywhere together. By the time the appointment was over, it was too late to catch the bus back. They had only $40, so it was eat or try to take a taxi. The kids were hungry so they ate then walked along the train tracks in the dark to find a commuter rail station, eventually getting home around 11PM. While participating in the art work shop, her husband got a call inviting him to start a job tomorrow, his first in over a year.

A couple of adults in the workshop explained what it was like to be homeless and how they are treated by non-homeless people. I can't paraphase it well enought to do it justice, but we captured it all on film. I can't wait until we have it ready for everyone to see; it is incredible. We plan to have a first cut of the video by the end of the year.

At the end of the workshop, Deb lead a "community" discussion about the experience of being with everyone in the workshop and about the artwork taken as a whole. A participant said she was surprised by how similar everyone was to her and how much she was like everyone else. Another person said she felt like anything was possible for her; she creates that for herself every day no matter what. Actually, we have heard very similar comments from many of the participants in the project.

Our music recording sessions were also amazing. When we arrived, no one had signed up for the session; by noon time we had a waiting list. Once we decided to set up the recording studio, musicians just appeared off the street. We recorded five or six people over the next several hours and Crystal did it all herself as I filmed the art workshops. Some people played more than one song and everyone was great. They were very appreciative and wished we could record more music. They all knew many more homeless musicians and wanted to bring them to a session. When we were packing up, the maintenance woman who was helping us said that more and more musicans were playing on the street each night outside shelter and she was mystified by this because it hadn't happened before we announced our arrival.

Although it may be redundant at this point, being part of the community at Father Joe's Village was a unique and amazing experience for all of us. I really have no words to describe my experiences this week; it is unlike anything I have imagined. I will have go write much more to try and impart the experience to others; I think this is important for me to do.

We dropped Crystal off at the airport for a 6AM flight to Providence; she was sad to leave and we were sad too. After returning to the RV for a couple more hours sleep, we packed up and headed for Toussaint Academy - a high school for homeless teenagers. The school is operated by Father Joe's Villages and emphasizes art and science. We are really excited about working with the people there!

Visit To Vista & Excitement In Escondido!

What an amazing experience we're having at the shelters here in San Diego county! We have been so busy having fun that we haven't posted here for a couple of days. Apologies to all you loyal blog watchers out there!

On Tuesday, we had an incredible day at Solutions For Change in Vista, CA, a very innovative family homeless shelter. We were warmly welcomed by everyone we met there; the residents were all very friendly. We parked our RV on the plaza between the beautiful, Southwestern style buildings that graced the spotless grounds where we were literally the focus of the community.

After a slow start and some technical difficulties with our studio, we recorded and filmed a couple of performers on piano and guitar. Later, we filmed two amazing art workshops - one for the parents and one for the kids. Deb Ogburn and her associates lead both workshops. The adults created some wonderful portrait drawings using special "blind" technique and beautiful oil-based colors. Then everyone engaged in a great group discussion about their work. The kids had a blast too; they worked in the crayon medium and made two drawings each - one for us and one to take home.

Our first night in the RV was pretty amazing too and certainly unique in our experience. Sleeping in the RV in the midst of this amazing community was just plain inspiring and FUN! We have never slept in an RV and barely figured out how turn the lights off and on. What an adventure!

Tuesday night we packed up and headed to our next stop, the N. County Interfaith Community Council shelter in Escondido. We rolled into the parking lot around 9PM and glided into our specially designated spot right next to our water and electric hook-up's. Larry, the property manager, was a huge help and attended to our every need. We had total access to the facilities all night and even took a hot shower. (Yes, the RV has a shower, but as RV neophytes we have yet to figure out how to use it; and the holding tank aspect is especially intimidating.)

Today was the most incredible day of the tour so far; it was just exceptional from start to finish. Amazing musicians performed their music and we captured it all on audio and video. Their songs were moving beyond words and everyone crowded around the glass window in the conference room that served as our studio to catch a glimpse or a note. Bobby, who spent 15 homeless years in San Diego, came all the way from Mississippi just participate in this project and "give back" as he puts it. He was simply incredible. Another amazing singer/songwriter, Kimberly, inspired everyone with her music; no one had a dry eye when she finished. Her 25 years on the street gave her a powerful voice for the homeless and an unstoppable spirit. We even recorded the uniquely talented Sergio, the leaf player (yes, a real leaf off a real tree, it was still green).

Deb's art workshops were just as amazing as the music. The participants were inspired and produced some wonderful portraits using Deb's special techniques. We wish we had pictures of the drawings to post here. We will have them soon, Deb is taking shots of each one. We captured some amazing footage and incredible interactions that came up during the workshop. Each participant explained the meaning of their creation to the group and inspiration flowed freely through the room. We can't wait to show the video of this segment because that is only way we can possibly convey the experience of being there with these great people! (Attached is a picture of Bill, a homeless veteran who set up his own art show during the workshop and contributed several of his works to our project.)

Gayle has provided wonderful support for us and everyone at the facility. Her hospitality experience has been invaluable and has engendered warmth and compassion with everyone she meets. Crystal has been simply amazing; her unique combination of technical and communication skill has elicited great performances from all the musicians. Her video skills run the gamut: director, camera person, gaffer, etc., etc., she does it all.

A reporter from the local free paper came to the facility to cover another story and instead spent most of his time with us covering the Hearts Of Fire project. He interviewed all us and several performers and participants, and took lots of photos. We really made difference here - a group from a bank foundation touring the facility was unexpectedly moved by what they saw us doing and immediately made a large donation to the Interfaith Council.

We are spending another quiet night in the parking lot at N. County Interfaith Community Council. We love being at each place and hate to leave and the feeling is mutual. All the staff here have been wonderful and Suzanne Pohlman, the Executive Director made us feel so at home. Thank you!

Tomorrow morning, we leave for an early start at Father Joe's Village in downtown San Diego. We expect a large turn out for the art workshops and Deb has been working overtime preparing for the sessions.

San Diego Tour Underway!

We arrived home in Ojai late Saturday night with the RV after a wonderful drive down I-5. We unloaded Gayle's intrepid Saturn.

Sunday, we spent the day doing errands and preparing for the tour. Since we are totally new to RV's, we had a number of challenges with its operation First issue was repairing dead headlight and replacing wiper blades in the rain (yes, it does sometimes rain in S. California).

Eventually, I found the owner's manual and that made things a little easier I tested the external water hookup and got that working and figured out the electric hookup too. I noticed a lot of things about the RV once I realized we actually were going to sleep, eat and live in there.

Today, we packed up and headed to our first stop on the tour - Solutions For Change in Vista, CA. After circling the area for awhile attempting to follow some erroneous Mapquest directions, we enjoyed a triumphant arrival this afternoon.

Gayle picked up Crystal, our amazing video & audio director, at the airport and drove her to the site. Although Crystal arrived safely on her flight from Providence, RI some of her luggage didn't. So we are on our back to the airport to get the luggage now.

Walter, the property manager, gave us a wonderful tour of Solutions For Change; we met lots of residents who made us feel very welcome.

We are very excited about tomorrow's activities and about our first night I the RV! This is a blast already!

Bob Ballard
Project Director
www.heartsoffire.tv

California At Last!

We continued across beautiful northern Nevada, through Sparks and Reno and Lake Tahoe. What amazing views, especially over Donner Pass, high in the Sierras. It was getting dark as we drove through this area, following I-80 along the Truckee River. Ominous clouds had been streaming across the Nevada sky all day and we heard rumors of a coming storm. High in the Sierras, it looked like it would snow any minute and we gazed cautiously at the "add chains here" signs that appeared frequently along the mountain roadside. Then we careened down the steep western slopes toward Sacramento, dropping 7,000 feet over the 40 mile descent. It was a pretty scary drive, many curves, a lot of big rigs and a little too much speed. (Picture above is approaching Reno from the east; didn't get any "careening" shots, sorry)

We ran into our first city rush hour traffic of the whole trip in Sacramento, but it wasn't bad by east coast standards. After leaving the city, we drove north along San Francisco Bay through San Rafael. Our hunger forced us into Wendy's for some semi-edible nourishment. We jumped back on the road and headed to Paul and Georgia's place in Cotati, CA. Paul was the caretaker of the RV which Joost so generously donated to the project.

We finally reached Cotati around 8:30 PM. We were graciously received by Paul and Georgia and had a wonderful conversation with them. One of the great pleasures of this trip has been meeting so many kind, generous and interesting people, and Paul and Georgia were no exception. We spent a very comfortable night in a beautiful sleigh bed and awoke refreshed and excited - today we were picking up the RV!

Paul and Georgia drove us to the farm in Windsor, CA where the RV was parked. Although the weather was dreary and a steady rain was falling, our excitement was not damped in the least. We jumped out of the car to see the RV and it was BEAUTIFUL! A 1991 Winnebago Warrior!

More about the RV and our maiden voyage tomorrow! Stay tuned.......

Wyoming To Wendover, Westward Ho!

Wyoming is really amazing and different than other states. The high prairie was rolling but also quite flat. Some places looked mountainous like Colorado while others looked like a desert but with more groundcover and water I guess you just have to see it to understand.

I felt a very strong presence of the old West, especially the native Americans and the buffalo that once lived there in abundance. I could easily imagine how it must have felt to have lived there in the mid-19th century - it must have been amazing.

I took a lot of picture but can only post one using my cell phone link, it's hard to pick which one.

We stopped for dinner at the Perkins Café just west of Salt Lake City. Hot food tastes good after a long day on the road. Unfortunately, it was too dark to see the Great Salt Lake by the time we got on the road again. (We took advantage of the rare wireless network that emanated from the nearby hotel.)

We drove off into the night and finally came to a stop in Wendover, Utah-Nevada. Some confusion arose over which state the town is in; part of the town has casino gambling and part does not, so I think the town straddles the state line).

The Motel 6 was quite nice and a real bargain at $32 a night. We slept well until we were awakened by the nearly continuous loud grinding of the starter in our neighbor's very late model pick up truck parked directly outside our door.

Today, we are travelling across beautiful northern Nevada. The northeast section is particularly magnificent. Snow-capped mountains rise majestically to the south while the stark beauty of the high desert stretches away to the horizons. I love it so much here I actually picked up a local real estate magazine and created the possibility of having a part time place to stay here. There is even an old time operating saloon-casino-bed & breakfast for sale out here!

The weather has held up and we are well on our way to Cotati, California to pick up the RV!

Bob Ballard
Project Director
www.heartsoffire.tv

Across Nebraska and Into the Wilds of Wyoming!

Nebraska is a pretty place with lots of rolling hills and
cattle. Historical connections to the Old West like wagon
trails, famous cowboys and forts abound - there is even a huge
wooden archway over highway 80 announcing the start of the
Oregon Trail. Even the rest areas are beautiful out here, we
took a walk around one that was like a park.

The weather has been great; it was so sunny and warm we ditched
our coats and sweaters for the day. However, it has been quite
windy most of the way (see picture)

We had some interesting conversations with people. At a gas
station we met a couple going to the same place we are to pick
up the RV. Later, when we pulled into Motel 6 in Cheyenne,
Wyoming for the night, a car with Conn ecticut plates parked
right next to us. Turns out that the guy is from Norwich, 30
miles away from where we started from on the way back. It's a
small world!

The Motel 6 was rather nice, no frills but clean and
comfortable. Aside from the regular horn blasts from passing
freight trains, we had a restful night. At this point, most of
our physical discomfort consists of muscle cramps and soreness
from spending so many hours in the car. We are really looking
forward to being free of the car for awhile!

Our dining experiences have been a little spotty on this trip.
However, we had some good food at Penny's Diner in Kimball,
Nebraska. I was definitely enrolled in the pioneer spirit as I
devoured a "monster buffalo burger." I also had a lot of fun
drawing on the diner wall with the kid in the booth next to us.

Now we are cruising across the mountainous prairie of southern
Wyoming. Lots of photos here; don't know how I will pick just
one to show you tomorrow.

We expect to stop tonight somewhere outside Salt Lake City,
Utah; we have never seen the salt lake there. Tomorrow we make
the final push to California!

Bob Ballard
Project Director
www.heartsoffire.tv

Iowa, Nebraska and Points West

We spent a wonderful night in Altoona, Iowa with our hosts, Michelle and Dirk. Our only complaint was that our stay was way too short! (see attached picture)

Altoona is a charming little town east of Des Moines. A couple of huge concrete grain silos dominate the sky line and the people seemed very friendly Altoona appeared to be an interesting mix of a traditional agricultural community and a bohemian college town.

The Iowa and Nebraska landscape rolls away to the horizon and is filled with empty cornfields, cows and the occasional farm house surrounded by trees. We are really surprised by how similar the scenery is - rural New England looks a lot like rural Ohio which looks a lot like rural Illinois, etc., etc. right on out to Nebraska.

We expect to stop somewhere in Wyoming (sounds like a song) tonight. We don't know anyone there (yet), so we will have to create another good place to sleep tonight.

Everyone is excited and looking forward to arrival in San Diego and so are we! We are also looking forward to our one night stay at our home in Ojai, CA on the way to San Diego.

We are looking for a video camera tripod and dolly to use in San Diego next week. Please let us know if think you can help with that.

Bob Ballard
Project Director
www.heartsoffire.tv

On The Road Again, San Diego Here We Come!

After a hiatus in New England, we are off on the next Hearts Of Fire tour! Actually, we weren't really on hiatus, we were having a wonderful time with friends and family. We also took a couple of "side trips" to Grand Manan Island off the coast of New Brunswick, Canada to see a lighthouse inn that is for sale and to an innkeepers convention in Louisville, Kentucky. So we didn't really get all the time with friends and family that we would have liked. But we sure had a blast!

Right now we are I-80 heading through a strong head wind across the fields of Indiana. We ran into a lot of rain last night in Pennsylvania which made our close encounters with the tractor trailer beasts even more exciting. After dueling with them for several hours, we pulled into a rest area somewhere in Ohio and fell fast asleep in our Saturnia Motel; we chose the Ion room. The accommodations were warm and cozy but the beds left something to be desired. (Attached picture is from the lull before the storm in PA)

This morning, we awoke refreshed and invigorated, stepped into a biting wind and some snow flurries and scurried to enjoy the weather from the indoor food court at the surprisingly elegant rest area. After savoring some hot coffee and oatmeal, we took off to our next stop - Altoona, Iowa - where we will be staying with Michelle Bliss, an innkeeper friend of Gayle's.

Stay tuned!

Bob Ballard
Project Director
www.heartsoffire.tv