Year 2, Day 260 (A Visit Long Overdue)

After picking up this load yesterday just outside of Philadelphia, I made my way across Pennsylvania for delivery Monday morning in Delavan, WI. Along the way I took a slight deviation from the route to do something I haven't done in a long time. I made a stop in a suburb of Pittsburgh to visit some dear friends, C.J. (whom I first met early on in the Marines) and his lovely wife, Lisa. I hadn't seen them in a very long time, C.J. and I calculated it to be about 10 years. Due to a variety of different "speed bumps" I was only able to stay for less than two hours. It was a great visit! C.J. and I speak on the phone periodically, but I don't always get the chance to stop by, due to different scheduling conflicts that go along with driving a truck. During our visit C.J. and I reminded each other of a few things from our younger years that the other had forgotten about (such as my "head roll" while we sang U2's "When Love Comes To Town"). I still remember when C.J. and I first met: it was the day I had arrived in Guam to report for duty at the Marine Barracks. The platoon I was being assigned to was on duty, and C.J. - being in a different platoon - was pulling augment duty, since my platoon was short handed. When the van pulled up, and I began unloading my belongings, C.J. walked up and, noticing my bass case, asked if I play bass. The rest, as they say, is history. We became very close friends... so close, we earned the nicknames "Hawkeye" and "Trapper" (him being the latter).

In the few times we are able to get together, it's as if we've never had the distance between us that we do. I still kid with him about him having more grey hair than I (especially since I am exactly 11 months older). I always appreciate our conversations on the phone, and am grateful and blessed of the hospitality they extend to me when I do come to visit. He is as blessed to be married to Lisa as I am to be married to Tikvah. I'm hoping to be able to stop in for another visit much sooner, and be able to stay longer... perhaps even go out for dinner.

I still think he looks like a middle-age Bart Simpson.

See you again soon, Trapper!

Year 2, Day 223 (It's Nice To Catch Up With Old Friends)

Yesterday was mainly spent immersed in Torah, which, in this line of work, is always nice when I just just shut down and have the Torah as my only focus for the day. Once the sun had set, just on the spur of the moment, I decided to call a friend, whom I hadn't spoken to in some time. Mike and I had served together in the Marine Corps, and because of the things we had done together during that time, is one I can truly refer to as a friend. After 4 years in the Corps, he ended up going into the Army (why a Marine would do that, is beyond me). He apparently enjoys it, as he has served his country for over 20 years now. He and his wife live in the Nashville area, and though I've passed through there on several occasions, I have yet to get together with him, either because, a) I was limited on time, or, b) he was unavailable.

Mike was a good kid back when we served together, and has become a respected man, Father, and husband. I asked his when he would ever retire from the Army. He said he wasn't entirely sure, since he was "still having fun." He was always gung-ho like that. Once a Marine, always a Marine... even in the Army!

Semper Fi, brother!

Year 2, Day 99 (Guest Blogger: RebbeSoul)

When I got to Israel, I played a lot of weddings as a guitarist/sideman, particularly in Jerusalem. Often the material consisted of Reb Shlomo Carlebach's songs and that's how I learned many of them. He wrote something like 2000 songs, many of which are so popular and common in Jewish culture, people think they are traditional, folk songs. One of the most popular that I played was "Adir Hu." It's from the Jewish holiday of "Pesach" or Passover, the holiday that occurs at this time of year.

I love the scale and I love the groove. Naturally, when it came time to record the new RebbeSoul album, which was to consist entirely of the material of Reb Shlomo Carlebach, his "Adir Hu" was high on my list. Even though, I had played it often, recording it was anything but routine and expected. Here's what happened.

I was recording at the studio of Dan Gil, the Gearer Rebbe in Sharon, MA. Dan is called the Gearer Rebbe because he knows a lot about musical gear and is obsessed with it. He had just acquired some new equipment and instruments and one of them was a Turkish saz, sometimes called a baglama. I was at the studio for a few days and Dan kept telling me about the saz and how I should play it on the new album. "I don't know how to play saz. I don't even know the tuning," I replied. That didn't matter, he didn't stop trying to convince me to play it. At one point, he was setting up 4 mics in an elaborate configuration for something I was about to play and of course while doing so, he carried on about the saz. I finally conceded. "Okay, since you're busy doing this and I'm waiting, why don't you get me the saz and I'll see if I can do something with it?" As soon as he handed it to me, I strummed it once and knew it would be perfect for something. The Gearer Rebbe had quite an insight.

A Turkish saz

"Adir Hu" was exotic sounding to begin with, incorporating the fragish (Yiddish) or hijaz (Arabic) scale so that seemed like the right tune to choose for the saz. I used some of the strings as drones and whether or not that's part of the method of playing or not, it sounded good. So I stayed in the performance room for 3 hours figuring out how to play it and we got it all. I even laid down a 2nd track and the 2 sounded really good together. I was astonished at how well it came out and grateful that the wise Gearer Rebbe, Dan was so persistent.

I went back to Israel and was listening to the tracks. Although they stood well on their own, I wanted to add a few more things. I was just having too much fun with the song and didn't want it to end. I had made a stop in San Francisco on the tour before returning to Israel and went to one of my favorite music stores, Clarion Music, named after little Clara Hsu who is now a fully grown woman, by her loving father who founded the store. It's a wonderful place in San Francisco's Chinatown to explore non-Western instruments. I first discovered it in the mid-90s, with our percussionist in RebbeSoul, Cassio Duarte and both of us were like kids in a candy store. We were in San Francisco to play Great American Music Hall and Cassio heard about this store so we went there and didn't leave for a few hours. I got a dolak from Pakistan and used shortly afterward on "A Narrow Bridge" or "Kol Ha Olam Kulo" in Hebrew, on my Fringe of Blue album.

This time, in 2009, I was in Clarion music with my brother, Scott and his son Steven. We were having fun being tourists in Chinatown and this was one of our stops. I left with a jaw harp and some hand percussion from Viet Nam and China. When it came time to record the additional material for the song. I was tracking on my mobile recording studio in Israel and pulled out these new toys of mine and rolled a few tracks. I added some finger cymbals which I often use. You can hear them all over my recordings. Between the finger cymbals and the newly acquired Asian percussion, the top end was pretty well covered. The only thing missing was a deep sounding drum for the bottom end. All the drums I had to fit the bill were in the United States and I wasn't there at the moment. It was so hot in Israel, I was drinking bottles of water constantly and just polished one off. I gave it a bang and it sounded pretty good so I played "four on the floor" on the water bottle and that's what you'll hear on the track. It comes in toward the end and sounds like a big drum.

I had so much fun with this tune, I decided to do another take on it and record it again, only more techno or electronic as opposed to this version which was entirely organic, with all real instruments.

I jumped on the computer and came up with a short programmed drum part or a loop, as they are fashionably called. I added some synth sounds and created a nice bed for the new lead instruments. But what would they be? I took out my nylon string and it sounded divine, so soothing. I recorded it and didn't want to stop because I was having so much fun with the tune. I spotted my balalaika, sitting in the corner, being ignored so I picked it up and played a track of balalaika which sounded really nice too, totally different, but really nice. I liked them both and decided to use them, the balalaika at the beginning and the nylon string afterwards.

Me and my balalaika in NY; photo by Melissa Stonehill



I wanted an intense, groove-oriented bass part so I called up one of my very favorite bassists, Moran Baron who happens to live on a kibbutz just minutes away from me and he came over slammed a killer bass part. Moran has lots of ideas and usually lays them all down. Then it becomes an editing exercise to decide what to keep and what to discard. One must be brutally disciplined to discard anything he plays because it's always so musical. I loved what he played so much that I lengthened the song by a few minutes with a long ride-out at the end just to accommodate his many ideas. If you listen to the bass on the song, you can hear a variety of different ideas, all working well but all a little different from each other, especially at the end where he play 1/16 note harmonics. The long ride-out also allowed me to indulge myself, playing another one of my new toys, the jaw harp I got in San Francisco.

I called this track, "Adir Hu Revisited" and it's at the end of the album, just before the radio mixes. I liked the way it finished off the album, providing a long, late-night, college dorm kind of mood.

You can listen to "Adir Hu Revisited" on SoundCloud

RebbeSoul - singer, song writer, musician, recording artist, guest blogger:

At first glance, you would not label him as a Rabbi or a Rebbe. In fact, not even at a second glance, but RebbeSoul is a musical brand name who combines Jewish music with soul and jazz. Now he is coming out with a project renewing Carlebach nigunim (melodies) as instrumental pieces, unique from the more prevalent, Carlebach style and just as unique for the soul.

He made aliyah (moved to Israel) about 3 1/2 years ago and lives in Zichron Yaacov and, like many other Jewish, western, music creators, his heart lies in the east but his work originates far in the west. He was born in upstate New York and embarked on his musical career at the age of 22, when he moved to California. At age 12, he had a plastic guitar his parents rented for him "because they didn't believe that I would take the instrument seriously. I played at bars that I wasn't even allowed to enter because I was too young." he tells, "They just looked the other way, and let me play."

Like the classic Jewish mother, his own mother didn't see music as a worthy profession one can make a living at. With a degree in engineering and his guitar in hand, which he was much more attuned to, he traveled across the US to look for a his place. "I went out of my house in a snow storm and drove for 2 weeks until I finally got to sunny California, where I only had on a pair shorts and my guitar in the back of my car. I spent 3 months practicing about 10 hours a day, working on every style of music. I didn't care what it was."

(Excerpt taken from RebbeSoul's press page of his website, rebbesoul.com, where you can see his current touring schedule, or even order his amazing music - yes, that was a plug... and yes, I have several of his CD's).

He can also be found on YouTube, Facebook, and on ReverbNation, both as RebbeSoul, and with Shlomit Levi as Shlomit & The Rebbe.

Year 2, Day 85 (Heading To Lebanon)

I left out this morning from the North Little Rock terminal with this load I picked up on Friday. I stuck around there just in case there was a different load that needed to be re-powered, but no luck. I was able to meet up with another driver and him and I went out to grab a bite to eat and engage in some intellectual conversation (yes, there are a few of us truck drivers that are edumicated). I left this morning a little after 1000 and made a stop in the Memphis area to do a little shopping. I could have done it in Little Rock, but they don't have a Super Target... Memphis does.

A week ago this past Friday, my youngest son, Nathan, went on a trip for spring break with his high school Drama class to New York City (of which both my wife, Tikvah, and I were jealous). He returned home around 0100 this past Thursday, so I was able to spend at least a day with him before I headed back out. He had a wonderful time: eating at several different places (even having real New York pizza), attending two shows on Broadway, and visiting the Empire State Building, just to name a few. While there, his class even toured the NBC studios, in which he bought me an awesome souvenir:

At my request, he also picked up a copy of The Village Voice. He had a blast and I envy him for going... even though we were the ones that paid for the trip. Then again, an opportunity like this comes very rarely for today's youth... at least where we live. One day my wife and I will go.

Some day.

Year 2, Day 56 (On The Road To Washington State)

Today has been a beautiful Sabbath, with fairly mild temperatures (about the low 40's). My plans for this load were set back by a SNAFU... on Tyson's part. When Larry and I picked up in Dexter, MO, we were loaded by 1930 Thursday evening, but because of some "production issues", some of the product had to be run by the 2nd shift crew, and we couldn't leave until the product (only about 3 pallets worth) was cleared and released... which wasn't until 0230 Friday morning. I drove us to Rogers, AR, did a drop and hook, and Larry took over from there and brought us to Tulsa, OK. We took an 8 hour break there, and drove just under 3 hours, then took a full 10 hour break.

We are now heading west through Kansas, and I'm hoping (and trusting in The L-rd) that we will be able to make it to Woodinville, WA by Monday night. If that happens, we will take a 34 hour re-start on our logbooks, so once we are empty Wednesday morning, we're starting off with a fresh 70.

Looking at some of the weather forecasts on The Weather Channel's app (which I hold very little credence to), it shows we may run into a little snow, but not much. Either way, I may have to stop at a Super Target north of Denver and pick up a few things... mainly the ingredients for a roast I'll cook in the crock pot. I like using the crock pot - throw the ingredients in first thing in the morning, and let it stew all day - but the only downside is, several hours later, the aroma permeates the cab of the truck, and can prove to be quite torturous to two hungry men later in the evening... but the end result is so worth the wait.

My Starbucks grande triple Marble Mocha Machiatto (which I shall, henceforth, refer to as "The Road Scholar's Delight") sure does help to quell the hunger pangs... at least for a few hours.

Year 2, Day 54 (Oh Northwest... How I've Missed You)

After Larry and I arrived at Union City, TN yesterday evening, I found it turned out to be a drop & hook, so we were pretty much in and out. Our pre-plan had us picking up in Dexter, MO, but wasn't scheduled to load until tonight, between 2000-2200, and going to Rogers, AR. I made the call and we shut down in Matthews, MO, about 30 miles away from Dexter. We left out of there this morning around 1145. Before we did, I received a pre-plan for my next load, which is just where I wanted to go: load in Tulsa, OK, a drop in Woodinville, WA and finishing off in Burnaby, BC.

I haven't been up that way since this October past, so I am very excited about going... plus Larry will get some good mountain training under his belt. This (as some may say) is a little harsh, taking a 58 year old man, whom had never driven a truck before, and bringing him through the mountainous regions, but the way I see it: if he handles this pretty good, he'll have no problems as a truck driver.

While I'm up there, I will have to try and get together with one of my favorite tweeps, Terri Nakamura. I haven't seen her since our first meeting, but this time I'll look for an area (where I can park the truck) closer to her stomping grounds. I know she is a very busy woman, so I will be honored if she is able to fit me into her hectic schedule (the coffee/lunch or dinner will be on me this time). But in the meantime, I'll focus on getting out of here, then to Rogers, then to Tulsa, and finally making my way back up there to Washington.

Day 363 (It's Nice To Be On Vacation)

Today has been fairly uneventful. My wife, Tikvah, and I did a little bit of running around to include talking to a Social Worker and Parole Officer (I will fill you in on that, in detail, on a later date). We went to a store in the downtown area where we live where she put a Vanity on layaway. Afterwards we grabbed a bite to eat. Nothing special nor exciting... except for the fact that our day started (and will end as well) with coffee. Although I did capture a pretty nice photo, which I know my fellow fans of The Doctor will like:

When you live in a small town - but have a big city upbringing - it may be nice at first, but then you start longing for the city again, something you're accustomed to. A small town is nice, but in this area of Arkansas, it tends to take a toll on you. I long for the city, more so for conversations that don't revolve around hunting, fishing, and NASCAR.

Day 220 (Terri Nakamura - In Real Life!)

Today turned out to be a splendid day! First of all, the weather was very nice (who would complain about 64° temperatures in August?), but most importantly... I finally got to meet IRL (In Real Life) another of my Twitter mates: none other than the great Terri Nakamura!




What made this a very special meeting was she was kind enough to drive up to Woodinville from Seattle, which is not what one would consider a "hop, skip, and a jump" away. Terri is a graphic designer (I'll post her links at the end), in the business for about 30 years. It was a very joyous time. We went inside the restaurant (McCorry's On The Slough), had coffee (as if you would be surprised), and, of course, GREAT conversation. I'll have to find out from her later when her anniversary is, because - and in today's society, this is a great landmark - it will be 30 years of marriage.

It was such a blessing to finally get to meet Terri... somebody who is consistent in posting quality content on Twitter, and one who is very disciplined in her daily regimen (i.e. balancing her work with social media and her personal life, and trying very diligently not to blur the fine line between them). I hope one day to bring my wife, Tikvah, up here, then be able to have dinner with Terri and her husband.

Coffee is always a good start for the better things in life.




Before I forget, here's Terri's links:

You can find her on Twitter

or follow her blog.

For the record, I totally dig her '76 BMW!




I hope Terri's day turns out to be very pleasant and joyous... I know my day has turned out to be that much better having just met such a wonderful person! May her and her family be blessed. Should her and her husband get together with my wife and I... dinner will be on me!

- Another rant via BlogPress

Day 171 (My Last Lazy Day)

Tomorrow I head back out on the road, something I usually dread the night before. It has been a nice and peaceful last few days. NCIS, Law & Order (both the original and Criminal Intent), CSI were all on the agenda, but didn't take in any episodes of House. This weekend I also got around to watching the remake of True Grit, which I thought was very good.

On another note, I finally got around to cleaning out (expunging) my "friends" list on Facebook... and I will say, all who are currently subscribed to this blog have NOT been removed from my list (after all, that would be rude, disrespectful, and just downright uncool). There's no telling what the coming weeks will bring. One thing is for sure, I won't be going to Canada, as my passport has yet to come in. This weekend was also complete because of two things: coffee and cheesecake.

Day 161 (Another Short Day)

Joseph drove us the rest of the way here to Osceola, AR. I had him park at a truck stop on the west end of town, where we are about 6 miles from the customer. It's been a quiet, peaceful day (we hit a little but of traffic, but since it's the Sabbath, I didn't worry over it too much).

We didn't leave from Effingham until about 1115 this morning, then topped off the fuel in Matthews, MO, before finishing the day/weekend here. I figured it would be better to stop here at this little truck stop so we would at least have a restroom facility available. Once we got here and parked, we sat for about 10 minutes before the wind really started to kick up. Right now it seems to be blowing rather relentlessly.

On another note, I've been thinking of doing a little "cleaning" of my Facebook friends list, as there are a few that I either don't interact with (for some reason or another), or their is just no connection worth maintaining. I posted as my status what my intentions were (and of course giving adequate warning - 1 week), and also stated that there were those whom have nothing to worry about. For those who may be expunged will probably not even comment, or even plead their "case" as to why we should remain "friends." The term "friend" is one I no longer throw around too freely. For me to consider one as a "friend" does take into consideration a variety of different factors. My wife, Tikvah, is my best friend (that's a no-brainer); C.J., whom lives in Pittsburgh, is also a best friend, since him and I have been there for each other on many different occasions over the course of 20+ years; Rich, whom lives in New Jersey, is also a good friend, since we were in the combat zone together. There are people I've known for many years that I don't call "friend", primarily for the reason that if I don't think they would be there if my life (and possibly their own) were at risk, then they are not worthy of being called a friend.

By the way... I also had Starbucks today.


- Another rant via BlogPress

The Road Scholar - Day 18

From Noel, MO to Sterling, IL: 581 miles, 10 1/4 hours total driving... I know, I know - la-di-bloody-da. That was my day, and, though it was long, it turned out pretty productive. It gave me time to listen to more of my current audiobook, some music, and time to ruminate on the distant past (which was sparked by something I saw on Twitter last week).

A mutual follow (I follow them and vice versa) posted this:

That really got me to thinking: 20 YEARS, MAN!!! (if you didn't catch it, that is a reference to a line spoken by Jeremy Piven to John Cusak in Grosse Pointe Blank - except Jeremy uses the number 10, instead of 20). Yeah... it was actually 20 years ago. I reflected on many things during that time: temperatures in excess of 120°, living in the desert, and, of course, the daily battles we all had to face - continual attacks from entire brigades of... flies! While we attempted to "enjoy" a meal in the field, we were always swarmed by flies. Fellow Marines waving their hands over the food, even when it's on the fork enroute from the plates (or MRE package) to our mouths. And for the record... reading the book Dune by Frank Herbert while deployed in the Arabian Desert - NOT a good idea (unless you like the mind trips associated with it). I'll get into more detail on that another time.

One thing we all enjoyed was the influx of mail we got, most of which came from people we had never met, and in most cases, would never meet. This does not include the letters already coming in from friends & family. Many Marines received letters from single ladies. One guy in my platoon carried an exchange with a young lady, and their correspondence with one another was so sordid, it may well have been THE precursor for what is now referred to as "cyber sex." I myself had a few young ladies writing to me, but once the cease fire was called and we returned home, they, as well as I, lost interest. But of all the letters I received during that time, there was only one who's letters I looked forward to the most, and even our correspondence was completely by chance.

One day at mail call, I was handed a letter addressed "To Any Marine" - from somebody in Nebraska. Not only was I NOT from Nebraska, I didn't even KNOW anybody from there... but since that was the only letter I had - why not! The sender was an 11 year old girl named Kelli. She was in a school that got involved in this letter writing campaign that rapidly swept across the nation. What I liked most about Kelli's letters were her perspective of the world. She lived in a small town, which to her, that was "the world." I remember her once telling me, if memory serves correctly, of the hot air balloon festival in her town. She said, "it's a small town, so not a lot goes on here." I found her letters to be so precious, full of innocence... a viewpoint that hasn't been jaded by society, in the way we all succumb to as adults. Her letters, for me, served as an ideal escape into a rural community, away from the harsh reality I was presently sitting in. We wrote each other for months, even after I returned home... but unfortunately, we too lost touch, which is something I regretted for years.

Then over a year ago I get a friend request on facebook from a Kelli [I'm withholding her last name]. I do remember saying to myself, "self" (well, what would YOU say?). Seriously, though... I said, "I don't know any Kelli ****." There was also a message in my inbox from the same person... the body reading, "is this the same Doug Dowen that had a pen pal from Nebraska during Desert Storm?"

My heart didn't just skip a beat... it stopped!

This was THE SAME Kelli that, unbeknownst to her, saved my life, with just her letters... my "little sister."

Over time, we've been able to catch up a little. She is now married and had two sons. Kelli, to this day, probably has no idea what her letters did for me back then. At a low point in my life then, I actually didn't care if I came home - I had nobody to come home to. Her letters were what I needed to carry on. They gave me hope. When I came back and met Michelle (my wife), Michelle is the one that gave me a new beginning (my homage to her will be on March 23, which will also explain why I chose that date). But without Kelli's letters, that may not have happened. Kelli also probably doesn't realize she will ALWAYS have a special place in my heart. To me, she is like my baby sister, though we have yet to meet face-to-face. We spoke on the phone, briefly, about a week ago. She called me her "most favorite Marine in the world."

Then again, perhaps she DOES know...

Operation Desert Shield - 1990
(that's me kneeling in the center)