STATUS UPDATE: STAYING PRODUCTIVE

Poor Brian is sick of this detailing business, and me and Dylan are trying to make ourselves usefull by giving him a hand when we can. Along with getting rid of our assets (We've had some bites on a few CRAIGSLIST POSTS), Me and D-Money are also researching free campsites (www.freecampsites.org), and BADLY need to make some decisions about what we DO and DO NOT need on our trip. With a 4th adventurer added to the mix, BYRON WILSON- it is even more crucial that we minimize our possessions and get rid of some of the unneeded clutter in our camper. I have put up postings on CRAIGSLIST for misc. labor jobs in N. Carolina, so maybe we can have some work set up for us when we arrive around NOV.1st. CRAIGSLIST culture has really been a great means of finding things out. Still no luck selling the vehicle though...
The other main complaint, has been consistant hygiene! It's easy enough to brush your teeth (gas stations, restrooms, B.O's work) but in our first 5 days or so, we have only had 1 shower! Brian is really living up to his nick-name, and Im beginning to look like a mountain man as well. We need to acquire a small mirror so I can at least shave.
Food has been grilled, sandwich stuff, or canned- a marvelous game has been made of seeing who can grab the most ketchup, mayo, or misc. condiments from wherever we go. You gotta do what you gotta do right?
My writing has been inconsistant at best, but as opposed to focusing on solid writing works, I find that I have been making alot of notes about thoughts and experiences so I will be able to remember everything going on, and write from those recollections. I cannot let my creative projects compromise the value of my experiences, so sometimes quick documentation is the best I can do. I havent had any time for visual arts either, which I miss along with everyone in Mil-Town!
Everything has been very enjoyable though, and we have even had some time to throw out a few lines and get some fishing done. We have had no luck yet, and dispite Dylan's claims of our little lake being fish-less- I still have some faith. Until we meet again...

-ESQ

HOW-TO: "APFELWEIN" RECIPE

Hey everybody,
So as I promised, here is the MOST basic recipe of "APFELWEIN," a german form of Apple Wine Cider. I am very interested in brewing of any sort, and hope to have some great affordable recipes developing along our great journey. This was the cheapest way to ferment large amounts of alchohol to begin stocking us for our trip- although I DO plan to explore other recipes for honey mead, whiskey mash, good 'ole moonshine, and other cheap alternatives to keep us tanked throughout our great american journey!
TRADITIONALLY "APFELWEIN" (apple wine in german) is a style of cider, that ups the alchohol content of hard cider, by fermenting not only the NATURAL fermentable sugars in apple juicem but the additional 2 pounds of corn sugar that is added to the recipe. This results in a higher gravity beverage that is closer to the content of wine, than hard ciders. It can be made as quickly as 1 month (although for conneseur tasting purposes, it needs closer to 6 months). It can be served carbonated, or not carbonated depending on your preference.
I will post an advanced recipe that works off of this simpler version in the future, but for now, heres your easy step by step for making 5 gallons of your very own APFELWEIN!

- Purchase 5 gallons of apple-juice. Should be 100 percent apple juice, no preservatives. Sugar free, or regular will be fine, as we will add corn sugar ourselves and the natural fermentable sugars in the juice cannot be removed.

- Boil large amounts of water to carefully sterilize your fermentor and airlock. Any traces of bacteria can SERIOUSLY ruin an entire batch!

- Using either a 6 gallon fermentor (carboy) OR (for the first timer) a 5 gallon water jug (this will be your fermenting chamber)- pour half a gallon into the "fermenting chamber," and mix in 2 lbs of CORN SUGAR, being sure to shake the hell out of the second half gallon until the sugar is dissolved. Pour the remaining gallon, with added sugar into the fermentor, then proceed to add the remaining gallons of juice. (if you have a 5 gallon office water jug, use a few liters less so you have an inch or two of space before reaching the top).

- Add one packet of "WINE YEAST," (I used RED STAR), and fit your airlock onto the jug snugly.

- CORN SUGAR, WINE YEAST, AND AIRLOCKS, can be found at a local brew-store, and all three should only run about 5 bucks. HOMEMADE airlocks, can be contrived as well, just check online for methods.

- Let sit for 1 month, and then bottle (preferably glass, and ALWAYS sanitized and air tight)

- If you want your brew carbonated, add 3/4ths a cup of boiled sugarwater to your 5 gallon batch right before bottling. This adds an extra bit of fermentable sugars for remaining yeast particles to ferment during your bottling.

I have 15 gallons fermenting currently, and will be ready to bottle on the 10th of OCT. Since this is my first time with THIS recipe, I have not made variations (aside from a few sticks of cinnamin in one). I will post updated recipes in the future, as I have many good ideas to improve this one already- once I bottle this 15 gallons, I plan to get more going A.S.A.P- A whole 5 gallons cost me about 16 dollars to brew! Thats just craziness. Until we meet again...

-ESQ

STATUS UPDATE:

Ok, so my apologies for not having any substantial writing about our trip at the moment, we have been busy and all I have to give you at the moment are these run-on writings that serve the purpose of keeping all you fine people informed about our whereabouts and our whatthefuckyoubeenuptoabouts.
In better news for the near future, I do have some amazing photographs and a few short stories that will be great reading for everyone. ONE that is in the works, is the earlier promised "HISTORY OF J.U.I.C.E." story (DYLAN got branded with the JUICE tatoo, making the 4th member of our gang of JUICERS), and another GREAT tale that is soon to be released, is "THE STORY OF BRIANS WALLET (A.K.A. OUR 1ST TRAIN HOPPIN' ATTEMPT)" These stories are in the works, but it is more important for me to keep up with CREATING a life that is worthy of being a story, as opposed to having substantial writings about mundane experiences that are crafted through the magic of writing to seem much juicier. Put another way, we are making stories, faster than I can write them! So heres the update on the fly for y'all!
Byron is MAYBE coming with on the trip, which means that we are taking him whether he likes it or not- that being determined means that our next stops after minnesota area, will be INDIANA to see Dylans uncle "Dave" for a week, and then south to K.C. Missouri to steal BYRON before heading to MARK OLSEN'S place on the coast in N. Carolina. This is decided for the reasons to grab BYRON A.S.A.P, and to get to K.C. before it gets too cold.
Tonight is supposed to reach 30 degrees, and last nite was about 40. We had no intention of putting up with these bullshit weather conditions, and we need to get the hell outta' here and toward somewhere nice and warm, or even hot for all I care. Just not cold. I have still slept very comfortably however, I have a perfect system of wrapping myself in a blanket before zipping my sleeping bag up tightly. Even though I wiggle out of the blanket, it keeps me fit snug and retains plenty of warmth, so dispite my complaining, the camping conditions arent as bad as I have made them out to be.
I made a killing on the little bit of silver, and the tiny amount of gold I had by going to several pawn shops and finally finding the weakest link. I got 125 out of the deal, which isnt too shabby. Dylan got about 70 bucks for his video game stuff, which dispite his high hopes, is still not too bad at all- we certainly have developed a polished skill for working these pawn places, and are currently selling a bunch of other miscellaneous items on CRAIGSLIST, which has served us greatly as a marketplace for our random assets, and good old fashioned hustling.
We hope to have my truck sold for 800 or so by the end of the week, and BRIAN is still dilligantly working as an auto detailer from 8am to 5 pm. I appreciate this whole heartedly as does Dylan, but we hope to assert the fact to you all, that we will ALL have our turns holding down jobs across the country. Of course, Brian is well aware of this, and works his ass off without question. A true brotherly trust is maintained between us three as we bicker, fight, plan, plot, drink, love, and achieve in an interwoven triad of perseverance, hope, and hell. I am now already beginning to understand that this trip takes away any sense of friendship we all once had, as we are now all huddled in each other's personal space and living quarters. The relations that remain are solid, brotherly, critical, and forgiving as we equally share our failures and our success's. The other aspect that has been developed in my mind as a result of our 25 mile walk on the traintracks (THE STORY OF BRIANS WALLET)- is that this IS NOT a vacation, even though at times it may feel as such. It is an ADVENTURE. We are as likely to be exposed to termoil and uncomfort, as we are joy and pain. Our recent experience trying to hop a train was a great example of pain and discomfort, however, I am still here writing to you fine people, and now that all is said and done, I am glad we did what we did.
We are needing to get off of NATES lot soon, and are currently looking for desolate areas or free campgrounds to set up a new camp. I will keep you all posted on our newest stories, and hopefully, I can solidify some of the great tales that we have already managed to create in our journys! Until we meet again....

-ESQ

STATUS UPDATE:

WE MADE IT!!!! Wow. So me and Dylan made our journey up to the first destination which is Zimmerman Minnesota. Not exactly a vacation hotspot or anything, but BRIAN has been up here the last few weeks busting his ass to detail cars. We have set up the camper in Brians cousins driveway, which is actually pretty close to being a camp site- (in the middle of nowhere, next to a lake) the deal is that we really cannot use the house for anything, since we are kind of mooching his driveway. We plan to stay here in Zimmerman area for the next 2 weeks so me and Dylan can sell most of the random assets we brought up- misc. jewelry, playstations, games, snowboard,CDs, MY TRUCK, ETC- basically all the random possessions we had that me and Dylan determined were pawnable, or could be sold on CRAIGSLIST. In the meantime, Brian will continue to be the bread earner for the moment, and will collect another 2 checks from his car detailing. Me and Dylan will keep busy organizing the pop-up camper and the truck load of shit we brought up. ALSO, an inventory of sorts will be kept so we can determine what we will be needing for the majority of our trip, what we can get rid of, and what we still may need to acquire.
On OCT. 10th I have an art show in milwaukee, and the 8th,9th and 10th will be spent there as we say our final good-byes for a while, and quest onward towards the south east coast, and our first major stop, North Carolina. In the meantime, we plan to do some local exploring of the twin cities and St. Cloud, and on our way to Milwaukee, we will spend AT LEAST a day in LaCross for their OCTOBERFEST celebration (the largest in the USA!!), and visiting contacts Dylan has from going to college in LaCrosse.
The first night in the pop up, was really almost surreal. It is only very slowly kicking in, that this will be our home for the next year, and the bags we packed, will have everything we need. The cans of tuna I ate before climbing into my sleeping bag, were the best tuna I've had in a long time. What a strange satisfaction. We will be sure to drink plenty of beer, and howl at the moon as quitely as possible, so we don't wake up Nate. We need to be off Nates lot in the next 2 days, so we are researching random lots, free camp sites, or friendly folk to set up the camper in for the next 2 weeks or so. Hopefully we can find a place with facilities, as my only complaint has been having to drive all over through the middle of nowhere to find a place to take a... ahem... dump.
If anyone has any ideas of good places around the zimmerman, or minneapolis/st.paul area for us to hold up for a night or two, be sure to let us know! 262 332 1073, OR LASTGREATAMERICANJOURNEY@yahoo.com. I will get some photos today, and will keep you lovely followers posted daily while we have access to this lovely coffee place with internet. Also, some journal/note excerpts to come as well. Until we meet again!

-ESQ

Last Day in Milwaukee

(SIGH) this day is a tough one for your auther here, I really have a lot of love for our fair city of Milwaukee- AND of course, me and Dylan being the way we are and all, have a tremendous J.U.I.C.E. list we must tend to before we split. For those of you unfamilliar with the term JUICE, it is an acronym for Join Us In Creating Excellence, but I will spare you the story and meaning behind the JUICE program for the moment, as there is a sense of urgency in my typing here at 5:00 AM. Shit- is it that late? or early? dammitall.
I am currently surrounded by enormous 4'X 4'paintings of hardcore sex- and if that isn't bad enough, they ARENT EVEN HALF DONE and need to be done before we leave tomorrow (today). I haven't put a thought to packing, I still need to brew 10 more gallons of Apfelvein (hooch), pick up Dylan to take a load of garbage to the dump, learn how to break down and set up the pop-up, Get the rest of my shit outta Chassy's place... Fuck. I know theres other things too...
Well, I better get going on these paintings- to be on the optomistic side, Dylan told his Mom about the trip- which is VERY good news- and the first 5 gallons of Apfelvein seem to be fermenting properly. I will keep you posted with recipes!

- ESQ

GROUP MISSION STATEMENT

To find, persue, and re-define the american dream;
to question what america is, what america should be, and what it means exactly to be an american;
to find greater meaning within ourselves, each other, and our persuits in life;
to find happiness, beauty, and satisfaction in life without material attachment;
to define, develop, and consider our spiritual, philosophical, political, and sociological viewpoints;
to disregard expectations, standards, normality, authority, maturity, doubt, fear, and greed;

AND OF COURSE- to see everything, and say YES to as many new and exhilerating experiences as humanly possible- even if they may be dangerous and/or painful.

We refuse to settle down, compromise, or relax- we ARE going to live the life that we want to live, period.

Dreaming IS succeeding, and will be defined as the conception of goals we are soon to achieve.

We will remain young-minded, young-hearted, foolish, stubborn, and wrong. Although we will respect and learn from our elders, we denounce "wisdom," as a prophetic trait, and believe that ANYONE any age that has the "answers," has really only grown tired of thinking of questions.

"THE LAST GREAT american NOVEL" PREFACE EXCERPT

THE FOLLOWING EXCERPT IS THE FORMAL IN-PROCESS "PREFACE" TO "THE LAST GREAT american NOVEL," BY JOSEPH R. REEVES.
ALL MATERIAL, CONTENT, AND RIGHTS ARE RESERVED SOLELY BY JOSEPH R. REEVES. ANY UNAUTHORIZED USE OF SUCH CONTENT OR MATERIAL IS GROUNDS FOR LEGAL PROSECUTION, AND PROBABLY AN ASS WHOOPING AS WELL. DON'T FUCK WITH MY WORK.

PREFACE
DRAFT1

So let me just lay this out for you people right away, before you get too deep into the thing. I want you all to know exactly how things are gonna be, cause if theres one thing I won’t tolerate- it’s the mostly worthless criticism of the so-called well-read. The OVER-educated, OVER-medicated, OVER-analytical, and oh so typical- middle aged, been there, done that, how are the kids, Sunday brunch, news at ten then go to bed- type mentality that insists upon the one-way persuit of mundane existence, and the anti-achievement of normality. I really don’t give a flying fucksock if you think my sentences are too long, my grammar is incorrect, or any other such literary concern. I can just see the way you furrow your brow when I use self-invented terms such as “fucksock,” and guess what- I don’t care about that none either/ neither/ nor do I care about critics, reviews, or crackerjack boxes.

You must understand here, that I do not wish to piss you people off- in fact, quite the opposite is true. My aim is to write you a novel. Not just any novel either, but in fact- the last great american novel. Hell, I’d even go so far as to say that I want you to enjoy the thing thoroughly. This is why I feel it is necessary for me to assert myself here right now as “The Author,” of this story. If you think you can write a book more suitable to your literary needs, then get off your ass and write it. If not, then allow me to remind you of your humble existence as “Reader” in my story, and allow me to advise you to stop asking so many damn questions.

That being said, I will lastly inform you that I am not consistent by any one stretch of the word, and as a result, neither is my life. As a result of that reality, my writing is not consistent either, and as a result of that tendency- I will write as freely as I wish, with little concern for conventions, formalities, consistencies, or anything else that I “The Author,” deem to be un-interesting and/or inhibiting of the truly incredible task that it will be to illustrate this triumphant pursuit of the American dream as it silmutaneously exists somewhere over the rainbow between my id, idium, and ego; my notebook, my brothers, the cosmos; peeling vintage bumper-stickers worn to the point of no political affiliations, the itch at the tip of my nut-sack, and a burned out television set flickering nixons ghostly image enjoying a nice glass of ovaltine.

Above and beyond all, this story will be composed with the intellect, wit, and ability of a novelist; the creativity, passion, and ambition of a poet; the honesty, curiousity, and deviance of a child; and most of the time- the vernacular of a hoodlum.

Heres to the last cowboys, and the last american dreams.

Dylan Zalewski a.k.a. "D-MONEY"

ABOUT DYLAN

I am 23 years of age
I am a son, a grandson, a friend, a cousin, a nephew
I am a performer, an entertainer, an actor
I am a citizen of the USA
I am free if there is such a thing

I strive for a universal understanding of the world: the people in it and their relationships with one another and with nature; how these things are connected and how this creates ones environment. I am compelled by wonders before I am by facts. I believe a spiritual existence is imperative to interpreting the self. As living beings we are constantly changing, therefore, in my eyes, the struggle with identity is the most important struggle of all. I believe cultural tradition to be one of the most valuable commodities to the human race.

I am loving, caring and compassionate. I make it a point to be emphathetic to others and their situations. I couldn't live without my family and friends. They keep me going.. I respect them very much and only wish them happiness and good fortune.

I view this trip as an opportunity to clear my head, to see things for what they truly are... a quest for independence and self-reliance... To look beyond labels and away from permanence towards ambiguity and the unknown, where the biggest questions are asked and the greatest truths are unveiled... this journey is a progressive movement across America for myself and for the people...

Joe a.k.a. "Joseph R. Reeves Esq."

ABOUT "JOSEPH R. REEVES ESQ."

"insert shit about Joe"

Brian Olsen a.k.a. "The Great B.O."

ABOUT B.O.

"insert brians profile"

"MAIN CHARACTERS" a.k.a. Associates/ Culprets/ Participants "INVOLVED" with THE LAST GREAT american JOURNEY

Listed (above?) are specific profiles of each of the three main characters shaping the outcome of our adventure across the states, as well as the contingent book in the works: "THE LAST GREAT american NOVEL."
As of now, only the preface of the book has been written, however, updates of the progress of the book will be posted along the way, as well as selected excerpts of the novel AND many other developing written, visual, and performative pieces that are created along the way.