Helvetia, WV

Ever since I lived in Switzerland for six glorious weeks as a guest of the Michalski Foundation, I have wanted to visit Helvetia, West Virginia. Hailed as one of the most Swiss towns in America, it bears a striking resemblance to my once-home at the foot of the Jura Mountains. 

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Leaving Part 2: Norm, our man in the clutch

The culprit

What sort of cocktail of emotions did I feel when—as we were already running two days late for our adventure of a lifetime and I had a multi-hundred dollar repair—what sort of feelings did I have as the clutch petal slammed to the floor? Rage, I am sure what a large portion. Utter despair. The sort of Job-like frustration. But mostly just blind raging rageful rage. Sinners in the hand of an angry god rage. Dylan Thomas rage against the night, against the machine, I-want-to-be-on-the-road-rage. 

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Leaving Part 1: Alternate Plans

Miracle and I pictured with Norm, a VW mechanic extraordinaire who has three (3!) functioning buses.

We are leaving town on the 22nd, I told everyone. “Rubber on the road and heading toward Hocking Hills.” That was the plan. That was what I put on the itinerary I gave my family. That is what we told the good people of Helvetia, where we planned to stay on nights three and four. It was the plan. Was.

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Playlist: West Virginia

I have to admit that I am not off to a roaring playlist start here with only two tracks on my first state’s playlist. But they are two really good songs. And my goal to include a Dylan song on each list? I am chagrined to admit I could not find a single song by the Nobel Laureate about the wild and wonderful state. Hence, the video link to “East Virginia Blues” here.

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Podcast: Brett

Now this bus is one wild ride. A 1958 panel van. The outside has been spray painted and airbrushed with murals. The once solid walls have portal windows and the wheel wells have been cut out. The front of the bus has a giant pair of steer horns. But the real stories reside with Brett—an actor, musician, and the proud owner of Juicy Lucy.

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Review: Luci Lights

The bus uses battery power most of the time. The fridge, sink pump, and LED lights all run off the battery, so saving power wherever you can is important. That’s where Luci Lights come in. They are rechargeable—either through a mini USB port or, most importantly, through a small solar cell. The nice part is that the lights themselves are good quality and have some nifty features. 

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Where does work end and life begin?

I wish the above meme were more true—that we could compartmentalize our lives into one area or another. And, like it or not, a good portion of our lives—both private and professional, public and “friends-only”—involves social media. The murky distinction between private and public and between work and play is certainly an issue Miracle and I discuss regularly. We want to maintain our private lives and have memories just for us. But why are the boundaries between the different portions of our lives so amorphous?

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