Raggin' Piano Boogie

HIS SPIRIT LIVES ON! ... BONER, THE PIANO DOG ... November 27, 1994 ... February 20, 2010

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February 29, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

I'm loving where I am today with not thinking about doomsday as in what will happen tomorrow. Right now I switched motel rooms, am on a second floor with a huge picture window of what I looked at on the first first floor in the other room. In this room I moved a sofa in front of the window to look out and it has a section I can open to hear the ocean waves. It is so beautiful. The room is a small studio type room. I could live in a space like this because of the light, ceilings are high, its clean and I'm in full view of nature. Having owned a two story, four bedroom, full basement, two car garage corner lot in suburbia, never did I think this size would be enough. It is, but that is mostly because of the openness, the expanse outside, being up in the air, the environment. Maybe I'm liking a change of rooms too but I think I could learn to love settling down in a room like this. In all my imagination I have everything I could want... today. Maybe a partner would make it even better but I have the best next thing with Mo. It was cloudy and rainy today and I wonder if the powers that be have put me in a situation to let go of working out with the Traveling Piano in order to settle my priorities. After setting up room, personalizing it with where I placed everything, I watched movies. There were days back when I would go to a movie theater and see three to five movies a day several times over the course of a month. My time over the last ten years all been sucked into this journey through love. Now I see movies on my computer it feels like once every half year. I'm exiting all my focus from the journey for a spell well, at least until I get a speaker for the piano because right now, I got nothing to work with.

February 28, 2016

Old Town Bandon, Oregon

Through some interesting synchronisity I met a woman named Kim who was moving her used bookstore to a new location and I offered to help with some man power and the Traveling Piano truck. That is how the day went and I was happy to do it. Being around people, working with people outside of the journey's agenda felt really strange and I sort of just did my own thing except for when I needed help lifting. I filled about four truck loads with books. Once it began, the idea of inserting some musical fun in with everything would have been perfect but today was the day the speaker died. It has been half broke for sometime now and is the only speaker for the job. Of course the company as with its keyboards, every generation is less quality more money and they make their equipment almost impossible to fix. What a drag! The Traveling Piano is down. There is no sound. A new speaker... $799.99 plus a $132.99 warranty along with waiting in a motel until it arrives from online. We are not near resources to go out and pick one up from a store.

So, while I was loading books my mind was dragging big time and I tried not to show it to people. We could have had so much fun with it all but, alas. It was fun just being around people in a different way. I thanked God for the sunset tonight and am so appreciative that I am having this time staying on the ocean. The spare keyboard I've been lugging around will come in handy for the the next week. My room is being switched in order to stay longer so tonight I moved most of the stuff over and into it. While rearranging the couch to look out the window I scratched the floor as there was no pads on the couch legs. I feel really bad about that and tomorrow I'll just offer to pay for the damage. Its time to get back working with the fundraising. There has been little time as of late and now I'll have that time and it must work, I must raise some funding. This journey is going to continue! How, is the question.

February 27, 2016

Old Town Bandon, Oregon

The Traveling Piano was sort of like a fish out of water today. We parked in Old Town Bandon, Oregon on the tourist street although there are not many tourists around this time of year. As you may know we are usually on a beach or in a park and not so much in commercial areas on purpose. It was fun getting a feel for the local folk while sharing our brand of Musical Fun, Friendship and Respect. I took pictures of people taking pictures of me and also of people getting into and out of the truck. If I had documented that through the years I would have quite the collection of funny photographs. The ad I put in the local small paper came out today so I figured to let people in the area see me and know a little more of what I am about. Also, I was looking to get a feel for people here as if I might feel good staying in the community for a little while. Hearing about the Traveling Piano it can sound interesting, fun, some people think quirky, many cannot grasp the idea but when you have the experience first hand or sit and observe for a little bit, it is almost always an over the top experience for people... very enjoyable. After a few hours I was exhausted. I couldn't even remember what I was saying to people, talk my spiel. While up and moving around I felt so exhausted like I just wanted to fall asleep on the spot. Once I got back to where we are staying and laid down, no problem but also no ability to sleep. It felt weird today like I was showcasing myself and that I have not done ever on this journey. It is what it is.

February 26, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

The... "for better or worse" part of this journey is without question in play. I am in unchartered territory. My thinking about it all may be just drama in fact I would probably bet on it. The answer of drama or not is in this blog through the years. I wonder how many times I've said, "I'm in unchartered territory." As I write this... I think how I've been unchartered my entire life. Chartered territory has never been my style unless I have been the one to charter and that has always been a failure. I'm too lazy to charter because... I'm more interested in unchartered. So, I suppose I charter my unchartered territory of life. All that bather makes me laugh. It rained today so I took time to care of business. Three hours of the business was in the making of the decision to purchase more time where I am staying simply because I want to and can... thank God. Three more hours of the day was spent in a dazed state of mind that I actually am doing what I am doing... another three hours were spent filing my contributions and how much paypal takes out of them as well as wepay, as well as gofundme and figuring out how much has already been spent from the contributions. I ordered a pair of pants from online because there is no place to purchase them around here and the ones I have are falling apart. Hopefully they will arrive before I leave. Shipping to this area of the country can take longer than in areas with more resources. Mo by my side is very comforting. The fact that I often think how nothing simply comes to me and that I must go out and get what I want for life as in do the footsteps... has always been a drag and will always be. (the feeling from that kind of thinking) The good thing about it is... when I do go out to get what I want always, I get it. The trick is in the knowing and being truthful about what I want and what I do not want and also... that I deserve!

February 25, 2016

Port Orford, Oregon

I woke up and thought, "Fun, Friendship, Respect... no don't think that, you have more important things to attend to today." I though it anyway knowing that if I set the intent it would happen. The plan was to look for a place to stay and get out onto the beach before predicted rain for the next few days. I was tired before I even got started in thinking about what needs to happen and going with the flow of knowing I have no control over any of it at the same time because... that is how my life works... in a flow where I set intent on feelings and then reality does its own thing. Right away someone came up asking about the Traveling Piano and of course that set the ball rolling. A few motel guests from where I am staying got onto the piano, the landscaping guy mowing the lawn stopped for a spell, Mel the motel owner got on with his pup Buster and then... we drove to the local newspaper where I put an ad in it that said...

Traveling Piano - In search of a Patron for the Arts. someone to help with a no cost House Share or furnished Apt/House to rent month to month to start. I'm looking for time in a clean, quiet, light, private environment with internet for myself and my 100% loving domesticated pup to help decide on possible permanent settlement in Oregon, the most beautiful of places, after ten years of traveling on the road. Danny Kean 215.639.9378 Read the Daily Blog: www.travelingpiano.com ha, we shall see what this does in a town of only a few thousand people.

We drove down the coast looking for places and ended up at Port Orford right before a dense fog set in. We ran into a young couple and their pitbull named Soul. Also, a young guy getting ready to enter the Navy along with his parents. I like the way people dress in Oregon. There is a specific style that says, "style" and "unique" to the individual. It can be urban, rural, funky, splashy, sophisticated, hip, western... I've been seeing just about everything. There may not be much diversity when it comes to ethnic culture in Oregon but there is total diversity when it comes to clothing culture.

Mo and I just returned from walking through a dense fog at twilight on the beach in and around huge darkly colored wet sea stacks several stories high. These are amazing geological rock formations protruding individually out of the ground on the beaches. All alone with nature in the quiet with the sea, it was surreal. Anywhere else you would be looking at this natural wonder from a distance or in a roped off, patrolled area that would demand a fee to have a look with tourists everywhere or you would have to get a permit to hike in miles away from a road to visit. Here in Oregon you simply park your car and walk onto the beach into a wonderland of awesomeness. Of course there are paid fee areas also.

February 24, 2016

Cape Blanco, Oregon

So much happened yesterday. It was a wonderful day for both Mo and I. He was especially happy. Maybe he was picking up my my joy of his birthday, a true celebration of life for me. We started out and I felt an impulse to drive around town to different realtors for possible leads for a place to stay. I don't know what I'm doing as far as that is concerned but figuring out the future is a priority and cannot ignore it or simply think about it. Action is in order, doing some footwork or I'll never know what I am doing. Also, we interacted with people and the Traveling Piano throughout the process so that was part of my impetus. In the morning I packed a day to spend hanging out on the beach with Mo. I had even brought a book with me to read (lol) but that did not happen. After several realtors and nothing on any leads, we met a guy on a horse. Then at sunset we watched sea lions hanging out on a rock. The place were we were hanging out had the best beach stones I've seen in awhile and I bent over to pick one up, a big mistake because... then the next, then the next...

I had to get a grip! I love collecting stones but have no place to keep them. They were all so special! We met people all day long, they were special too. Finally I slipped on seaweed while trying to take a picture from a rock, right into the ocean I fell and now it is time for a new pair of pants. Today we went to Cape Blanco, Oregon to find some blue man of war jelly fish but did not see any. Four young guys on their fourth day of an American road trip from Denmark found us. That was an experience of pure joy. We were in a very small town on the Oregon coast named Denmark and... I have visited Denmark many years ago where I found some of the most friendliest people in the world. Fog and mist came in by afternoon so I had to head back. We stopped off at the local newspaper to give them an interview with the hope they will get the word out that I would like to create a home base in this area but need support to do that.

February 23, 2016

February 22, 2016

Cape Arago, Oregon

I'm feeling inspired. That means I am really enjoying life. There is little pressure. I'm not worried about things and feeling good. A spiritual awakening is happening and its been a long time coming. For over a year I've been sinking and complaining and beginning to suffer with bad attitude etc... The change is happening because I am truly giving to myself. The only way for that to happen is to live in the present moment. I am being blessed with the tools to do it. The amazingly awesome nature is doing it. Having found a perfect place to stay for two weeks and not fretting over the cost (trust me I could very much) gifting myself is doing it. No question about it, not having to think about where I am going to go next is a major burden lifted from me. I am loving the nature here to the fullest. It does not get any better and Oregon's coast is a life experience at the top for me. Of course that spills right into the Traveling Piano. I am able to give more to people, share more of everything I am and have.

I'm feeling so inspired that last night in the middle of the night when I got up to go to the bathroom, I did not miss the opportunity to get a picture of the ocean, it was so bright that I could do it. Every single moment of this experience I am treasuring. Today I got up at eight in the morning which is early for me, because I wanted to get to Cape Arago for the high tide with waves splashing against the rocks. There was hardly no one around but I met a couple from Bend, Oregon and we spent time. Then Mo and I walked on cliffs within two feet of the edge to a long drop down. Mo knew to follow behind very slowly. At another spot I met a couple who moved here from Camden, New Jersey a few years ago. My house was right across the bridge in Philadelphia. I met several really kind and fun couples today. At the actual cape it was the end of the road and an open area so there were many more people around.

There was one lady who I am very sure the spirit of my friend Gertrude manifest with. Gertrude who has passed was a very close friend and the first supporter of my career of having a piano on the back of my truck. Today, Johanna was very much like Gertrude in spirit, looks and age. Johanna is a ninety two year old retired minister who did not miss a beat with climbing up into the bed of the piano truck without effort played 'How Great Thou Art' which is Gertrude's favorite piece of music to play on the piano. Later I recorded some music and an old fart came up saying, "now play something good, no more of that heavy stuff." I loved the ability to truly laugh at him. I told him if he wanted to "get" he had to "give" ...it would cost a hundred bucks. I'll never get tired of people describing my music. It is always a visual nature scene from their head. This guy was a first in ten years to say my music was heavy. (not that there is anything wrong with heavy) I do not think he meant anything bad. He was just an old fart. Lol, another guy I did play the Maple Leaf Rag for because he wanted some honky tonk but he... also joined me on the Traveling Piano to have some fun. Now for me, thats giving. I mean... musical inspiration and empowerment, all the fun, friendship and respect... I do need to constantly fill myself up with it in order to continue to keep putting it back out.

February 21, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

I really like it here. I'm sure that the constant ocean view as well as access to it and the sunset from my window everyday, every morning waking up to the sounds of the ocean roar and seeing it from my bed has something to do with my liking it but I also like the energy of the people I've met. The motel where I am staying, there is a true feeling of hospitality and desire for me to feel welcomed and be comfortable. We had some Traveling Piano fun in the parking lot with people today. There are many Native American Indian Tribes in the area. A lot of them were pushed up here from California from miners during the gold rush back when. Those who were not killed were literally walked up north along the beach and into Oregon. There are tunnels and caves inside a nearby humongous rock and today was a minus low tide so it was possible to get inside a little while the tide was out but not much because the area has about four feet less sand then usual and of course water has replaced it. The sand gets washed out during the winter and comes back in during the summer. The motel owners were showing me how much the coast line has changed and how twenty five years ago the beach was outside my door. Now it is getting close to a quarter mile away.

February 20, 2016

Langlos, Oregon

It was a very unusual day, but was it? It could not get better nature wise and having people fun with the Traveling Piano, I had to stop because of exhaustion but almost could not. Mild, in the high seventies, no wind at the beach (now thats unusual) and full sun. I was going to head north on highway 101 but then decided to head south. I can't remember the names of places where I was heading or directions so I just drove. All I know is that I needed beach. I've been looking for places to possibly stay month to month but I can tell you landlords are just getting greedier and greedier and people are willing to pay. I can't leave, it does not feel right so the place where I am staying named the Windermere gave me a deal to stay longer. The down side of that is that there is no internet in my room until whenever. Getting along in life without internet will be a priority... it will not control my life. I met a couple with their pup before I hit the road. He is a paster somewhere a few hours away in Oregon and then once on the road I sort of got pushed off course and ended up at Floras Lake somewhere around Cape Blanco. It is a huge fresh water lake that meets the ocean and is separated by like a fifty foot wide stretch of sand dunes. It is so amazing to have lakes, oceans and mountains all in and around me at the same time. I was really in a daze as I parked the truck in a small parking area.

Surprising there were some people around and one guy asked how much I would charge to go play at a nearby store. Of course that began more interacting with music and the Traveling Piano. Once on the beach life as I know it, ended. There was nothing but Mo and me and beauty beyond the imagination. The color of the sand, the waves, pieces of driftwood, the sky, wind, dune grasses, smells, feels and absolutely nothing else for as far as I could see. It felt like I was on another planet pure and raw. Mo was in the same ecstasy as I was. I just sat on a huge piece of driftwood and watched everything around me. Mo was like a child running free and playing in every way possible. He chased sea after foam blowing up on the beach and ran around picking up sticks to run with. He dug holes in the sand and tried to bury himself inside them. We had fun running around each other and trying to knock each other down. On the way back to Bandon of course I stopped at the store the guy had mentioned and we had some more Traveling Piano fun until it just had to stop. Of course it was for no charge. Then when I got back I pulled out a chair onto the outside deck where I am staying and sort of passed out for a few moments with the sun on my face and then watched it set thinking about how I am in heaven. The only reason it is happening is because of friends who have supported me and my life and what I do with it.

February 19, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

I actively sought out a place to stay for a month today, no luck. I feel conflicted about staying, options and problem solving thoughts clutter my brain. It takes away from any progress forward. I'll just have to give myself time no matter what the cost. The experiences of nature I am enjoying with the beach here and the place I've found to stay on the beach... indulgence such as this has never hurt the journey and it has always helped. I fill myself and the world reaps from it. It is just that every time the stakes get higher as in hitting rock bottom, lol as in ending up literally living on the streets. Sharing the Traveling Piano, enjoying nature, doing the blogging and online work and now looking for funds as well as a places to stay... my plate is full! We had some fun with a motel employee, some visitors to Bandon and a few people at the Chamber of Commerce today. Then it was off to the beach. The rock formations on the beach and in the ocean, the textures, colors, lack of people, raw pureness of it all is breathtaking. With fundraising, I have now posted to every Facebook friends page asking for contribution. With 5000 people I was not going to ask each friend who would get angry and who it would be ok with. I almost didn't do it because I thought some people would get angry for my posting on their walls. When all was said and done over 30 people responded back they were glad I made the post.

I figured there were to be those who would be mildly irritated and just delete the post or ignore it and thought if they are a friend, they will deal with it and in fact should. If not, they not my kind of friend. So here is what I found. With over a 1000 people have either died, left Facebook or don't use it anymore. About 2,500 friends are people who have no idea how to speak English or cannot grasp the Traveling Piano concept. The other 1,500... about 70 or so friends made a contribution to date, two complained, I am sure others just ignored the post or delated it and one good friend surprising blocked me because they were angry I did not ask for their permission. Who was I to please? I'll stick with the winners, the one's who were pleased. Those that got angry, I am less concerned about. I mean friends sometimes disappoint each other, eh? I am hoping that more will contribute soon. It was a lot of work! 122 contributors have participated to date. I so very much appreciate those people. They have given me really good feelings! The fundraising is very much about connecting with my kind of people. Then again when I am doing it in the moment, I must let go of all emotional attachment concerning the asking and the outcome. That is a practice, a ballsy practice, lol. Please contribute.

February 18, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

Yesterday I was told heavy rains were coming. The Traveling Piano is more vulnerable here than in most places first because it is old and worn but also because we are above and on the ocean without any wall or protection. Luckily, I've been carting around an outdoor cover which is also worn but better than nothing and also, I had purchased some clasps for in Montana that now I am glad I dd not leave behind. I've never stayed in consistently harsh weather conditions as I have in the last half year. The winds pick up so strong that as I put on one end the other would not only blow off it would blow in my face and wave ten feet in the air. Back and forth, back and forth, put on one end the other would blow off. It was pretty ridiculous and funny until I finally was able to secure it all and then I waited for the rain, nothing. Then... in the middle of the night I woke up with what sounded like someone throwing buckets of water on the windows and walls. It really was amazing with the high wind. The truck cover stayed on solid. I took a picture this morning and you can see the wind molding the truck cover into every nook and cranny on the side of the truck.

During the middle of the night I kept waking up and took every opportunity to look outside to see clouds and ocean waves in the darkness. How awesome to have a full view from inside on my bed with no structures around just all nature. Today there were periods of hard slapping rain sometimes like waves of snow as well as sun with strong wind the entire time. Mo and I took a walk on the beach and I got some really beautiful pictures of rock formations. The timing was pure luck with the rain. As soon as I got back it began again. We would have been drenched in less than thirty seconds. I sort of raced back, pushing myself with speed and I wonder what my body will feel like tomorrow. It is not used to exercise like that. I wish I could do it on a continual basis in an inspiring and refreshing environment such as here in Bandon. For the first half of the day and when it was not raining I kept catching myself with impulses to take the Traveling Piano out to explore but then thought about what a pain in the butt it was to get the cover on and secure and it might be even more difficult now if I take it off so... that helped to keep me sitting tight. The time was spent writing and watching the ocean. Love...

February 17, 2016

Bandon, Oregon

Oh my God! I am in heaven. God woke me up this morning. God said, "Get up now Danny and take a airborne tablet for some immune defense because your getting sick." I said, "whatever, ok God its 7:30am I can just go back to sleep." But then... I looked outside from my bed and saw the picture posted below and realized that God woke me up to see it, lol! Outside the two large sliding glass doors that open to a deck and onto lush green grass was a morning sky of blue above a field of wild yellow flowers, that blended into natural light shades of brown dune grass onto a smooth grey beach, blending into an ocean of waves with white caps stretching out as far as the eye can see. There was no way I could go back to sleep, no way. I made my coffee, moved a comfy chair to the doors, just sat and stared. Everyday I must keep a conscious awareness that I deserve this beauty and am here on earth to enjoy the nature of it. This is a conscious decision as well as to stay honest every day especially now in this precarious time period of need for funding. There are thoughts of, "You can't share this beauty, that you are enjoying, the joy is so over the top of what most people are dealing with in life and here you are in the lap of luxury and ease... this is happening from the money people gave to you and that money is for work... you can't show that you are not needy." That... of course is a completely wrong and a bad attitude.

The people who have contributed and are contributing do so because they in fact want for me to be happy whatever the case may be. They want for me to continue what I have been doing so I can bring happiness to the world not only through myself but through them and others. Some contribute to feel happiness through the journey for themselves. They contribute because I work hard, have accomplished good for the world and share everything back and with everyone unconditionally even with those who will not or cannot share. You see, in trusting my true intent it cancels out any false motive of intent that some people would like to apply to me. I just need to be careful not to embrace the negativity of others and take any of that on for myself. This journey began with, "screw everyone, I am going to enjoy my life and what is left of it." It felt like no one cared for me anyway. There was no one to support me in ways that I felt I needed. I knew from the core of my intent that I am not a taker. I am a giver and also knew that my soul felt empty, that I needed to get filled up and that no one else was going to do it for me. I mean... how long must I look until I see the writings on the wall that I am alone in this world first and foremost? So in knowing I had my house and belongs to sell if necessary, I picked up and moved on with my life in order to enjoy no matter what anyone else thinks. This is a constant challenge but has been totally worth it. As a result of letting go of thoughts like "what will they think, they will think badly, right or wrong, etc... I began to have fun for myself. Then I began to feel more friendly and open with people especially strangers. I began to respect myself in a totally selfish way. As I result, my spiritual cup began to flow-ith over and sharing which is a natural state of life began again and more fully then ever before. The "more" because my gratitude also flow-ith over. Then throughout the years I continued to give no matter what, even through feelings of illusional neediness and resentment over neediness. This continues to happen through a continual practice of remembering to look for and find gratitude for myself.

Every day I must stay conscious about it. With thoughts like, "I'm not going to share anymore without asking for contribution" or "the freebie days of music, pictures, writing, sharing freely of my spirit are over because I must make money... I'm done with people who have been sucking off my tit for years, they need to start paying up." ...thoughts like that are totally wrong and I must acknowledge them in myself in order to move past them and let them go. The fact is... who suffers with that thinking? First of all me because I want to share. And then all those who do and have contributed... must I make them suffer with my attitude as a result of this kind of thinking? The fact is, I am being paid to show and share how wonderful my life is as well as life in general. It does not come through my own personal money any more. God, the Universe, a High Power whatever... has been paying me through other people and the nature of the world... I do not get a pay check from a company or boss, tips (tips are almost worthless) fees, sponsorship although, some or all of that may happen in the future. I am not being paid now in societies conventional ways. Trust me, it is not easier this way of making a living. It is just different. Having lived both sides of the coin now so to speak, I write from experience. The down sides of my character, personality, feelings and experiences through the journey... they must be included for the sake of transparency. Nothin' or nobody is either all good or all bad. I have always been a straightforward, a non-sugar coating kind of person. Transparency has always been the name of the game for me because I have seen and lived through the damage of denial, false rationalization and the cover ups in true life. Lastly, one of the first things I wrote in starting this journey was to share "for better or worse" "it is what it is" "fuck em' if they can't take a joke." Lol, yep thats the truth. The ocean suds are outside are completely white as a sit writing this. I am so grateful!

February 16, 2016

The Oregon Coast

Today is a very special day. It was ten years ago today that I began this website, the blog and officially this journey. Words cannot express how I feel because there are so many feelings. They are all good, bad an everything in between. I set out to live life to the fullest and I guess I have succeeded. I feel... everything. Bottom line, that has always been my desire even though the bad parts I delusionally try to tell myself I do not want to feel. Fact is... I want to feel it all and I know that. If there is more to feel... bring it on! Maybe not, sometimes it feels like I've had enough lol. I say to myself please, just don't let it hurt too bad when it is bad. I feel very grateful. Interesting fact for me... everything gets both better and worse equally as time goes on. The best part about this journey well, there are two best parts. Being able to enjoy the beautiful nature of this earth throughout my travels has been awesome. To be able to contribute to life through my spirit, to be able to trust my spirit and my intent, have something in life to share with my spirit through music and the Traveling Piano and to be able to create experiences that people want to embrace... all without any other agenda than Fun, Friendship and Respect... I thank God and the Universe for ten years of that and also the tenacity and ability to have had the commitment to keep all aspects of this blog going for ten years with new music, pictures and writing daily. This has been my life. It feels like it might be time for a change but at the same time I realize my feelings are not always the facts.

I had written the above and posted it for today before I left Toledo, Oregon because I thought there was no way I was going to work with the Traveling Piano today. In actuality today at the start was somewhat like the very first day only now there is no security fall back on of my own making. When I began this journey, I still owned a nice house, two trucks and "stuff." I did have someone lined up to stay with for the next few days but he blew me off so hotel/motel... the only option. To skip the timeline here a bit... I did end up working with the Traveling Piano today. I'm completely exhausted. When I got back to where I'm staying I thought, "You may have a problem with your work as you cannot help yourself from doing what you do because its so much fun sharing and loving the commitment, you can't stop!" When I wake up every morning the first impulsive thoughts are fear, insecurity, desperation and doom but as soon as I become conscious I feed into my soul... fun, friendship, respect and my love and appreciation for Mo. So, I really only have those two choices for every day and the fun, friendship, respect is associated with the Traveling Piano and of course that is what I choose. As I set my intent for the day most likely it will happen whether I want it to or not because deep down I really want it to happen. I just wish I could set an intent of fun, friendship, respect but don't over do it. That is impossible, because I am an all or nothing kind of guy.

Once I said goodbye to Heather who is just an awesome woman who opens her home constantly to share with others.... (in her guest book I was the third stranger for her in just the last two weeks) I drove and prayed for help to find a good place to stay and not fret over where, when to stop driving and how much money to spend. I passed through Coo's Bay which had a lot of places but headed for Bandon because I was told the best beach was there and I was looking for ocean not a commercial town. On the way, we drove a couple miles from the ocean through woods and even though it was beautiful, I needed the ocean by my side. Once in Bandon I stopped at two places to get prices and they both were too much money me. The lower budget places were too slimy. Then I put into my GPS the lowest top priced place to check out which happened to be out of town a bit. Across the street from it was a small motel on the ocean with rooms that had windows so you could see through from both sides of the room. I love light so I stopped and they gave me a deal for a hundred bucks a night which put my head in a state where I could not think because of the money issue but then again... I really deserve to give this to myself at this point. After all, I mean ten years today... and the place is a small studio cottage. It has two floors, upstairs I will not use, a kitchen, table area, chairs bed, sink, stove, fridge and the fees for Mo are included. (dog fees are so wrong) The Traveling Piano truck is just outside the door so all the truck packings were easily brought inside. I even have my spare piano set up to practice on if I ever get some time. That was the main reason I was not going to create music today, there is no room in the back of the truck when it is packed and I didn't think I would find a place where I could unload everything.

I quickly drove to Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint before dark which was only about a mile away and it was just so beautiful. I created music even though my speaker is really, really broke. It still makes sound, I just work with what I got! A woman living across the street came over and asked how long I was going to be playing because she didn't want for my music to scare the birds, lol. I was telling a guy with a small motel nearby about it. He has low glowing night lights and said one of the residents called the cops on him because they were afraid the motel lights would disturb the ocean birds trying to sleep. I mean there are no lights anywhere in this area not even street lights and at night all you can see is fog! So, I've run into fanatical dog and cat worriers throughout this journey but this is my first experience with over the top bird worrying. The motel guy suggested to the police that maybe they can make tiny sunglasses for all the birds at night. Lol... then I drove to the supermarket to get some food for the week. Purchasing food from a market these days is turning out to cost more than eating in restaurants although the food in restaurants these days are made from the worse ingredients ever unless you want to eat at a decent place and pay through the nose. It was $80 for two shopping bags of food! Eggs, bread, milk, bacon, fruit... stuff like that. When I came outside a woman asked if I was the Traveling Piano man as she had sat out there eating in her car and waiting for me. Of course I had to drop everything and take the tarp off to give her a Traveling Piano experience which created the appearance of several more quite interesting people. We all had a very good time. Leaving Oregon already I know may not be easy... "It is one day at a time Danny." Mo is completely filled with dog treats. He must have had five people from the two spots we played in filling him up.

February 15, 2016

Toledo, Oregon

On waking up I went with Heather who we are staying with to the beach for low tide as she picks up material there for her work, specifically seaweed. That is her passion, she loves everything about seaweed especially for art, to study, etc... She showed me the fossils that can be found everywhere around us and picked out a few clams and a scallop from earths Miocene period somewhere between 5.3 to 23 million... years old!!!

Typical and consistently amazing... we are in a small Toledo, Oregon neighborhood. Three neighbor girls come up to ask if they can play on the piano. It is raining but that cannot stop desire. One of the girls who lives a few houses down had already found the Traveling Piano with her mother in Newport, Oregon a little over a week ago at sunset. What are the chances!

February 14, 2016

Toledo, Oregon

I basically slept, hid out cooked dinner and did nothing else.

February 13, 2016

Toledo, Oregon

I connected with a woman named Heather awhile back through CouchSurfing who offered to have us stay with her for a few nights. The timing had not worked out several times and then I just could not take staying with any more people. Seeing that I am in the area I wanted to at least meet her in appreciation for her offer. Then it happened that I wanted to stay in the area a bit longer but the motel I was using (as well as all the others) is booked because of the weekend and also its Valentines day weekend. When all was said and done, the timing just happened and here we are. It is a perfect situation with a really nice room and no need to force any interaction or spending of time with each other! Lol, but Heather did make dinner even though that was not in the plan. Heather is a retired Merchant Marine and also an Gyotaku artist, a really good Gyotaku artist! This is a form on nature printing a traditional Japanese art form using fish (of course they are dead) to create art prints.

This stay makes me very happy as it is so in line with the journey and deep down inside I really do want to keep it going in all its aspects. It rained today so of course I was thinking and... everything can be interrupted as good and bad and that is where free will enters into life. I can look at things as the glass half full or half empty and everything can be interpreted as true or false. I get to choose how I want to wrap my brain around whatever and in the process find what I am most comfortable with how much I can handle of whatever. There are many reasonings and rationalizations about this journey of mine that are a stretch for many people including myself. But if they work... so be it. Also, a quote I recently heard will not leave my head. I have not thought about it much but something tells me I should. Its, "never complain, never explain."

February 12, 2016

Seal Rock, Oregon

I have a spare piano with me that needs a home whether it be in a home base of mine or for someone else's home. There is no room in the Traveling Piano to keep carting it around. Through a strange fluke, someone came to look at it today and we spent an hour and a half over it. I set my price and he said he would take it for $75 less. I declined because even though I need the money, I would rather give it away to someone who will appreciate it and cannot afford a piano verses let it go undervalued to someone who can afford it but just wants to cut my price. He expected me to negotiate because thats how the game is played. I don't play games, never did... I prefer being straight forward and am not going to adjust myself to man-made complications just because thats what everyone else does. Sometimes I just don't get what I want but at least that is my choice. Kathy who works where we are staying today said, "Hey, why wasn't my picture on your website from yesterday?" Ha, some people want their picture on and others do not. I told her I would put it on for today!

The fact that people feel good about seeing themselves having fun on my website and sharing their fun with others... well, thats what I'm all about so you know I love that! I've been thinking about life in a "using" sense. We are all users, and we all use life. The question is whether we use life to give or to take from it and if its both... where is the balance, when and why. Mo and I met this guy today in his seventies today. He is one of many people around this country who spend a committed amount of time every week picking up trash along roads and in scenic pullouts. I asked if he was a park employee. He said, "You couldn't pay me to pick up this crap." For him it is a pay back for being a slob throwing beer bottles out of his truck as a kid. Also he wants to keep Oregon his home clean and lastly it is a way to spend some time at the ocean since he can't see it from his house. Contribute to help keep the Traveling Piano going here... Contribute Here through paypal or please use GoFundMe.

February 11, 2016

Newport, Oregon

Even though it was wet most of the day we did get a few minutes in with the Traveling Piano. It started indoors with two girls who work for the motel where we are staying. With my spare piano inside I gave them each a music lesson. Re the piano, I went to record some music today and forgot how. Three hours I spent trying to figure it out. Finally I went online to look up the directions and then figured it out in less than one minute. Damm, why do I do that to myself! Its my process in life... it is the long way around but still, it is a way, eh? The fundraising needs to go faster but then also, I have only so much time. It feels good not to have to answer to anyone and I felt safe today except for a short time when I began thinking about where I am going to go and what am I going to do about the future. Ha, the most asked question throughout the ten years has been... what are you going to do when the money runs out. I have always answered I'll know when the time comes. The time has come. I've decided to ask people for money. Patience is the name of the game with this process. When I talk about the weather here and use the word wet, I do that because it usually doesn't just rain or drizzle, it does both along with drops of rain here, there and everywhere. Mo and I went for a walk through grasses and evergreen brush alongside the ocean and when I stood looking at the ocean it took all mindful thought away. Spirit took control and was all encompassing with an awesomeness that totally fulfilled my desire for life.

February 10, 2016

In a Motel, Oregon

The sun went somewhere else and the typical weather for Oregon began to emerge but before the drizzle began Mo and I got to the beach for a short walk, oh how much we enjoyed that. I wanted to create music but it was too wet out. All negativity and fear is gone for now, I am not surrounded by it in anyway and it feels very good. In the present moment is where I am knowing all will ebb and flow. My focus is to enjoy right now today to fill up and maybe have some extra "fill up" for when it will be needed in the future. Having my own space without worry of the need to leave is necessary in order to function. In a few days I will be staying with someone new and I am preparing myself to give, give, give to the situation. For now today, I just hung out for myself with myself and Mo, relaxing, no giving to anyone, lol... and sent a bunch on requests out for contribution. Looking for money takes a lot of time! It must be part of my daily routine for now. I found myself some Dungeness crab which has been on my bucket list and it was more expensive than the smoked salmon I had from Pikes market in Seattle! Doesn't matter, those two items from the Pacific Northwest have been on my mind for five years and now my craving is satisfied. No its not, I could never have enough of Dungeness crab and fresh smoked salmon from Pikes market. The window in my room opens and that makes all the difference in the world for a motel room. There are fewer and fewer places with windows that will open.

February 09, 2016

Otter Crest, Oregon

It is so fortunate for us to be here in Oregon on the coast right now. As we arrived yesterday a rare warm and sunny winter snap began so I have been making use of every minute with the Traveling Piano. We drove along the coast north to Lincoln City on route 101 and then backtracked stopping at different scenic areas to create music first at Boiler Bay and then to Rocky Creek. The Oregon coast is the most beautiful coast I have been to anywhere in the world. Cape Spear on the most eastern tip of the northern hemisphere in Newfoundland had waves crashing against the coastline in the distance like here but in Oregon your right there with them in front of you. I have never seen white water ocean suds as I saw today. It was beyond awesome. At Otter Crest I locked the keys inside the Traveling Piano. The park service was there and afraid to get involved stating legal reasons. How wrong is that, very! I asked if they would check on me as the park closed... no.

A group from Guatemala stopped by and became totally committed and determined to help. The one guy broke off his truck radio antenna to use. They just keep talking and working as a group. I thought there would be no way and just let them do their thing as I thought of a biker couple I had seen go for a walk and how they would find a way. (wrong) I was stereotyping with a constant lookout for them. In spite of myself I could feel the group systematically figuring out what to do. I sort of stood in front of the side window vent because I remembered a guy down in San Diego last year when this happened, he left off a nut so I could pop the window out if ever needed again. Then I sort of popped the window without knowing how and then the group finished off the process and accomplished the goal! Their desire to be helpful was amazing. Afterwards, I played to the sunset with people on Devils Punchbowl. It was an awesome and full day with people who were having birthdays, taking walks to relieve tension, a few taking a break from work to interact and locals out to enjoy the environment.

February 08, 2016

Newport, Oregon

Even though I was not done staying and playing in Eugene I had to get out for my sanity. It was cold, dank, dark and misty. Two hours later we were on the coast of Oregon and it could not have been more special. It was about seventy degrees with a light breeze and full sun. The scenery was amazing with humongous pieces of drift wood laying in sand dunes with ponds and large ocean waves were constantly exploding into spraying mists up into the air for as far out as I could see. Thank God... this is what I live for except that the truck was full of stuff so I could not create music which was a good thing because I wanted to get the the motel I had booked in time to pick out my room. I drove a regular road verses the highway from Eugene to Florence through forrest and mountains and the smell was as gorgeous as the scenery. Sometimes there was water on both sides of the road and it was always to the brink of overflowing fullness. One of my favorite things about the Pacific Northwest is how tall the evergreen trees are. We traveled north along the coast and saw for real what I've seen of Oregon in pictures all my life.

The drive was awesome and the best coast ride and scenery I've ever seen with beaches a mile below, with rock formations jutting out of the ocean with mountains and forests at the oceans edge on this beautiful day, what a gift! There were several small towns along the way, my favorite was Yachats. We stopped at Heceta Beach and Devils Turn but just for a few pics. I must return and spend more time everywhere. The motel, which I coincidentally had a 20% off coupon for let me store my truck packings in a random closet so I did not have to take it all up to my room. Quickly we drove out to play for the sunset which was even better on the beach here than in southern California. It was the best yet ever, anywhere. I met some people of course and that was more fun than the scenery. No, a different type of fun but more significant. A couple with a friend broke open a piggy bank for a ticket to town in needing to have a special day. Another guy works for the Native American Siletz tribe who used to own all this territory and I had someone come up to me to tell how her day simply turned from bad to good because we were there. It is ten at night and sixty degrees out, my room window is open, frogs are croaking outside and seals are doing their thing in the distance... in February, in Oregon!

February 07, 2016

Oregon

It has been raining. The start of this writing is below under yesterdays date. At this stage I have a sense that the "wells" are running dry both mine as well as other people in general that I've been connecting with. My needs are changing as I get older and I am finding myself unable to be as flexible and accommodating. As for hosts, I have been experiencing more expectation, string attachment and a "what will I get back" mentality which does not work for me and never did but... that was also never was a problem because I was able to give enough and more most of the time... because I could. Financially the money from my house sale lasted nine years which is pretty damm good considering this journey can cost up to $60,000 a year which includes the staying with people. My speaker is down right now again, another $900 expense. But equipment is only the tip of an iceberg of which I do not expect people to understand. I have always considered hosting from people a journey contribution which has filled in much of the costs needed. It was easy to stay with people two or three nights when I was younger and then in order to accomplish the journey I began to need more like a week. After three days is when dynamics between people start to become real. So a week with strangers sharing unconditionally with me... that for the most part has been a stretch. Now I am finding that I need a month in one location and finding people who can handle that has not been very successful.

As far as God or the Universe sending me a message that it may be time to quit as some people have suggested... any assumptions of God telling me anything, that is a very bad idea for anyone as in to ass-u-me. I cannot predict God's intent, that can lead into a dangerous territory of rationalization and headfucking. I can only know God or the Universe in the moment and understand anything related to God or the universe after the fact. What feels right is to just keep going until I don't, that is how it must work for me. The idea of settling down in the pacific northwest, yes this place is my kind of energy. The problem is not money it is where, how and sustainability... finding the where-with-all and clarity in my head to accomplish it, especially through the negativity of a paradigm shift if that is what is happening. Miracles do happen and maybe a patron will appear to keep me going. In the meantime... If anyone has a place or knows of a place to rent by the month or interested in sharing a place that is private, reasonably priced, not cramped, quiet, clean and not cluttered, furnished, has light (as in windows) good internet, parking for the Traveling Piano truck where Mo can stay... I'm pretty much done asking for people to contribute through being a host and... a month at a time is too much for most people without strings attached. Do not have it in me to look any more for the few who will host longer periods.This is for anywhere... and until somewhere happens I will just continue on until...

February 06, 2016

Eugene, Oregon

It has been raining. Lisa, who I have been staying with has put me into deep thought. I have always made sure to create the fullest Traveling Piano experience possible for the people I stay with and for their communities. It has been an expression of my gratitude and not an exchange for a place to stay. With my hosts I have been conscious to work as hard as possible in being totally flexible and accommodating in every way. Even though that can be very draining, gratitude drives my motive and also the desire for relationship, the idea of strangers becoming less afraid of each other. It is important for people to feel as comfortable as possible with me and my pup in their space. I may have written about this before but anyway, relationship-wise with the Traveling Piano there is a reason my life is set up as it is. I have these short intimate, powerful, fun relationships full of friendship and respect, pure and real, and then I'm out of it before any shit hits a fan. (as in any dysfunctional, relational dynamics manifesting between whomever and myself) This has worked very well for me for ten years especially seeing as long term relationships have not worked for me in the past.

This blog over the last year has had some anger and neediness coming through. I totally own that anger and neediness even though I sometimes point it towards other people and circumstances. I am also aware of my inclination to become too needy for other people. I've been frustrated at times because the journey is becoming more difficult to deal with specifically because the funds have run out and I have no home or place to call a home base. Staying with people has become more difficult in every way. I been wondering if I must find a new way to relate to people in order to create fulfillment in relationship with others. The "staying with people" as it has been in the past, that was over last year and remember when I said it. Still I hold on for dear life because it has been so good and also I will not quiet my mind long enough to know what to do next, now. Truly, down deep I do not believe I have ever "needed" for places to stay. People inviting me into their homes always been a byproduct of the mutual giving between myself and them, not a condition of, but as in... I have accepted people giving to me so that I can give to others. I have never considered people allowing me to stay with them as a favor, or out of need even though sometimes it was need because I closed off any other options. If anything, I have deep desire for intimate relationship. This has always been my motive for staying with people. This is continued tomorrow...

February 05, 2016

Eugene, Oregon

The sound of sporadic rain drops on top of an RV is like a constant ending of a microwave popcorn session. A friend of Lisa Ann the woman Mo and I are staying with came over to meet me this morning. He is a fellow musician named Charlie who has played with quite a few famous people along his way. One of them is Stevi Ray Vaughn who is my all time favorite electric blue's guitarist. I really enjoyed spending time with Charlie. In the afternoon is was mild and with no rain so I went to meet up with some new friends and spend just a little Traveling Piano time on the streets. It feels like I am in the twilight zone here. Again, a place with a feeling I've never felt before. It happened in Anacortes, WA but the people of Eugene Oregon have the strongest feel yet of what I cannot describe. It is more of what Pacific Northwest is like in feeling than any other place. The people have a more specific, unified style of dressing then anywhere else. They look exactly what I thought people in Oregon would look like don't ask me to describe that, lol. I have a strong curiosity to explore this city in more depth. Funding is necessary in order to continue. Even though the number is nearing five thousand on GoFundMe I have been living off of that for more than a month now.

February 04, 2016

Eugene, Oregon

Before leaving Seattle in the morning we had some more fun in the hotel garage and then drove to Eugene, Oregon. It is our first time in the state. Mo and I are using an RV in the driveway of a friend I've known since I began the journey from online. We met today for the 1st time and lol, what a switch from last night's motel room. No water, peeing in a pot... not sure where or how I will take a poop (its a complicated situation) I do have a heater and sheets. Campers and RV's have never been my thing, I need space to spread out in... but I am dealing with it. I stayed in a camper once before in Montana many years ago and the wind rocked it twenty four hours a day! It is very wet here but not as cloudy and dreary as people have told me. Driving through Portland, that seemed less clean and it seems more fresh here. I'm so lost in my mind but at the same time living life to the fullest. Driving south on route 5 through Napavine, Washington I saw probably the most ridiculous propaganda billboard to date. It read Sharia Law denies your right to be an atheist. Lol, the insidiousness of it alone and then... I wish people would educate themselves to actually know what Sharia Law is from an objective point of view and not be so ignorant. It is one of my most favorite billboards to date!

February 03, 2016

Seattle, Washington

The baby in this picture has only been on earth for four months. She has no idea of what is supposed to be for life or that she has been constantly in transition without a home. She doesn't even realize that she is being taken care of or know she is loved by her parents. The love is simply a feeling. Simply... actually, the feeling is all there is in life for all of us. Feeling is what is real. Knowing is intellect that helps us to feel. She was feeling in the moment all the fun around her and not focused on any one aspect, for example Mo's friendship or creating sounds on the piano, mommy's laughter, my joy, the sun, stimulation of goodness all around. I could see it in her eyes and with her smile. She showed me to focus on my feeling, what I want to feel verses focusing on circumstances in life. It rained today and I enjoyed the feeling of total privacy in a motel room so I could let my mind unclutter in order to pick out the tasks I wanted to do for the day.

February 02, 2016

Seattle, Washington

Magic! The hotel I am staying in has a garage for parking under it. As long as I can get the truck into it early enough before all the spots are taken we have a safe place out of the rain for the truck. That is a big deal for me on every level. It gets better. There is a maintenance room right next to where I park the truck and I was allowed to unload all my packing and store it in there so I could take the Traveling Piano out into the city. What good fortune! Even more... the sun was out all day and it felt almost like spring! Lastly, I treated myself big time. It does not happen often but with once in a life time opportunities, I'm not going to let them go by. There is a fish place in Pikes Market which is a tourist spot that sells smoked salmon. When I was here in 2011 I purchased some and have not stopped thinking about it since, for real. I've looked everywhere in the country for the quality. It costs thirty bucks a pound which I would normally never pay for any kind of food. It is worth it. The best is the best. In Anacrotes, the best I could find was fifteen a pound, and it tasted its price. In finding my hot spot once again today I did not blink an eye when satisfying my five year craving! Its the best anywhere in the world and believe me I have looked and looked. Now I have their website so if I ever get rich I'll afford another pound plus the additional fifty for shipping, lol. Mo and I found a place called Tiny House Village where a local Lutheran congregation built 15 tiny houses on their church land for individuals and families currently experiencing homelessness. It is better than sleeping in a tent under a highway overpass in the cold for sure. As a woman said, "I have for walls to close out the world for a bit and a door I can lock. The houses are the size of a large shed. Every church in the country should being doing something like this on their expansive properties not being used. As I drove around I found St. Mary's food bank which is housed on church property but is an independent non-profit.

The manager, originally from Pakistan and has been there for twenty two years. I asked him what has changed most. He said in the beginning there was a need to feed about fifty people a day. Now it is six hundred. There is something I am still trying to pin down about the pacific northwest. It feels like a world unto itself and very different from every other state and area I have visited including in Canada. I think maybe it has to do with something about a respect for the fact that people are cohabiting with other human beings around them. There's still jerks and impatient people around. In fact, I was driving down a road and a woman in a shiny black car behind me tried to cut into my lane from the left laying on the horn for about ten seconds. I stayed my course and at the light the car raced around to my side to yell that I should be more careful and look where I am going. It was a cop without sirens on the top of the car. I told her I knew exactly where I was going, that I was in lane and did not know her car was a cop and thought she was just an obnoxious driver. Ha, after that I was in an area where three police were on bikes going back and forth in a small park area trying their best to intimidate the homeless people there. I went up to one of them to ask directions starting off with, "what are you looking for" and got the most dirty look I could possibly get from a person. I snarfed under my breath with the sarcasm in knowing that he was a cop out looking for trouble. I don't like them like that. Afterwards when I got into the touristy areas I could not bring myself to create music there. There is a growing resentment I must deal with over the have's and have nots in the United States. Thank God I am not totally homeless like so many people I see while traveling and yes, it is the fault of those who have more and do nothing. The day began in the hotel basement parking lot with a grunge band from Portland, Oregon who played a show in the city last night. It ended out in front of the motel at the end of the day with the motel manager. Wow, what an unexpected, fun day. Once in my room with the door closed I fell into a deep trance of exhaustion for about a half hour which was probably a very smart thing to have done. It was a fulfilling day.

February 02, 2016

Seattle, Washington

I woke up and wrote... feeling very conflicted... heading out today towards Seattle for two nights and then south through Oregon... must decide where to stay (spending money in motels, ugh) have not had enough time or resources to find people to stay with. (it is much more difficult in today's world than 10 years ago) And... I had hoped to settle into one spot which has not happened. My spare piano (expensive keyboard) I had hoped to use in order to practice with must be dumped because there is no room in the back of the truck to keep it. Of course it will go to a good source but... oh, how it hurts! I must give away my practice piano and I am acutely aware of worth and expenses. It is pouring rain and the truck needs to get packed in the rain, not good. Faith Danny... let it go... do not worry about money... my job, my work in this world is to create Fun, Friendship and Respect first for myself in order to share that with others. Am I doing a good job today? Am I being honest about that? Can I accept that I need to do a better job with my work today? These are the questions I must have the courage to address in order to gain the wisdom and strength to accept that my angst does not help anything and that I can do better by just letting it go!

Then... the day got progressively better with more clarity on what to do and feeling much better. I'm taking the keyboard with me and know what I want to do with it. (it must go to a good home) I'm not going to worry about creating music in Seattle right now with the truck fully packed... I'll try to return to Seattle (I want to visit the homeless areas under the highway) when I get more settled. Of course all this may change as the day progresses because that is the way life works. The Pacific Northwest is a place I would feel comfortable staying in as a home. Its difficult to describe why. I checked into a room, a corner, opposite side from street construction but... there was a three way going on next door with a lot of moaning and the door ajar... I think I was invited but not knowing what was in there, lol... that period of life I think is over anyway. I've never had so many "cute dog" comments about Mo. They were coming from just about everyone we passed on the streets when we went for a walk. I have always been empathic and its getting worse as I get older. I'll need to turn into professional mode to work with people who have no homes on the streets. I'm feeling super drawn to do it and afraid at the same time as I become both angry at the situations and also soak in their fear and sadness. People without homes are everywhere. By the way, these pictures are from 2011.