Obama -- Almost Up Close and Personal

Our biggest thrill was going to the rally last Sunday when Barak Obama spoke at the University in Ft. Collins.  We volunteered to help with the event, an all-day job!  Unfortunately, we didn't get assigned to the VIP post, so we were among the masses (45,000-50,000 people) trying to peek through a lot of bodies to find Barak on the stage.   At least we were able to get in and catch glimpses of him, unlike thousands of others who were turned away or gave up when the saw the mile+ line waiting to get in.   But it was thrilling to be in that energetic crowd.  When he was introduced as the next president of the United States, the crowd went wild!  So did we!

Obama Campaign

We drove the 1200 miles from Santa Rosa to Ft. Collins, Colorado on less than $100 tank of gas. Can you believe it? We left the beautiful vineyards of Sonoma County, and traveled across desert and plains to finally get to the more interesting area of Colorado, just east of the Rockies. Our friends, Ron and Ruth Chappell, graciously welcomed us into their home and have been super hosts again! Private bedroom and bath, great meals, and even some time for visiting. But most of our time is committed to working on the Obama campaign.

Our big surprise when we arrived was to learn that Barak Obama was going to be in Fort Collins on Sunday at the University. So obviously that was our volunteer effort that day.  (see next post for Obama photo;  middle photo here is of the crowds on the campus.)

How are we helping? We were assigned a neighborhood to canvass on Saturday, knocking on doors and trying to "get out the vote." We are now working out of a staging area in a donated space near downtown that has many cubicles for phone banking. John has been phoning and canvassing. I have been sitting at my laptop doing data entry from all the calls and canvass contacts. I've been in the same room as the three staffers -- all very young. Their energy, quick wit and multi-tasking has been fun to be around.

Colorado, here we come!

We're heading to Colorado this week, but this time we're driving a more gas-efficient car, our new Prius. We will be staying with friends, Ron and Ruth Chappel, in Fort Collins again -- they were super hosts to us last May as well! The purpose this time is for more than just visiting, however. We've signed up to be Obama Campaign interns in that swing state until the election. This is a first for us -- we've never been this involved in a political campaign before. But we feel passionate about making sure Obama is elected, knowing how much our country needs a change.

Making phone calls and knocking on doors isn't our favorite thing to do, but in the Obama Camp training, we learned that people are 3 to 10 times more likely to vote as a result of those personal contacts, so we're willing to do it. Our first phone-banking session was actually quite energizing.

We also learned it is good to do early voting with mail-in ballots. In California, I believe the last day to apply for absentee ballots is October 28, but make sure they are hand delivered, or mailed to be received by Nov 4.

Stay tuned for more info from an Obama field worker's perspective!

We're back home

We're almost completely moved back into our home after our year's travel around the U.S. We are so grateful to friends (Steve & Robin Brown, Ted & Deanie Wilmsen, Linda Carroll) for offering us beautiful space in their homes while waiting to get back into our house. We weren't sure for some time whether we would sell our home or stay. After looking at a number of houses in the Sonoma Country area and elsewhere, we've made the decision: we're staying put. We like our home and this area too much to move afterall.

Our address is the same.

Our new phone number: (707) 528-8545.

My e-mail is the same: gpickrell@sbcglobal.net

The family that rented our house while we were gone took very good care of it. But we have spent the last couple months painting, carpeting, and doing a fair amount of maintenance, especially dry rot problems. It didn't take John long to figure out he was a older and bigger than when he used to crawl under the house to fix problems. He's also been on tall ladders removing or nailing new siding on the house, and in the process put some strain on his back. Luckily, he heals quickly. I've enjoyed helping with the painting, both inside and out. I'm almost ready to apply to be a painter's assistant!

Except for two large furniture items, John and I did all the moving of our furniture back into our two-story house ourselves. We didn't need to go to the exercise gym afterall! We have one more pick up load to get from John's daughter's home in Santa Clara today. It's been good to rebuild our "nest."

But now we're ready to hit the road again. See the next blog.

If you're interested in viewing posts from our year's travel, just click on the "older posts" box at the bottom of each page, and you can go all the way back to the beginning. But beware: you need a few hours to spare!