Liberty Van - 2 Trips to California - April & May, 2006

I continue to drive this van where ever I'm going about my usual business. [as of May 30, 2006 this van been about 15,000 miles all over a large part of the USA since I started this Creative Expression of 1st Amendment Rights project]  End of March, I had to go to the People's Republic of Los Angeles.  I made two trips from KY to California, and spent most of 2 months (almost all of April & May) in Harbor City (near Torrance).  This van is a WORK IN PROGRESS, so it looks different from time to time.  Sometimes, I've been adding and changing some things 'on the fly'.  This is how it looked on our way out to CA the first time.

I was alone this time, and took I-65 south through Nashville, then I-40 all the way over to I-15, then I-15 into Los Angeles.  drove through Memphis TN, Little Rock & Ft. Smith, AK, Oklahoma City, OK, Amarillo, TX, and Flagstaff AZ.  I spent the night in Flagstaff, and cruised there a bit in the morning, as that's where I first walked out of a restaurant (the Red Lobster) due to 'no smoking allowed', about 10 years ago.

It was an interesting time in CA (& driving cross country) with the Liberty Van. It was a hit everywhere!  On the way out there, I'd put clear tape on the front of the hood, with 'People's Republic of California or BUST'.  After I arrived, I changed it to 'Liberate the People's Republic of California'. On the way home, I changed it to 'REPEAL UNCONSTITUTIONAL PRIVATE PROPERTY SMOKING BANS'.  On April 15, I added NJ (for New Jersey) to the BOYCOTT states.  Their state ban went into effect on tax day.

I had to go out to CA to care for my father, who was very ill.  I had not planned this trip at all - it was an emergency.

I drove 2,200+ miles in less than 72 hours, solo.

When I got there, I was still all alone.  My dad was in ICU, and just about completely out of it for more than a week, so between visits to him, I did quite a bit of cruising in the Los Angeles area.

I am still getting about 99 positive signs (waves, smiles, thumbs up, V signs, 'right on' signs, etc.) to every 1 negative.  At times, there were cars going by me on both sides on the freeway, with 3 or 4 arms hanging out of BOTH sides of cars, all with thumbs up.  They were sticking up from sun roofs, too.  Even a lot of the NON-smokers are 'getting it!   Some rolled down their windows at lights, and told me, 'I don't smoke, but I agree with you!'.  One day I came out from paying for my gas, and a fellow who had apparently stood there and read the whole thing told me he agrees with everything on there. Then he told me for about 20 minutes how mad he is that he isn't allowed to cut down a tree on his own property. He never mentioned smoking - I'm not sure

On 4/11/06, I was stopped by the police for THE VERY FIRST TIME since I started this Creative Expression of First Amendment Rights project.  Right now, I am planning to be in Los Angeles again July 3, 2006.  See:  1st Amendment Ticket

how he felt about that.  People from one end of this country to the other seem outraged about the abuses of Eminent Domain, as well. It really is a sad day for the USA, when someone can lose their home they've worked for all their life, just because some 'tin hat' city council wants a bigger tax base : (.

I cruised the Palos Verdes Peninsula, San Pedro, & Long Beach several times.  About 40 years ago, I was a Junior at Rolling Hills High School.  I put about 4,000 miles on the Liberty Van in CA alone, as I was there for almost 2 months.  I cruised Calabasas (about a dozen times), where they've outlawed smoking OUTDOORS, right next to a 10 lane FREEWAY. Geesh, I can enjoy the exhaust from 200,000-300,000 cars/day, but don't light up a cigarette? ROFLOL  In Calabasas, I got the same sort of vastly positive responses I've been getting everywhere all over the USA.  One day a whole car full sat at a light there, all blowing kisses at the van.  I cruised Hollywood at least a 1/2 dozen times, as well.  One night on Sunset Strip, I had a short running conversation with some folks

in their car.  They said, 'we think you're awesome', and said, 'you must hate Calabasas'.  I told them (at the next light), 'No, I love Calabasas - I want to help LIBERATE it!'.  I broke my general boycott habit, and actually bought my supper at the Ralph's at the main shopping center in Calabasas a couple of times, as the people I met there had been so nice.  Most of the folks I met do NOT seem to support this idiotic law.  I visited Sacramento, San Francisco, and Reno, too - as well as Las Vegas, and the People's Republic of Denver on my way home from my first CA trip.

My father, meanwhile, was getting better.  He was getting over the pneumonia, and we were able to enjoy some visiting.  My oldest daughter from VT arrived to help me, as I had left 4 of my kids at home with my husband in Kentucky.  In addition, my 19 year old son

in KY had just gotten out of the hospital.  He'd been seriously injured in a fork lift accident only about 10 days before my dad got sick.  Talk about when it rains, it pours...  I had to go home to care for my other kids, so my oldest was there to stay with my dad.  Just a day after I left, I got a call - my dad had passed away.  Though the pneumonia was better, his heart wasn't strong, and his kidneys were also failing : (.  I turned around and went back to Harbor City, staying another week.

My dad was almost 80, and won a tennis tournament when he was about 70, as a 55 year smoker of both cigarettes and his pipe.  Then he remarried a nico-nazi who forced him to quit.  He soon gained about 150 lbs, and for the rest of his life had difficulty walking, let alone playing tennis.  The younger, 'healthier' non-smoking wife kicked the bucket about 7 years ago.  My dad enjoyed good health all his life until he quit smoking.  He did not have cancer, either. IMO, his weight helped kill him.  This is one reason I'm so SMOKING MAD www.aalf.ws/smokingmad/ about all this anti-smoking nonsense, & refuse to quit smoking.  I especially refuse to be forced or bullied into it.  SEE: A Smoker's Obituary

I visited Phoenix & Tucson, Arizona on the way home.  My husband's family are mostly in the Austin, TX area, so I visited there as well.  I also went through Houston & Baytown, TX, & Birmingham, AL.

I finally arrived home in Kentucky just in time for Memorial Day, and a nice cookout, watermelon, and fireworks celebration with the kids.  My injured son is recovering well, and it was WONDERFUL to see John, and the kids and all the Afghan Hounds again!

The Liberty Van will be on the road again near the end of June, heading west on I-40, when I have to return to The People's Republic of Lost Angeles.  I'll be there for the 4th of July, and we'll be CRUISIN - probably BEACHES : )

JULY 4th is the DATE for THE FIRST GREAT AMERICAN SMOKE-IN

JOIN US - wherever you are!  INFO HERE: www.aalf.ws/smokingmad/

OUTDOOR BANS ARE JUST PLAIN MEAN SPIRITED!  BOYCOTT ALL CITIES WITH OUTDOOR BANS!

The Liberty Van finally arrived home in Kentucky on May 1.  I was home for only a few days, to try to catch up on my life, then my husband and I headed west again in The Liberty Van.  We went out to CA via I-40 again this time.  My dad's house had already been sold, as he had put it on the market before he became ill.  He was planning (finally) to move closer to us.  We had to get the house cleared out, and handle completion of the sale, plus I had a lot of my dad's other business complete.

On the 1st night of the 2nd trip to CA, late at night, almost through Arkansas, a deer jumped from the median and hit the front left bumper (John was driving : ).  We were doing 70 (the speed limit), and very lucky.  After tying up the bumper with a bungee cord, a cable tie, and some duct tape, we were on our way again.  The art work was PERFECT, except for LIBERTY was cracked EXACTLY in the middle of the 'e', in the exact middle of the word!  (see photo at top of page) - just like the Liberty Bell?  That made the rest of this trip taped together with transparent duct tape.

Just as soon as John and I could get a truck loaded with things to take home for the family, he came home to KY with the truck.  I had to stay for a couple more weeks to finish clearing out the rest.  Several of my family flew in to help, and we had a small private memorial service for dad.

OUTDOOR BANS ARE IDIOTIC!  IGNORE THEM!!

While in Harbor City, I had the opportunity to attend a Torrance City Council meeting, where they voted unanimously to ban smoking on Torrance Beach.  The council members all spouted rhetoric that Hitler would have been proud of - the 'health is duty' gospel.  My last act in Harbor City was to enjoy watching their annual Armed Forces Day parade, while painting 'VOTE THEM ALL OUT' underneath 'Woe unto you lawyers' on both sides of the van.

Finally I was headed home, again by myself.  I took the southern route this time.  I want to visit as many of the United People's Republics of America as I can with the Liberty Van.