A Day in the Life of a PFEE Pilgrim

7:o1 am - First car pulls into the parking lot of the furniture warehouse where, in the front lawn, I decided to set up camp the night before. Skip thinks that I like to set up camp in conspicuous places because it forces him to get up early. I peer out from the tent see the guy eyeing me; I know I have about 45 minutes until the sheriff pulls up. have a precognitive ability for these things. Sure enough, 45 minutes later, almost to the exact minute, the sheriff pulls into the parking lot and up next to my car, where I wait for him.

7:45am:

I greet him first. “Good morning.”
“Is this y’all’s stuff right here?” pointing to the tent and my car.
“Yes, sir. It’s not a problem is it?”
“Yessuh. This here’s private property. There’s a public park jus’ down the road.”

The rest of the conversation is pretty much the same. It turns out that the warehouse has been robbed a few times and the people there get “might prickly” seeing stangers about. I tell him we will be moving along, and then ask him to apologize for us for getting the employees “prickly.” Once the sheriff explains who we are to the person who phoned him, the gentleman doesn't mind at all if we stay. He even tells us we can leave the tent there to dry off if we like, while we go into town to have breakfast. I think this is might charitable of him.

10:30 I stand in the middle of a cotton field with the camera waiting for Skip to walk by so that I can get my shot.

10:50 Skip walks by.

10:53 I make my way out of the cotton field, camera in one hand high in the air, coffee in the other hand higher than the camera. Cotton pods are sticking to my pants as if they are telling the fibers in them to come back home.

11:30 I write a story about my experiences in the south from an old-fashioned drug store that still serves malts and ice cream in the back. “Rich is getting lost in what you do,” is written on a piece of art in the back of the store.

12:30 I meet Skip for lunch at a Hardee's along the road he is walking on today. As usual, we talk about the plan for the day.

12:50:03 Skip whines about walking.

12:50:27 I refer to Skip as "Nancy" and tell her that I can get a tampon from the car if she needs it.

1:30 I get back in the car and head for Charlotte.

2:12 The road where I am supposed to make a left does not exist.

3:37 After driving around in every possible direction, I pick up the trail again and find my way to the condo where we are staying this evening.

4:18 Even though I am at the right address (I think), I can't seem to find the building number. I decide to find a coffeeshop to work from.

4:29 I set up at a coffeeshop.

4:31 I get a phone call from a reporter at The Charlotte Observer. I take the phone call outside, give him the information, and direct him to Skip.

4:35 For the next twenty minutes I call 8 radio stations and 1 television station. Meanwhile, Skip is doing his interview for the Observer on the road.

4:45 I text Skip and give him the number to call for the radio station that has agreed to put him live on the air, but only within the next hour.

4:51 Skip calls me and tells me he was just on the air and that the Observer is going to post a story online tonight, as well as post a printing tomorrow morning. He tells me, "good job."

5:39 I show up at the address where we are staying for the night and knock on the door. The kids inside tell me that Lindsay doesn't live there anymore.

5:42 I sit down on the curb beside my car and text Skip. I have a bag of mixed nuts at my feet.

7:00 Skip arrives in the condominium complex; I have half a bag of mixed nuts at my feet.

7:17 We figure out that we are in the right complex, but in front of the wrong building.

7:24 We meet our host.

8:01 We have dinner.

9:09 We have both showered.

9:41 Skip is faced down on the couch; I am snoring on the floor.