Brian Carr's Travels

• Before I left I made up a series of web pages with pictures about my home, work, etc. in Jefferson Valley, NY.
• As a new addition, I started a series pages from the old slides I took years ago. First off a series from my year as a soldier in Korea in 1978.
• There are also a couple of series from the pictures we took in Korea concerning the orphanage and the foster babies.
• Next up is a series from the slides and pictures I took before and after that major trip. Not so interesting or well documented (as I didn't make any records at the time to describe the slides).
• Then, on August 29, 2001, I left New York and started my travels around the U.S. taking on odd jobs.
• I worked in autopart factories in Detroit. It was sad to go, but on October 14, I left for Florida.
• I visited with cousin Vinson in Indiana and
• then made my way to Florida.
• There are pictures from the wedding of Debra and Randy.
• I worked picking fruit in Fort Pierce, FL.
• On November 18, I returned to Texas.
• I spent Thanksgiving with my brother and mom and
• worked as a laborer at a construction site..
• On January 13, 2002, I went to New Orleans
• where I worked in recycling center.
• On February 16, I went to Houston, TX.
• where I unloaded barges and
• worked in brick factory.
• On March 30, I left for Goldsberry, Missouri where I helped my cousin take care of the cattle on his farm.
• On May 5, I left for Seattle, WA
• where I worked as a mover and then
• worked on prepping and painting fishing boats.
• On September 22, I left for Portland, OR
• where I helped out with residential construction and.
• pouring concrete walls for a warehouse
• and where I met Karyn.
• On November 7, 2002, I left for San Francisco Bay area in California
• where I worked at residential construction site.

• On December 19, 2002, I returned to Portland (in a terrible snow storm) to
• spend the holidays with Karyn and ended up staying.
• I found work as a driver/mover for United Van Lines and
• Karyn and we were married on August 16, 2003.
• I continued working as a mover while I looked for work with computers.

• Karyn asked for a divorce and
• I was offered a job as a database specialist in August 2004. Go figure.
• So I wrapped things up as a mover (took still more pictures).
• I started my new job as a Database Analyst,
• I found an apartment and moved into my new home.
• but the divorce with Karyn has turned adversarial and I spent a weekend in jail.. What to do?
• In April 2005 I took a trip to Albany, NY and helped David move.
• In July 2005 I went to the Turner family reuntion in Blookmington, IN.
• In February 2005 @Once.com was bought out by InfoUSA.com and made a part of YesMail.com. That led to lots of changes and new pictures from work..
• In July 2006, David (my eldest son) and Barbara (my former wife) visited to attend the Libertarian Party National Convention. We also spent the Fourth at Fort Vancouver and then visited Crater Lake, OR.
• In March of 2007, I visited my mom and brother in Dallas. Mike and I went to the 'Bluebunnie Retreat' and I visited with my mom for a couple of days.
• In early May of 2007, I took a day trip with Eric to Tillamook and the northern Oregon coast.
• In mid May, 2007, I went to a wonderful weekend retreat, Sufi Dance Sky Camp.
• I visited Jay, David and Barbara in Albany, NY in July 2007.
• Then I was off to Italy with my son Jay and his friend, Nikki.
• I have been helping out with Habitat for Humanity.
• In September of 2007 I went down to Oakland, CA for Prison Project Training to help me lead yoga meditation yoga in prisons.
• At work my group has been extended with and off-shore contingent in Bangadore, India.
• Toward the end of 2007 I visited my brother when he was visiting Seattle.
• In 2008 I have gotten into the routine of helping out with Habitat for Humanity and their Restore.
• And my car was stolen, twice! I learned to do without my car and started with biking part way to work.
• Cynthia and I have started visting both Sheridan Federal Correctional Institute (FCI or prison) and Oregon State Penitentiary (OSP).
• I also visited Seattle one weekend to hear the Karmapa.
• In July of 2008 I went to S.U.U.S.I. in Radford, VA with visits to Rockville, MD and Baltimore, MD.
• In August Lama Dudjam Dorjee visited Seattle (along with my brother) and I was able to visit for a weekend.
• In October 2008 there were lots of changes with me leaving Yesmail.com and a weekend trip to Snake River prison close to Idaho.
• In the spring of 2009 I visited a couple of Habitat for Humanity construction sites.
• At the end of March in 2009 I visited Dallas and helped my brother move, went to the Blue Bunny Retreat, and visited with my mom.

  Start of Trip, 2009

• I packed up my stuff and headed to Oakland, CA, Los Angeles and then Hawaii where I was offered a job with CDI.
• I headed back to Los Angeles area to get my stuff and ship my car.
• I was laid off shortly after I got back to Hawaii. I already had reservations to return to the mainland in about four weeks, so I just hung out saw the sites, though I did have to move to a new place which was quite a circus.
• In the middle of July, 2009, I returned to the mainland, visited D.C. and went to SUUSI 2009, which was great fun though I was sick the whole week. :-(
• After SUUSI, I visited DC for a bit (I was still sick) and then returned to California for a couple weeks while my car finished its cruise from Hawaii and I recovered from my sickness.
• Then I was off on my car trip to Texas with a nice couch surfing encounter in Tucson with Ricardo.
• In Denton, Texas I visited with my mom and helped out at a Habitat for Humanity build as well as visiting with my brother, Michael, at his KTC Tibetan Buddhist events.
• Then I continuing my road trip this time through D.C. where I had a job interview with NOAA (in MD to precise).
• After my interview I headed down to Durham, NC to visit with Ronnie who I had met at SUUSI.
• Then I was off to Boca Raton, FL to visit with Arnold and Esther.
• My road trip continued to its close in New York as I checked my old haunts in Westchester County.
• I visited with my former wife, Barbara, in Copake, NY as well as my kids in Albany, NY.
• I also visited S. Fallsburg in trying to get in tough with the Siddha Yoga community in Albany, NY.
• After Labor Day weekend in 2009 I moved into a room in a shared floor of a house in Albany where I help out at the Habitat for Humanity Restore and builds.
• My brother and other members of the Dallas KTC had a weekend retreat at the Kaygu Monastery in Woodstock, NY.
• I was able to go to a reunion for the now defunct group I worked with at Verizon.
• I was also able to go to a Dances of Universal Peace (DUP, sufi inspired) weekend retreat outside Athol, MA in early December, 2009.
• Then I was off on a road trip over the holidays. I stopped off and visited with Amy and Jack in Chapel Hill, NC.
• I also visited with Herb and Ruby in Chattanooga.
• In Dallas I was able to go to the KTC (Tibetan Buddhist) Center holiday party and saw my brothers new house as well as the Denton Restore.
• In March 2010, I left for a road trip to Raleigh, NC and Chattanooga, TN and Dallas, TX for the Buddhist Blue Bunny Retreat. I returned via Bloomington, IN.
• In the spring of 2010 I was able to pick up bicycling again. In May I was able to join a bike ride visiting the community gardens in Troy, NY.
• In June we were working on the rehab of the house on Odell Street with Habitat for Humanity.
• At the end June there was a wonderful 'Dances of Universal Peace' (or DUP or sufi dance) weekend outside of Ithaca, NY. It was magnificent. Then I had to move to my new house in Watervliet, just north of Albany.
• In July I joined some hikes in the Catskills and there was David and Nina's wedding. Then I was off to Washington, D.C. and SUUSI. After SUUSI, Eric and I went on a road trip visiting Raleigh, Atlanta, and Huntsville. On the way back I was able to visit with Debbie and Russ in Augusta.
• In August I went to the Duchess County Fair and was off to NE sufi dance camp.
• In September I was able to join several hikes around Albany via a Meetup.com hiking group.
• At the end of September, Jay passed his road test for his driver's license. To celebrate that and other accomplishments, we went on a road trip to Virginia Beach. After that I went on to Charlottesville and the a SUUSI staff camping weekend at Mountain Lake. I returned to pick up Jay at Virginia Beach before we headed back to Albany.
• In November, Habitat for Humanity started a new house on Stephen Street. Also, there was a weekend of teachings by Lama Dudjam Dorjee at the KTD outside of Woodstock, NY.
• In December we got lots of snow and I was able to discover snow shoeing.
• In January 2011, I got a response to my application from the previous summer to be a bus driver for SUNY Albany. They were in the midst of a long hiring freeze and so there were several other good candidates. I was interviewed and tested with three other drivers and they went with another candidate.
• In late February I started working for etransmedia.
• That kept me way busy, but in late April I was able to go on a sufi dance (Dances of Universal Peace or DUP for short) close to Athol, MA.
• In early July I was able to head to the Ithaca Dance Camp and a Sufi Order dance at the Abode and visited a chanting group at Unison in New Paltz and visited the KTD Monastery outside of Woodstock, NY.
• In early August we finished the project I was working on for etransmedia.
• At the end of August, the pace at worked relaxes (no more 60-80 hour weeks) and so I was able get my stuff out of storage and attend the NE Sufi Dance Camp outside of Athol, MA.
• Over Labor Day Weekend I went to the Harrisburg Dance Camp.
• In October I went to the Unitarian / Universalist annual retreat at Silver Bay.
• In late October I went on vacation in the Seattle area with Cathy.
• In early November, I was able to attend a retreat at the KTD Monastery outside of Woodstock, NY.
• In December, I was able to go on some Meetup hikes.
• In March of 2012 I started went on my exciting trip to Istanbul, Turkey and India to visit Sherab Ling Monastery, Tashi Jong Monastery, Dongyu Garsal Ling Nunnery, Dharamsala, Tso Pema / Rewalsar with its hilltop shrines, flew to Aurangabad with cave shrines in Ajanta and Ellora and Daulatabad Fort, and back to Delhi.
• I got back to find myself unemployed. Expecting that my unemployment would be short lived, I went on numerous hikes and visited the KTD.
• I also discovered a phenomenal kirtan chanting group.
• In July I was on staff at SUUSI helping out with their wonderful youth program.
• In August I started CommerceHub, the company that David has worked for for almost ten years. They are a wonderful company to work for and it is likely they will be my last job.
• My volunteer work has shifted more to a mmetup group with many great opportunities like helping out at the regional food bank.
• I also was able to visit the KTD in September for teachings with Lama Dudjom Dorjee.
• I was able to bike to work routinely with a ten mile route one way, almost all of which is residential. It is so nice.
• Early in 2013 a group of us from the Albany area Unitarian churches headed down to NJ to help with the Sandy recovery. I was able to go on a couple of trips.
• In the spring and summer a few small groups from Meetup went to help out at the Regional Food Bank's Patroon Farm.
• In the summer I was again on Youth Staff at SUUSI, this time as an age group leader.
• In the fall there were more visits to Patroon Farm, I started helping out with Chanting and Meditation programs at Green Haven Prison and helped out at a Soup Kitchen.
• There was also a Prison Project Training in NYC.
• I was also able to attend teachings by Lamala at a retreat at the KTD Tibetan Monastery in Woodstock, NY.
• In 2014 I was able to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity.
• In July I was able to return SUUSI where I was again on staff, helping out with their wonderful youth program.
• In the fall I visited the KTD, a Buddhist moastery outside of Woodstock, NY, again.
• Early in 2015, I got a new car, a and let go of my 1991 Toyota Camry which I had drive for over 360K miles.
• In the spring I led some awesome hikes and in the summer I helped out with Habitat for Humanity with a group from work.
• I also returned to SUUSI where I was again on staff, helping out with the youth program.
• In the fall of 2015 I joined some Meetup hikes and returned to West point for my 40th reunion.
• I also led a group from CommerceHub to help with the harvest at Patroon Farm.

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If you are wondering why I went travelling, you are not alone. A lot of people (about half the people I talked to) thought me leaving a good job as a programmer was crazy, some kind of mid life crisis. However, it was more like empty nest syndrome, but that isn't quite right either; to me it seemed more like a mid life release. I really enjoyed my job and life in New York, but with my kids being grown and me being divorced, it seemed to be a chance to do all those other things I have wanted to do. It looks like a year and a half of travelling was enough and I have gone back to programming for another twenty years.

This page was last updated on December 11, 2016.