Just arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland

I must be nuts. We are driving across the United States and Canada in the heat of the humid, humid summer. We (Laurence and I) left our home in New Mexico about 2 weeks ago and are now about 4000 miles north and east away. Yikes!

We stopped in Okalahoma City (we always visit the memorial site which is moving, peaceful and respectful.); Terre Haute, Illinois; Medina, OH; and Niagra Falls before spending 4 days in Toronto, Ontario with two of my university chums.(Note to my Ontario buddies: I am sad that due to the rush I wasn't able to connect you. Next time for sure.)

We managed to leave Why Get Married postcards in every place we stopped from Albuquerque to St. John's, be it for coffee, gasoline fill-ups, or the night. We have even taken photos of the postcards in their various leaning positions on tables, in windows, even in card racks. Subversive? I don't know. Just trying to get the message out while I travel as you never know who might right now be thinking, Why Get Married? then "oh wow" look, someone has already been asking this question.

After leaving Toronto, we spent our first night in Quebec City, a delightful place particularly historic Vieux Quebec. It has been over a decade since I have been back to explore so it was nice to walk along the cobblestone roads, and eat in one of their many sidewalk cafes. A romantic city, so I'm not sure how the WGM postcards will be received. Although I was told the numbers of Quebec couples choosing to live together/have children rather than marrying is higher than in other provinces That surprised me. I had imagined the strong catholic background of Quebecois would have couples choose the tradition of marriage.

So after a 6 hour ferry ride from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland we are now at my Mom's, our final distination. We will stay put for a few weeks. And having just arrived, we now have laundry to do, need to catch our breath, and begin scheming new WGM projects with some of our producer friends on this island of Newfoundland.

On the Road

I am going on a road trip. A long road trip. Covering 8,000 miles in about 6 weeks. I plan to talk to people along the way about...you guessed it, Why Get Married? We (my partner Laurence and I) will drive to Toronto first, then head east through Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, then north to Cape Breton and take the ferry to Newfoundland. It is an opportunity for me to reconnect with university buddies, the landscape, and family while working on projects I care about.

I am hoping to have a good interviewing set-up, at least for radio/podcast broadcasts, so I can capture some diverse opinions, experience and points of view across 8,000 miles of the USA and Canada. And these talks will help me get more current with latest trends, attitudes and practices about why get married.

I bumped into Theresa last week at an Albuquerque bookstore . She and her girlfriend are headed to Quebec CIty in August to be legally married. They had had a ceremony 10 years ago, and this will be on that anniversary. Even though this marriage won't be recognized where they live, it is important for them to have it and honor their commitment. It is worth flying 2000 miles and into another country to be in an environment that recognizes them as a married, committed couple.

Personally I have no desire or need to be married at this time. I do support others who want to marry. I support marriage being a choice available for any loving, committed couple.

For me the overarching issue is: All USA citizens deserve to be treated equally, receiving the same rights and privileges as one another regardless of marital status or employment. Then to marry or not to marry might become an entirely different conversation, impetus and practice for some.