North America Guitar Tour

Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)

July 30, 2014

I woke up to a slimy feeling, and a dog was licking my face. The sun had already risen, but everyone was still asleep. I had left my toothbrush in the car, so I tiptoed to the front door to get it, and when I opened the door, a young man was sitting there. I hadn't seen him last night. I said "Good morning" and returned with my toothbrush in hand, and the young man said to me with a sad look on his face, "You're the one who played yesterday, right? I couldn't see you yesterday because I had my day off." I had some free time until my next appointment, so I said, "I'll ask them to play again today," and he said with a happy look on his face, "Really!"

Joe told me to come over because he would make breakfast for me, and while I was having a typical American breakfast behind the store, I got a message from Mr. D from last night saying, "If you have time, would you like to go and see the Martin Guitar Factory?" It's in a town called Nazareth, about a 20-minute drive from Phillipsburg. I must be honest that I was not huge fun of Martin guitars, but I decided to become a "superficial Martin fan" for one day.

The tour was a 30-minute tour of the factory with a group of about 20 people. Mr. D was taking lots of photos. Nylon strings are the main thing, but another reason I don't have a connection with Martins is the shape of the neck. The V-shaped neck with a slightly pointed center hurts the joints of my thumb. I think it's a problem with how you hold the neck, but I don't feel like correcting my habit to play. There are some semicylindrical shape with no sharp edge available.

After the factory tour, I went back to the shop in Phillipsburg and played a few songs while the young man I met in the morning was working there. Yvonne was a pretty heavy smoker, so we talked for a while every time we went outside to have a smoke. I don't know the true feelings of parents who have lost a child, but I do understand how painful it is because I am a parent myself. The young man tried to give me a five dollar bill, probably as a tip, so I said, "The thought is enough, so use that money to go on a date with that girl over there," feeling like Tora-san. He then said, "I envy you because you have talent," so I said to him as Tora-san, "Young people, everyone has talent, the key is whether you find it or not." He seemed happy, saying, "That's a good thing to hear." The photo below was taken when I was chatting with Mr. D's aunt.

As the sun began to set and I started preparing to head to the next destination, Yvonne handed me a heavy bag. It was a large amount of lasagna, enough to last me for a few days. At that time, the youngest child, Pino, said, "Cigarettes are expensive in Boston, so I'll take you to a cheap restaurant while I'm delivering pizza." After crossing a short bridge on the outskirts of town, we arrived in Pennsylvania, where the gas station attached to the store was actually cheap, almost as cheap as the best I had ever been to in South Carolina.

We returned to the store, said a warm but dry farewell to everyone, and then headed for our next destination, Methuen, Massachusetts. The final blow to the miracle would come suddenly on the way.

*The people who appear in the text are written with their initials until their identities can be confirmed.

Phillipsburg • Supporter's Area • To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)

Contents

Introduction
Until Departure
Seattle
To California
Day Off
Sunnyvale
To La
LA 2 Days
To Tucson
Albuquerque
To Colorado (beginning of Miracle)
Berthoud
Denver
to Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City 2 days
To Texas
San Antonio
Georgetown
Dallas
Houston 2 Days
Benton
Nashville (CAAS)
Roswell
Tampa 2 Days
Miami
Orland 2 Days
Myrtle Beach
Chapel Hill 3 Days
Kingsport
To Indiana
Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival
To Staten Island
Manhattan
Phillipsburg
Nazareth (Martin Guitar Factory)
To Massachusetts (end of Miracle)
Methuen
To Montreal
To Buffalo
Meadvill A Day Before
Meadvill Ghost Hotel
Detroit
Chicago
Minneapolice
Spin Off #1
Spin Off #2 "EU Tour IN 2008 / Until Departure
Czech 1
Czech 2
London
Liverpool
Chesham
To Germany
Lemgo
Ingolstadt
Bregenz
To Italy
Florence
The Last Gig
Going Home