The document describes the author's two-year journey across the United States after the death of his wife. He traveled over 250,000 miles visiting friends and family, and taking over 200 photos. Some of the highlights included visiting the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Arcosanti, and having dinner with friends and family in various cities. The author hopes to compile the photos and experiences into a book. The journey helped him process his grief and appreciate the beauty of the world.

1. eMOTION! REPORTS.com
Automotive/Aerospace Industry Research and Analysis
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Some of The Best Things in Life are Indeed Free... And
Breathtaking....
Narrative For Book-in-The-Making
"An American Walkabout"
A Day, November 28, 2013, Walking the Rim of The Grand Canyon and collecting Imagery
For Book-in-The-Making "An American Walkabout"...

2. Rancho Cucamonga, CA June, 2015 - After the death of my wife Deadra in
September 2012, Idecided, rather than settling into the new reality of spousal
loss and the experiential constantof relatives/friends expressing sympathy -
much needed of course - I would acceptthe "down under" wisdom of fictional
character"CrocodileDundee" and go "walkabout": Covering almost250,000
miles with the help of GM, FCA Chrysler and Ford PR colleagues.
The writing technique deployed here is quasi-poetic using sonnetvariation
architecture of millennia old origins, and derives from an understanding of
how the brain processessensorydata in a continuous stream. Arguably,
humans will happily absorbany volume of verbiage as long as there is
observable continuity, flow and logic regardless ofthe seeming complexity of
terminologies, phraseologiesand referencesutilized therein...
Well, to wax Reagan-esque, I'd like to think so anyway...
Chevy Volt in abstract with Nuclear Power plant somewhere, west of the Pecos... of all places... Image:
MDS

3. "An American Walkabout" is a compilation of over 200 images and
experiences extractedin a near two year journey from the Atlantic beaches of
St. Augustine and environs, to the California Foothills of Rancho Cucamonga,
to the beauty of SanFrancisco Bayviewedfrom Sausalito while not leaving
my heart there; traversing the California and Arizona deserts;reconnecting
with my bestfriend Isaac in Fremont, and marveling at the fact of his Mother,
Leola, being 102 years young; dinners at Legendson the famous Route 66 with
my beautiful sisterDeborah;singing duets with singer-songwritersister-in-
law Sharon McMahan, currently performing in London, of Dare to Dream, an
unreleasedsong I considerhumanity's anthem, and brother Doug;visiting
children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins in various parts of the
country; spending hours on a horse ranch near San Dimas getting to know
Riley, now my bestestequine buddy; the irony of visiting a nuclear power
plant in a Chevy Volt; the sobering thought of a moment's distraction-induced
disasterneutralized through the collision
Grand Canyon: A cross-section of the Earth- Image: MDS
-avoidance technologyof 2014 Chevy Impala;the sadness ofvisiting my
parents graves at RiversideNationalCemetery, while being uplifted by its

4. beauty; the stunning sunrises of Sedona and spending time with the good
people at L'Auberge deSedona and the Restauranton Oak Creek - an arrival
that had not been assuredowing to a wall of waterencounteredat 65mph
enveloping the 2013 Dodge ChallengerR/T chosenfor the trip; the
uncomfortable realization of being at the epicenterof a 4.0 magnitude
earthquake near Ontario;
L'Auberge de Sedona Restaurant on Oak Creek - Image: MDS/L'Auberge
-thankfulness for a timely call from a loved one late at night on a desert
highway, when the weightof arduous life experiences in the months and years
previous descendedon my psyche with the gravitationalintensity of a
collapsing star; the indescribable majesty of the Grand Canyon;spending
hours with an Arizona Congressman, his COS, and auto pioneer John Mealer
at the Arizona Biltmorecourtyard discussing new aerialfire fighting
technologyand process along with a proposedenergy self-sufficientcity (to be
built in collaborationwith the indigenous peoples, inclusive of Hopi, Apache
and Navajoto whose tribal leaders John had reachedout) and bio-fuel
endurance race by light of a fire; regretting the fact of not returning to the
Blackfoot/Blackfeet reservationin Montana to fulfill a 20 year-old promise to

5. tribal elders of revisitation after determination I was indeed of their ancestry,
then allowing me participation in an evening celebratorydance, escorted
around the fire by two quite comely examples of native American womanhood
in full rite regalia;the intrigue and quaintness of old southwestmining towns
seeming to cling to the sides of mountains with tenuous fragility while dining
at The Asylum in the Grand Hotel of historic Jerome, AZ; braving chill
November winds to explore the impossibly futuristic architecture of Italian-
American artist/architect Paolo Soleri's eco-friendly masterpiece Arcosanti;
The Grand Hotel and Asylum Restaurant, Jerome, AZ - Image: MDS
-fascinating hours spent with the Deans of Arizona State University's Schools
of Architecture, Designand Engineering and ArgonneNational Lab's Dr.
Larry Johnson; the privilege of giving a presentationon "Green" racing at
the Skysong campus of ASU, having arrived there in a 200mph screaming
yellow CamaroSS after terrorizing the early morning streets ofPhoenix, Sun
City and Tucson;

6. The Futuristic Architecture of Paolo Soleri's Arcosanti - Image: MDS
-the gently rolling landscape of Wisconsin, America's "cheesiest" state;
observing in awe the manifest oceanic powerof LakeMichigan's waves
assaulting the shoreline deep in winter, while effortlesslydisplacing ice floes at
will; utter fascinationwith the beauty of a snowfallon a hushed landscape of
pine trees and streams while enjoying an excellent repastat one of the true
gems of mid-western dining: Sebastian'sofRacine (Caledonia);musings of
spring to come while sitting in the comfort of anotherfavorite restaurant
nestled on a frozen marina; reflective evenings at the American Clubof
Kohler, WI;

7. Ford 2013 C-Max Hybrid in The Wisconsin Farmlands - Image: MDS
-experiencing the re-gentrificationof Chicago neighborhoods where I once
fearedto tread in my formative years, and the grandeur of the city itself;
exploring the art collectionof the Union LeagueClubof Chicagoand
becoming absorbed in its rich history of socialjustice, including the financing
of a "Citizen's Army" to blunt the grip of Al Caponeon the city during the era
of Prohibition; attending the ChicagoAuto Show's Charity Preview with a
family friend from high school;late night walkthroughs on campus of one of
the world's most spectacularresearchfacilities, the DOE's ArgonneNational
Laboratory; sensing the undeniable re-emergence ofpride in the Motor City,
Detroit, on the part of its citizenry; the privilege of helping to host since 2004
the 50+ nation International Fellows dinner in Bloomfield Hills along with
dear friends Dr. Sheila Ronis of WalshCollege/NationalDefense University
Foundationand Universityof MichiganstatisticianDr. David Ronis, whom we
lost this month; remembering the unexpected kindness of Ford CEO Alan
Mulally, RayDay's PR team, and the goodfolks at Bozard Ford during a very
difficult period of Dee's illness;visiting the Beechcraft KingAirat OaklandAir
responsible for a return in record time from Jackson, MS to Pontiac with an
estimatedspeed of 400kts,24,000ftAGL, after notification of a medical
emergencysix years prior;

8. The shores of Lake Michigan near Racine, WI - Image: MDS

9. -the feeling of having come home againto the beautiful estate on Bayou
Liberty of Jazz Legend and Louisiana favorite son RonnieKole. He and wife
Gardiner are dear friends possessedofa graciousnessI characterize as the
"epitomization of Southern hospitalityand gentility" (bestspokenwih a
southern accent!); a visit to Mississippi's Jackson-EversInternationalAirport
and the 172nd Airlift (C-17)Wing;exploring the Battleship Alabamaon
Mobile Bayat night while enjoying the cacaphonyof colors bathing the city in
a near audible hue
Oil refinery, Chalmette, LA - Image: MDS
-that can only be describedas surrealistic bordering on the ethereal;being
moved by a child's interplay with a dolphin at Florida's Marineland thathad
to be seento be believed; attending the AutomotiveNewsLifetimeAchievement
Award dinner for long time colleague and friend EdselFord II, allowing
reconnectionwith RogerPenske,Keith Crain and spending significanttime
with Ralph Nader discussing Boeing 787 Dreamlinerstructural
composites/metalutilization failure concerns in Washington, D.C.;crafting
and implementing a strategywith world-renowned astrophysicistDr. Andrew
W. Beckwith, physicistDr. Fang Yu Li of ChonqingUniversity, amongstother
courageousChinese and American research/intelligencecolleagues to spirit

10. breakthrough computational recalibrationof Russian Tokamak Fusion
Reactoroperationalparameters outof China and into the academic
mainstream of the planet - potentially allowing for creationof artificial
gravitationalwaves that may lead to warp and wormhole travel through space
and even manipulation of time itself: A move reminiscient - really - of Bourne
Identity, Chain Reaction-esqueplots; being just a bit overwhelmedby the
honor guard of all services greeting me at the National Defense University, Ft.
LeslieMcNair office of AmbassadorWanda Nesbittand sharing afternoon tea
with her;
The Children of Afghanistan Say "Thank You".... Image: Zarghona Rassa, British Afghan Women's Society
-coordinating additional Afghanistan emergencyairlifts, one of them
designated"Deadra'sFlight"; and finally, walking the beachI spent multiple
days and nights seeking a quantum of solacereadily accordedby the winds,

11. waves and everchanging visual eleganceofthe Atlantic immediately following
Dee's death...
"And a child shall lead them..." Image: MDS
The "take away" ofthis experience, if you will, is that we are surrounded by
the beauty of our planet - terra firma - and a cornucopia of celestialwonders
above. Regretably, all too often we allow the anxieties of life and the rigours
of making a living to render us incapable of remembering how... to live... or
truly acknowledgethe current brevity of that existence.
My advice? TAKE the time and do a "walkabout" ofyour own... with those
you love and who love you. A carpe diem manifestoof your authorship, oui?
Smart man, that Crocodile Dundee...
# # #
eMOTION! REPORTS Publisher Myron D. Stokes is an automotive/aerospace
journalist/analyst and award-winning former Newsweek, Newsweek Japan and Newsweek
International Special Correspondent
Publisher inquiry: globalheavyliftholdings@ymail.com Ph.: 626-616-1655

12. Music to read by: John Denver's "Annie's Song"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C21G2OkHEYo

13. Related links: http://www.slideshare.net/GHHLLC2/2013-dodge-challenger-rt-at-lauberge-de-sedona-a-blending-of-technological-and-
culinary-excellence
http://www.slideshare.net/GHHLLC2/richard-holbrookes-world-memories-of-a-newsweek-special-correspondent-a-quasibiblios-by-myron-d-
stokes-6378388
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvH7B9xKJ6U
http://ronniekole.com/?page_id=2
http://www.sharonmcmahan.com/
http://www.sebastiansracine.com/
http://www.ulcc.org/
http://www.americanclubresort.com/
http://www.oaklandair.com/
http://www.ndu.edu/
http://www.asu.edu/
https://skysong.asu.edu/
http://international.cqu.edu.cn/
http://www.slideshare.net/GHHLLC2/dedication-28434135
http://www.slideshare.net/GHHLLC2/summary-of-the-importance-of-the-higgs-research-results-by-the-cern-scientists-and-why-the-problem-
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