Sunday Canvassing

Sunday was a very discouraging day for canvassing.

In general the canvassing is very time inefficient (though Lisa says they've done studies to show it helps).  But I think that may be true in urban areas, but in places like rural PA many of the houses don't have #s.  We have our list of undecideds, or whatever they are, and do not go to all houses.  We have a printout map, but it is not always accurate.  Sometimes a house just isn't there, even if we have an address.  Most of the time no one is home, particularly on this beautiful Sunday afternoon:  either they were out shopping or visiting family, or hiding inside watching the Pittsburgh Steelers game and not wanting to answer the door.  But we are free help, so I guess it doesn't matter how efficient it is.

Since we had not finished Jerome yesterday, we went to the end of town (known in my time as near the Maple Springs Church).  We had a devil (no pun intended) of a time finding the houses there and drove up and down these country lanes.  On those we found we left brochures as no one seemed to be home.  We made sure to come after church, though I felt funny going door to door on a Sunday in this part of the world--just not the thing to do.

In part of our getting lost we ended up at my old swimming hole/pool, The 10 Cent Hole.  It's name was later changed by Mr. & Mrs. Kring, the owners and high school teachers, to Moonlight Park. The pool was so small that it was under the limit to be required to have chlorine.  It was stream fed, and had its occasional frog.  The water was only as high as my chest when I was a teenager.  But this small watering hole was where I learned to swim.  (My stroke was perfected at nearby Camp Sequanota years later.)

 When we couldn't get a ride from a parent, my friends and I used to walk to the 10 Cent Hole, which impressed Redjeb very much, as it is quite far from Jerome (several miles, and up and down some steep hills).  But we used to stop along the way to pick berries and talk and sing and whatever little girls do.  Sometimes we would slip down the hill to the little swimming pool to avoid paying the 10 cents at the door.  I was surprised to see in the foliage on the hill that a path was still there.  However, the park is closed now and the bath house and concession stand, though still there, are totally dilapidated and ready to fall over any moment.  There is no sign of the pool, except a deep crater that is filled with vegetation now.

But I digress...

Next stop was Davidsville.  Somehow I thought that this would be easier than Jerome.  It is more compact and less hilly.  It is, however, economically a more upscale community, which translated into many McCain signs in the front yards  and some very curt people answering the door, once saying in a nasty tone:  "I'm sorry but I'm not voting for McCain."  I can't say she closed the door in my face but it was closed very fast.  I've heard that the absence of Obama signs in front yards is that they get stolen!

I walked and walked, while Redjeb took a nap waiting for me by a closed cafe.  Not only were most people not home (or I couldn't find the house) or they were Republicans.  Finally I saw a building with many signs in the from yard for local Democratic politicians, but none for Obama.  I spoke to a man who was leaving his home, and he informed me that he was a local committeeman for the Democratic Party.  He told me that I'd find more Democrats on the outskirts of town but the central core was strong Republican.  I didn't ask him, but I figured either he was afraid to put up an Obama sign or he himself wasn't keen on Obama.  I really should have asked.  But I wonder how many of the Democrats back here will vote Democratic for all others on the ticket but not for Obama (maybe not for McCain either, but not for Obama).

 

I was pretty discouraged by all this lack of positive reinforcement, so Redjeb and I decided to take a break.  First we had a late lunch, which consisted from a sloppy joe from JRs Shoppe II, a deli along the road between Davidsville and Holsopple.  When was the last time you had a sandwich for $1.30?  (In case you don't know sloppy joes are made from ground meat and a red tomato sauce and served on a hamburger bun.)  Redjeb ate one too, but keeps laughing cause he thinks all this is funny.

Later we went down to the area in the hills overlooking Johnstown to go to a mall to buy gloves, as I lost one of my new ones the first day here.  The first mall we went to was closed:  not sure if we got there late or they don't open on Sundays.  We then used our GPS and found another Mall.  

To show you how out of it and tired I was, hear what happened next:

I was speaking to my niece Sarai on the phone while in TJ Max.  I told her of my frustrating day in Davidsville and how I wondered if this was worth it.  She encouraged me to carry on.  I then told her that the weather was great (in the 60s--we get a 30 plus degree spread from night to afternoon).  I was bragging that I had gone into the store with only a t shirt, no sweater or coat.  

However, after I hung up and went back to the car, my remote would not open the car door. Redjeb was across the mall having a tea in Paneras.  In my continuing frustration, I called Sarai back to tell her what had happened, and she reassured me that I could buy a cell battery for it. Whew!  I then shivered over to Redjeb to tell him of my misadventure.  He in assessing the situation asked me why I hadn't simply used the key, since the remote didn't work.  

See what a slave to technology I've become:  I didn't even think of the key that is attached to the remote.  But it also shows how exhausted these days make me.

We then made our way to see the movie W.  Not bad and is in the spirit of my days here.  But I felt guilty cause our leader Lisa doesn't take time to go to the movies, to dinner, or any of the things that we effete New York senior-volunteers are doing.  I even coax her to join us, and she refuses.  She is totally dedicated.