Ohio did not repeat any of the wonderful weather we enjoyed yesterday, but the work must go on. We woke up to a heavy fog and overcast skies with the temperatures in the 50’s, which was very different from the lovely sunshine we enjoyed yesterday. We did get to sleep a little longer this morning because you can’t knock on doors too early and wake people up. So, we were to delay being on the bus until 8:30...be at the victory center by 9:15, and out in the neighborhoods by 10:00.
Just before we left the victory center, Nick Banaszak (WHNT, channel 19) approached us and asked Olen and Bailey if he could shadow them as they knocked on doors this morning, and feature them in his report today. They agreed, and the three of them left the victory center along with their driver, who transported them to the drop-off point for their morning’s assignment.
Jacob and I took our list and headed toward our assigned area. We had interesting adventures on our own. We stopped at one house where a man was working in the yard. We began talking to him about supporting the Romney-Ryan ticket, and asked if we could count on his support. He told us that he had already voted for Romney. We thanked him, marked our list appropriately, and as we walked off he said, “Of course, I don’t live here.” As it turned out, the actual occupants of the house were not home, and he was just doing some work for them. So, we questioned a voter, but not the ones in the house we were sent to. However, every vote counts.
We stopped at another house where the lady was very friendly toward us. We chatted for a few minutes. She told us that she and her husband were definitely going to support Romney. We told her that this made us very happy because we had come all the way from Alabama to help the Romney campaign in Ohio. She asked where we lived in Alabama, and when we told her we were from Athens…a small town near Huntsville…she grinned and immediately called her husband. As it turned out, she grew up in Athens and still has relatives living there! She could not believe that the campaign had sent people from Athens, Alabama to knock on her door. Small world.
By noon the misty skies had turned into a cold, dreary rain. Each group returned to the victory center for lunch. Today we had boxed lunches from Subway. During meals the group always swaps stories about the people they have met during the door-knocking. There were the usual reports of the dogs…big dogs…that the people of Ohio seem to love. One of the Patriots told of talking to a lady who was planning to vote for Obama. As we have been instructed, she did not argue with the lady, but thanked her for her time and began to walk down the sidewalk heading away from the house. The lady stepped out of her door and yelled at them, “…but my husband is working on me!” Perhaps she was not totally convinced after all!
Jacob and I related our story about the lady from Athens, and the dead mouse we had to step over at one house in order to reach the front door. One man told of a gentleman he met who was so concerned over the election that he asked them to all pray together before they left his front door. Another group told about someone who was in his front yard that had waved and told them “God bless” as they passed his house.
Probably the most poignant story was about an older lady who was already a Romney supporter. She thanked the team for what they were doing, and told them that this was such an important election. Then she stepped out on the front porch and with tears in her eyes she pointed to several houses within sight of her front door that were now vacant due to the state of the economy.
During the lunch break, Mitt Romney delivered a speech in Iowa, and when the candidate speaks on TV, everyone at the victory center stops and watches and listens.
By this time Bailey’s injured foot was bothering him, and we convinced him to stay and work in the victory center and skip the afternoon door-knocking. I was a bit glad that I had him for an excuse to stay in the center myself since the rain was coming down in serious amounts by this time. The others donned ponchos and went out for their afternoon door-knocking. Bailey and I and a few of the ladies stayed in the victory center and spent the afternoon assembling packets of campaign materials to leave on doors, and putting together signs to be put in yards. The older ladies were taken by the fact that we had a young man in the group, and probably spoiled him beyond repair before the groups returned from their afternoon’s work.
The groups returned a bit early due to the weather. They were wet, cold, and the papers they recorded their stops on were barely readable due to the rain. We began making telephone contacts until all groups finally returned. Late in the afternoon one of the Greene County Commissioners came in the door to the center with several plates of homemade cookies in his arms. “I heard there were some people from Alabama working here that like homemade cookies!”
We feel appreciated from all sides. So many people we meet going door-to-door thank us for our efforts. This afternoon as we loaded the bus to leave the center, a local couple was in the area shopping. They stepped on the bus and just said, “Thank you for being here.” Tonight when we were at dinner, another couple got the attention of our group and thanked us for our efforts.
Dinner tonight was at Young’s Dairy Farms and was a great experience…delicious pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade ice cream. Delightful and delicious.
Nick’s segment he filmed today as he shadowed Olen and Bailey was shown on the 6:30 news. If you missed it at that time, it is available on the WHNT website. Bailey and Olen will be signing autographs once they return to Alabama. The line forms on the right.
We have found that trips like this have a very fluid schedule. Unfortunately, we will not be enjoying ice cream with Paul Ryan as we had hoped. As it turns out, the facility that is being used for this event has a small capacity area, and of course they want Ohio people to be there. We are here to encourage the voters in Ohio, so we understand why we need to yield space to the people of Ohio. However, there is a Paul Ryan rally in the adjoining county tomorrow evening, and we are planning to be there for that event.
But, tomorrow is another day. The weather is predicted to be even colder than today, and more rain. We’ll dry out the coats and start again. The goal has not changed. We want to “make a difference” regardless of the weather.
Just before we left the victory center, Nick Banaszak (WHNT, channel 19) approached us and asked Olen and Bailey if he could shadow them as they knocked on doors this morning, and feature them in his report today. They agreed, and the three of them left the victory center along with their driver, who transported them to the drop-off point for their morning’s assignment.
Jacob and I took our list and headed toward our assigned area. We had interesting adventures on our own. We stopped at one house where a man was working in the yard. We began talking to him about supporting the Romney-Ryan ticket, and asked if we could count on his support. He told us that he had already voted for Romney. We thanked him, marked our list appropriately, and as we walked off he said, “Of course, I don’t live here.” As it turned out, the actual occupants of the house were not home, and he was just doing some work for them. So, we questioned a voter, but not the ones in the house we were sent to. However, every vote counts.
We stopped at another house where the lady was very friendly toward us. We chatted for a few minutes. She told us that she and her husband were definitely going to support Romney. We told her that this made us very happy because we had come all the way from Alabama to help the Romney campaign in Ohio. She asked where we lived in Alabama, and when we told her we were from Athens…a small town near Huntsville…she grinned and immediately called her husband. As it turned out, she grew up in Athens and still has relatives living there! She could not believe that the campaign had sent people from Athens, Alabama to knock on her door. Small world.
By noon the misty skies had turned into a cold, dreary rain. Each group returned to the victory center for lunch. Today we had boxed lunches from Subway. During meals the group always swaps stories about the people they have met during the door-knocking. There were the usual reports of the dogs…big dogs…that the people of Ohio seem to love. One of the Patriots told of talking to a lady who was planning to vote for Obama. As we have been instructed, she did not argue with the lady, but thanked her for her time and began to walk down the sidewalk heading away from the house. The lady stepped out of her door and yelled at them, “…but my husband is working on me!” Perhaps she was not totally convinced after all!
Jacob and I related our story about the lady from Athens, and the dead mouse we had to step over at one house in order to reach the front door. One man told of a gentleman he met who was so concerned over the election that he asked them to all pray together before they left his front door. Another group told about someone who was in his front yard that had waved and told them “God bless” as they passed his house.
Probably the most poignant story was about an older lady who was already a Romney supporter. She thanked the team for what they were doing, and told them that this was such an important election. Then she stepped out on the front porch and with tears in her eyes she pointed to several houses within sight of her front door that were now vacant due to the state of the economy.
During the lunch break, Mitt Romney delivered a speech in Iowa, and when the candidate speaks on TV, everyone at the victory center stops and watches and listens.
By this time Bailey’s injured foot was bothering him, and we convinced him to stay and work in the victory center and skip the afternoon door-knocking. I was a bit glad that I had him for an excuse to stay in the center myself since the rain was coming down in serious amounts by this time. The others donned ponchos and went out for their afternoon door-knocking. Bailey and I and a few of the ladies stayed in the victory center and spent the afternoon assembling packets of campaign materials to leave on doors, and putting together signs to be put in yards. The older ladies were taken by the fact that we had a young man in the group, and probably spoiled him beyond repair before the groups returned from their afternoon’s work.
The groups returned a bit early due to the weather. They were wet, cold, and the papers they recorded their stops on were barely readable due to the rain. We began making telephone contacts until all groups finally returned. Late in the afternoon one of the Greene County Commissioners came in the door to the center with several plates of homemade cookies in his arms. “I heard there were some people from Alabama working here that like homemade cookies!”
We feel appreciated from all sides. So many people we meet going door-to-door thank us for our efforts. This afternoon as we loaded the bus to leave the center, a local couple was in the area shopping. They stepped on the bus and just said, “Thank you for being here.” Tonight when we were at dinner, another couple got the attention of our group and thanked us for our efforts.
Dinner tonight was at Young’s Dairy Farms and was a great experience…delicious pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans and homemade ice cream. Delightful and delicious.
Nick’s segment he filmed today as he shadowed Olen and Bailey was shown on the 6:30 news. If you missed it at that time, it is available on the WHNT website. Bailey and Olen will be signing autographs once they return to Alabama. The line forms on the right.
We have found that trips like this have a very fluid schedule. Unfortunately, we will not be enjoying ice cream with Paul Ryan as we had hoped. As it turns out, the facility that is being used for this event has a small capacity area, and of course they want Ohio people to be there. We are here to encourage the voters in Ohio, so we understand why we need to yield space to the people of Ohio. However, there is a Paul Ryan rally in the adjoining county tomorrow evening, and we are planning to be there for that event.
But, tomorrow is another day. The weather is predicted to be even colder than today, and more rain. We’ll dry out the coats and start again. The goal has not changed. We want to “make a difference” regardless of the weather.
hip, hip, hooray, for all you are doing. when are y'all starting for home? i know this has been exciting for the boys, esp. sorta reminds me of the trip we made to tampa with the bagpipe staff to see kennedy and nixon. we had to choose which one we wanted to see. do you recall the reporter from the tampa tribune getting press passes for us so we could move about with ease. i got close enough to nixon to touch him--unfortunately he didn't win then, but later did--and it turns out, he was a very dishonest man. i recall my dad saying he was baffled by the fact the eisenhower never really endorsed nixon. guess ike knew too much. ann
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