As the Traveler is walking through the endless seaside suburbs west of New Haven, he passes a man, face aged and reddened by exposure to the weather... carrying worn pack comes trudging in the opposite direction. Looks like a guy who has been walking for a very, very long time. Their eyes meet briefly. Whatever journey he's on, the mand doesn't seem to be enjoying it much...

There's something mysterious about this passing encounter . The Traveler wonders if he just got a glimpse of his future self.

Is that "Future Me" enjoying his journey? Does he have any regrets? Is he discovering new things, or has endless walking simply become a routine?

He reaches the shore, and walk a short ways in the sand, before beachside houses block his way and he heads back to the main road.

He walks past endless seaside homes, which he's sure must be worth a fortune... he wonders, what kind of jobs do folks here have? How do so many people manage to amass so much wealth? Well, I'm about to find out. What about the cashiers and restaurant workers and garbage collectors--where do they live?

He's about to get some answers.

A fellow out on a morning walk makes a comment about the guitar... and a hearty conversation begins. First about music (he's a pianist and composes music as well) Then they get to talking about life in Connecticut .

"I grew up here--this used to be a blue collar area" Bruce tells the Traveler "Kind of a rough neighborhood. Then came the freeway, which allowed people to live farther from the city. More people moved here driving up the value of houses, making it a more upscale area until it became what it is today. But this also led to a lot of urban decay in cities like Bridgeport, as all the wealthier people move away."

You wonder how many blue collar folks in this area became wealthy just because they happened to be sitting on land that shot up in value...

Bruce tells the Traveler that there are a lot of people in this area who are struggling as well, though. High taxes and high rent makes this a tough place to live for those who don't have high wage jobs and don't own their houses outright.

And living on a fierce coastline does have its drawbacks, as we walk along he points out the houses that were damaged or destroyed by recent hurricanes . But there's a science to building a house in a hurricane risk area, it's not just about crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. "Houses right in front on the beach have to be built so many feet above the ground... then the next row of houses have another height code. But after our last hurricane, those height codes went up." he explains. "It also depends on what you have under you house. If it's built on stilts its not as much of a risk as having a wall base--you want the water to be able to flow through under your house."

The conversation goes to religion. Bruce is a Christian who plays music at his local church, but he's quite different from the Christians the Traveler has gotten used to interacting with in small town USA. He support interfaith activities and feels quite at ease praying in a mosque or other place of worship. He reminds the Traveler of the folks he'd met at the Unitarian Universalist church... folks who see their religion as more of a personal spiritual journey, not a set of dogmas that you must believe, or else ...

Bruce adds "I feel there are many many Christians with as broad a perspective as mine. The National Religious Campaign Against Torture in DC Is doing great work, has an interfaith board of directors, is led by a Christian, and is one of many powerful groups leading the way. We don't capture the news as powerfully as the many Christians who you are accustomed to hearing, but our presence is a light bringing great goodness to the world."

He's also been involved in peace initiatives in Israel/Palestine. He actually has a documentary about a "peace billboard" project he led in Bethlehem which involved both former Israeli and Palestinian fighters who are now working for peace. This documentary "The Billboard from Bethlehem" can be found on snagfilms.com

You can find more about the project he's involved in at www.iwagepeace.com

Bruce is definitely not your stereotypical passport-less American with little interest in the rest of the world...

They reach his house and Bruce invites the Traveler inside and introduces him to his wife, who doesn't seem to mind her husband bringing in random strangers in the middle of the day! Bruce plays on of his songs--a jazzy song about the Jesus' resurrection. The Traveler then play "Beyond the Door"--which Bruce interprets in a very insightful way.

After many hours of trudging along in solitude, meeting Bruce has been like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert...

The Traveler feels like they could just hang out together all day... but duty is calling them both...