From the moment we joined forces back in 2014, Henry and I have been close companions and veterans of the road. And it all began as an unexpected surprise. Out of the blue I received a text from a rescue group with a picture of Henry dangling in the arms of an Animal Control officer, eyes wide and howling. The text said he had been found hiding under a house in Merced, California, orphaned along with his siblings. Would I foster? I looked closer at Henry with dawning amazement. In the space of a few moments I was a new parent.

When I brought Henry home, he dashed under my bed. After a while I set water and food at the perimeter of his den, along with a green stuffed frog almost his size. I watched from the doorway as he poked his head out, took a drink of water, and dragged the frog back under the bed to join him. In time, he ventured out to see what I was doing in other parts of the house, and soon enough we were taking to the sidewalks, trails and beaches.

...meanwhile, the seeds of this project were sprouting.

Before getting on the road I created this website and planned our route by scheduling interviews across the country.

We traveled from interview to interview, documenting spontaneous encounters along the way.