05/17/2021 - Israel and Palestine

Please read.

Friends, we decided to post something out of the norm this time. The situation in Israel has deteriorated to a horrifying point.

Bibi Netanyahu and his sycophants have instigated this latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas, Hamas took them up on it and launched rockets over most of Israel, and the Israeli retaliation is severe.

We both believe that Palestinians deserve their own country and the rights that every citizen should have. The violence must stop.

If you’d like more information about what’s going on, our comments and DM’s are open and I’m always happy to give my personal perspective and listen as well. The nature of the events and history that brought us to this point are complicated.

My dear friend, Maya Crabtree, who lives in Tel-Aviv with her partner and daughter had this to say about her feelings regarding what’s happening:

“I’m angry because I know that citizens here and on the other side - we are all pawns being used by corrupt and forceful leaders who make us out to be enemies of each other, when we are actually the same.

�“I’m sad because the siblings of the child who was killed in Sderot and the brother of the children who were killed in Gaza - they will grow up into a life of tragedy and hate, made to be enemies without ever choosing that path.

“I hear the family of the child who died in Sderot from rocket shrapnel, and the weeping father of the child who was burned by a homemade bomb that an extreme-right Jewish faction threw into his home. I imagine that this is my daughter and I get torn up inside.

“These kids are more similar to each other than adults. These kids might not know or don’t understand what religion, race or nationality is yet. They just want to play. And if they would’ve met each other by chance at some playground when they’re hale and healthy, they would get along much better than us adults know how to. They absolutely know better than us. But we adults make the decisions on their future, and we ruin it.”

Thank you also to my friend Shirley Shani for adding her voice and thoughts.

The song I’m singing is called ‘I Have No Other Country’ that Israeli poet and lyricist Ehud Manor wrote in the 80’s and Korin Al’al put to music.

We love you all very much,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

Video and photos of joint Israeli-Arab peace protests via Dov Chenin, Ben Cohen. Videos of bombings via BBC.

05/10/2021 - Our Last Day in Savannah and Jackson Attempted Escape!

It’s our last day in Savannah, friends, and Jackson decided to give us a scare!

We finally got to see some sights, take a walking tour and go to the Mercer Williams house (which is AHMAZING, btw), when we realized Jackson was no longer in his perch in Christopher’s backpack!

We were all set to send out a search party, when Christopher found him, just chillin’ on the bench like Forrest Gump in the nearby park. *phew*!

He can’t get rid of us that easily, that’s for sure.

Savannah has been wonderful to us the past several weeks. We got so much work done, made some awesome new friends you’re going to meet in the next episodes, and got to make more plans about the show, so maybe now we can bring some balance back and see something other than our computers

#fkityes!

Tomorrow off for a brief stop in Hilton Head, SC, and then onwards.

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson. @ Savannah, Georgia

05/07/2021 - Everyplace I Hang My Hat is Home

Traveling the country and finding the extraordinary in people who often believe they are no more than ordinary has been, and is currently, one of the highlights of our lives.

However, living in a rapidly decomposing Ford truck, and a sissyphisian learning curve in documentary film/ live journal creation has taken its toll. We’ve been a bit beaten down the last month, seeing little of the places we visit other than coffee shops wielding some sort of WIFI. But it seems the people we meet sometimes help us find our own extraordinary, and the motivation to keep believing.

And, with the support of our lovely patrons and all of you out there, as well as the narration of our ever pessimistic bear, Jackson, we have finally brought ourselves current. Welcome to Savannah. Here’s how we got here.

#fkityes

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

As always, please do like/comment/share and subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can be updated whenever we post an episode.

And if you're moved by our journey and would like to support us on the road, please consider becoming a patron on Patreon: www.patreon.com/fkityes

Weather graphic via US National Weather Service Cheyenne Wyoming

05/04/2021 - May the Fourth be With You!

Happy #maythefourth, friends!

We took Jackson to meet Chewie, who was hanging out at The Blue Door the other day, and he actually had a good time!

Chewie, aka the lovely Gayle Kicklighter (who also *made* the costume and the Mandalorian helmet), was kind enough to hang out with us and show us around, and took a special liking to our dear Jackson. You can see just how much if you swipe left.

We went back to Blue Door today to film them, since they have an awesome story to tell that we can’t wait to share with you.

In the meantime, have you seen last week’s episode? Click the link in the first comment to check it out, and don’t forget to subscribe!

#fkityes, and #maythefourthbewithyou!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

05/03/2021 - Madame P is At it Again

#happymonday friends!

Have you missed Madame P’s shenanigans?

Here she is parked on level ground, finally. We’ve been in Savannah for a bit over a month catching up, and only yesterday realized she’d been parked at a bit of an angle for most of that time, and that caused our cabinets on the driver’s side to split! (picture to come when we fix it, but for now check out our stories to get a sense of what we mean.)

If that wasn’t enough we discovered that the recent rain burrowed its way under some paint on the mural side (swipe to see), so we’ll be fixing that as well.

Thankfully, we have @jesmickey to consult with on the art side of things, even if I do have to fix it myself

Making some brave decisions and diving deeper into #fkityes!!!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson @ Savannah, Georgia

04/30/2021 - Episode 13 - Brave Conversations in North Carolina

Happy Friday, friends! And to those of you who missed it - it’s also Christopher’s birthday today!

As promised, Fridays are now the days we post our episodes, so mark your calendars so you can tune in just in time for the weekend!

You can find episode 13 through this link: https://www.fk-ityes.com/fkityes-the-webseries

Jackson was very upset that we were really going to North Carolina instead of Florida on vacation, but he warmed up once we met up with the incomparable Katie A. Gailes, our dear friend Maggie Mial's mother.

We talked to Katie about her career mentoring entrepreneurs, as well as the organization she founded together with her friend Matthew Kane, called "Our Stories: Brave Conversations on Race."

It was a fascinating visit, and such important work that they do.

#fkityes

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/30/2021 - It's Christopher's Birthday!

It's a special day, friends, because it's Christopher's birthday today!

He and I have a little inside joke running, so I made this video to prove to him once and for all - that he's the best

So please join me in wishing him the Happiest Birthday ever!

And also, stay tuned for our new episode which is dropping TONIGHT at 6PM EST/3PM PST on our YouTube channel.

#fkityes!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/29/2021 - An Announcement

An announcement for this fine *Thursday!

*It's actually Wednesday, as you know that's the day Jackson posts things.

#fkityes!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/27/2021 - Jackson's Keyboard Debut

Jackson was adamant we highlight his keyboard debut.

What do you think? #fkityes?

The link to our latest episode is in the first comment so you can see his full performance.

As always - please like/comment/share/subscribe

We love you!

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/25/2021 - Christopher's New Glasses - Finally!

Do you know what these new frames mean?

They mean that Christopher finally got new glasses! Took him long enough.

It’s been almost a year that he’s been borrowing mine!! (My eyes are closed because I’m wearing contacts and looking through a double prescription is just not doable.)

Thank you Zenni Optical!

What do you think? The shades are also prescription (so he can actually see me clearly )

Some new changes coming we can’t wait to tell you about, and our time in #Savannah is nearing an end.

If you have yet to see our latest episode, head over to the link in the first comment and watch it now. You won’t be disappointed

We love you!

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson. @ The Starland District

04/23/2021 - Episode 12 - The Keys or Bust

Happy Episode Day, friends!

And #FBF, it’s Wednesday, just so we’re clear.

We have surmounted the technical difficulties and are bringing you Episode 12!

Jackson was upset we were going back to North Carolina and the cold, so he fell asleep and dreamed of hotter climates. #fkityes!

He did dream of a little town called Plant City where we stopped and spoke to Kevin and Brandon from Roots Tap Room & Wine Bar and Jerry and Marti from The Whistlestop Cafe, though, and they all told us about FKITYES moments in their lives.

What do you think, did Jackson ever get a tiki drink out of it?

Also, points to everyone who guessed that we used a veggie steamer for the cymbals in the track.

As always - like, comment, and share our silliness with the world!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/22/2021 - Premiere Pro ate some of our project

What’s the editing equivalent of ‘the dog ate my homework’, but for real?

Because Premiere Pro has corrupted part of our video (imagine that last emoji is tearing its hair out).

Friends, we are experiencing major technical difficulties at the moment.

One of the interviews Christopher has been working on editing has just decided to not work correctly and he’s trying to figure it out.

So bear with us (or is it bare? ) and sit tight, cause this is a fun one . We had a whole shooting day and everything!

And of course it’ll still be Wednesday when we post, because Jackson posts on Wednesdays.

#fkityes

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/19/2021 - Fauchi Ouchie #2

Second dose done!

And now off to shoot a music video.

#FKITYES

We love you.

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/15/2021 - Episode 11 - Not That Kind of Mushroom

Friends, we’re going to #TBT and tell you that it’s really yesterday, because our new episode is up, so clearly it’s Wednesday... cause that’s the day Jackson posts them

After finally leaving Staunton we started making our way South into the Carolinas. You know, where we were supposed to have been months and months ago.

Our first stop - a mushroom farm in North Carolina where our hosts have moved into a house previously inhabited by a bunch of goats, followed by Golden Grove Farm & Brew where Andrew Brown moved into a space that was previously shut down as an illegal poker den. Take a wild guess as to which one Jackson preferred.

Turns out, there’s a whole network of farms, breweries, and wineries called Harvest Hosts that let you park overnight if you have a self contained vehicle....FOR FREE!!

The music this time is a family collaboration with Christopher’s parents, Dan and Lindsay, on fiddle and banjo respectively, and his big sister, Lisa, on percussion.

How’d I do for my first audio-engineering work? You can’t really call it that, but I have aspirations

Tremendous respect to all of my audio-engineer friends and anyone who does this kind of work.

So sit back and enjoy, and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and share our project with the world!

#fkityes

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson

04/11/2021 - Happy National Pet Day!

Happy #NationalPetDay!

We’ve met quite a few lovely puppies and kitties so far, and we couldn’t be happier to know them and their humans!

Little Maggie, Sassafras, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Melly and Peachy, Hotie, Sparky, Timmy (and Snickers who didn’t cooperate so there’s no picture), and last but not least - Lord Finley (and his new little brother Echo, whose picture I forgot to take )!

We love you all!!

Thanks for not eating @jacksontheodoremccloud!

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/10/2021 - The Mossy Oaks in Savannah

What do you think of these mossy oaks we’ve been seeing here in #Savannah?

We kinda love them, even though it sometimes makes it difficult to open our front door

Have you seen our latest episode yet? It’s up on our YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/fkityes

There are #Christmas shenanigans and a big #fkityes surprise at the end!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/08/2021 - You Really Want to See the Surprise

Friends, have you managed to miss #Christmas yet?

Because it’s a great time of year, and Christopher Whipple’s favorite holiday!

The episode we posted late last night is a special one for us.

We ended up staying in Staunton with Jeremy West and Phoebe Schweizer West for so long that we were welcomed into their bubble and their Christmas cheer.

And then we made some cheer of our own.

So click the link in the first comment to watch episode 10 Part 2, where Jackson asserts himself even more, and we just do his bidding.

And, as promised (!), the surprise!

But you’ve gotta watch till the very end.

It’s a #fkityes surprise.

We love you!

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson

04/08/2021 - Episode 10 - "...Wait, Let's go Back." Part 2 - and a Surprise!

Friends, this is a special episode for us.

We ended up staying in Staunton with Jeremy and Phoebe for so long that we were welcomed into their bubble and their Christmas cheer.

And then we made some cheer of our own.

So here is episode 10 Part 2, where Jackson asserts himself even more, and we just do his bidding.

And, as promised (!), the surprise!

But you’ve gotta watch till the very end.

It’s a #fkityes surprise.

We love you!

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson

As always, please subscribe to us on YouTube if you haven’t already so you can follow along (www.youtube.com/fkityes), and if you would like to support our journey, please consider becoming a member on Patreon: www.Patreon.com/fkityes

04/06/2021 - Jackson is Taking Over!

Well, friends, it looks like @JacksonTheodoreMcCloud is taking over.

He insinuated himself into the last episode and he’s here to stay.

I suppose we should just let him. He’s being very insistent.

Anyway, we weren’t finished with @jeremylwest’s story last week, so you’ll see him and the amazing @phoebewestdraws again when we drop the new episode tomorrow. #fkityes!

Oh yeah, and there’s going to be a surprise, so you’ll have to stick around to the end

If you haven’t seen episode 9 yet, head over to our YouTube channel: www.YouTube.com/fkityes

And don’t forget to subscribe!

We love you,

Maya, Christopher, and Jackson.

04/04/2021 - Happy Easter!

#HappyEaster, friends!

We’ve been in #Savannah for a couple of weeks now with a couple more to go because we’re waiting for our second vaccine shot, and it’s sunny and beautiful!

It’s been a few days of working on non social media things over here, but we’re already on track to drop the next episode on Wednesday as planned!

Today is being spent writing new lyrics to a silly song that we’re going to record later, and then @christopher_whipple can dive into putting it all together. #fkityes!

We know you all loved @jeremylwest‘s story from this week’s episode (if you haven’t seen it yet, the link is in the comments), so if you made it to the end you know that it’s not done, and there’s a surprise!

If you missed the #EasterEgg (haha), go ahead and watch it again

Enjoy the holiday to all who celebrate!

We love you,

Christopher, Maya, and Jackson. @ Savannah, Georgia