In his essay America and Americans, John Steinbeck recalls a neighbor of his in New York City who would pursue her happiness every summer morning at about 9 o'clock. Outside of her small flat, she'd set up a canvas deck chair and beach umbrella beside a cocktail table, before unfurling a fake green lawn and placing on it two pots of red geraniums, an artificial palm, and a little cabinet with cold soft drinks. Then, as though relaxing on her country estate, she would sink luxuriously into the chair. "She nodded and smiled to everyone who went by," Steinbeck writes, "and somehow she conveyed her dream to everyone who saw her, and everyone who saw her was delighted with her." Once, in a fit of inspiration, Steinbeck waited for a moment when the porch was left unattended and contributed a potted fern and a bowl with two goldfish to her urban paradise. To his delight, the anonymous gifts became fixtures of her setting for the remainder of the summer.
And so, like the potted fern and the goldfish, consider this website our contribution to all those who are pursuing happiness. Presented as a virtual time capsule, we offer a snapshot of American life in the summer of 2005. During our time on the road, we never fully understood our discoveries—but we were sure we were on to something, something that was perhaps timeless and of value to other people. And so we humbly submit these assorted findings to you, the Online Audience, and if the material presented under the name American Backyard serves as a source of inspiration for others to seek their dreams with fervor and earnestness, we will have been successful in sharing what has been so generously shared with us.
Much has changed in the three years since we hit the road. New Orleans suffered the wrath of Hurricane Katrina two months after our visit, at which time gasoline cost little more than $2 a gallon. Each of us is now out of school and leaning our shoulders to the next great adventure 'neath the skies, just as our country continues to face the challenges posed by a changing domestic, international, and environmental landscape. In this update, we have added new book excerpts, videos, interviews, press features, and tasteful corrections. Lastly, we would like to dedicate this site to Joseph Zahornacky, who graciously hosted us in Narragansett, RI, and who, like Steinbeck's neighbor, was passionate and selfless in his own pursuit of happiness.| Christopher Alesevich | Joshua Bednarsky | Brian Reed |
| Shelton, CT | New York City | Ted Scheinman |
| Washington, D.C. |