Mental Entropy by Kris

Going home (or perhaps-coming home) can be a mixture of emotions that don't always behave properly.  Especially if, when you left three decades ago, believing you would only return to visit. At 19 I wanted to see the world.  And taste it, smell it, feel it and revel in the joy of being free of the odium of family. As the years flit past, time has softened the desperate need to escape and brought a longing to the heart. The path leads homeward.  The future as much in question as it was all those years ago. A return for healing.  The recapture the senses of that world I thought I would never miss. My mission this time is to reconnect with myself and that which I left.  To breathe the fresh air, bask in the blue skies, savor the seasons.  Reinvent myself perhaps.  A self with a vision and a purpose.  A self who no longer needs to hide in the shell of a pain filled body.  A self who is kind to all (self included). I'd like to nourish mind, ...

Typically when I travel, there are deadlines and commitments. People to see and places to be.  However, this week, I had the unique opportunity to travel the road less traveled. Before hitting the gravel road, I explored the unexpectedly white sands of Lake McConaughy, NE.  There was a stand of trees (not sure what kind) that had been killed by the water.  Created such a striking contrast. The next day, having no specific destination, I decided to take secondary roads and search for windmills to photograph.  I headed towards the Lake Cresent National Wildlife Refugee.  The map (an old fashioned one on paper) showed a road.  I was a little surprised when the paved road turned into a gravel road.  I think I drove for about two hours and didn't see another car.  The sky was so blue.  The air so fresh.  And lots of windmills. Although the distance wasn't very far, when one stops to take pictures, the journey takes longer. ...