Summer Hiatus: Visiting the Homeland
Taking a few months to see family, friends and the American landscape
Living far away from your home country means that you have to make the most of seeing family and friends spread across the nation.
So from June 10 to August 15, I am wandering the western half of the United States. That means my essay writing and songwriting will suffer a dip in production.
Nonetheless, I thought I’d throw in a few tidbits here and there that capture some of America’s scenery and grandeur. And maybe some other snippets that showcase my reflections and ponderings.
Grand Canyon Do Over
In 1973 my military family moved from Missouri to California in a station wagon loaded with five skinny kids and a Coleman cooler filled with a loaf of white bread, a jar of mayonnaise and a package of baloney.
After years of living in middle America, we were headed west to the land of palm trees and beaches. Along the way was the Wild West terrain of New Mexico and Arizona.
Driving on Interstate 40 towards Los Angeles, my Dad missed the turnoff road at Williams, Arizona leading to Grand Canyon National Park, one of the greatest natural wonders on the planet.
I waited 51 years to get another chance to see the Grand Canyon. It was worth the wait.
Bigness Beyond Imagination
There is nothing that can prepare you for the immense scale of the Grand Canyon. It is carved into the geological history of earth like an open wound exposing its inner guts and contents.
That first view of the Grand Canyon is mind-blowing. It drops off the high Colorado plateau to expose steep-sided rock walls that descend over a mile deep and stretch over 277 miles long.
At first glance, it is unreal. It feels like you’re looking at a movie screen backdrop.
It is also wild, ancient and intact. You’re standing on the edge of centuries. It overwhelms your sense of time and scale. It swallows the modern age and resets your timeframe.
And it is utterly raw and natural. A quality to relish in the Internet Age.
Coda
During this summer interlude, I will venture into both places known and unknown. It’s a journey of revisiting my roots and discovering new landscapes.
For the last 30 years the enclosed rainforests of tropical Asia were the dominant natural feature in my work. Now I have a chance to reconnect with the vastness and grandeur of American panoramas and vistas.
These scenic landforms conjure up a different type of spirit, one of openness and magnificence.
So expect a departure from the normal content as I travel back into my past and try to find insights for the future.
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