Stories from the Journey

It’s strange that though I was born in South Dakota and have traveled all over the Midwest, I’d never made it to Devils Tower in Wyoming, just across the border from Rapid City, SD.

Or, a meditation on green.

To “form fissures, cracks, or breaks, especially through large-scale faulting.”

The best photos tell a story. Beauty is important (and welcome!) but not required.

I’m the co-president elect for our branch of AAUW, and a few of us had a conference call yesterday to talk about programming for the upcoming year. We decided we need and want to program around issues of race, and I’m so proud of my colleagues.

So much has changed since we last spoke. For me personally, I’m guessing for you personally, for the country, and for the world.

You know you’re onto something good if you’re feeling both emotions at the same time, and here I am doing just that because I’ve reopened the door to my first love.

And thinking about the difference between photographer and artist.

It’s here! National Park Week starts this weekend, giving you zero reasons to stay home instead of exploring what Wallace Stegner called America’s “best idea.”

The world is all about dichotomy, isn’t it? Case in point: the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park.

I just got back from almost three months in California, and even though I’m glad I was there, I’m feeling starved for wide open spaces.

I’m packing up and heading to Joshua Tree for the weekend, but wanted to share a couple of photos from that glorious Scotland visit.

I thought I’d give you a break from our relentless pursuit of self-improvement so we can take a look at some photos of my newfound home country, Scotland.

Let me ask if any of this sounds familiar:

Ever since I was young I’ve admired Georgia O’Keeffe.

When I finished my MFA in New York in 2010, I was at a crossroads.

It’s so easy to lose your way. It might not even be anything big that causes it, maybe you just get caught up in life’s details – paying bills, managing responsibilities – and all you’re doing is keeping your head down and muddling through. You’re not living, you’re killing time.

The thing about the beach is that everyone wants to be here, even folks who don’t have the means to rent an apartment, much less own a house. It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s expensive and out of reach for most.

One of the best things about travel is it puts you in new places and situations, practically forcing you to expand your mind and worldview. Which, in the case of my experience at Glasgow Cathedral, was so mind-expanding it took me a year and a half to write about it.

There’s something so comforting and also awe-inspiring about the Pacific Ocean.