There's Something About the Desert

(photo from geology.com)

I could have easily titled this post "There's Something About the Dessert" and written about my love of chocolate and sweets, but that wouldn't really support my intention behind this post.  It brings to mind my Aunt Rebecca, who was in the Air Force, and brought home a t-shirt that read "Operation Dessert Storm".  I think she got the t-shirt in  Turkey, hence the misspelling.  Anyhow.

Recently I came to the conclusion, with a little inspiration, that I need an adventure.  Of all the places I thought of going to, Iceland and Marfa, Texas, came to mind.  Really funny, because they are two extremes, totally opposite of each other. It's important to travel, especially if you're involved in anything creative.  New scenery and landscapes stimulate the creative juices.  I have two novels in the works, but I was looking at R's Photo Spot and realized I need some new stuff.  And when I thought of that, for some reason I thought of the first time I ever visited Arizona.

If you've never been there, it's very different.  Everything is bright.  The sky, the rocks, everything, is saturated with color. It amazed me, because I had never seen a landscape like that, except in pictures.  The saguaro cacti were fascinating too, because they have an eerie, human quality.  Not all of them grow the way you see in that picture up above.  Sometimes, they grow with their limbs twisted or reaching.  As you head up into the foothills around Tucson, there are hundreds of them, and you get the feeling you're being watched.  The coyotes, which are very active in those parts, also let you know you're not alone when they start yipping and howling.  Probably the most significant thing about that trip was what happened when I got home.  I couldn't stop writing.  The words just poured out, and much of what I wrote was related to what I saw.  It felt like switch had been flipped in my brain with all the new things I got to see.

Sometimes, though, you don't have the time, or the money, to go someplace, even for a weekend.  I think it's still important to do something new. I live near a very large city.  I grew up here.  There are still things I haven't seen or done, maybe because the easy proximity makes me put it off, but getting out of the house, and saying, today, I'm going to go to the 6th street museum, because I've never been there, or I'm going to try that Pho noodle house, because I've never eaten there before, can still do wonders for a jaded soul.

That being said, there is a weekend in my future with far west Texas written all over it.