More Than a Rock, 2nd Edition

47Small Joys

I will not be just a tourist in the world of images, just watching images passing by which I cannot live in, make love to, possess as permanent sources of joy and ecstasy.

—Anaïs Nin

I left home on Saturday. I remember looking forward to long road trips when I used to live in other places. These days, however, there is a certain bitter sweetness in leaving my little house and the beloved views of my home. Crossing into Nevada, a light winter storm drifted over the Great Basin, providing a dramatic backdrop to the long, empty road and the expanse before me. On occasion, shafts of sunlight filtered through the velvety gray, like slow-moving searchlights sweeping the landscape. The spectacle lasted for many hours and miles.

By early ...