The Prairie

Attorney's Office

Jen

Glencoe Church, Bismarck, North Dakota

Five days in North Dakota, time well spent. Months after she passed my family was finally able to acknowledge my Grandmother's life. We were all together in the filial raw, without our significant others and without distraction. I think it may have been a first for everyone.

We cut through naked prairie in our rental car, ate conveniently, and repeatedly drank ourselves to sleep. Our hotel room developed a haze and a brotherly musk. Room service stopped cleaning after the second day. On the third day they only offered us clean towels and afterwards we didn't hear from them at all.

"I've been slithering the cobbled streets of Central America for the past two months, dodging machetes and shotguns, loose stool and idle children begging for money. I've spent a lot of time on chicken buses and in hostels, all of which provide ample time to think of one's future. Also time to reflect on all things prior, friends and family mostly."

      -From an Email to Chris: Leon, Nicaragua April 18, 2008

Toward the end of our trip we were fermenting our angst and brewing our thoughts. We were trying to blueprint our post-traveling life before we were home. Now some of those ideas, plans and solutions are unfolding. It's really pretty exciting but difficult as well. On our trip we indulged, now it's time to relearn how we go about our day and how to once again approach a productive lifestyle. 

Ari is back at Lowes part time and she's contributing a lot of her time to her parents property. They've made an amazing amount of progress on the garden. The both of us are working out at the Hitchcock residence as well, doing mostly landscaping. A lot of my attention has been drawn to the recycled skateboards project and attempting to use my photography as a form of income.

I have all my film developed and on CDs as well. I'll post a few highlights from the trip pretty soon.