Heroism in Everyday Life

Boy, has it been overcast!  The sun has barely shined.  We've had clouds and rain as if it were the Pacific Northwest!  With all this rain, you'd think the Big Sandy would flood, but I guess since it's been a more regular drizzle, it soaks in better.  So all we got in the Sandy was this...

It wasn't even all that soft.  We aren't complaining, we really need the rain.  And it's been beautiful. 

The coldest night was 57 degrees!

In contrast, there were only thin clouds yesterday as we went for an unplanned trip to Fort Mohave.  Ralph got a call to check a generator, so we took a detour.  Nothing unusual, since very little is predictable.  Inspired by the clouds and the stark rock formations, I couldn't pass up the chance to take pictures.

There is nothing quite like the beauty of the Southwest.

I wish I could have seen it all as it was forming into what we see today.

On our way home, Ralph asks me if I want to go home via the normal route or the long way home.  Well of course I think the long way home is the most exciting choice.  What other new things can we discover?

Well, it didn't take long, here's one right here!  There is nothing, and I mean nothing more fascinating and romantic than a stark lonely desert and a long train!  Where is it going?  What's around the bend?  Where would I end up if I jumped on?  Something to find and discover...

This photo represents a painting I've wanted to do for years now.  There is something here I cannot express with words.  Which is why I'm a painter...  The loneliness comes from the emptiness.  But the emptiness represents minimalism and simplicity.  It also represents a tough resiliency I admire deeply.  The signs along the way comfort me, that I am not completely lost and that hope is my driving force.  If you are a creative person, you also know how philosophical we can be!

And what a great painting this would inspire!  I've lived another unique and special day, I give thanks, and barrel forward into yet another exciting mystery, what I lovingly refer to as tomorrow!  Paintings are just philosophy, but with pictures.  "A picture is worth a thousand words."

In another part of the sky you see this.  The desert has softened into pastels.  A desert may be tough and resilient, but it can also be gentle and relaxed.

As the sun sinks further below the horizon, the colors intensify.  One last Hurrah!  In other words, the desert can be flamboyant too!

Inspired by the sunset, Ralph winds us through the dirt roads he is so familiar with and we arrive at this windmill.  Another symbol of the Southwest, set against a fading sunset.  Yes, a desert has water too, which means life, and lots of it!

The desert is a sort of heroic archetype.  I see it as a symbol of what really matters in our character.  Not only do we survive, but we celebrate, not letting the hardships get us down, but letting them strengthen us.