Shadowlands
Before going back to work, I decided, rather impromptu, to take the remnants of my family on a roadtrip. We went to South Dakota. Why South Dakota? Before the decision to go, I was not sure why. I think the main reason for the choice was that I wanted to go somewhere relatively close and familiar ... and isolated from normal life. I mainly just wanted to drive. The journey was important, not the destination. The wonderful simplicity of knowing what you are supposed to do for the next nine and half hours is liberating. No matter what happens in the back seats, you gotta keep driving. (That being said, there was no trouble from the back seats. Monica and Bastian were excellent helpers, and Margaret travels exceedingly well. It's really quite amazing.) We stayed in the Black Hills. I'm not a fan, but the kids are, and so is Uncle Geoff. They enjoyed them. No, I'm a fan of plains and deserts. I like seeing my horizon, unblocked by mountains or trees. (Rolling hills, such as are...