I live in the desert.

I have moved many times over the years, many times. Lived all over the west.
I leave it for a time. But I come back.
My parents came from Midland,Michigan.
They had eloped to the Arizona desert in the late sixties.
Full of love for each other and a strong desire for new experiences.
They packed a trailer and drove for several days.
Until they reached Scottsdale,Az. It was everything to them. They set up life here. They went against what life was like for them in Midland.
They needed and wanted more.

They got a small house,horses, and a big Afghan hound.
They loved the desert. It was opposite of everything they grew up with.
It was big and vast.
Hot and bright.
It was optimistic.

They had my sister.

Some family followed them out to the West.
My uncle. My grandfather.

I have been told that it was the best of times.
Riding horses, new love, new family.
All under the Arizona sun.

My father died New Years's Day in 71. Car crash.

I was born a few months after.

Never met him.

What I do know. Is that we share the love of the desert.
The bright sun, dry heat, and vast open spaces.

I love desert drives. After a good rain is best. Put down the windows.
Turn on the radio, and drive. Drive as fast as I can.

I like early morning in the desert. Before the sun rises.
A crispness in the air. Fall is the best-because it has that late night chill to it. It drops off of you when the sun comes up.

In Junior High I was a wild child.
Stole cars, discovered alcohol, and was finger tapping for cigarettes.
At the time we lived in Reno, Nevada.
My favorite passion was being out all night.
Searching for that early morning sunrise with that cold chill.
I remember one night in particular. I always will. I had just bought U2's Joshua Tree album for a friend. His name was Travis. We hadn't known each other very long. We ran in different circles at school.
But we liked each others company.
We shared two classes. I believe we have all had this type of friend. That person that you clicked with in classes, or detention. But you didn't run with.
A "Breakfast Club" kind of situation.

It was his birthday. I was the one friend that decided to spend the night. His father was cool, but a heavy drinker.
By eight his father was fast asleep on the couch.
We took the car keys,some beer, and the tape that I had bought him.

We spent all night driving his dad's car out in the desert,listening to U2. Drinking, talking, and not a care in the world. Purely living in the moment. We parked the car before sunrise and watched the sun come up.

I felt free, optimistic, and unruly.

The thought of my father,long drives in the desert, and the "Joshua Tree" album still make me feel this way.

Thinking about taking a long drive this weekend.
Take my girl, my camera, and some solid music.

Talk soon.