Metamorphosis

I am in a new place again. Possibilities bloom and waver before me. Futures are born and expire anew each day. The mountains I Ieft behind me stand stubbornly green against the skyline of my new city. Summer defies Autumn, reluctant to give way to the changing of the seasons. I write to the sounds of the world around me.  I wander this place in search of something new.

Photograph by Rachel Adams

To whoever is reading these words: wherever you are, out there in the world, I speak directly to you. You may have noticed the frequency of LOCUS: A journey in search of PLACE has decreased significantly in recent months. I have rarely addressed my personal life on this blog, and it not something I plan on making a habit of. I write LOCUS to learn more about the world around me.

I felt I should speak to the readers of this blog to let them know I have not finished writing it. LOCUS: A journey in search of PLACE has merely gone into a chrysalis, resting in preparation for the metamorphosis it must go through in order to survive.

Photograph by Rachel Adams

Evolve or die. This is the quest the Earth has given to all of us.

The Cold Light of a January Sun

Photograph by Brian Scott Casey

“The last leaf has fallen.  The grey pall of winter has descended on these mountains.  The glory of Fall is gone, and the world is colder and sadder without it.  Every day seems empty of color.  I miss the leaves.  I wish they hadn’t gone”

I wrote these lines before arriving at the place I am in now.  Here, winter seems to be holding itself back.  Stubborn oak leaves the color of rust cling to the branches.  They rustle in the wind as it blows.  It sounds like the deep sighing of waves, with the very same rise and fall.  I close my eyes and let it wash over me.

Photograph by Brian Scott Casey

Wherever You Go

“Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.”

Anita Desai

Photograph by Brian Scott Casey

Don’t forget to follow me in LOCUS: A journey in search of PLACE!

See the bears for yourself!

This bear is one of 20 life-sized sculptures scattered around Cherokee, NC.  They have all been painted by local artists, and each one represents a different aspect of the Cherokee culture.  If you’d like to see more of the Cherokee Bears, click here for the map!

Welcome to LOCUS: A journey in search of PLACE

Photograph taken by Brian Scott Casey

Follow me, in LOCUS: A journey in search of PLACE.

The genre of travel writing deals primarily in PLACE.  Places to see, how to get there, and what to do once you arrive.  Sensory descriptions to evoke a sense of place to a reader who has never been there.

These are mainstays that we have come to expect from travelogues.  We read them voraciously, devouring destinations from our arm chairs.

What truth exists in the heart of a place beyond these things?  How is life defined by place, and what can we as travelers learn from this?

What place does a traveler exist within?  Always in motion, moving across the world, do we possess a place of our own?