52/365 Junkyard Dog

52/365 Junkyard Dog
Originally uploaded by csquard

Just got into Tullahoma, Tennessee (home of the Dickel distillery, passed Jack Daniels on the way). I haven't been traveling in a normal fashion this week. I drove as far as I could Tuesday night before finding a hotel, I haven't had a reservation anywhere I've gone (I'm pretty detail oriented when it comes to travel usually). Last night, I crashed at a Best Western near Cullman, Alabama after a great dinner in Nashville with my cousin and her husband. Today, I've pulled into a Hampton Inn.

I used to travel 60-80% of the time, with doses of international travel sprinkled in. The last two years or so, that's been cut back to <15% of the time. It is a bit strange for me now. It used to be simply who I was, heading to airports and hotels, calling home every night and talking to my wife for lengthy chunks of time. Logistically, it has become more difficult to travel in general. Personally, I'm not sure how I will react to it. I've become very insular and alone in my daily life, so being thrust into the work lives of so many others is actually very healthy for me.

My cameras aren't great, but they have become a comforting partner for me. It's given me pause to stop and capture things I think I would normally whisk right by. I don't mind that at all.

There is a significant disconnection that occurs when I travel, especially when I'm in a different place each night like this will probably be. You lose all sense of what's going on in the world, your local and virtual communities, and your family. Even the Super Bowl seems like some foggy rumor rather than the biggest event in the US.

Next week is starting to flesh itself out, and it should be a grueling sprint around Canada. Looks like I'm in Edmonton Monday, near Toronto Tuesday (Ancaster), Thamesville Wednesday, Longueuil on Thursday, and hopefully Bromont on Friday. I am pretty sure I can make the Edmonton-Toronto trip and get in Monday evening, but I need to book everything. I'll put more out there once I get everything firmed up.