My journey to find myself

My journey to find myself or how did I lose myself in the first place? This is kind of a flippant question to the title but the reason I need to find myself is a very serious matter. In this blog I hope to approach this serious matter in a straightforward, thoughtful and honest manner. I also hope to use humor to blunt the terrible tragedy that has visited my life. I will be giving the sometimes boring details of my driving trip throughout the Southwestern, Western and Northern United States. I will also share my thoughts and feelings as I look to the rest of my life without the woman who meant everything to me. The last eight months have been an awful slog, tempered only by the love and caring of my family and friends. I have felt the need to run away many times but I now feel I am ready to leave my home for awhile to clear my head, think about my future and dedicate myself to honoring the memory of a great woman, my wife Sue.
Itinerary and goals:

• The first eight days with my friend Chuck, we will travel to Ft. Collins, Colorado and visit my cousin Jeanne
• On to Moab, Utah. My first attempt to market my Pow Wow images. This is one of my main goals for the trip: determine if there is a market for what I do.
• Bluff, Utah to hike the canyons on Cedar Mesa, photograph the scenery and visit ruins.
• Durango, Co. more marketing.
• Santa Fe, N.M. Visit the art makets for native art. Three days and then drop Chuck at the Albuquerque airport.
• On to the Zuni reservation for one night.
• Meet up with Marcus Coochwikvia, a silver artist on the Hopi reservation, photograph some of his work, soak up the stark beauty of Hopiland.
• On to Calif. and visits with many cousins and a couple of Aunts.
• Pacific Northwest to visit some of Sues friends who couldn't make the funeral. Share a bear with them and honor Sues memory.
• The North route home, visit reservations including Turtle Mountain, the only Metis reservation in existence.

People and images, this is my life and I hope to renew, reaquaint and nurture relationships and begin to determine what the future has in store for me and my work. Jon