"Begin at the beginning and go on until you come to the end: then stop"
from Alice in Wonderland ~ Lewis Carroll
December has arrived, and the sun is shining through scattered clouds across the Southern skies as I pull on my travelling boots once again and head across the cornfields and pine forests toward the rugged coast of the Western frontier. I love the wild open plains that stretch as far as the eye can see and the wide endless sky above the rolling hills of farmland and pasture. From the Aegean to the Pacific, from Istanbul to San Francisco I have travelled across nearly every type of terrain and seen many fabulous wonders, both natural and built, and love the vibrancy of life I have encountered - partaking in my fair share of the luxuries this world has on offer. Yet, I am concerned for the prospects of the next generation in the face of a steady decline of places and spaces untouched by the ravages of over-development.
