The Road

Nearly 40 years after their original publication and almost a decade before millions would become enthralled with the Lord of the Rings Triology, I encountered my first copies of Tolkien's works. As a young middle-school child, I become enthralled with what Peter S. Beagle describes as a world that Tolkien did not create, but one he discovered. Fantasy and sicence fiction (two separage genres) can provide release from overwhelming childhoods and difficult adult-like burderns, can stretch the limits of our imaginations and challenge our capacity to create within our own limited time and space. Such genres provide political commentaries, encapsulate religious mythologies and, as should always be the case, gift us with a good story to enjoy.

It seems only fitting that this blog begin with mention of "The Old Walking Song," introduced in The Hobbit (originally entitled There and Back Again) and appears again in The Fellowship of the Ring. When I travel, it is often on my mind, pushing me to pursue what lies over the next hill or around the next bend....

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began
Now far ahead the Road has gone
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither there? I cannot say.

My hope is that you will enjoy this blog, consisting primarily of updates about my most recent trip to Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. I will also try to post a few comments from stays in Turkmenistan and Greece - though these may have to wait until I return to the U.S.A. in August. I look forward to receiving comments and providing responses as best I can.

Enjoy!