Contrast

Everywhere here, I am reminded of how much older (as a country) this place is than where I am from. The church across the road from my office here in Thames Ditton has been there since before the rebels in the colonies decided that they're rather not be under the thumb of George III. Some structures, go back centuries.

Then of course, there are the sights to see that remind us that people have been living in communities and leaving their mark on the landscape for millennia. When I visited Stonehenge on my first trip here, people asked me why I would want to. "It's just a pile of old rocks!" one person told me. I guess that is true, in much the same way that La Giaconda is just a bunch of paint splashed on an old piece of canvas!

But then, I guess you get jaded to anything eventually. I mean, the Rocky Mountains are also just a pile of old rocks. In much the same way that American Gothic is just a bunch of paint splashed on an old piece of canvas.

It's not like we don't have piles of old things lying about in the states! It may not have been built millennia ago, but Carhenge (in Alliance, Nebraska) is, in its own unassuming way, as impressive as Stonehenge.

Stonehenge leaves one with a feeling of awe, wondering as to who built it and why. Carhenge, by contrast is awesome! (What a tongue-in-cheek statement of how far we have come!) It leaves one wondering ...

All-in-all, my two homes are not that different! I have grown to love both places and am still finding great new and exciting things in each. I can't wait to get out and explore more this weekend!

I hope you have something to look forward to this weekend!

Don Bergquist - 19th May 2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, United Kingdom