...to take cover in Lightning Storms. Here’s an exception to her good advice.

I read about about this piece of Land Art last fall and immediately wanted to experience it. Since E., my de facto brother-in-law, lives in New Mexico I thought I’d get around to seeing it sooner than later. But family circumstances have kept my from visiting him—we’ve ended up going to his parent’s and grandmother’s house several times in the last year due to health issues.

But now that things are calming down, I think I’ll be able to go next year, in 2006. (Reservations for ovestart March. If you want to know more, see http://www.lightningfield.org/.) I’m hoping to go with my parter, E. (whom I admire very much for his peaceful nature), and perhaps a few others who are close to me.

Here’s the description from their website:

A work of Land Art situated in a remote area of the high desert of southwestern New Mexico, The Lightning Field is comprised of 400 polished stainless steel poles installed in a grid array measuring one mile by one kilometer. The poles, two inches in diameter and averaging 20 feet by 7 1/2 inches in height, are spaced 220 feet apart and have solid pointed tips that define a horizontal plane. Since it is intended that visitors experience The Lightning Field alone or with a small group of people over an extended period of time, Dia provides simple accommodations for up to six people for overnight visits during the months of May through October.

I don’t say this very often, but I imagine the art-environment of the Lightning Field to be the type of spiritual experience I’m searching for. 7 years ago