North Maple Rag

I have a daily news regimen that involves starting with my hometown newspaper (The Public Opinion), followed by the biggest newspaper in SoDak, the Washington Post, the NY Times, and the finally, BBC News. To be honest, I usually breeze through The P.O. website. They really don't post much and it's an excuse to see pictures from home. Anyway, today's featured photo is was taken on I-29, north of town and when I saw, I felt a sharp stab of homesickness.

In college, my drive home was a straight shot on I-29. Nowadays, it's often still the last leg of my treks back to Watertown since I frequently fly to Sioux Falls. On all of my long road trips, the last stretch has been the 90 miles of I-29 north of I-90. I know this road. I know the exits and towns. I know the rest stops and gas stations. I can tell you how far it is from Brookings to the next exit in case you ever foolishly pass up stopping for gas there when you're running low. I can also show you where the scariest moment of my life occurred (blizzard, icy roads, my car spinning into the median).

Anyway, it's definitely that time of the semester where home seems like the greatest place in the world. Thanksgiving is approaching and no matter how many times I spend it away from home, not being there always feels a little wrong. I miss my family. And, probably more than either of those things, I have a truckload of work here that needs to be done before I can go anywhere. I have just under six weeks to go and even though they're going to be tough, it's nice to have something to look forward to.