The footprints in the picture above were made by my very own short, wide hobbit feet. Nearly three weeks ago I was at White Sands National Monument on the night of the full moon. The footprints were made as I was racing to the top of the tallest dune I could find in anticipation of the moon rising, just after sunset. Towards the top of the dune I found the easiest place to walk was right along the crest, but the problem was that my left foot ended up on the leeward side of the dune and my right on the windward side. The sand on the leeward side was considerably firmer than on the windward side, (remember this is right along the crest, might be completely different further down either slope). The result of that was that with every step my right foot would sink in the sand and my whole body would kind of lurch to the right. What was a minor annoyance that evening became down right painful the next morning, when I could barely stand or walk without feeling an extreme pain in my right hip. After a visit to my primary care physician and then to an orthopedist the diagnosis came back as sciatica. I've been resting and recuperating and haven't really been out seriously taking pictures ever since, (100 degree temperatures have had something to do with that also). On the bright side though I'm starting to feel a lot better and I had time to make this website! Still, getting old sucks!