This photo was taken standing on top of the Hoover Dam at about 7am, mid-sabbatical, very curious about the turns my life had taken, but enjoying the hell out of every second. You can clearly see the "original" line of Lake Meade's water level in this photo, and how much water is missing from the reservoir. It's humbling, scary, and fascinating to be there, standing atop an icon of engineering and ambition, but also one of the most stark reminders of environmental changes and problems caused by humans in the American Southwest.