Thanks y'all!
Eric & Dave - Yeah - there's a very simple, very elemental magic to the place. It's a long trek to nowhere, but it's really worth it.
Paolo - Yes. I wanted to capture the texture of the sand and add just a bit more differentiation in the three elements. I tried to capture the wispiness of the cloud as well. I could be persuaded that it was a bad choice, but I don't *think* so at this time
John - I agree, the cloud is what makes the image. I'm glad someone else thinks so
Graeme - I hope so
This is an image that would shine in a minimalist room. I envision it like so: