"Battre la campagne" is a French expression that has several meanings. It can describe wandering through the countryside. In hunting, it refers to beating the fields in search of game. In a military context, it means scouting for information about the enemy. Figuratively, it evokes a mind that has wandered off, daydreaming or straying from the subject. All of these meanings appear in these photographs. They also reflect my own state of mind while working in the field, recalling the young Flaubert's observation as he wandered over strand and field: "that imbecile astonishment which takes hold of you when you consider people living where we don't live, and spending their time on affairs other than our own."