A heartfelt Thank You to all who responded so far. In response to your questions:
Asher: Intent and meaning almost escape me. This was made on one of those "must get away for a bit and spend time on my own" outings. I was digesting some bad news from back home and pretty much let my subconscious mind have free reign. When a friend first saw this she was convinced without a doubt that I had captured an upside-down question mark, with all the obvious symbolic implications.
Gary: Yes, this is the Great Salt Lake, and I did make an effort to emphasize the bleached character of the salt in this version - thanks for the insight.
Geraldine: Those are not rocks in the shallow water - they are the salt-encrusted tips of metal rods that look like they were arranged by an artist (or a mental patient). I never found out what their original purpose was, but here's a closer look Alien Landing Strip
I did try a more traditional 4x5 ratio for this version, but rather than lighten the dark areas, I intensified the contrast. I like the resulting tonal relationship but am still ambivalent about the crop.
Guy