Sunday, September 09, 2007
Lone Star State
Well, I suppose that my descriptions of this trip will be out of order as I blog about them. So, you'll eventually hear about New York and Pennsylvania and Mississippi and Oklahoma and New Mexico ... but right now I'm going to talk about Texas.
I have never been to Texas before. And I have to say that one doesn't "visit" Texas. One "experiences" Texas. It's amazing to me. There has always been that stereotype that "everything's bigger in Texas" ... and that people from Texas think that being from Texas is the most important thing.
Well, I have never been somewhere where there was such an enormous sense of place. Denmark certainly comes close ... the Danes really love their queen! But the love of Texas that Texans have is unlike anything I've ever seen before. First of all, I have been to lots of states in the U.S., and none of them have their state flag everywhere. I mean everywhere! The flag is flying on a flagpole in front of many homes and most buildings (often where there is no U.S. flag next to it!) ... but it is also found painted or worked into designs on just about everything you might care to look at ... the sides of buildings, the backs of T-shirts worn as uniforms in restaurants, and just about anything that you can purchase in any store in the entire state. AND, if you aren't looking at a gazillion state flags plastered everywhere, you see the Lone Star symbol worked in. I even saw (was pointed out to them) Lone Star emblems on all of the bridges/overpasses that I payed attention to on the interstates around Dallas. Amazing!
Some more intersting things about Texas. As soon as I crossed the state line from Louisiana into Texas, I noticed that I was just about the ONLY person on the road NOT driving a pick up truck ... and the grand majority of those Texans' pickup trucks are white. And, if a Texan doesn't have a pickup truck, they drive a HUGE SUV, like a Suburban or something similar. Wild. And I drive a little car. Talk about feeling like a ladybug in an elephant's world!
Texans ALL know the details of the history of the state of Texas. I have to admit that I know just about SQUAT about the history of the state of New York, or even the Buffalo area. (But I can sing the Erie Canal song!) Likewise for Virginia where I lived for 11 years. And I have to also admit that I only watched the movie "The Alamo" about a year ago, and there were several things that were news to me: Davy Crockett was a real person! Who knew!? And I finally put it together that it's not a coincidence that Sam Houston played an important part in Texas history and there is a city in Texas named Houston. (Duh!) And I have been informed that it's not a good thing to admit that you don't know what the Travis Letter is. Click here if you aren't sure about the Travis Letter either. LOL!
Finally, I must add that I really enjoyed driving around the state. Yes, there are more bugs in the Houston area than on the entire rest of the face of the earth ... and yes, there are parts of Texas that are more hot and humid than ought to be allowed. But the scenery is very interesting and different than much of what I've seen in my experience. And I especially LOVED my drive west on I-40 from Amarillo to Santa Rosa, NM (outside of Albuquerque) ... talk about amazing gorgeous (yet somewhat arid) landscape! Add a striking sunset to that, and it finished off MY first Texas experience like chocolate cream cheese icing on a cheese cake. :-)
More later.....
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i think that the texas flag is the only state flag that can be flown at the same height as the american flag. it is because it was the only sovereign nation added to the union.
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