After sitting in one place (Big Bend and West Texas) you
will forgive us some random thoughts as we re-enter the world beyond Big Bend.
Rain – once you have been away from rain, it is amazing to
see how much and how often it can occur. In the 9 days we have been out of the
desert, it has rained parts of each day! That would be a cause for major
celebration in drought-weary West Texas.
Water – as we were heading west, just outside of Houston, we
started to notice road signs that identified rivers, creeks, streams only to
look and see nothing but dry river beds. This certainly was the norm for all of
West Texas. Back east, there is gratuitous amounts of water everywhere –
rivers, ponds, lakes, puddles, flooded culverts on the side of the road, etc.
Humidity – we have been running each morning back east. To
say the least, the humidity and sweat makes it seem like you are running in
water, not on dry land. There was humidity in the desert, 10-15%. Now the norm
is 60-80% until of course it goes to 100% when it starts to rain.
Stores, plazas, malls, and more – we have written about how
you literally could not spend money in the Big Bend area as there was nowhere
to spend it. Yes, there was a gas station. A general store. A few restaurants
or cafes. But these were all 30 plus miles away. To the uninitiated or newly
re-initiated, it is shocking how many fast food places, department stores,
malls, plazas, etc. It seems really odd once you have been away from the
onslaught!
Texas Wave – this was a new one for us. While driving, we
learned that in West Texas, as drivers cross paths, they wave at each other.
Sometimes it is a full wave, sometimes lifting a few fingers from the steering
wheel, sometimes a salute. Whichever way it is done, it is a standard practice
on the long and mostly deserted roads. That does not happen back east, at least
not that we have noticed.
Different lifestyles – one of the things we went in search
of were answers or possible answers to some questions that we had wondered for
some time. One such question was do people live significantly different lives
in different parts of the country. We still continue to ponder this, but at
this point have an answer of yes and no based on our experiences being from the
Northeast and spending the last 3.5 months in West Texas. At the big level,
people in both places have routines, some work, some don’t, some have families,
some don’t, but beyond these big picture commonalities, there do appear to be
differences. Life seemed slower and more laid back in the desert. Possessions
did not appear as important there either.
Daily life and culture was certainly
influenced by Mexican culture, likely in a way that Irish, Italian, French and
other cultures impacted Northeast culture. The rural nature of the world in
West Texas kept people more isolated than in the Northeast, both isolated from
each other and also isolated from the goings on in the larger country and
world. There certainly are many more, but we went with a question, is life
different in different places despite the modern America we live in, and for
now we think the answer is a pretty clear yes. But we certainly will continue
to explore this and other questions.
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