Thursday, July 16, 2015

No, seriously - do not mess with Texas.

Before we get to the Guadalupe Mountains National Park recap, I'm going to drag these Texas posts out just a bit more. (Did I mention that we spent FOUR LONG DAYS driving across this state? You're getting off easy.)

But first, a story.

Patrick has a habit of greeting people with "howdy." He used this greeting whenever we encountered westerners in Morocco, in Cambodia, in Darwin, in North Carolina... Pretty much everywhere you wouldn't want to be mistaken for a Texan, he greeted people with "howdy." I'm not sure why, seeing as how he's from Eugene, but that's a story for another day.

We crossed the Lone Star state line and suddenly he was Mr. Hello. It wasn't conscious - it just happened, "howdy" magically disappeared from his vocabulary. And then several days later we crossed the state line into New Mexico and he was back to "howdy" again.

It was very odd.

This story has nothing to do with not messing with Texas... (Or does it?!)

These photos, on the other hand, illustrate the point rather well:

GIANT STATE-SHAPED MONUMENT,
tiny cow

"friendly - but don't mess with us"

it's on THEIR GOVERNMENT SIGNS,
for pete's sake

Texas: the only state that doesn't thank you for visiting
or hope that you'll come back soon

Texas was big. Texas was hot. Texas was rainy, oh so rainy (although we did miss the worst of it). Texas was kind of exhausting. Texas might have been the start of our my extended cranky phase, in fact.

We found some gems but in general, Texas was not for us. Maybe we misunderestimated it? (Come on, you knew that was coming.)

(in all fairness, this is possibly
the most beautiful sign in the world)

The Guadalupe Mountains National Park recap is next (I promise), and then it's happy trails to you, Texas!

13 comments:

  1. I've only been to Texas for work... it is a very interesting place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you have any food?? I love Tex Mex!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We kept meaning to get Tex Mex in the SW (when in Rome and all that) but never seemed to find the right place. We did have Texas BBQ - best brisket I will probably ever have in my life!

      Delete
  3. HA! Such a good story. That is amazing he just totally switched. I especially love picturing an American greeting folks in Cambodia with "howdy." I love it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We did learn the local "hello" in every country we visited, but "howdy" did slip out now and then too... Yeah, it was pretty hilarious.

      Delete
  4. Ha! Those signs are hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. So strange about the howdy/hello! Sometimes it's good to find places that aren't a good fit so you can appreciate the ones that are more. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Couldn't agree more. And actually, you can apply that sentiment to everything in life, too - relationships, jobs, everything. :)

      Delete
  6. Thanks so much Jen! I'm really appreciating the individual distinctions from the various states in the US and your journey overall...Proceeding at the speed of love! Fascinating and understandable about the subliminal impact of each state's evolved ethos in our way of Being in them....I'm loving your candid perceptions and joy in the journey...My love is with you both! Cheers....Stuart

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Stuart, so wonderful to hear from you! We appreciate your support and we hope your 2015 journey is going well too. We think of you every morning when we choose our coffee cup of the day... :)

      Delete
  7. That's funny about your husband's greetings! I haven't been to Texas yet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Woah there Bonnie, we aren't hitched just yet. ;)

      Delete