Wide Open Space

Today's visit to the soccer complex was a bit different. Rather than just toss a Frisbee for Kane to catch and then deposit in a gooey mud puddle under the trees, and have that process repeat itself with many fits and stops, I just walked.

Just plain walking is a good idea from time to time. It allows you to better see and appreciate the sights around you.

In focusing on my surroundings, I was reminded of what I enjoy about this part of Texas - the wide open spaces.

As I mentioned previously, there is a beauty in the stark desolation, a beauty that's west Texas's unique brand.

As I contemplated this beauty, I remembered a quote that I came across in the article Driving Through the Heart of Texas in the April issue of Southern Living.

The quote was by Wyman Meinzer, the official Texas state photographer. (Please check out his site. The photos are breath-taking!)

In the article, Wyman says:

“I like the big vistas you get out here. I like to see a storm coming 100 miles away. People who live out here have a different way of looking at things.”

The article further states that Wyman "believes—maybe because they can see so far—the vastness makes the people who live here feel free."

Wyman continues:

“To me, there’s a sense of hope. When you drive down 83, it goes through so much contrast from the High Plains to the Edwards Plateau and the South Texas Brush Country. You see what Texas must have looked like 150 years ago.”

I often thought the same thing.

What would this soccer complex (which, by the way, abuts an active archeological zone from which the above pix were taken) had looked like 150 years ago before the prairie dog holes were filled in and the ground covered with grassy sod?

The apartment where we live was built upon a former cotton field. What did the site look like before it got built up?

The interesting thing about Lubbock is that one does not have to drive very far to find wide open spaces. And if your squint your eyes just right and block out the fast food wrappers and empty beer bottles that litter the ground, you may just get an inkling of how this magnificent and glorious wide open space looked 150 or more years ago.