Wide Open Spaces

Growing up "in the country", the city always fascinated me. Whether it was the lights, the lure of the urban lifestyle, or the fact that in the city you didn't have to drive 45 minutes to find a Starbucks, I don't know. But in High School, I became determined that I'd leave the small town life behind and follow the lights of the city.

I remember at 19 coming to San Antonio with my family, my sister and I with our faces pressed against the window as we drove through downton. I can't describe it, but it was magical, enticing... a world of possibilities. Later that year, when I decided to move here, I felt so cool. This is a great city. I loved it.. and I still do. There are times, though, when I feel like going back to my small town roots. Sometimes I get angry at the "urban sprawl", as I watch monstrous subdivisions creeping further and further out into the small towns and countryside that I love. (Of course, isn't this a little hypocritical of me since I LIVE in one?!) It's even happening in my own hometown (it's only a 10 minute drive to Target and Starbucks now!). I'd really started to relate to the  "paved paradise and put up a parking lot" sentiment.

However, this trip did me a world of good. I got to drive through miles upon miles of undisturbed country -- from the Texas Hill Country to the piney woods of Arkansas and beyond. I drove long stretches where I went three or four hours between seeing a McDonalds or a Walmart. And it was so refreshing. My love for back roads, hill country, tall pines, roadside diners, and small old towns grew even more, and it was good for my soul to see that we're not in danger of losing all of that. We live in a big country that is full of wide open, beautiful places that have yet to be explored.



* Photos taken with my iPhone.