Roots

Ahh, the feeling of refreshment after fall break. Last week, I flew home to A-town for a week to visit Mama and Papa Thames. What a treat it was! I got to go shopping, see movies that cost less than $13, shop to my heart's desire at Target and Wal-Mart, and drive! It was suburban heaven. I made several observations when I was home that got me to thinking about roots.

1. People in Amarillo will just smile at you because they are nice. I was quite alarmed when I walked into a restaurant and people just looked up and smiled. It was quite like they were on queue. New Yorkers don't really smile. I was doing that to people in August and kept getting some odd looks. It took me a few weeks, but I discovered that you must just look past people on the sidewalk. There are too many of them for one thing, your cheeks would be aching, plus there are some weirdos out there and I don't feel it would be safe to be grinning at them. Not to say I go around scowling, but I have kept my inner happiness to myself and close friends.

2. Football rules in Texas. Yes, I knew this growing up, but I have never gone one whole fall without seeing a live football game until this year. When I was home, my alma mauter, Amarillo High School, played the rival, Tascosa or Trashcosa, as we call it. It's a huge game in town and there were lots of people there. We won and it was a great game, plus I got a little injection of the pigskin.

3. Finally, space. The Texas panhandle is known for the flatness, lack of trees, and wind. However, what people tend to overlook is the beauty of the space: the open, flat land. You can see for miles. It's like the ocean, but grassland. Since I now live in a city with very little open space, except for the Sheep's Meadow in Central Park, being able to see wide open spaces is quite refreshing. Those "Dixie Chicks" weren't mistaken. Plus, the sunsets you can see in a-town are worth a million dollars. Red, pink, orange, and purple skys.........

I couple weeks ago, my friend, Kathryn Webb, said, “Amarillo is a great place to go home too.” I think she is on the money with that one. It’s always good to get back to your roots.