pithy typically Texas sentiment/sign from the road ride

[Triskeliongirl]

Crankin, sorry to hear your experiences out of New England were not good. I think what made me react so strongly earlier in the thread was when you posted "How do you stand it" because to me that is just perpetuating an exagerated stereotype. But it took my living in Texas to understand that, as I used to have the same stereotype when I was a New Englander.

I was born, raised, and educated (Brandeis, Tufts, MIT) in New England, and stayed there until I was ready for my first faculty position which was in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh felt a lot like New England. Then when my husband was ready for his first faculty position, we did a nationwide search and ended up in Texas. While we are both very liberal, and were shocked by some of the things we saw in Texas, we have also seen a lot of change over the years, and as some pointed out, sometimes change comes from within so its nice to think we may have been part of that change. And I have to tell you, that I never felt any anti-semitism my entire time in Texas. Yes, New England, and Cambridge in particular feels like "home" to me. My years spent at MIT were some of my most exilarating. But when I visit my daughter in her Cambridge home in winter, I have to say I DO NOT miss the snow and cold. I always end up sick that time of year. And yes, some conservative people and policies in Texas bother me, but I really do like the mild winters and being able to ride outdoors year round. And yes, the attitude of some Texans towards education leaves something to be desired, but what brought us here was that Texas, at least at the time, was one of the best states out there in terms of supporting their public universities, which was why there were good job opportunities for us here. My kids were raised in Texas, but they still have our liberal values, and at the end of the day, my daughter is proud to be a Cantabrigian! But the adjustment wasn't easy for me. In many ways, cycling was what eased the adjustment. A cycling club was a way to make friends, and cycling through little towns on farm to market roads, let us see the natural beauty that texas has to offer. While I do not plan to stay in Texas for my retirement, I don't plan to retire to New England either. We have chosen Portugal, largely because my husband was born there and has family there, but also because the climate and natural beauty suit us. It will be easy to lead an active and healthy life (nice fresh unadulterated food!). The low cost of living also makes it economically feasible to take an early retirement. My point being that a lot of things besides politics can go into a choice on where to live, and right now for me quality of life is high on the list of priorities.