pithy typically Texas sentiment/sign from the road ride

[Triskeliongirl]

Texas isn't that bad. Every place has pluses and minuses. I grew up in New England and while the politics suited me better, the weather in texas in great and we have the Texas Hill Country for riding year round. Also most of the major citys did vote blue in the last election.

[Crankin]

Eh, I had enough of living in a blue pocket of a red state in AZ for 16 years. That, plus almost 5 years in FL, taught me that there's more to life than endless summer.
In fact, just 5 days in southern California a couple of weeks ago, made me irritable, with constant sun, heat, and everything just being the same, same, same.
I don't want to sound snarky. I just like living in a place where I don't have to justify my beliefs and my kids didn't have to explain why they didn't celebrate Christmas. And, I have found that I am happier when the weather is different all of the time. I love the change and diversity of the seasons. I suspect that if I did live in a place where I could ride all year round, I would get burned out. I so look forward to the very short x country ski season! There's the anticipation of it for 6-8 weeks, and then, at the end (never more than 8 weeks), I almost always am on my bike the weekend after my last x country ski in the beginning of March.

[thekarens]

Texas isn't that bad. Every place has pluses and minuses. I grew up in New England and while the politics suited me better, the weather in texas in great and we have the Texas Hill Country for riding year round. Also most of the major citys did vote blue in the last election.

I have to agree, I'm about as liberal as they come and I still enjoy living in Texas. I hate anything under 50 degrees and snow is best viewed on a television. I lived in places that had snow and 4 seasons until I was 29, you couldn't convince me to go back. I like being able to ride year round and I like not being cold.

Besides, if no with different thoughts/opinions lived here there would never be any change.

[OakLeaf]

Yeah, I guess stereotyping places just kind of rubs me the wrong way. There *are* good and bad things about everywhere, and especially to characterize a state as "red" or "blue" is mainly just a question of which party was in power when that state was gerrymandered beyond all recognition, and the populace is usually very closely split on a variety of issues in at-large elections, and very often a majority of the population disagrees with the goals of the party in power.

My little sister found herself drawn back to Dallas as her adopted home, after several years away - she's maybe not as political as I am, but I don't think there's much of anything we disagree on. It's not the climate for her either I don't think - of all the many places we grew up, none of them was warm or southern, and she never complains about the cold when she travels to a cooler climate. She's very much at home in DC too and visits often, but Dallas is where she bought her house and started her business, and she loves it there.

[salsabike]

Besides, if no with different thoughts/opinions lived here there would never be any change.

Yeah, I guess stereotyping places just kind of rubs me the wrong way. There *are* good and bad things about everywhere, and especially to characterize a state as "red" or "blue" is mainly just a question of which party was in power when that state was gerrymandered beyond all recognition, and the populace is usually very closely split on a variety of issues in at-large elections, and very often a majority of the population disagrees with the goals of the party in power.

Love both these statements.

I have a Latina niece in Houston who is very liberal, as is the Texas family she just married into. Her first job after college at Rice was canvassing door to door for an environmental non-profit in Houston. She has some of the funniest stories ever about doing that work. She used her charm and humor to do that job in a conservative, oil-based city, and she and her hipster crowd are a big and delightful part of Houston culture. Just thinking about living in Houston makes me sweat (heat/humidity wuss) but I'm sure glad they're all there and part of it.

[Crankin]

Well, you guys certainly put me in my place. But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't *choose* to move back here because of the issues I brought up. The weather is one part of it, and not a small one, either. I am not as political as you, Oak, but for me, it's a question of feeling like I "belong" somewhere. And, when my parents moved to AZ, in 1971, it was politically quite different. Over the years, the changes were quite apparent, and I saw the writing on the wall in the mid eighties. Yes, I had a very nice life there, a beautiful home that I could not have afforded here at that stage of my life, a good job, and lots of friends. But, I pretty much lived in a bubble of my own making, to avoid some of the political/lifestyle comments I sometimes, no often, heard at work. I lived in a university town, which helped. Most of all, I wanted my kids to be brought up in the same type of environment that I was, because it had a very deep influence on me. My life did NOT change for the better when I had to move to Miami in 1969. Let's see, I got called a "N"-lover my very first week at school there, for supporting a local protest group. When I was learning to drive, and my dad took me out a bit from South Miami, there were KKK signs on the trees. I was in shock.
And part of it, I found, as I got older, was the transience of Sun Belt cities. People move to places like Phoenix because they think a warm climate is awesome, and they can make a "fresh start." Trouble is, they bring all of their problems with them, to a place where they have no social or family support, in a state where there are terrible social and medical services.
Yes, I am a snarly New Englander, and at this point in my life, I'm kind of proud of it.

[salsabike]

My husband went down to Texas last spring to do the Texas Rando Stampede 1200k. At some point, he and several other riders were stopped so he could fix a flat. A woman drove up to them and said (read all of her remarks in a heavy Texas accent), "Are y'all incapacitated?" He said, no, he just needed to fix a flat. She said, "Do y'all have the means to repair it?" Yes, he said. She said, "Well, how industrious of y'all." They thanked her, and she drove off. Very gracious, they thought. Love that story.

[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.

[OakLeaf]

It wasn't my intention at all to "put you in your place," Crankin, and I'm sorry for giving that impression. There are surely places I would have a hard time living happily, and south Florida is high on my list too, though perhaps for different reasons. Not that the reasons you gave aren't sufficient, and horrifying. But, when I first moved to Ohio, the Klan was very active here, and I see there's a story in today's Times where they're claiming success in organizing in New York, and if either of those places surprise anyone, they really shouldn't. I remember you telling a story about racism in your hometown, too. Which is kind of my point, that people are people, and sadly there are awful people as well as great people anywhere you go.

There's an element of defensiveness, too, on my part when it comes to Ohio, and probably with the Texans here. No one likes an outsider to come in and turn their nose up at your home. So, I apologize for being defensive, too.