Our town: the front end of beyond (with photos)

I make a lot of snarky comments about the city north of me. I've been called out on this. But, I am a bit of a square peg in a round hold here. For example... I don't like cars and driving in a place that abhors public transportation. I'm a blue in a red zone. I'm a winter person in summer land. I'm a liberal arts person in an engineering and medical job market.

But of all the round places to land in, this one is pretty good.

Houston is second only to New York City for culture and arts, including performing arts. In fact, NYC is the only city that has more theater seats than Houston. We have incredibly talented, world-renowned resident performing arts companies that perform in architectural masterpieces.

A long time ago, the power elite of Houston decided to invest in the arts.

That means our museums, zoos, and galleries are top rate, as well.

Even my area has thriving arts. My area consists of a cluster of small towns, most of which have populations of about 2000 people, give or take. Nevertheless, we have an area ballet company, theater company, symphony, and even an incredible arts center. All have enormous community outreach.

The classes, camps, and programs for families and children are incredible. On any given weekend my children can enjoy learning about nature (we also have a large nature preserve), art, or space.

Yes, space. Thanks to the largest area employer, this is an diverse and multi-cultural community. Without even leaving the main road, I can find groceries and restaurants from Greek to Asian to Mexican. Within one mile I can see signs in at least four languages.

Music is king here---especially jazz, blues, and southern style rock. The seaside boardwalk offers different live music. This weekend, for example, is zydeco.

Seaside.

This is a coastal town, as are the adjacent towns. It provides an easy-going, laid back undercurrent. And amazing wild life, a lot of which is human.

You can go to the post office on Monday and run into the most incredible neighbors:



The dog, for the record, (and his person) support Obama in '08.

Surprising visitors can drop by for lunch on Wednesday:



On Wednesday you can also say goodbye to the cardinal nestlings you've been privileged to watch in a nest right outside the living room window...for a brief, but busy, ten days (parents of newborns...you could have a baby bird, and trust me, it's more work):



March and early April are nearly perfect here, with the green lightening and deepening, and the weather beckoning you outside all the time.

It's beginning to heat up, though, with temperatures solidly into the 80s, now. The spring blossoms are shooting off allergens into the air, and summer is staring us in the face. The ozone issues are heating up (no pun intended). So before it all goes back into snark, I thought I'd share a little of the magic.

Have a great weekend.

(Notes: Next week's Hump Day Hmmm. Mamma Loves suggested "The Rules." Call them rules, call them mores, or maybe even call them ethics. In general, we all understand there are certain rules and most of us try to follow them. Something to do with being good. But...are we all playing by the same rules? Do we all have to answer to the same rules? Are the rules applied equitably, and enforced equitably? Are we even all playing the same game? Are you a rule follower? You tell me.

And I will try to do blog visiting today or this weekend. I've been reading and have even opened posts to comment (as your traffic meters might indicate---someone in Texas had your blog opened for 16 hours, LOL) but have been caught up with many demands this week.)

Copyright 2008 Julie Pippert
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