Tue Sep 28, 2010 9:42 pm
First, I'm going to agree with the Bear, with few exceptions (Native American Indian) we are all Immigrants, or Descendants of such here. I'm native Texan, my Paternal ancestry in Texas dates back to the Texas revolution. My Maternal Ancestry goes back to the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic to sign such.
I 'grew up' in Alvin, Texas, Nolan Ryan's hometown just a few years behind Nolan in the same High School. In fact the oldest sister-in-law once dated Nolan, she said "He's a geek, all he thinks about is stupid baseball!" We moved to Katy, Texas in 1990, largely due to the Wife's commute, and then in 2001 to Boyd, Texas, just North East of Ft. Worth, due to the wife's job transferring her here. Now I live in a one-bedroom apartment just North of Dallas, a lot of reasons, the biggest of which was the wife's 51 mile one-way commute. I am sure this same story can be heard many times over, moving to where the work is has become a way of life for many here.
Of course, being raised until I was almost 9 in the city (Houston) and then moving out into the country until 1990, and again back into the country in 2001, I'm one of the few who have lived both ways, City and Country. There are things I enjoy about both. But I'm also a somewhat 'private' person, so as for 'beautiful' cities, I'll go with the Oxymoron type thing. I prefer the Country, yet the distance between necessities and the quality of them, like Health Care and Emergency services (Fire and Police) is, by it's own nature, sparse.
It's nice having seventeen different restaurants within virtually walking distance, and living just down the road from 3 music stores and four different Grocery stores, including WalMart, and Target. Not so nice trying to figure out what the hell the upstairs neighbor is up to with all the noise bleeding down. No, No, not THAT kind of noise! Getcha minds outda gutter!
One thing Tony, you must realize that by being this 'melting pot' we have our difficulties, yet we have a great source of culture like no other. Someone was talking about how France and Germany differ, and yes, they damn sure do. Try spending three days in Florida, two in England, three in Germany, then back home. Talk about your 'culture shock'! Yet I can find that by walking a few blocks in several large cities, or even around the complex I live in. We have a neighbor from Istanbul across the way, another from Iraq. One from Minnesota, one from Florida, and one from Connecticut. Another couple who, for the first time in their 35 years of marriage much less their lives, who are new to 'city' living, having lived in a small town their entire lives. They all share one thing, they are here for work.
One of the ways I guess I can explain a bit of this is by something we did when we lived on 'The Ranch". The wife has worked most of her career in a Corporate setting, and as such, in either an Office complex or, like now, in a high-rise Office building. Many of her peers and a lot of her employees have always lived a 'city' life. Donna was raised until she was 8 in a one bed-room house out in Crockett, Texas back before they even had a stop sign. (They now have one, a Stop Sign, not a red light, not yet anyways)She shared that house not only with her Mom and Dad, who was gone most of the time for work, but with her four sisters, an Aunt, and two cousins.
So, living the style we did as grown ups, having our own pond and several horses, cats, dogs, chickens, etc. was a novelty to a lot of them. Sure, they knew of such things, but an Executive who lived that way? Every year, twice a year, in the spring and fall, we had a 'party' at our place. The enjoyment of seeing a young girl ride a horse for the first time, or a couple of youngsters pull up their first fish (the pond was 'stocked' with Catfish and Crappie)much less taste the likes of 'real' pit smoked Bar-B-Que Brisket. Nothing like it.
During our lives we have always enjoyed 'camping'. We've gone from the old standby tent, to a small pull behind 'pop-up' camper, to a 19 foot pull-behind with 'Pop-outs' on both ends turning the 19 feet into 27 and a 36 foot fifth wheel, and now a 32 foot (quarters area) Motorhome. The kids always loved it, and now that has been passed on to the Grand-Kids. During all that time, I have no clue as to how many 'inner-city' kids we have introduced to camping. I believe I recall reading somewhere around here, that you have done the same Tony.
It's those types of things, those looks of happiness and excitement on not only the youngsters faces but those of their Parents, that stay with me. One young man we lived next door to in Katy not only took part in the camping, and the 'parties' and an off-shore fishing excursion I put together years ago, but I took him on his first Deer Hunting trip. His folks, and Grandparents, (Originally from Michigan) are some of those "City Folk" us "Country Boys" talk about. Hell, nature to them was a trip to the Zoo or a round of Golf at the Public Course.
Jason returned from a tour in Afghanistan with the Marine Corp only a few weeks ago. He earned two Purple Crosses while there. Weekend before last we travelled back 'home' for a wedding, Jessica, Jason's sister, was marrying her High School Sweetheart. I'm Texan and we are not brought up to do the man-to-man embracing stuff, a hug maybe, with a long lost friend or family member, maybe. But 'embracing', just not cool dude. Weak sissy stuff! So, if you've never seen an old wanna-be Cowboy and a young decorated Marine just back from the war front cry and hug each other until they turn blue, you missed it.
I don't know how to explain it any better than that Tony. It's a culture that certainly has it's problems, loads of which are built in. Many of which are terrifying, violent by their own nature. Mixing so many different beliefs together and stirring them around usually in close quarters will have it's outcomes. Yet somehow, every so often, we tend to overlook our differences, and befriend an 'outsider' and accept them with the hope they accept us.
As for your question about 'Country' Music, I'll need to sleep on that one.
lol. I do know some people who speak that way but they are not typical DONCHA KNOW - YA YOU BETCHA.