America the Beautiful

Every now and then I feel moved to become an artist. It runs in my family--my mother, my grandmother, and especially my great grandmother on my dad's side are all accomplished painters. Mom use to sell her toll-painted projects, Grandma's artwork fits right in with the other beautiful watercolor pieces on display in her home, and my Great-Grandma won first prize in the state fair with her painting of the lion and the lamb. You might think, as do I, that it probably runs in my blood and though buried deep, some magical day if I hold my tongue right and am smiled on by the mystical art nymphs I too will graduate from stick figures. Once I actually made a very convincing pencil-drawing of an empty toilet paper roll I tried a full roll with less success. Not even kidding. That being said, I have had the blessing to spend the last year as a migrant, living out of my car and moving every few months. In some ways it was a little difficult or lonely but mostly it was exciting and adventurous to meet so many wonderful new people and see so much of this amazing country. One of my new friends I met on this cross-country pilgrimage asked me the other day which area I liked best, and in thinking about it I decided I should write about the beauty of the various places I have been.

Any discussion about beautiful scenery will always need to start with home--Texas, in my case. My beloved home state is characterized by unbridled skies, long flat vistas, searing muggy heat that still surprises me with its intensity, and (in spite of most people's Hollywood-inspired perceptions) large leafy trees that provide useless shade and look even bigger than they are because the aren't forced to compete with mountains for breaking up the skyline. Like most people, there is that additional ethereal  "being home" beauty that is no more imagined than it is inexpiable.

Although Utah wasn't part of my "around-the-country-tour" last year I did spend several years there in school and have visited at least once each year since my graduation in 2009. Utah is rugged and imposing, majestic and almost violent in its beauty. The view from Bryce Canyon is quite literally breathtaking.



 
After graduating in Utah I went to Spokane, Washington right up by Coeur D'alene, Idaho for grad school. Spokane was too cold in the winter for my taste, but the other seasons were lovely. There are no large mountains where I was living, though they are readily available for the many outdoor enthusiasts in the area but there are rolling hills all through the city. Many of the roads have to be closed down in the winter because even with salt and snowplows the steep hills the roads are built on make them impassable. It is very green there, but my favorite part of the city is the diversity of everything; the people, the landscape, the weather, and even the restaurants. There is one in downtown Spokane where you can get deep fried Oreos if you know to ask for them.

Medford, Oregon was full of orchards. I was able to work one day in a pear orchard and even though I was there in the winter when most of the leaves were gone pictures of what the orchard sprang into mere weeks later were bright and friendly and beautiful. Medford also has moss, foliage, wildflowers, and blackberries everywhere and frothy fog most mornings.  Even in the winter, Medford was friendly.

Vancouver, Washington was also green, but green barely begins to describe it. Who knew there could ever be so very many shades of green in one place at one time? Vancouver is perhaps one of the most gorgeously lush places I have ever been. It did rain almost every day while I was there, and the resulting carpet of luxuriant forestry is amazing. Glistening lakes and rivers accent the forests of the region.

Last, I end up in Arizona. Going from Vancouver to Arizona was a bit of a culture shock, but even Arizona has its own beauty. Mysterious and romantic, the desert rolls out as a deadly force of heat and hard-fought survival in a world of dust, painted rocks, cacti, and brilliant neon sunsets. This will be my new home.

 

And so I am left to marvel at the beauty of the country I live in and for the moment I am left to leave the artistry up to the Creator while I marvel in his skill and diversity.