Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0
Even here, people come from 100 or so miles all around to see our Aquarium, the river, Rock City, Ruby Falls, the Hunter Museum, the mountains, the 2-3 nearby whitewater rafting rivers, the various Civil War monuments and parks, etc. and I grew up with all that so it's just "eh...".
As we speak, there's some puddinghead in Hawaii or New Zealand not giving two craps about the beauty or coolness he's surrounded by. 
When it's your home, or just outside your back door, it's commonplace and no big deal after a while. Unfortunate.
Every now and then, particularly in the fall, I'll be driving down some backroad highway around here and I'll notice the colors, mountains, the river, etc. and I'm like "damn...there are people who've never seen a view like this!" and I'm reminded just how beautiful it is here (and that I shouldn't take it for granted). |
I'll probably end up back in the South after the Bay Area becomes uninhabitable for anyone with less than a millions bucks in the bank. Since it's where I grew up I have the landscape and weather and smells imprinted on my heartstrings. Fireflies and thunderstorms, Bay Area. Look into it.
First time I did the Ruby Falls thing the tour guide (who was the perfect Southern sorority girl with a summer job) told us this: "These stalagmites and stalactites has formed over millions and millions of years as water has leached through the limestone, drop by drop. Tiny bit by tiny bit, the dissolved minerals have been deposited until they create the magnificent towers and columns you see around you. Now if you look to your left, you'll see one that looks like Myrtle the Turtle." Awe and majesty, girl.
Also I was always impressed by how the owners of Rock City somehow managed to convince every barn owner in a 300 mile radius to paint "See Rock City" on those roofs.