Back from Fundieland.

[Longhorn]

We made the long trip to Lubbock this weekend (8 hours up and only 6 hours back!) and even though I feel like I'm surrounded by religion here in the Austin area, I was reminded about how bad it could be after a weekend in Lubbock.

Just reading the newspaper -- a daily prayer on the front page; a column about a dog and picking up pecans turning into a sermon complete with bible verses; ads quoting bible verses.

We stayed with my husband's great uncle and his wife, who are Church of Christ. The house is full of crosses, bibles, and Christian wall-hangings and statuary.

Top it off with a trip to the nursing home to see my husband's catatonic 90-year-old grandmother all curled up and contorted in her hospital bed, the whole place reeking of nursing home smells.

Add to that the "W-04" and "Charlton Heston is my president" bumper stickers and you know how glad we are to be back home!

By the way, I got stopped for speeding (80 in a 70 zone) on the way home by DPS on Highway 71 near Voca and he just gave me a warning, though my proof of insurance expired 12/1 so I need to send that in. And he warned me about my Texas Ex-Students Association license plate frame covering part of the word "Texas" on my plate. I wonder if my USMC yellow ribbon magnets influenced him (our son is a Marine.) On the other hand, I have a "I hear there's rumors on the Internets" sticker in the window, as well as a "Slash-W" sticker. Maybe he was a progressive? :D

[fshrink]

1. Got my degree at UT too.

The worst I experienced in TX certainly was Ft. Stockton. This place feels like the "red town" in Clint Eastwood's movie.

[progressoid]

2. Welcome back

Be thankful for a place of refuge. I've never been to Texas but have the same experiences when I go to my hometown. It's creepy but there are pockets of sanity even in the reddest areas. I always have to visit my high school drama teacher and her husband for a dose of reason.