A blogsite of Bible studies, photos, food, coffee, and anything else that piques my interest
God’s glory is over mankind’s! I love mountains and sunsets. We got both out in North Carolina recently where our youngest son move. I didn’t think about it at the time. But I really like how the human creation of shopping is below the clouds, sunset, and the mountains. Our eyes are drawn to the beauty of God’s creation.
A chameleon at the Dallas Zoo. Pretty amazing, huh?
I took this photo of a chameleon at the Dallas Zoo a few years back.
We are on our way up to the top of that rock. Summer 2016
We got to the top!
A sunrise is a reminder of the beginning of another day of life. I am grateful for each one. But, today I have a cousin in the hospital from a stroke, a friend who’s going for brain surgery in the morning, and other friends who have very few sunrises left to enjoy. As I am grateful for each sunrise, I am grateful for each person who’s impacted my life in one way or another.
Sunrise over the Gulf of Mexico on Galveston Island
Saguaro National Park
Cindy and I had an opportunity to relocate to Arizona in 1991 with my job. Sam was born outside of Phoenix. But, we moved to Texas the following year and have been here since. I’ve loved things about every place I live. But the desert was pretty special. We had the opportunity to take our sons there a few years ago and we made a stop at Saguaro National Park. The Saguaros are those huge cacti with arms. They can live around 400 years I’m told.
In the midst of large manmade structures on or near our campus, a group of little plants and flowers will grab my attention and make me stop in my tracks. Notice the beauty of the collective group of this diverse group of plants. I love this!
There’s a joke that Texans love to tell and it goes as follows:
Never ask a man where he’s from. If he’s not from Texas, you don’t want to embarrass him. If he is from Texas, he’ll tell you anyway.
Well . . .if the truth be told, I’m not from Texas. But, given that I’ve learned a lot about this state and its people over the 22.5 years I’ve lived here, the natives have not run me out. Texas is the third state where I’ve lived for a while (more than five years). I’ve lived in Illinois, Arizona, and Texas. A few more years here and I will have lived here longer than I’ve lived anywhere in my life and that’s just fine with me. The irony in my tenure here is that there’s never been a place that I’ve disliked living more than my first three years here. So, what caused the big turnaround?
We moved here for me to go back to school for a Master’s degree and we lived in Dallas proper. That’s not particularly bad in and of itself. But, the reality was that I was working full-time, going to school, and we had a one-year-old son. My life was a constant mix of concrete, computers, books, and family stuff. We had little time to get out and when we did, it was to local destinations such as the zoo or a park. But, being in such a limited area provides little opportunity and time to get out and get a feel for the region and state as a whole. To add to this challenge was the fact that I’d driven through various parts of the state on the Interstate highways and they appeared to me to be the most God-forsaken areas on earth. I just didn’t understand why Texans were so infatuated with their state. What was so great about it?
Well, for me the turnaround came after we moved out of the city to a remote suburb south of Dallas and we took a trip to south Texas via the “Hill Country.” All of a sudden, I felt like I’d entered a whole new world. The strange thing about it is that is was different, but so familiar in a good way. I felt “home” in a number of places I’d never been before. I’ve joined numerous Facebook pages with a Texas theme and I see questions from new transplants to the state that are essentially asking for everything they need to know to “be Texan.” The problem is that you can’t read a book and get it. You can’t even ask a fifth-generation Texan and expect an answer that will be remotely helpful. One has to get around a bit. Drive through the Piney Woods, spend a night in the Hill Country, explore the wildlife preserves along the gulf coast, go visit Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo (the second largest canyon in the United States), or go marvel at the wonders of Big Bend National Park in west Texas; the only national park with an entire mountain range enclosed within its borders. Wherever you go, never be in such a hurry to not take time and meet the local citizens. The people and the small towns are where “the gold is.” That’s not a knock against the cities. They have virtues all their own.
Lastly, come to Texas in April and check out the wildflowers. In the photos below are bluebonnets (state flower) and Paintbrushes. I took these photos just today. I’d be happy living here the rest of my life just to see these bloom every Spring.
Click the photo to see more Texas wildflowers. Photos taken by David Largent. April 4, 2020
Twice a year some friends of mine from a Bible study plan a camping/hiking trip. Last weekend we went to a Texas State Park, Pedernales Falls State Park in what is known as the “Hill Country” of Texas. It’s one of my favorite areas of Texas and I’d been wanting to go to this particular park for a while having seen some photos. It did not disappoint. We saw the falls. We saw a bald eagle. We had perfect weather for hiking. But, one of the unexpected treats of the weekend is shown in the photo below. You’ll notice that the photo isn’t particularly amazing. But, do you notice something in the photo? It’s maple trees. Now . . . my friends back in Illinois are probably thinking, “Big deal! We have lots of maple trees.” That’s true; but not in Texas. Maple trees are rather scarce in this geographically large and ecologically diverse state. There is a “Lost Maples State Park” also in the Hill Country. If you have a state park named after something that is lost, that should be a clue that they have something rather unique to draw people there. So, you can appreciate my surprise and pleasure at finding something rather rare here in my current home state of the past 22 years. So, why is this important? It’s important to me because it was a reminder of something beautiful and pleasant from the place where I was born and grew up. Maple trees are gorgeous; especially in the Fall when the leaves are changing color. This is the third state I’ve lived in my life and I’ve loved something about every place I’ve lived. Sometimes things that may seem little or insignificant to some people are reminders of our past; where we’re from and the beautiful things that have etched themselves in the good memories of our past. These memories are cause for gratitude not only of our past and where we’ve been, but there’s beauty in where we’re at today and where we are going. Are we looking for it? Are we taking notice? Are we thankful?
Maple trees at Pedernales Falls State Park near Johnson City, TX