Rural Arkansas

TP and I drove through rural Arkansas on the way from RedState to DarkRedState and back. Here's the thing about places you drive through. You know nothing about them. I can read their culture off of the billboards, but if all cultures were judged by their advertising we would all be in trouble. That said, it's all very telling.

Huge porn stores, coupled with huge churches and the occasional fireworks warehouse. What is that about? Is it the theory that every force must have an equal and opposing force? My favorite billboard was one with TONS of hearts on it that said "Love Video: All Ratings". Naw-uh, that is not about love.

The actual land that we covered in our drive was beautiful. Arkansas is the southern terminus of the mountains that are mine, up in NewEnglandState where I grew up. (Kudos to my father for pointing that out). So maybe the affinity that I felt for the rolling green hills, herds of cows. Mainly it was all just brighter and a little bit bigger. I'm still put off my guard by how huge the sky can be here. It makes me feel exposed like something could swoop out of the sky and get me. On the other hand, driving through East Nowhere, RedState I encountered a rural landscape that was very foreign, and I still found it deeply beautiful. This made me think that maybe, despite my cosmopolitan leanings, I really am a country girl. My basic affinities are to places where there is a lot of space, and small clusters of houses that cling to each other against some harsh environment, and of course, where the sunsets are stunning and the cows are plentiful.