From Mobeetie to Plano

At the beginning of August, we were surrounded by wide open spaces, deep skies, and the vast silence of the plains. This past weekend, we were in a neon-lit, bustling metropolis, surrounded by people and unable to see the stars because of man-made light coming up from the ground.

And at both extremes, we were in Texas.

We were visiting my parents in north Texas this past weekend, and while there we decided to hit the Angelika Theater at the Shops at Legacy in Plano (we saw Paul Giamatti's Cold Souls, great and weird flick). It struck me while we were there how vast Texas is, and how incredibly diverse. My mind wandered back to a point in our panhandle trip, to the ghost town of Mobeetie. That town, before the railroads, had been as bustling a place as one could get in the frontier. How odd it was to think of the wind whistling at Mobeetie while dodging traffic in the narrow and crowded streets of Plano on a Saturday night.

I love my state, every inch of it (even the parts that infuriate me - I'm looking at you, Houston). But I think I love some parts more. I ached for the peace in the panhandle while we were in north Texas, in the Dallas area. I wanted that vastness and space to stretch.

If you're the opposite, though - I can highly recommend the Shops at Legacy.