Just in case you haven’t been twatching twitter over the last 48 hours, there have been a whole heck of a lot of entries from people in Houston with attachments that look something like this (from my favorite rock star photographer):
Why do we live here again?Well, honestly, there are about 3 kabillion reasons why. One of them is the 6 million people who live here with us. And many of them grew up somewhere with someone who taught them how to cook. So it’s flavorful.
But that’s another post entirely.The truth is, despite the randomly intense heat, things grow here. Businesses. Families. Savings accounts. And every kind of plant imaginable.
I don’t know how Houston got this ugly smoggy nasty wrap. (Oh yeah I do, the multi-million dollar Presidential ad campaign that my political contribution contributed to. Thanks a lot, John Kerry.) But the truth is, it’s just kind of awesome here. And the other day The Hurricane and I took a walking photo tour to show you.
We walked from our front door to the end of the block and over and back. Short trip. But we had a lot of material to work with. Because there are flowers everywhere. At our feet.
Above our heads.In the trees.
And there are a lot of trees.
A lot of trees.
And flowers.Cool ones.
And fragrant ones.
And somehow this aromatherapy works to counterbalance the mind-numbing temperatures created by our current heat wave.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
I love it! No better life lesson than learning to literally stop and smell the roses. Or jasmine. Or whatever. Houston is awesome. It seems the people who most disparage Houston have never actually visited. I love it. Food, people, shopping, energy, diversity, vibe, arts…H-town has it all. Apparently the 'Cane and my niece both think boots are a hot (and I mean HOT) summer accessory.
He's so cute!!
I'm originally from the south (Louisiana) but now live in Colorado, so the foliage is definitely something I miss. Sure, we have our own variety of arid loving plants and shrubs, but not like the south. Great photos!
These pictures make Houston look so inviting. We don't have trees like this in our California suburbs…Houston was never on my radar, but it is now. Thanks for sharing!
My husband reminded me that he lived on this street long ago…and he loves it, too!
I love how fragrant Houston is when the azaleas are in bloom. A few years ago a friend from Austin was visiting. As we were driving down University he stopped mid sentence to exclaim "What is that scent? It's glorious!". He spent the next few minutes with his head out the window of my moving car
Go, Houston! That red one is a passionflower. NATIVE!xoxo!
Beautiful. Just perfect.
Just found your blog from a link on the Pioneer Woman's page. We just moved from Houston to SC… I knew I would miss the people in Houston, but you just made me long for Houston, the city. I'll check back in later. Hope you're having a great time at BlogHer!
Um, I think I must live in your neighborhood. That's one of the Boulevards just down the street!Crazy small world in a huge city!Love your writing and your attitude towards Houston. We just moved back into our house in this wonderful neighborhood after a year away in San Francisco. Poor Houston gets a terrible (and perhaps deservedly so) wrap for the, ahem, "extended" summer and remarkable sprawl. But we have amazing arts, restaurants, diversity, and yes indeed, plant life!