Growing up on the flat, crispy eastern side of New Mexico I got used to people complaining that it was ugly. Mind you, the locals never said that, it was always coming from somebody who grew up around trees and running water. They had a fixed notion of beauty and to their unaccustomed eyes the beauty of the llano estacado was not readily apparent. But those of us raised on the high plains knew there was beauty to be seen in all 360 glorious degrees. What I could not have realized until I left the plains was how much I would miss being able to see all around me, my view never impinged upon by a mountain or forest. I could not have known how very claustrophobic I would feel when my line of sight was slashed to ribbons by trees zipping by as I traveled down a road, or how frustrated I would get when I would catch a glimpse of something I wanted to see better but never could because the road led me down into a valley, the object of my curiosity cut off every time...When I go home I revel in the austere landscape. The beauty there is sublime, and always rewards the one who bothers to look, a sunflower caught in the last rays of the sun, Johnson grass silhouetted against a variegated sky are easy even for the uninitiated to recognize as beautiful, but consider the chartreuse buffalo gourd nestled in velvety taupe colored leaves, that is also the beauty of the llanoEstacado. Its there, just waiting for you to open your eyes and see it.
I liken your words to how I think about O'ahu. Overall, it is very beautiful but like any place that has 'civilization' there can be the ugly trappings that go along with that. Yet, when I am traveling in a less than spectacular area such as run down houses, I spot that bright bush of bougainvillea with that pop of color that lights everything up. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but it is more around you than you think in subtle spots of color, pampas grass in a field of the Pali and huge stands of bamboo along the road side.
ReplyDeleteThe photos are outstanding! I love NM When your dad died the AF would have moved us anywhere we wanted to go. I looked around and said "We'll stay here". I'm so glad we did.I love the beauty and the feeling of freedom when you travel in the area. Of course I had to go to New England for a short visit before I realized how much I love it.The Land of Enchantment truly is.
ReplyDeleteJune you are so right! It easy to see beauty in the manicured landscapes, but wabi sabi is were its at for me.
ReplyDeleteIts funny how you can't really know what you have till you are away from it. Nothing makes you more aware of it, than its abscence
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