The big lone star state.

The saying that "Everything is Texas is bigger" already seems to be true. We crossed in this afternoon, and the wide open spaces already loom large, foreboding a very long drive with little to see. We headed along the Gulf coast, over a free (state-funded) ferry, to Galveston, on our way to Houston. It was nice to see the ocean again, to dip my feet in. Galveston is basically the Ocean City Maryland of southeast Texas, but with many really cool Victorian homes - finally a new era of architecture. Something about the place just suits me. The few people we've met have been really nice, and in a way that doesn't seem to have the underlying fake-ness I find with southern hospitality.

Houston is huge, but the first thing I noticed was a much higher standard of living. Now granted we could have driven through just the nicest parts, but we drove through the supposedly nice parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and still saw a lot of poverty. Maybe Texas just does a better job at segregating its poor - I wouldn't put it past them - and the oil rigs really are all over the place, so you know they've got to have plenty of blue-collar workers. But so far, the whole state looks much wealthier on the whole. Guess I will have to update you on this. Last note: I'd had enough Cajun and southern cuisine to last me for quite a while, so the ribs and beef brisket were a nice change. Too bad for Sarah, 'cause the list of vegetables included baked beans, potato salad, jambalaya (Texas style), and other non-suited-for-vegetarian "veggies"!