1. resilience through all odds

today is the first day of my 50 post series on what makes texas great leading up to my one year post. i was in big bend, one of the greatest jewels of texas.

these are my feet on the parched, dry ground of the rio grande riverbed at the entrance to santa elena canyon.

perhaps my favorite thing about texas is that the state (and by proxy, the people) have a long history of resilience and pushing through against all odds with positivity.

this part of texas has been in a very severe drought for most of the year. the ground is parched, the river is low, plenty of desert plants are burnt from fire or thirsty beyond normal conditions.

but it perseveres nonetheless, and beautifully.

texas is a land of extremes that few other states can claim - we have dense forests, flat plains, green hills, a coastal delta, multiple mountain ranges, and a high and low desert. there is something to be said for the way the land seemingly can live through anything, through all extremes. it is definitely a favorite of mine.