Why is Texas thought of as desert?

[case44]

Originally Posted by desertsun41

Love your descriptions. You must be a Geography Teacher. I bet it would take 10 lifetimes to see all Texas has to offer. My only familiarity is in the Lake Livingston area and a little bit of the Bolivar Peninsula. Maybe a little of the surrounding Lake Conroe area.

It will be full time home to me shortly and I cant wait to explore.

Thanks for the comments. And, no, I'm not a geography teacher --- sorry. You'll be taking about twenty lifetimes and you still won't be able to see everything in this big, honkin' state. Nevertheless, happy explorations!

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by case44

Thanks for the comments. And, no, I'm not a geography teacher --- sorry. You'll be taking about twenty lifetimes and you still won't be able to see everything in this big, honkin' state. Nevertheless, happy explorations!

Too funny. As right now there is a big discussion (debate - heated - whatever) going on over on the Dallas board. Those that recently moved here from Ca and think it is "hot, flat, boring as hell" etc. I just responded back w/ a short list of things do do in this GREAT BIG DIVERSE state.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/dalla...-folks-40.html

I read the posters thoughts of Texas to my 13 yo daughter and her response was, "whatever". This child of mine has been to California (LA, San Diego, Sacramento, Lake Tahoe), Mexico, Florida, North Carolina, South Caronina, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Georgia (well, you get the point). In Texas alone she has been down to the Frio River and Garner State Park, Uvalde, Corpus Christi, North Padre Island, Port A, San Antonio, Austin (thru it as she does not remember the trip to the capitol when she was a baby), Fredericksburg, Llano, Tyler, Texarkana, Houston, Huntsville, Galveston, Boliver, Amarillo, Canyon, Palo Duro Canyon, etc. She only remembers back for about 9 years and SHE thinks she has not even began to touch the surface of what this state has to offer. You can only imagine what one is totally missing out on if they NEVER get out and explore this place.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by High_Plains_Retired

Yes, the saguaros are native to the Sonoran Desert but continue to be cast in movies set in the upper Chihuahua. You either have some biological training or are just very astute. I am a retired biologist who recieved his education in New Mexico so the plant and animal life in southwestern movie sets are always an interest to me.

Thanks for the compliment, HighPlains, but the extent of my biology training was limited to that required in high school, and the elective in college to satisfy the science requirement! LOL

Actually, Texas/Southern/American Regional studies have just always been an avocation of mine, and in doing so, the area of movies and stereotypes has naturally come up. So the cactus thing was just something I read once, and filed away for future reference! LOL

This strays a bit off topic (and in fact, I am considering starting a seperate thread for it), but I have a question for you as you are a retired biologist. That is....well, let me preface a minute....

When I was a kid, going to family reunions in rural areas, and even in the backyard of my own home in Wichita Falls, I remember those lightning bug swarms! Like a "fantasy of lights" in its own right! (in fact, some years back, I wrote a short story about it..but I digress here). When my own kids were growing up, I noticed that glorious display of shooting stars just seemed less and less frequent and thick. At least in town. My own kids just really never got to experience the magic of it like I did (or at least remember it to be).

Well, I asked a biology professor about it once (like you, he was a native Texan) he told me that the same pesticides (which come from those "fogger trucks") that killed mosquitoes ALSO killed lightning bugs! Can you elaborate a bit on that...?

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by TexasReb

When I was a kid, going to family reunions in rural areas, and even in the backyard of my own home in Wichita Falls, I remember those lightning bug swarms! Like a "fantasy of lights" in its own right! (in fact, some years back, I wrote a short story about it..but I digress here). When my own kids were growing up, I noticed that glorious display of shooting stars just seemed less and less frequent and thick. At least in town. My own kids just really never got to experience the magic of it like I did (or at least remember it to be).

Well, I asked a biology professor about it once (like you, he was a native Texan) he told me that the same pesticides (which come from those "fogger trucks") that killed mosquitoes ALSO killed lightning bugs! Can you elaborate a bit on that...?

We used to catch lightening bugs as a kid and I grew up in the burbs of Dallas. We have TONS of them right now in our own yard here in Garland. My daughter was running around the yard the other night trying to catch them. We were also getting dizzy looking from side to side and around us at all of the flashes of light from those little wonders.

[TexasReb]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

We used to catch lightening bugs as a kid and I grew up in the burbs of Dallas. We have TONS of them right now in our own yard here in Garland. My daughter was running around the yard the other night trying to catch them. We were also getting dizzy looking from side to side and around us at all of the flashes of light from those little wonders.

Sure wish there had been/is a way to capture such a thing on tape...but then maybe certain things aren't MEANT to be recorded. Kinda like dreams...

Anyway, gotta take care of stuff around here, but am going to start another thread on this wonderful offshoot of the topic...!

[fierce_flawless]

When I was a little girl I lived in the Texas Coast (near Corpus Christi), but I spent part of each summer at my grandmother's house in Maryland. She's a Texan, but lived in that part of the country for many years because her husband worked at the Pentagon in DC.

Anyway, I would sometimes stay for 2 months... and every other kid I met, EVERY year, would ask me the same 3 questions:

1) Do you ride a HORSE to school??? (um no, I take the bus)
2) Do you chase tumbleweeds? (what's a tumbleweed??)
3) What do you do for fun?? (go to the beach!) which was met with "What BEACH??"

It was frustrating to me at 8, 9, 10, 11 years old. It's hilarious to me now though. But ohhhhh, they were merciless in teasing me about my "Texas talk" accent! I didn't think I had any accent at all!