In Plain Sight

There many ways to draw lines on a map. Using physical, natural, cultural, political, or geographic divisions are all valid ways to decide where to put a line on a map. The confusion comes when there are several common names for a particular place, especially when some of those common names derive from different divisions. This confusion is often a topic of conversation in Texas. For example, by one measure Dallas is in North Texas while Amarillo, despite the latter being farther north. Or another example is the confusion on where exactly West Texas begins. This confusion is compounded by all the different maps floating around. What one map labels “Panhandle Plains”, another splits into “High Plains” and “Rolling Plains” They are both valid maps, but which deciding which one is relevant to your particular conversation depends on the context.

Context is always important.

Another area with some confusion is the Texas Panhandle. I’ve thrown together a quick animation showing two of the two most commonly confused terms. It isn’t an exhaustive example of all the conflicting maps and names however.

Lubbock is so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days.
– Unknown

Jokes about how flat Lubbock and the Llano Estacado are likely began before television and radio; however, the memeifcation of them have allowed people to dismiss the region out of hand. Any time something becomes a meme the truth is sacrificed, and this is true for Lubbock and the plains. Make no mistake, I am not claiming the plains are the mountains, but I do claim it is too easy to dismiss the beauty of something once it becomes a meme.

With city names like Levelland, Plainview, and Plains it is difficult to argue that the area isn’t flat. But, we are a land of canyons, draws, and over 20,000 playas — shallow lakes, some perennial, most ephemeral— which create the illusion that one can see everything, when in fact much is hidden from view. Those who never venture off the highway often overlook what the country truly looks like.

I argue that on foot is superior to even a bicycle, but Hemingway’s preference does make for a good compromise between seeing the country as it really is and seeing a lot of it. In either case, too few people have the time or energy to walk or bike the Llano Estacado. So, my hope is this serialization of one of my book projects, In Plain Sight, will let others find the beauty of the plains not mentioned in the memes.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and can coast down them… Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motorcar only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.
— Ernest Hemingway

Full moon over Lubbock and Yellow House Draw

A benefit of this series over the eventual print book is the ability to include video and links to more information.

instante mense

things of interest in this month

The lines we draw

In Plain Sight: An introduction