Stepping off the plane after five months abroad, I expected a warm greeting from my mother.
Instead she grabbed my hand, turned to give the bird to a man that had been rude to her and said bitingly "Have a nice flight." Welcome to Texas.
No state likes littering.
If you pass through the Southeast, signs tell you to keep "Alabama the Beautiful" and to "Keep Georgia Peachy Clean."
But Texans take a more direct approach: "Don't Mess with Texas."
No please, no thank you. Just a warning that if you don't respect us, you will be sorry.
I admit that we're different. Full of attitude. Arrogant. Definitely a breed apart from other Americans.
Maybe it's because we were once an independent republic and that wild independent streak has passed down through the generations like a disease.
Or maybe it's that Texas isn't a gentle state.
