Tejas

Stacey and I just got back from her brother's wedding in Dallas Texas. What a different world Dallas Texas is. The wedding was great and the people were nice, but the city was... weird. The one and only time I had previously been to Dallas was flying back from Paris. My international flight checked into the country at Dallas/Fort Worth airport which, as far as airports go - is really nice. It's huge and clean... but it's Texas. I don't like the idea that a person from anywhere else in the world - coming to America for the first time, touches down in Texas first. The people are Texan. The bumper stickers and T shirts that say "Don't mess with Texas" are serious. The people take their home state (and their pride) very seriously.
While I got that feeling and I make that statement, I don't have a specific incident that will shed light on it. It is a feeling you get when you talk to anyone/everyone there. Everyone has a friendly face in Dallas, but you get the feeling that that is where it ends. Friendly things are said, but a warm feeling of friendship is missing.
When I first came to Portland I was taken aback by the friendliness of the people. When you put your turn signal on the show that you're about to change lanes - the people behind you slow down to let you in. It's friendly almost to the point of frustration here... but it's genuine. I got the feeling from all sides that it wasn't genuine there. Surface Friendliness.
We did meet some great (now, family) people from Virginia who felt genuine to talk to. I hope to keep in touch with them.
Overall, the food was delicious (and plentiful) and the houses (and churches, and hotels and cars and public) were huge. I just don't see myself wanting to spend any of my own time there. I'd still like to visit Austin at some point - I hear that place is a different type of Texas.