I noticed quite a few differences when I visited D/FW this time. Click here to view my previous post about things I noticed when driving around. Below I talk about some climate differences and some of my thoughts:

Weather

• I noticed flying in that everywhere in the west part of the county has mountains. Then, suddenly, somewhere in New Mexico it gets really flat. Texas has hills, but it's a big change from the landscapes west of there, which have tall mountains in the background.


• The weather was in the 90s in Texas. I don't like hot weather, but I managed to get through a week of temperatures in the 90s in Texas without much discomfort. Still, it sure was great to come back to the refreshingly crisp, clean, and cool Seattle air.


• Since it is so green here and there are so many lakes, I tend to think of Texas as dry and brown, but it was a pretty time of year for me to visit; all the trees were green and I noticed more lakes and rivers than I expected. With the abundant sunshine bringing out the bright green in the grass and trees, it was kind of pretty. The difference is that nobody goes outside to enjoy the outdoors in Texas. There's lots of land in Texas, but not many parks.


• It was super duper windy in Texas for the entire week I was there, windier than I can remember, blowing the car and gusting against the hotel building.


• The warm weather in Texas means that there are more bugs. I had one crawl on my leg when I was outside last week. I don't miss that.

Other

• I had forgotten how professional and sterile my company office is. Everything looks so plain and corporate. Every office is so "nice" looking and nobody really has anything very interesting on their walls. Each office has its own boring plant, and everything's just so standard and office-y looking. I'm sure a lot of places are that way, but it would be nice to work somewhere more fun and laid-back.


• The people looked more Texan than I had noticed before. There were makeup-laden blondes and people dressed more Texan, somehow.

Thoughts

• I feel bad traveling so much because it's so wasteful. It's not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but I just don't like being wasteful. It's nice to visit D/FW, but each time I fly, even though it's free to me, it's not free to the Earth. Jet pollution not only contributes to global warming, but is also just more pollution in the air that we have to breathe. Also, hotels waste a lot of things by replacing my individually-sized soaps before they have to be and washing the sheets and towels prematurely.


• It felt kind of sad when I was leaving D/FW. D/FW is where I grew up and have made so many good memories, and it is also where most of my family is. D/FW is always going to be a special place and I'm always going to have a connection to it. Plus, it's hard to leave family when they want to see me and I want to see them. It was very nice being back and I do miss Texas. But, I definitely don't miss the lifestyle in Texas and I have been very happy here so far. I was happy to be returning to Lesley and to Seattle, where I can walk places, live healthier and more sustainably, and have so much to do. But, I am torn about it all.