southern home grown

摘要

THE WORLD IS FULL OF WONDERFUL PLACES to live and be. I make that statement with confidence, because I've had the good fortune of traveling to many of those places. I have chased the moon's reflection on the firm wet sands of the Gulf Coast I have picked peaches on a Connecticut hilltop with a view of Long Island Sound on a good day. I have stood with my face to the Pacific winds at San Francisco's Presidio Park. Then there are the South Pacific islands, with the basalt soil that seems to vibrate with the rhythm of the crashing surf. And the Himalayan Plateau, so vasL silenL and strong. The high Tibetan villages are built of stones from the mountains around them. The houses are the same color as the fields. I collected the dust under my fingernailsand kept a collection of pebbles in those interesting colors in my pockets. I bathed my soul in the cool green of the lower Alps and rested in the sweet darkness of St Francis' cave retreats in Umbria. I have wondered at the variety of bananas to be found on the north coast of New Guinea (the ones that never stop being green but taste like sweet cinnamon were my favorite). I have reveled in the sound of many languages in my ear. I have tasted many soils in my fingers. I have been around.