SpeedRacer2002
Member
As I sit here waxing poetic, I feel the need to confess. Not for any wrongdoing or crime, but simply to express my state of mind. It's been over twelve years that I have called the "Golden State" of California my home. And in many ways there are treasures here beyond measure. I met my wife here, bought an overpriced home, and enjoy the joy of my two children. The weather is beautiful most of the year. I live driving distance from one of the highest tech areas (which employs me) and also driving distance from gorgous mountains and national forrest. But it is not without it faults for sure. It's stance on the second amendment right of it's citizens it attrocious. And even though many rural Californian's are avid hunters and sportsmen, the policies of the entire state are generally dictated by the few but highly populated areas such as the SF Bay area, Los Angles and it surrrounding areas, San Diego, etc. Those of us who enjoy the shooting sports do it in private and do our best to convince those around us that guns are not the evil they are portrayed to be rather they are simply a tool and should be treated appropriately. But still in many ways I love California. But it is not the south.
I moved to California from the suburbs of New Orleans. I was not a native of Louisianna. I spent most my life growing up in the mid-west. But probably to the day I die I will always think of Louisiana as my home. Never have I been welcomed as openly without thought or care about my background as I was there. It was a beautiful state and a dreary state and yet it always felt warm and timeless. It was a land of sportsmen, a land were the concept of self dependence had not been lost, and yet everyone I knew looked out for each other. I barely speak to my neighbors here in Cali, even though our houses are close enough that I doubt there are many secrets among us. In New Orleans there wasn't a neighbor on the street how wouldn't invite you in for a beer regardless of whether it was the first time you had laid eyes on them.
Californian's will boast about the beauty and prestige of the California wine country. And indeed they are beautiful and they produce some excellent wines. But only in the south can you find whiskey distilleries which produce bourbons which have aged longer than many California wineries have been in existance.
Perhaps I look back with vision distorted by fond memories, but I still feel that part of my heart will always long to be a son of the south.
I moved to California from the suburbs of New Orleans. I was not a native of Louisianna. I spent most my life growing up in the mid-west. But probably to the day I die I will always think of Louisiana as my home. Never have I been welcomed as openly without thought or care about my background as I was there. It was a beautiful state and a dreary state and yet it always felt warm and timeless. It was a land of sportsmen, a land were the concept of self dependence had not been lost, and yet everyone I knew looked out for each other. I barely speak to my neighbors here in Cali, even though our houses are close enough that I doubt there are many secrets among us. In New Orleans there wasn't a neighbor on the street how wouldn't invite you in for a beer regardless of whether it was the first time you had laid eyes on them.
Californian's will boast about the beauty and prestige of the California wine country. And indeed they are beautiful and they produce some excellent wines. But only in the south can you find whiskey distilleries which produce bourbons which have aged longer than many California wineries have been in existance.
Perhaps I look back with vision distorted by fond memories, but I still feel that part of my heart will always long to be a son of the south.
