Varying Flora and Attitudes

It's interesting to be back in North Carolina after spending some time in the high desert of southern Colorado.  The juxtaposition of flora, fauna, and society in both areas makes me look forward to traveling the rest of US and seeing how different the terrain and the people all are; from the northern farmland of upstate New York to the muggy swamps of Louisiana, I'm excited.

Luckily I didn't have to spend the night in the Charlotte airport last week because my mom and little sister came to rescue me late at night.  Sleepless night averted.  I was whisked right back into the Zaslow family life again in Asheville and their passionately fussy dispositions.  Maybe the southern climate nurtures fiery temperaments because my family is always having some "passionate discussion" about the effects of whop-sided population growth and cognitive evolution on humanity as a whole or the state of my brother's life choices.  I think the fact that 3 out of 6 people in the household have done debate of some sort helps fuel the discussion fires.

 Photo by Rachel Letcher

There have been numerous NC summer thunderstorms pouring from the sky in mid-afternoon and the mountains are so green and luscious.  The trees are gi-nawmous and the kudzu's blanketed everything in these big green vines.  It's like a northeastern rain forest up in these hills.  Where as Colorado is so dry and the trees don't seem to get much higher that a one story building, at least not in the southeast where we're staying.  The blues, greens, and browns look much more vivid to me which makes photographing the landscape around Arboles much more exciting.

People of North Carolina get up in your face and ask many more questions about your life in general than people of Colorado, who will listen to whatever you want to reveal about yourself but who don't want to ask too many questions for fearing of prying into your personal life.  NC people also appear to have no problem telling you that they don't whole heartily approve of what your doing...
An example of an exchange:
"Oh yeah, we're going on a road trip and live out of our car for a year."
pause..."Well now, why ever would you do something like that?  What if someone tries to break in when you all are sleeping in the back?  Doesn't that seem dangerous to you?"

 Photo Via Swimming Holes.org

Arid and reserved in Colorado.
Lush and fussy in North Carolina.

Haha, I love my roots.