Living In The Old West

   It's different here in Colorado from anywhere I've ever lived. This is the old west with the military thrown in. There are cowboys, good old boys, suits and soldiers. We have Fort Carson army base, NORAD and the Airforce academy. We have ranches, housing subdivisions as far as the eye can see and magnificent mountain ranges that stretch like a backbone down the state. The first thing I noticed when I moved here was how polite most people are. It's a shock to the system having just returned from Prague where, in general, many people are bordering on rude.

   The pace of life is slower, the air is cleaner and the traffic on the roads and highways is thinner. Whereas the Bay Area where I lived for thirty some years was one of the most liberal places in America, Colorado Springs is one of the most conservative. A lot of the people I meet here are overtly cheerful, think Colorado is heaven on earth, and resent the influx of Californians. We are a subject of ridicule here which frankly amuses me. Whenever I see those 'come to California' commercials I get a little weepy and if I see a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge I practically fall apart. I miss the Bay Area with all it's faults. That aside, it is wonderful to be with family here. I was raised by a single mother and my only sibling, my older brother, had gone off to college by the time I was eight. As a child of the Leave It To Beaver and Father Knows Best generation, I always longed for a traditional family.  I must be careful not to expect a TV show version of family life. I'm prone to fantasy and have a natural aversion to reality.