What Price Progress?

The boys were out of school yesterday and Mark was home, so we goofed off. I love days like that. We had breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then went for a drive.

Part of our drive included the area where my dad was born and spent his first few years. I cannot explain to you what a small place this is. To get to the place in the picture above sounds like the start of a redneck joke: "Dive up County Road 25, take a left at the historical marker, then turn right onto the dirt road beside the cemetery." Seriously.

What used to be the very definition of the middle of nowhere has been invaded. This poor area that most people did not even know existed, is hiding riches underground. Natural gas. I lost count of how many of these gas wells I saw, but his one in front of a dilapidated old barn made me stop. The juxtaposition of these two structures is so strange to see.

My dad joked for years that we should all buy some land out there in the country. He did not know how right he was!