Tuesday at sunup the black mouth cur and I walked down into the thick fog along the river as a cool night tried to dial up into a warm day. Those misty winter mornings are the most beautiful here, the way they obfuscate the ugliness we make and lend every vista a blurry romance. You couldn’t see the office towers that normally appear over the western treeline, and you could barely even see the bits of soapy discharge that drift in the slow currents flowing from the dam. The herons and ducks were out there in the shallows, enjoying what bounty the river still provides them, and maybe enjoying the way the fog also seemed to muffle the machine sounds of the human city.
It's disheartening to imagine that these big corporations are moving here because it's either been implied or (I suspect) spelled out to them by the powers that be that there will be zero ramifications for whatever environmental damage they may cause. No doubt writing like Field Notes will become increasingly important as the transformation of Austin and the Hill Country continues to gather pace.
Thanks, Peter. The polluter-friendly environmental regulation is certainly one thing, but even more than that I think is the relatively absence of land use regulation by location outside the city limits in eastern Travis County, as Texas law gives counties extremely limited zoning and similar powers. I hope writing like this will have an impact, but I think grassroots organizing is the most important thing. Thanks for your continued support and engagement, and have a wonderful holiday!
I am well read (by most standards) and write and persuade for my living as a commercial real estate lawyer. I also write science fiction and poems. Your weekly post, which I read in my phone first thing in the morning, is a Sunday morning tradition for me. I appreciate the good writing, but I am more thankful and stimulated by how you see the world and that you are actually seeing it and finding the good amidst the suffering (in the Buddhist sense). I am grateful for your mindfulness and on behalf of my family I wish yours health, peace and safety for the coming year. Should you ever be in the Louisville, Kentucky area please reach out for any local knowledge you may wish for - good hiking spots, good coffee spots, etc….
Thank you so much, Kyle! I deeply appreciate it. And Louisville is on the list—I have some good friends up there and hope to make the trip soon, and will make a point to reach out.
It's disheartening to imagine that these big corporations are moving here because it's either been implied or (I suspect) spelled out to them by the powers that be that there will be zero ramifications for whatever environmental damage they may cause. No doubt writing like Field Notes will become increasingly important as the transformation of Austin and the Hill Country continues to gather pace.
Thanks, Peter. The polluter-friendly environmental regulation is certainly one thing, but even more than that I think is the relatively absence of land use regulation by location outside the city limits in eastern Travis County, as Texas law gives counties extremely limited zoning and similar powers. I hope writing like this will have an impact, but I think grassroots organizing is the most important thing. Thanks for your continued support and engagement, and have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks for a year of great essays - I've really enjoyed them.
Thank you!
I am well read (by most standards) and write and persuade for my living as a commercial real estate lawyer. I also write science fiction and poems. Your weekly post, which I read in my phone first thing in the morning, is a Sunday morning tradition for me. I appreciate the good writing, but I am more thankful and stimulated by how you see the world and that you are actually seeing it and finding the good amidst the suffering (in the Buddhist sense). I am grateful for your mindfulness and on behalf of my family I wish yours health, peace and safety for the coming year. Should you ever be in the Louisville, Kentucky area please reach out for any local knowledge you may wish for - good hiking spots, good coffee spots, etc….
Best,
Kyle Galloway
Thank you so much, Kyle! I deeply appreciate it. And Louisville is on the list—I have some good friends up there and hope to make the trip soon, and will make a point to reach out.