About a week ago Sean and I made it to Plano, Texas, where he grew up. As a country kid, I used to be confused when he told people he was from “the Dallas area” — like, are you from Dallas or are you from a completely different town? (Fortunately, when I tell people I’m from Iowa their only question is whether that’s the one with corn or the one with potatoes. It’s the one with corn.)
Now, having spent some time in Dallas, I understand that Plano is part of Dallas in much the same way this park bench is part of the creek:
Basically, the Dallas area is like a transformer made of towns that it swallowed up. This is all very foreign to me; New Orleans, though it contains enough weirdness for a few Dallases put together, is actually a very small city. I’ve never lived anywhere where the downtown had more than three exits. In fact, the town where I grew up could probably be comfortably housed inside one of Dallas’s skyscrapers.
As luck would have it, this turned out to be the perfect time for Sean to visit his childhood home: the day after we arrived, his parents put it on the market. After 20+ years in Plano, they’ve set their sights on something a little more rural. I’m excited to visit them at their fainting goat farm next time around, but I imagine it’s pretty weird for Sean — it’s hard to say goodbye to the place you spent your formative years in.
While his parents shopped for their new home, Sean and I decided to become homeowners ourselves. Our budget was about $12.99, and I think we did pretty well for ourselves.
Our visit was also well-timed because it coincided with Father’s Day, and Sean has one of those. His grandfather, Richard, also lives in the area, so the lot of us went out to celebrate their fatherliness with pizza and beer.
We also took a little day trip to Denton, where one of Sean’s high school friends is now a father himself. We spent a few hours in the thrall of Neva’s cuteness, discussing matters such as “hat!” and “hi!” We learned that any item can be classified as a hat when you put it on your head, including but not limited to plastic stacking cups and my hoop earrings.
After Dallas we’ll be in uncharted waters for a couple weeks, covering some territory that’s unfamiliar to both of us. With our hearts full of Texas love, we’re ready to take on anything.
The Good Ship Watermelon 