BROWN TEXAS

I'd say brown if there was a color to describe the land on the round-trip train ride from Austin to Dallas on two scorching hot days in mid-August. Brown burnt grass and brown dirt peeking out from stubble are all caused by more days than I can count of 100+ degree weather without rain. A small fraction of the fields had been plowed, but I would guess the harvest this year had minimal yield.

Creeks and streams reveal only brown dirt and no water, while rivers run at an all-time low.

Despite our fun-filled grandmother/grandson bonding weekend, one can’t help but be negatively impacted by the distressed fields across Texas in various stages of death.

Sparce cattle live in this no man’s land, and it’s a wonder they have anything to eat, much less drink from the dry and near-empty waterholes. Some find refuge under the too few trees, only to be saved for another day before being hauled to slaughter. Slaughterhouses are very busy these days, with ranchers trying to eke out a living by rushing their cows to be slaughtered before they die or become skin and bones, making their meat worthless.

Adding to drought and heat, the brown dilapidated houses beside the train tracks had better days decades ago. One can only hope they have air conditioning, but who knows? Too many people live on the streets in Austin and Dallas. They would probably view those dilapidated brown houses as mansions. I’m left feeling fortunate and guilty simultaneously. Who am I to judge anyone's living arrangement? I wish we had sound solutions for people who are homeless.

The dried-up brown little towns along the way with boarded doors and windows on the storefronts give a glimpse of what small-town living must have been like more than a half-century ago. Farm families going to market on a Saturday must have been a familiar scene during those days, but no longer.

Even Amtrak is a mere shadow of what it once was twenty years ago when I traveled from Dallas to Chicago on the train. The current worn blue carpet is an improvement over what could have been a worn brown carpet, but not much. Most of the employees seemed colorless and weary, matching the state of the train cars. You know how some people ask, "Can I help you?" but their facial expression begs you to leave them alone? That's how most of them treated the passengers when they weren't admonishing them for some minor infraction. The only bright spot of the Amtrak experience was the station master in Austin on Saturday morning, who enthusiastically and sincerely wished everyone a marvelous day. Perhaps it’s the weather that drags down many of the employees. I don’t know why their attitude is so dreary, but maybe a good rain and cooler weather will be the change they need. Well... the change we all need!

Would I do this again despite the brown colors? You betcha! The colors I would choose for spending time with my grandson would be bright yellows, reds, purples, and greens. I wouldn’t miss it for all the gold in the world.

And I still love Amtrak despite itself!