The Invisible America the World Doesn’t See
Keeping this administration in power and receiving nothing in return
Last week we headed north, leaving behind the sweltering heat of southern Arizona in pursuit of cool air and tall trees — a reprieve from summer in the desert. The roads heading upstate wound around hairpin turns, hugging dramatic views across sharp ravines filled with dribbles of brown water desperately in need of more rainfall. Saguaros shape-shifted into scrubby chaparral before finally giving way to the rugged, mountainous terrain of the north. Ponderosa pines and aspens served as a conveyor, welcoming us into the wilderness with open arms. We gratefully obliged, of course.
A series of humble, lakeside towns followed in succession, merging into the blur that is small-town America. There were no protective face masks to be seen on locals here, suggesting either a COVID-free pocket of life in this neck of the woods or a ‘Business As Usual’ approach. We suspected the latter, given the endless stream of headlines that put Arizona on the world stage for corona-cases. We made a point not to stop.
Between the repeated attempts to persuade our anxious dog to surrender to the powers of the literal chill pill we had given him a couple of hours earlier, I stared passively out the window, noting the feeling of…
