Wouldn’t you know it, we are now sitting in the middle of America the Beautiful, in lawn chairs on the deck behind our rented space, interpreting fluffy white cloud shapes in a deep blue sky. Seriously, you can see God smiling down from heaven in silky rays of light upon the purple mountains.

And I have to say it surprised me when so many of the people I passed on the street this past week smiled with wide open faces. The farmers market on Thursday rivaled any of the 3rd world markets we’ve been to for eye-blinding succulent produce. And the streets are clean and tended with colorful beds of flowers and (dare I say) white picket fences.

Everything speaks of dedication and pride here. It is wonderful to behold. And yet, I’m not ready to accept it at face value. I keep peering around the corner, looking for the impoverished alley with its hanging laundry and piles of garbage. It all seems too good to be true and I just want to know, “What’s the catch?”