Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that can depend on what you learn in your youth. We were “on vacation” when I was seeing those purple- or maybe just blue- mountain majesties roll under us.
“Majesties” were what implanted themselves in my young boy’s mind; those smoky rolls and layers of endless adventure and imagination.
I saw then the magic that Daniel Boone felt, but at least I didn’t have to walk my way across it.
Growing up in the east I loved the western deserts. But my wife didn’t like all the brown. It might also be that both parents were from Arizona and we learned to love visiting there.
I think the prettiest place in the world is the place where Democrats are in museums only to serve as a reminder of how insane we can become. But I haven’t seen that place yet.
(Museums, or college campii but not teaching.)