When I was a boy, my father used to get angry with "Sunday drivers," those people who drove along in a leisurely fashion, taking in the sights. Now, in middle age, I am one of them.
Today's drive took me southwest of Columbia, looping among farms, across the Missouri River floodplain and past the outer sprawl of this college town. The bright sky, cold and blue, was in stark contrast to the faded greens and browns of the early winter landscape. The usual mix of rural birds, dominated by red-tailed hawks, American kestrels and mourning doves, perched along the roadways and placid farm animals, well fed and content, reflected the serenity of country life. Hoping to spot a flock of snow geese heading south, I saw only an occasional group of Canadas, honking their way above the farmlands.
In truth, it's not easy to take a leisurely drive through the country anymore; drop below forty and you'll soon have a pickup on your bumper. Humans continue to fill the open spaces and the pace of life has increased in concert. The Sunday driver is a threatened species!
