The thing is that Texans sort of do like to claim tumbleweeds as our own, even as we complain about them. When I have to mow over them, I will always think of them as “those bastards” because their tough, woody stalks seem to be stronger than the rotating blade of a riding lawn mower. But there’s a sort of perverse pride in them – in their quantity and size. So spotting this tumbleweed, the most gigantic one I’d ever seen, in California? It’s taking me a while to process my emotions…

Mecca, California
photographed 2.13.2022