"Montani semper liberi"

While browsing around my favorite Internet haunts, I found this in Peggy Noonan's archives. It's her account of a visit last summer to West Virginia, a state I myself was able to see a few times in person during the five years we lived in Ohio. Like Peggy, I have always felt a certain affection for the place, and for generally the same reasons she gives.

The state motto, by the way, is appropriated here as the title for this post. It means "Mountaineers are always free."

Enjoy the article, and try to visit West Virginia someday if you can.