The way I see it, the natural world around us is being ruined by a privileged few who seem to appreciate its beauty, but who are too inconsiderate to let it exist for the rest of us. I'm talking about those "high and mighty" people who feel the need to build huge garish homes at the top of every hill or on the edges of every lake.

Yesterday, I took a hike at the Crownridge Canyon Natural Area on the outskirts of San Antonio. It is a beautiful park with trails that wind up and down the hills. It was created by the San Antonio park system to preserve the area. Unfortunately, the properties surrounding the park are not being saved. Every time I wanted to take a photo of the dramatic scenery, my view was ruined by someone's ugly home sitting at the top of a hill. The whole effect ruins the experience of hiking in nature. At some points, you get a creepy feeling of being watched from the windows of those houses. The homeowners have a gorgeous view, unless they look across the park and see the equally ugly houses across the way.

It just might be me being over sensitive. But, the way I see it, we don't need houses at the top of the hills. Nobody is so special that they deserve to build a home on a hill that ruins the natural views for the rest of us.