Borders

We used to go to Mexico a lot when I was a kid. It was an easy family vacation. You could get a tourist pass at the border – no passport required – and my parents spoke enough Spanish to deal with restaurants and hotel rooms.

I haven’t managed to make it across lately, even though I only live about 300 miles from the border. But I’ve been down to the Rio Grande Valley and out to the high desert country near Big Bend National Park on several occasions.

And every time I’ve done it, I’ve been stop...