There are many peculiar things about this state of Texas we live in,
most of our legends seem larger than life, until you git here,
so here are but a few examples, y'all.
"The Texas Car Wash"
Listen up. This cowboy thinks the sign on the building says,
"Cow Wash" and underneath it is a sign for a $1 Bull Changer."
If'n he didn't he'd never pull into a CAR wash with his
Texas Pride TRUCK and CATTLE TRAILER.
The pole just got in his way as he was pullin' up, blockin' his view of the signs.
"Law Enforcement"
This feller knows that once you've been spotted fer speedin',
and he walks out in the road with his Texas-fast steed,
blocking all of yer lanes of traffic,
you ain't gonna try to run away - or hit 'em.
"The Classic Texas Mailbox"
In a state with a notorious concealed-weapon law
[and highest percentage of death-row prison executions]
Mind you, our family is not wildly excited about guns, as our cousin, Dale Fredericks was murdered by a gang of 5 gun-carrying thugs in Washington DC. We know that guns don't kill people, people kill people, and we also know the statistics about what would happen if the right-to-bear-arms were removed from the common people. So, this is an example of how we can see humor, amidst our sorrow for losing our precious Dale, who left his wife, Joan, and son, Paul, behind. This is a picture of him, as he was a Gunny-Sergeant in the United States Marine Corp, and this picture is of him playing trombone in the Washington DC Marine Band (shortly before he was to receive his Ph.D.), as directly seen in the beginning of the movie A Few Good Men.
In case you wonder what types
of back yard lawn games we play here - Texas-sized
[yes we have lawns - - sometimes]
A Few Texas Facts Fer Yer Ponderin'
I know ya'll just can't wait to read 'em!
Beaumont to El Paso: 742 miles
Beaumont to Chicago: 770 miles
El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas
World's first rodeo was in Pecos...
July 4, 1883.
The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the
only hotel in North America built over water.
The Heisman Trophy was named after John
William Heisman who was the first full time coach for Rice University in
Houston.
Brazoria County has more species of
birds than any other area in North America.
Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter
home of North America's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake
Jackson in 1978.
The worst natural disaster in U.S.
history was in 1900 caused by a hurricane in which over 8000 lives were
lost on Galveston Island.
The first word spoken from the moon,
July 20, 1969, was "Houston."
King Ranch is larger than Rhode Island
Tropical Storm Claudette brought a US.
rainfall record of 43" in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July 1979.
Texas is the only state to enter the
U.S. by TREATY, instead of by annexation. (This allows the Texas flag to fly
at the same height as the US flag.)
A Live Oak tree near Fulton is
estimated to be 1500 years old.
Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in
the state.
Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885.
There is no period after Dr in Dr Pepper.
Texas has had six capital cities:
1. Washington-on-the-Brazos
2. Harrisburg
3. Galveston
4. Velasco
5. West Columbia
6. Austin
The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only
dome in the U.S which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.
(by 7 feet).
The name Texas comes from the Hasini
Indian word "tejas" meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas.
The State animal is the Armadillo. (An
interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four
babies! They have one egg which splits into four and they either have four
males or four females.
Well...I thought it was interesting anyway!)
The first domed stadium in the U.S. was
the Astrodome in Houston.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - TEXAS STYLE
People here in Texas have trouble with all those shalls and shall nots in
the 10 Commandments. Folks here just aren't used to talking in those terms.
So, some folks out in west Texas got together and translated the "King
James" into "King Ranch" language: Ten Commandments, cowboy style.
Cowboy's Ten Commandments posted on the
wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie, Texas.
(1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff
Now that's kinda plain an' simple don't ya think?
Y'all have a good Day.
You hear?
"What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?"
John Greenleaf Whittier, 1844
"The Pumpkin"