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Tag: historic

Cemetery Symbols: A is for Anchor

What does an anchor signify on a headstone? ANCHOR: Anchors often refer to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. As a symbol, anchors represent hope in troubled times. During the Roman persecution of Christians, the anchor served as a secret symbol, a covert referral to the cross. (How to comment: My blog comments are broken, but I’m trying to get that fixed! In the meantime, please comment about this post on Facebook: A is for Anchor Leave your link in the comments, and I’ll be sure to drop by your blog, too. You can also tweet me at @TuiSnider.…

Jefferson, Texas: Simple Pleasures, Ghosts, & Bigfoot in the Little Easy

The following is an adapted excerpt from Unexpected Texas – my best-selling travel guide to quirky, offbeat and overlooked places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you enjoy learning quirky facts, or are looking for offbeat road trip ideas in north Texas. Jefferson, Texas aka the Little Easy With its brick streets, horse drawn carriages, wrought iron railings, and abundance of Greek revival architecture, a visit to Jefferson, Texas can make you feel like you’ve stepped onto a movie set for New Orleans in the late 1800’s. This town’s resemblance to the “Big Easy” is no mere affectation, but a genuine…

Mineola, Texas Makes a Fun Weekend Getaway

The following is an adapted excerpt from Unexpected Texas,my fun travel guide to quirky, offbeat and overlooked places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you are looking for fun road trips in north Texas. Also, for a *FREE* 50-page guide to ghost hunting groups and haunted history tours in north Texas, sign up for my infrequent-but-interesting newsletter by clicking here: Located at the junction of US highways 80 and 69, Mineola is situated in Wood County which, true to its name, is a highly-forested section of the East Texas Piney Woods. Early industries included lumber, farming and…

Daytime Hauntings, Strange Mist, & a Mysterious Pair of Shoes….

  Daytime Hauntings in Texas The following is an adapted excerpt from Paranormal Texas, my fun travel guide to haunted places near Dallas and Fort Worth. Check it out if you are looking for road trips to paranormal hot spots that are open to the public. There’s no need to creep around Arlington City Cemetery after dark and wait for things to go bump in the night. In 2012, north Texas ghost hunters Martin Bravo and Clay Coleman accompanied CBS reporter Joel Thomas into Arlington Cemetery and captured several EVP’s in broad daylight. (Click this link to see – and hear –…

Florida Flashbacks & How Writing Research is like Gambling

I’ve got Florida on my mind Why am I posting a photo essay about Florida all of a sudden? My pal Morgan Dragonwillow recently vacationed there, so now I’m  daydreaming about a road trip down the Intercoastal Highway… I snapped these shots while dining near Key West. I can’t recall the name of the place, but it was a beachfront restaurant on a pier jutting into the clear, blue water. The joint was jumping, and the servers did a great job keeping up with the frenzy. They didn’t just have humans to wait on, either. Shortly before sunset a school of…

C is for Coral Castle, a Quirky Florida Must-See

Quirky Architecture OK, so it’s not quite coral, nor is it truly a castle, but the Coral Castle Museum (28655 S Dixie Hwy, Miami, FL 33033) is a delightfully quirky structure, and a great example of someone marching to their own drummer. The grounds include a variety of unusual rock buildings and furniture carved from over 1000 tons of oolite limestone, including a water fountain, a sundial, a crescent moon, tables, and living areas. Inspired a Billy Idol Song As the legend goes (and, really, how could a place like this not have a legend behind it) a Latvian immigrant…