Every street tells a story. Look down. What do you see? When we travel, my husband Larry often scolds me for stopping in the middle of the street to take photos. He’s right, of course, it’s a dangerous habit, but if something tickles my fancy, I can’t help it. (I have a very ticklish fancy!) Bricks for Ballast Those blue-tinged bricks you see at the top of this post, caught my eye in San Juan, Puerto Rico. According to our tour guide, they were used as ballast in Portuguese sailing ships. The sailors either traded or sold the stones to…
Tag: history
Enjoy this Guest Post by David “Sumoflam” Kravetz I rarely have guest posts, but here you go! I’ve been so busy getting my quirky Texas travel guide together that I asked the prolific traveler/photographer and all-around nice guy, David “Sumoflam” Kravetz if he could put together a Jackalope photo essay. I hope you enjoy it: Jackalope Spotting – a fun road trip tradition So, you are a fan of the Jackalope? Having traveled all over the country I have seen my share of Jackalopes…you know, the furry rabbit looking creatures with antelope (and sometimes deer) antlers! My first inkling of…
Gold Buried Beneath a Fort Worth Tree Seceding from the United States was not an easy decision for the State of Texas, and many Texans, including Charles Turner (1822-1873) a farmer, merchant and Texas Ranger, were against it. Even so, once the state voted to withdraw from the Union, Mr. Turner reluctantly went along with it – up to a point. While Charles Turner showed his support of secession by funding a company of volunteer soldiers with his own money, he balked at the idea of exchanging his hard-earned fortune for Confederate notes, which is why he ended up burying…
Historical Ghost Tours Led by a Professional Storyteller “Sometimes folks come to Denton and never want to leave – ever!” – Shelly Tucker, tour guide for the Ghosts of Denton, Texas: Haunted History Tours My husband, Larry, and I recently popped over to Denton, Texas so we could experience the Ghosts of Denton haunted history tour led by Shelly Tucker, who is a professional storyteller. I’ve known Shelly for a few years online, but this was our first meeting in person, so I was excited about that, too. Denton is a thriving college town, with such prestigious alumni as singer,…
X is for: XXX Brand Root Beer The XXX brand name first appeared in 1895 in Galveston, Texas as the moniker for a keg beer stored in oak barrels labeled, “XXX.” Hence, the name! (They could just as well have been stamped Gurglthwang, in which case I would have had to choose something different for this letter.) Years later, during the Prohibition Era, when alcoholic beverages were made illegal in the USA, the beer brewery shifted its focus towards soda pop. Although the company brewed a variety of flavors, such as cream, lemon lime, orange, chocolate and even a cola,…
Not Technically Buzzards While vultures live all across the USA, I see way more of them in Texas than other states. People here often call them buzzards, so I figured that was a southern term. Turns out that the word buzzard crossed the ocean with our British ancestors. It used to be a generic European term for hawks. Vultures, however, are not hawks. There are three kinds of vultures in the USA, two of which are found in Texas: California Condors (an endangered species not found in Texas), Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures. Turkey Vultures Were Made to Fly Turkey…