The following is an excerpt from my upcoming quirky travel book, Unexpected Texas: Salt Palace in Grand Saline While the French equivalent of “window shopping” translates as “window licking” this is something that literally occurs every day at the Salt Palace in Grand Saline, Texas. The unusual building, which houses a visitor center and museum for the town and the nearby Morton Salt Company mine, is built entirely out of salt crystal bricks held together by a salt/mortar mixture. This strange combination proves tempting to many visitors who satisfy their curiosity by taking a tiny lick of its walls. The…
Tag: instagr.am
What is a Jackalope? Jackalopes are mythical rabbit/antelope hybrids that frequently appear in folk tales from the southwestern United States. Why is there a Jackalope in Fort Worth, Texas? In the 1980’s, Fort Worth artist Nancy Lamb was commissioned to create an eight foot tall jackalope sculpture for a garden and pottery shop. Rooftop Jackalope Address Although the Jackalope Store has since gone under, its unique mascot remains on the roof of what is now a car dealership. I always keep an eye out for it when driving through town. If you’re ever in north Texas and would like to…
For today’s Friday Photo, I’ve decided to post the most popular photo from my 2013 Instagr.am feed. (If you’re on Instagr.am follow me, @TuiSnider, and say hi. I will definitely follow you back!) Here’s the story behind the picture: My husband and I were on a tour of the Caribbean island, St. Maarten, when our group decided to stop by the seaside. As we stepped out of the van, the driver warned us that part of the area was clothing optional, so if we were offended by this, we should pay close attention to the signs. I’d never been to…
Beautiful Reflections along the Bayou Today’s photo essay features shots I took with my iPhone while floating down the Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas. It was hard to restrain myself to only sharing six pictures with you because I could not stop taking photos. It was that beautiful! If, like me, you enjoy dreamy reflections, then a cruise with Turning Basin Riverboat Tours is made for you. East Texas History & Lore Our boat was captained by John Nance, who kept us entertained with a mixture of historical information, local lore and facts about nature. After showing us a…
Wolverine Shops at Sams Club Have you ever seen someone who looked just like a celebrity? A few months ago, I was at the grocery store when I spotted a Wolverine/Hugh Jackman look alike comparison shopping as you can see from the photo above. Queen for a day? Earlier in the year, I spotted a Queen Mother look alike dining alone. As with the other faux famous folks, I did not want to be intrusive, so I carefully snuck the photo you see here. Michael Moore As for the Michael Moore look alike above, I spotted him at an all-you-can-eat…
What is OctPoWriMo? My pals, Morgan Dragonwillow & Julie Jordan Scot joined forces to create a month-long poetry mix and mingle called OctPoWriMo. Full details can be found here: OctPoWriMo. You can also follow the #OctPoWriMo hashtag on Twitter. Feel free to join in! I don’t consider myself much of a poet. I’m more of a lyricist. For some reason, it’s easier for me to wax poetic when I’ve got a melody to work with. Even so, I’ve been playing around with haiku this month. Here are three I wrote over the weekend as my husband and I drove to…