Quirky Statue in Paris, Texas The following is an adapted excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller: Unexpected Texas. Enjoy! The north Texas town of Paris is home to a quirky statue known locally as the “Jesus in cowboy boots.” This statue is actually the 20-foot grave marker honoring a man named Willet Babcock, who died in 1888. While impressive, it would hardly be the quirky tourist attraction that it has become were it not for the unusual footwear worn by the cross-bearing figure it depicts; instead of the bare feet or sandals one often associates with Biblical folk, this one…
Tag: travel
The Old Man & the Polydactyl Cat Not only was Ernest Hemingway fond of cats, but his name has become synonymous with a particular feline genetic mutation, one that causes cats to have extra toes. While these polydactyl cats are not an actual breed, they are often referred to as, “Hemingway Cats,” in his honor. It all started down in Key West, where Ernest Hemingway lived in the 1930’s with his second wife, their kids and, rumor has it, a polydactyl Maine Coon named Snowball. The cat was given to him by a local sea captain. While it’s unclear how…
The following is an adapted excerpt from my Amazon Best Seller: Unexpected Texas. Enjoy! Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas If you enjoy retro collectibles, Wild West Toys in Azle, Texas will knock your socks off. This funky shop is stocked with vintage playthings from the 1950’s and 60’s, as well as specialty sodas (sarsaparilla and the like), candies, turquoise jewelry, western-themed dishes, housewares, and play clothes for kids. Made in the USA Wild West Toys is also the only place in the USA to manufacture metal cap guns. They must be top notch, too, because even Chuck Norris owns…
Who am I? My name is Tui snider. I’m a globe trotting writer currently based in north Texas. My passion is… …researching, photographing, and exploring the world, then sharing what I find with readers. I write about… …offbeat sites, overlooked history, cultural traditions, historical cemeteries, haunted places, scientific anomalies, Mom & Pop shops, quirky travel destinations, and other FUN stuff. Books I’ve written: UNEXPECTED TEXAS I released my travel guide Unexpected Texas on March 2, 2014 and it quickly became a number one Amazon Best Seller. Check it out! (For review copies, guest posts, interviews and other contact information, email…
The Trillion Dollar Campaign Today’s post features a photo I took at the British Museum. It’s a poster that is printed on actual African currency as part of an advertising campaign called the Trillion Dollar Campaign. This ad campaign was launched in 2009 by a newspaper called The Zimbabwean to call attention to rampant hyperinflation. Understanding the economy has never been my strong suit, but this poster really stopped me in my tracks. The clever ad campaign even won an award at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. Wow! We made it all the way to the letter Z! Phew!…
Random Yellow Shots Today Yellow there! How are you? Yes, more yellowy shots from me today. Hey, it’s better than Jell-O shots… or not. Anyway, I’d already planned for Y to be yellow – way before I learned about the word Xanthic, which I used yesterday. Who knows, maybe I’ll discover a word starting with Z for tomorrow that also means yellow. Stay tuned… Speaking of, tomorrow is the big A to Z blog challenge finish line. Wowza! How many of you are going to do the A to Z Reflections post on May 5th? (There’s info about it in…