Tag: Texas

  • Marvelous Marfa, Texas

    Marvelous Marfa, Texas

    On the recommendation of friends, I examined the tiny village of Marfa, Texas. This plucky place houses artists specializing in psychedelics and makers of soap. It is a great place, and, if you’re ever miles from nowhere, stop in.

    The real gem is a place to stay, but I don’t have a word for it, They call themselves El Cosmico. You can camp there in your own tent, sleep in your vehicle (like I did), or rent a yurt or tipi or vintage travel trailer. They have wood-fired hot tubs! And an interesting gift shop with Wi-Fi. I met a Canadian there who had a husky named Sitka. Sitka and Zena, the Warrior Princess cat, had a great time staring at each other.

    If that weren’t enough, there is an architectural treasure known as the Hotel Paisano. Beautiful 1930s architecture, built around a central courtyard with a fountain, artisanal details everywhere. It was designed by the nearly-great architect Henry Trost.  Go and stay for a long weekend. It won’t quite be worth the trip, but you’ll have a fine story to tell upon your return to civilization.

    The Hotel Paisano. James Dean stayed here, along with whats-her-face and the other guy, for the filming of Giant. I filched the pic from their web site.
    El Cosmico has vintage travel trailers with alluring eyes. I’m told the eyes keep watch while you sleep and ward off evil.
    If you wish, you can stay in a tipi and reflect on the genocide that has resulted in our current society. They didn’t have to worry about climate change, because they didn’t destroy their environment for the profit of a few. LOL, what a bunch of tree hugging weirdos.
    For some reason, Marfonians built an elaborate edifice to house their civil servants. Very pretty and imposing. By design.
  • A Mecca of Merchantilism

    A Mecca of Merchantilism

    I’ve discovered there is a thing called “Buc-Ee’s.” They are established on the roadside of major thoroughfares are serve the needs of the traveling public. Their mascot is a cast bronze beaver for some reason, as you can see below.

    This beaver is suitably sized for selfie taking. Imagine the delight of being hugged by a bronze beaver!

    These retail outlets are an amazing combination of a Target, deli, truck stop and grocery store.

    A dizzying array of dry goods for sale at Buc-Ee’s.

     

    A deli to suit all tastes, especially those inclined to beef brisket.
    In case you’ve forgotten your smoker/grill or fire pit, you can pick one up at Buc-Ee’s.
    But-Ee’s as the world’s largest array of ice machines ever assembled. Let no drink go uncooled!
    In addition to ice machines, Buc-Ee’s is second to none in fuel pumps. This particular one can fuel 100 vehicle simultaneously. Many a European army would love to have logistics like this!
    They claim to treat employees well. 401k matching and 3 weeks of vacation a year!
  • Johnson Space Flight Center Gets a Visit

    Johnson Space Flight Center Gets a Visit

    To the south of Houston, Texas, lies the storied Johnson Space Flight Center (its new name omits the “Flight,” but I prefer the archaic name). From here, NASA directed the training of astronauts and the conduct of mission from Mercury through the International Space Station and now to new missions like Orion and who knows what else.

    The visitor center is aimed at school-age people, mildly interesting, but well-done for that audience. I liked the displays of the costumes astronauts wore.

    Of greater interest to me was the tour of the Apollo Mission Control Center, painstakingly restored its appearance in 1969 for the first moon landing…even down to the color of the carpets and the upholstery on the galley reserved for astronauts’ family members.

    All in all, a good day invested. Especially when I ended the day on my own private beach.

  • A Brief History of The Alamo

     

    10,000 to 13,000 years ago, people migrated across the Aluetian Land bridge and settled throughout the Americas. They lived there in harmony with the land and in relative peace for 10,000 to 13,000 years in the region now known as Texas.

    Starting around 1500 and continuing for about 300 years, a group of state-sponsored terrorists and pirates arrived from Spain; they were appropriately called conquistadors, meaning conquerors. They implemented a pogrom of genocide against Native Americans using biological warfare and outright violence, capitalizing on their technological prowess. Those Native Americans not killed outright were compelled to construct a series of concentration camps known as Missions. At these camps, Native Americans were imprisoned and forced to worship a god alien to their ways.

    In 1810, a competing gang of thieves arose in the New World, who called themselves Mexicanos, or Mexicans. They engaged the Spanish gang for control of the Native American lands and ultimately drove them out in 1821. Rather than returning the stolen land to the Native Americans, they continued the pogroms of the first band of pirates.

    In 1835, a third terrorist band of thieves arose, sanctioned, if not sponsored, by the American government. They engaged the Mexicano gang and suffered a humiliating defeat at The Alamo. Surprisingly, to this day, Texans and their American sponsors wallow in their humiliation, treating the site and the incompetent leadership of the American gang with awe and reverence.

    Aftermath: the American thieves used their defeat as a rallying cry and mounted a counter-offensive against the Mexican thieves and consummated the theft of Native American territory from the second band of thieves in 1835. The Americans continued the genocidal pogroms of the Mexicans and expanded the construction of concentration camps, now called reservations. Notably, they institutionalized  the enslavement the few Native Americans remaining and engaged in a deliberate policy of cultural obliteration. None of the land has been returned to its rightful owners to this day in 2022.