A Houston Police Department K-9 Hero Needs Your Help

Alpos - Houston PD Hero

Sadly, a common story.

He loves donuts, but can’t have them now.

Worked all his life.

No pension.

While protecting others, stabbed on the job.

Recovered and kept going.

Only to get old.

Read the rest at PhilosoperMouseoftheHedge.

March 6 1836 - The Fall of the Alamo

Today marks the 177th anniversary of probably the most significant event in Texas History. 

On March 6,1836 the Alamo fell, and with it some of the most legendary men to ever live - Davy Crockett and James Bowie being the most recognizable.

The Battle  

On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio López de Santa Anna's army outside San Antonio nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo together. The defenders held out for 13 days against Santa Anna's army. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo sent forth couriers carrying pleas for help to communities in Texas. On the eighth day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Legend holds that with the possibility of additional help fading, Colonel Travis drew a line on the ground and asked any man willing to stay and fight to step over — all except one did. As the defenders saw it, the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were ready to give their lives rather than surrender their position to General Santa Anna. Among the Alamo's garrison were Jim Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former congressman from Tennessee.

The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, as columns of Mexican soldiers emerged from the predawn darkness and headed for the Alamo's walls....

Read the rest of this amazing story at TheAlamo.org. 


In addition to Crockett and Bowie, there were roughly 185 more defenders of the Alamo, and while not nearly as well-known, are no less heroes than their more famous compatriots. These men, including a Black Freedman, came form all over the world to settle in Texas and were among the first to take up arms against a brutal dictator, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, in the name of Texas Independence. The list of Alamo defenders includes the names of men from England, Ireland, Denmark, Germany and other states and territories of the United States. 

It is the Battle of the Alamo that, in my mind and in the minds of tens of millions of my fellow Texans, binds us together as a unique and proud people. One hundred seventy-seven years later we honor and revere the men who, even, or maybe especially, in defeat, left future Texans a legacy of bravery, courage, honor and duty that serves as a constant reminder that Freedom isn't free. The cost of Liberty demands of a free society   vigilance and, at times, the Ultimate Sacrifice.

Remember the Alamo and God bless Texas!

March 2 1836 - Texas Declares Independence!

Today is Texas Independence Day. 

I am a Texan.  As such, I hold this day in a reverence superseded by only the Holiest Days of  my Catholic Faith. You see, being a Texan is not so far removed from being of person of Faith. Being a Texan is not just a birthright, it's a spiritual thing, a state of mind. For non-Texans, the best way I can equivocate this is to compare it to being an American, with a little extra pride and a touch of bluster thrown in for good measure. 

Former Houston Oilers coach and legendary Texan Bum Phillips' Grandpa perhaps said it best when he told a young Bum that "Texans are forged of a hotter fire". 

Following, you will read of men, Texans, forged of a hotter fire. Men, who against great odds gave us Texas. Men whose courage and bravery were exceeded only by the Natural yearning for Freedom and self-determination embedded in each human's soul. Men over matched by superior firepower willing to give their lives for what God had bestowed upon them - inalienable rights that guide the destiny of free men. Men on a mission for a cause greater than temselves. Heroes. Texans.

Texas Independence Day  

In the early 19th century, the initials "GTT" sometimes were found carved in haste on the doors of homes abandoned by folks fleeing unpaid debts and other life problems. The three letters were shorthand for "Gone to Texas," the frontier sanctuary of choice for folks in these kinds of unfixable fixes. The three letters have found a place in our state's lore and legend. (Houston Chronicle)

On March 2,1836 "Texas became a republic. On March 1 delegates from the seventeen Mexican municipalities of Texas and the settlement of Pecan Point met at Washington-on-the-Brazos to consider independence from Mexico. George C. Childress presented a resolution calling for independence, and the chairman of the convention appointed Childress to head a committee of five to draft a declaration of independence. In the early morning hours of March 2, the convention voted unanimously to accept the resolution. After fifty-eight members signed the document, Texas became the Republic of Texas. The change remained to be demonstrated to Mexico."

Sam Houston

The Battle of the Alamo would soon come. Her defenders including Davy Crockett and James Bowie,  would fall at the hands of the Mexican Army lead by General Santa Ana. A few weeks later came a battle that would change Texas, and perhaps the World, forever - San Jacinto.

Thus was born the Republic of Texas.

May the Spirit of Texas live forever in the hearts of men.

God bless "The damnedest lady you ever saw" (John Wayne) 

God bless Texas and Texans - a land and a people forged of a hotter fire.

Texas Statehood: December 29, 1845

In their first election after Texas won its independence, Texans voted overwhelmingly in favor of annexation to the United States. However, throughout the Republic period, no annexation treaty was approved by both countries.

With nothing solid to indicate that Mexico accepted the defeat at San Jacinto (Treaties of Velasco were ignored by both the Republic of Texas and Mexico) and fearful of a second attack by the powerful Mexican army to the south perhaps joined by the Comanches and Apaches, Texas again petitioned to become a State of the U.S. 

Thus begins the story of how the Republic of Texas became the 28th State of the United States of America.

It's a fascinating tale about a fascinating place.

Although I am now living 2000 miles from the land of my birth, she is forever in my heart and I am forever her Son, separated by time and distance yet connected by Fate and Destiny. 

Throughout her history, Texas has nurtured a special breed of people, a people that former football coach Bum Phillips described as "forged of a hotter fire." Coach Phillips went on, "The same spirit that made 186 men cross that line in the sand in San Antonio damned near 165 years ago is still in you today. Why else would my friend send me William Barrett Travis' plea for help in an email just a week ago, or why would Charles Stanfield ask me to reprint a Texas Independence column from a year ago? What would make my friend Elizabeth say, "I don't know if I can marry a man who doesn't love Texas like I do?" Why in the hell are 1,000 people coming to my house this weekend to celebrate a holiday for what used to be a nation that is now a state?

Because the spirit that made that nation is the spirit that burned in every person who founded this great place we call Texas, and they passed it on through blood or sweat to everyone of us.
You see, that spirit that made Texas what it is is alive in all of us, even if we can't stand next to a cannon to prove it, and it's our responsibility to keep that fire burning. 

Forged of a hotter fire. That's me, that's you and that's millions of Texans from her very first people of ten milennia ago to the guy next door who just arrived from California and is now a Texan by choice. Bonded by an insatiable desire for freedom and a fierce yearning for independence, we are all the children of the damnedest lady you ever saw. 

By the Grace of God, we are Texans.

God Bless Texas!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas - Texas Style

On Bubba and Leroy and Jim Bob and Gus

'Twas the night before Christmas, in Texas, you know.  
 Way out on the prairie, without any snow.  
 Asleep in their cabin, were Buddy and Sue,  
 A dreamin' of Christmas, like me and you.  
   
 Not stockings, but boots, at the foot of their bed,  
 For this was Texas, what more need be said,  
 When all of a sudden, from out of the still night,  
 There came such a ruckus, it gave me a fright.  
   
 And I saw 'cross the prairie, like a shot from a gun,  
 A loaded up buckboard, come on at a run,  
 The driver was "Geein" and "Hawin", with a will,  
 The horses (not reindeer) he drove with such skill.  
   
 "Come on there Buck, Poncho, & Prince, to the right,  
 There'll be plenty of travelin' for you all tonight."  
 The driver in Levi's and a shirt that was red,  
 Had a ten-gallon Stetson on top of his head.  
   
 As he stepped from the buckboard, he was really a sight,  
 With his beard and moustache, so curly and white.  
 As he burst in the cabin, the children awoke,  
 And were so astonished, that neither one spoke.  
   
 And he filled up their boots with such presents galore,  
 That neither could think of a single thing more.  
 When Buddy recovered the use of his jaws,  
 He asked in a whisper, "Are you really Santa Claus?"  
   
 "Am I the real Santa? Well, what do you think?"  
 And he smiled as he gave a mysterious wink.  
 Then he leaped in his buckboard, and called back in his drawl,  
 "To all the children in Texas, Merry Christmas, You-all"  

Christmas Across America:Wonderland of Lights - Marshall,Texas

Light Fantastic

Texans do things in a big way and celebrating Christmas is no different.

Christmas at the Court House

The City of Marshall puts on one of the biggest Christmas lights displays in the country. Wonderland of Lights is truly spectacle worthy of all the praise heaped upon it. Since 1987, Wonderland of Lights has attracted millions of visitors from East Texas and all over the world. All these visitors gather in Marshall each year starting on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to see more than 10 million lights on display including the Courthouse on the square in Downtown Marshall. All told, more than 3000 miles of strung lights took more than 8000 man-hours to get ready for this year's festival.

Some of the other activities taking place during the festival include a variety of entertainment and activities, including live entertainment in the Old Memorial City Hall Auditorium, Church of the Bells, Carriage Rides, Bus Tours to neighborhoods with elaborate decorations and lighted scenes, driving tour route with displays over 24 ft tall, visits with Santa, the annual “lighted” Christmas Parade and an Outdoor Ice Skating Rink.

This year's Wonderland of Lights continues through New Year's Eve, so there's still time to make plans to see one of the most spectacular displays of the Christmas Spirit you'll find anywhere. It's truly an experience that everyone in your family will be delighted by. I have been to the Wonderland of Lights festival more than once, and I can tell you first-hand that it's every bit as good (or better) as advertised.

Marshall is 150 miles east of Dallas on I-20, so it's only a couple hour drive - a drive well worth taking. As an added bonus, it's only 41 miles from Marshall to the casinos in Shreveport. Just sayin'.

For group tour information or sponsorship opportunities, contact the Marshall Convention & Visitors Bureau by email or at (903) 702-7777.

Wonderland of Lights - the Texas way to say Merry Christmas !!!

Can Texas Secede? Here's the Answer, Once & for All

Can Texas legally secede from the Union? Judge Andrew Napolitano has the answer:

There you have it. I guess all those Secessionists in Texas had it right after all.

Funny Town Names from Across America!

Breakfast City

A while back on another blog, I did a post on funny town names in Texas - names like Uncertain, Happy and Cut and Shoot. The reaction from you, the reader, was outstanding. Since I pledged in that article to do another version of funny town names in various states, I figured I'd go whole hog and find goofy town names from around the country.

I Hope (Arkansas) you'll find this little screed not too Boring (Oregon) and I'll be a Happy Camp(er) (California). :)

Some towns have names that are quite inviting. There's Friendly, West Virginia - Happyland, Connecticut or Lovely, Kentucky. On the other hand, there's Embarrass, Wisconsin - Gripe, Arizona and Peculiar, Missouri. Many towns have names that conjure up an appetite - Bacon, Indiana - Chocolate Bayou, Texas or Hot Coffee, Mississippi. Places you may not care to have a meal are : Greasy, Oklahoma - Lickskillet, Ohio and Oniontown, Pennsylvania.

Animals and some of God's other creatures are well-represented on the list of odd names found in the USA - Rabbit Shuffle, North Carolina - Horseheads, New York and Trout, Louisiana are a few of them.
Some of our burgs around the country stand out for other reasons - Toad Suck, Arkansas - Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky and Goose Pimple Junction, Virginia come to mind.

There are plenty more towns with attention-getting names across the country and you can find them where I did at infoplease.com. I'm sure there are a million names that could be added to this list, so if you know any, tell us about them in the comments!

With that, I'll say Adios! (Texas) I just made that one up. :)

What It Means to Be a Texan by Coach Bum Phillips

Home w/ Colors Provided by God

What your about to read is something that every Texan should dust off and read every once in a while. We often take for granted what a special place God gave us as a Home and this story will remind and humble us at the same time.

I think as a Texas ex-pat living in New England, I see Texas from a different perspective than those of you still living there. Maybe not being able to go fishing in my beloved East Texas or see for the first time ever the raw beauty and magnificence of Big Bend will do that to a guy. Although I choose to live here, I miss Texas terribly, but she is always in my heart.

God has blessed her, but he has blessed me infinitely more by gracing me with privilege, nay Honor, of being a Texan.

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A TEXAN
by Bum Phillips

Dear Friends,

Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My friends know it means about damned near everything. Anyway, this fella asked me to reprint what I'd wrote and I didn't have it. So I set out to think about rewriting something. I considered writing about all the great things I love about Texas. There are way too many things to list. I can't even begin to do it justice.

Lemme let you in on my short list.

It starts with The Window at Big Bend, which in and of itself is proof of God. It goes to Lake Sam Rayburn where my Grandad taught me more about life than fishin, and enough about fishin to last a lifetime. I can talk about Tyler, and Longview, and Odessa and Cisco, and Abilene and Poteet and every place in between.

Every little part of Texas feels special. Every person who ever flew the Lone Star thinks of Bandera or Victoria or Manor or wherever they call "home" as the best little part of the best state.

So I got to thinkin about it, and here's what I really want to say.

Last year, I talked about all the great places and great heroes who make Texas what it is. I talked about Willie and Waylon and Michael Dell and Michael DeBakey and my Dad and LBJ and Denton Cooley. I talked about everybody that came to mind. It took me sitting here tonight reading this stack of emails and thinkin about where I've been and what I've done since the last time I wrote on this occasion to remind me what it is about Texas that is really great.

You see, this last month or so I finally went to Europe for the first time. I hadn't ever been, and didn't too much want to. But you know all my damned friends are always talking about "the time they went to Europe." So, I finally went. It was a hell of a trip to be sure. All they did when they saw me was say the same thing, before they'd ever met me. "Hey cowboy, we love Texas." I guess the hat tipped em off.

But let me tell you what, they all came up with a smile on their faces. You know why? They knew for damned sure that I was gonna be nice to em.  They knew it cause they knew I was from Texas. They knew something that hadn't even hit me. They knew Texans, even though they'd never met one.

That's when it occurred to me. Do you know what is great about Texas? Do you know why when my friend Beverly and I were trekking across country to see 15 baseball games we got sick and had to come home after 8?  Do you know whyevery time I cross the border I say, "Lord, please don't let me die in_____"?  Do you know why children in Japan can look at a picture of the great State and know exactly what it is about the same time they can tell a rhombus from a trapezoid?

I can tell you that right quick. You.

The samespirit that made 186 men cross that line in the sand in San Antonio damned near 165 years ago is still in you today. Why else would my friend send me William Barrett Travis' plea for help in an email just a week ago, or why would Charles Stanfield ask me to reprint a Texas Independence column from a year ago? What would make my friend Elizabeth say, "I don't know if I can marry a man who doesn't love Texas like I do?" Why in the hell are 1,000 people coming to my house this weekend to celebrate a holiday for what usedto be a nation that is now a state?

Because the spirit that made that nation is the spirit that burned in every person who founded this great place we call Texas, and they passed it on through blood or sweat to everyone of us.

You see, that spirit that made Texas what it is is alive in all of us, even if we can't stand next to a cannon to prove it, and it's our responsibility to keep that fire burning. Every person who ever put a"Native Texan" or an "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could" sticker on his car understands.

Anyone who ever hung a map of Texas on their wall or flew a Lone Star flag on their porch knows what I mean. My Dad's buddy Bill has an old saying. He says that some people were forged of a hotter fire. Well, that's what it is to be Texan. To be forged of a hotter fire. To know that part of Colorado was Texas. That part of New Mexico was Texas. That part of Oklahoma was Texas. Yep. Talk all you want. Part of what you got was what we gave you. To look at a picture of Idaho or Istanbul and say, "what the Hell is that?" when you know that anyone in Idaho or Istanbul who sees a picture of Texas knows damned good and well what it is. It isn't the shape, it isn't the state, it's the state of mind.

You're what makes Texas. The fact that you would take 15 minutes out of your day to read this, because that's what Texas means to you, that's what makes Texas what it is. The fact that when you see the guy in front of you litter you honk and think, "Sonofabitch. Littering on MY highway."

When was the last time you went to a person's house in New York and you saw a big map of New York on their wall? That was never. When did you ever drive through Oklahoma and see their flag waving on four businesses in a row? Can you even tell me what the flag in Louisiana looks like? I damned sure can't. But I bet my ass you can't drive 20 minutes from your house and not see a business that has a big Texas flag as part of its logo. If you haven't done business with someone called AllTex something or Lone Star somebody or other, or Texas such and such, you hadn't lived here for too long.

When you ask a man from New York what he is, he'll say a stockbroker, or an accountant, or an ad exec. When you ask a woman from California what she is, she'll tell you her last name or her major. Hell either of em might say "I'm a republican," or they might be a democrat. When you ask a Texan what they are, before they say, "I'm a Methodist," or "I'm a lawyer," or "I'm a Smith," they tell you they're a Texan.

I got nothin against all those other places, and Lord knows they've probably got some fine folks, but in your gut you know it just like I do, Texas is just a little different.

So tomorrow when you drive down the road and you see a person broken down on the side of the road, stop and help. When you are in a bar in California, buy a Californian a drink and tell him it's for Texas Independence Day. Remind the person in the cube next to you that he wouldn't be here enjoying this if it weren't for Sam Houston, and if he or she doesn't know the story, tell them.

When William Barrettt Travis wrote in 1836 that he would never surrender and he would have Victory or Death, what he was really saying was that he and his men were forged of a hotter fire. They weren't your average everyday men. Well, that is what it means to be a Texan. It meant it then, and that's why it means it today. It means just what all those people North of the Red River accuse us of thinking it means. It means there's no mountain that we can't climb. It means that we can swim the Gulf in the winter. It means that Earl Campbell ran harder and Houston is bigger and Dallas is richer and Alpine is hotter and Stevie Ray was smoother and God vacations in Texas. It means that come Hell or high water, when the chips are down and the Good Lord is watching, we're Texans by damned, and just like in 1836, that counts for something.

So for today at least, when your chance comes around, go out and prove it. It's true because we believe it's true. If you are sitting wondering what the Hell I'm talking about, this ain't for you. But if the first thing you are going to do when the Good Lord calls your number is find the men who sat in that tiny mission in San Antonio and shake their hands, then you're the reason I wrote this night, and this is for you.

So until next time you hear from me, God Bless and Happy Texas Independence Day.
 

Texas is the damnedest Lady you ever saw - John Wayne.

Amen, Duke. Amen.

***Thanks to texfiles.com***

The Lone Star State Page!

Modern Day Texas Heroes

Howdy, y'all! Thanks for stopping by The Lower 48 (Plus 2) today! I am in the process of putting together a great post for you, but in the meantime, I have added two new "pages" to the blog - My Little Corner of The Lower 48 (Plus 2) and Lone Star State. Lone Star State is pretty self-explanatory - it's all about my home state of Texas. There I will post photos from around Texas highlighting the diverse beauty of the largest state in the LOwer m48. If you haven't been to Texas or maybe you haven't travel it extensively, the photos I put up will show a side of the Lone Star State that you have never seen before.

The State Motto of Texas is "Friendship", so the door's always open and you'll be greeted with a virtual smile and handshake every time you visit...the Lone Star State.

Here's a little teaser of what John Wayne called "The Damnedest Lady You Ever Saw". That's Texas.

A Homesick Texan - Visual Healing Included

The images you will see below represent a piece of who I am.

I am a Texan. A died-in-the-wool, 100%, I'll Brag About the Lady That is Texas Till My Last Breath Texan. Texas is my home. She is the Damnedest Lady You Ever Saw that welcomes me with open arms every time I go back and caresses me with a kind of comfort only she can give. An inexplicable peace of mind that reassures me that I am an Eternal Piece of Something Blessed by God.

I have not been Home in almost eight years, but She is in my heart every waking minute of every waking day. My wife thinks I'm nuts. Maybe I am. One thing is certain, however. I am a Texan.

By the Grace of God I am a Texan.

And I am homesick. 

The Damnedest Lady You Ever Saw 

Caddo Lake

Lake of Bluebonnets

 

 

 

East Texas Woods

Fishin' Hole

Gulf Coast

Bird's Eye View

 

 

 

         Good Night From Big Bend   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Caddo Lake, Texas - Stepping Back in Time

Caddo Lake is a work of art that comes directly from the hand of God. Magical. Mystical. Enchanted. Spiritual. It is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Creation. Don Henley of the Eagles is a native son of Northeast Texas (Linden, to be exact) and he has been a Son of Caddo for over fifty years. Listen to Don's own words and watch the short video of this earthly piece of Paradise. Caddo Lake is named for the Caddo Indians who lived in the area until the late 19th Century and is the largest (25,000 + acres) natural freshwater lake in the South. It is also one of the few natural lakes in Texas as well as the largest cypress forest in the world. Caddo as we know it today was formed in late 1799 by a series of natural events called The Big Change. From Wikipedia : "substantial development would only begin with invention of the steamboat and US annexation of both Louisiana and Texas in the 19th century. The cities of Port Caddo, Swanson's Landing, and Jefferson in Texas, and Mooringsport in Louisiana, had thriving riverboat ports on the lake. Gradually as the log jams were removed in the lake and the Red River by Captain Henry Miller Shreve and then by the Army Corps of Engineers. The lake changed shape and eventually fell over ten feet, destroying the East Texas ports and their riverboat industry." Directly out of those times, you can still catch a ride on a vintage steamboat called The Graceful Ghost out of Uncertain, Texas. There's so much more to say about Caddo Lake and the surrounding area, but we'll get to that another day. Until then, get out to Caddo when you can. And observe the Handiwork of God.

Food and Lodging at Caddo Lake

 There isn't a helluva lot close to Caddo Lake, but fortunately there are places eat and sleep on or very near the lake. The biggest "town" on the lake is Uncertain. Really. That's the town's name - Uncertain. I highly recommend a visit to Uncertain if for no other reason than to get an expensive cheap ass trinket that says "Uncertain, Texas" on it.

OK, here is a link that features several places to stay and/or chow down at during your visit to Caddo Lake. The link to the City of Uncertain (above) also has information for guests of the area.

I have been to Uncertain and Caddo Lake so I can tell you first hand that the people are extremely friendly (they are Texans after all), the air is clean (and very muggy!) and the food is pretty damn good.It's  all of these things along with the experience of being in a place where a dinosaur could pop up at any second that makes Caddo Lake a mystical, magical encounter.

Footnote: Be sure to take along plenty of insect repellant! There are several gazillion species of biting bugs in the woods of East Texas including ticks that may carry Lyme Disease and mosquitos as big as small helicopters. I'm just sayin'.

Get your FREE Texas Travel Guide at traveltex.com