Category Archives: Texana

Remember Goliad!

Posted on March 28, 2010 | Comments Off on Remember Goliad!

It’s been eulogized, memorialized, fictionalized and historified (sic) but the Goliad massacre, 174 years ago today, still resonates for those in the know. For those who aren’t, the folks at Presidio La Bahia have done some restoration and gotten a little new publicity in hopes of drawing more visitors. Not that they’re ever likely to match the tourist trade at the Alamo, but it’s worth a try. And worth a visit. It’s quiet out there, the silence broken only by the sounds of birds, fitting for the resting place of 342 Texas patriots massacred by order of a mad Mexican general.

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Posted in South of the Border, Texana

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J.E.B.’s LeMat

Posted on March 27, 2010 | Comments Off on J.E.B.’s LeMat

I met a young astronomer years ago who was descended from Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart. “So where was he?” I asked the scientist. He knew immediately what I was referring to. He replied: “We should have won.” I said if we had he would most likely be a farmer and not an astronomer as there would be no call for astronomy. I do like this commemoration, 10-shot LeMat, .44 cal ball and .65 cal shotgun combined. A working copy of which you can reserve for a mere $3,395. But it’s really too pretty to shoot.

Via TOCWOC –A Civil War Blog.

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Posted in Blogosphere, Civil War, Library, Science/Engineering, Texana

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Estate sale

Posted on March 26, 2010 | Comments Off on Estate sale

Went out to retrieve the newspaper and couldn’t help but notice that the street had turned into a parking lot. Bumper-to-bumper cars parked on both sides. I saw some bustle in a front yard down the way and walked down to see what was going on. I figured it was a funeral’s aftermath. But people were standing in a long line. Huh? Then I saw the sign: Estate Sale.

I came back inside and decided to Google it with the address. Sure enough. There it was on Craigslist. Couple downsizing [i.e. moving to retirement or nursing home, probably] and selling generations of stuff, mostly china, silverware and costume jewelry. That Craigslist is amazing, though I suppose it’s really a matter of the allure of estate and/or garage sales, these days, rather than the particular advertising vehicle.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana

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Bob Wills is still the king

Posted on March 25, 2010 | Comments Off on Bob Wills is still the king

Buscolor

There’s a new 10-disc set of the famous Western Swing outfit’s work, reviewed in Rolling Stone. And these MP3 clips. Play my favorite “San Antonio Rose.” They also have a web site. And see this profile of Wills’ famous onetime fiddler Johnny Gimble.

Via Will Howard’s Texas Bookshelf.

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Posted in Library, Scribbles, Texana

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Of typos, misspellings and bad grammar

Posted on March 24, 2010 | Comments Off on Of typos, misspellings and bad grammar

I’ve really enjoyed the process of writing, rewriting, finding good editing and proofreading and learning how to manipulate digital photographs to design the covers for two self-published, or indie, print-on-demand books of fiction.

It’s also given me a lot of sympathy for others who try to finish the long and tricky process with a product of more than ordinary merit—and without a lot of “construction dust,” as Austin meteorologist and author Tim Vasquez calls it, meaning typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors. Sympathy, but sometimes little patience.

Including little patience for those who enjoy sneering at such work (“I only got to page 45″), comparing it to mainstream publishing’s allegedly more exacting standards. Maybe in the past, but no more. I’m always reading a book and I find almost as many proofreading problems with mainstream stuff as DIY. True, misspellings and bad grammar are less likely in the mainstream but, clearly, in the rush to make a profit not all of the last-minute jobs are being done.

Still, I soldier on, as ever reading and reading, and these days working on a non-fiction book of Texana. Even ebooks are interesting. I still prefer print on paper, but the ebook prices, usually being so much lower than paper products, are enticing.

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Posted in Library, Rancho Roly Poly, Scribbles, Texana

House on High Street

Posted on March 23, 2010 | Comments Off on House on High Street

Copy of ComfortHouse.JPGa

Finally getting around to posting some Comfort, Texas, photos. Had so much fun on our stay there, I didn’t take many, but I liked this limestone cottage on main street. Except for the useless gutters. Either rain here is too light to need them, or heavy enough to overwhelm them.

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Posted in Mrs. Charm, Scribbles, Texana, Weather/Climate

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Jenna Plumley

Posted on March 20, 2010 | Comments Off on Jenna Plumley

I haven’t paid much attention to basketball since high school (back in the Dark Ages of the 1950s) but I’m coming around now that Mr. B. plays it and much better than he played baseball in Little League.

So Ms. Plumley, a 5′ 2″ point guard for Lamar University’s women’s team caught my eye. Mainly for her diminutive size, but also her Southland Conference record for 3-pointers and player of their year.

She’s led her Beaumont school to the NCAA women’s tournament where they play West Virginia right here in Austin Tuesday Sunday night at 8:30 pm. It’ll be on ESPN2. Worth a look, I’m sure, especially for such a pint-sized point guard. I’ll be watching.

UPDATE:  Somehow I misread the schedule. The game was played Sunday night, I missed it, and WVA won. Plumley, despite three treys, had seven turnovers. Ouch.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Texana

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