Category Archives: Texana

Texas and Israel: two Lone Stars

Posted on March 20, 2011 | Comments Off on Texas and Israel: two Lone Stars

And, in addition to the similarity of their national (oops, make that state and national) flags, Texas has plenty of business relations with the Jewish State—especially when it comes to drilling for natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean that may replace Israel’s dependence on a now-uncertain Egypt.

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Posted in Israel, Science/Engineering, Texana, The War

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Dear Charlie

Posted on March 15, 2011 | Comments Off on Dear Charlie

In the title tale of my short story collection Leaving the Alamo: Texas Stories After Vietnam (newly available for the Kindle at 99 cents a copy) the ghost of Alamo commander Lieutenant Colonel William Barret Travis laments the death of his son Charlie:

“He thought of Charlie whose story he had read in old newspapers: failed at politics, cashiered from the Army, disgraced and adrift on the land. Dear Charlie.”

The sensational incident that disgraced Captain Charles Edward Travis, his dramatic Army courts martial for “conduct unbecoming…,” occurred one hundred fifty-five years ago today, March 15, 1856, at Fort Mason in the Hill Country, southwest of Austin. He died of tuberculosis four years later.

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Posted in Library, Texana, Troops

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SpaceX expanding Texas op

Posted on March 10, 2011 | Comments Off on SpaceX expanding Texas op

MCGREGOR, TEXAS – Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and the City of McGregor have signed a lease agreement allowing SpaceX to expand the size of its rocket development facility in McGregor—between Austin and Dallas.

Under the deal, SpaceX will lease 631 acres — the equivalent of almost 500 football fields — for its test facility. The new lease will more than double the size of the current 256 acre site on the Western edge of the City of McGregor, and will last roughly 10 years, from February 2011 to January 31, 2021.

“Our Texas rocket development facility is critical to our operations,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and Chief Technology Officer.  “This lease will allow us to move forward on the growth we have planned for Texas. SpaceX already has more than $2.5 billion in launch contracts for us to carry out over the next few years – McGregor is going to be a very busy place.”

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Space, Texana

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Wolf Mountain Scout Ranch

Posted on March 5, 2011 | Comments Off on Wolf Mountain Scout Ranch

Drove Mr. Boy and two other Boy Scout pals out to Wolf Mountain last night for Troop 511’s participation in the annual district Camporee. They played word games most of the way out there where the forecast is for rain this morning.

Weather service shows it hasn’t rained there yet. They sure need it. The dust was incredible, billowing up from the cars snaking along the dirt trail into the ranch.

Then I got a $100 speeding ticket going home, for doing 76 in a 65. “Some kind of emergency?” the DPS trooper asked. “Uh, no sir.” I’ll go back early Sunday morning to pick them up—and watch the speedometer all the way.

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Posted in Mr. Boy, Scribbles, Texana

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Wrangler’s phone pocket

Posted on March 3, 2011 | Comments Off on Wrangler’s phone pocket

It’s been so long since I bought a new pair of Wrangler Cowboy Cut jeans (regular fit, if you must know) that when I bought two the other day, I discovered they’ve made a modern update.

The ancient, little “change pocket” sewn into the top of the deeper right-hand front pocket used to be just the size to carry quarters or dimes in—even a small pocket knife. Now it’s deep and wide and called a “phone pocket.”

Sure enough, a cell phone tucks right in there, eliminating the need for a phone holster or some other such gizmo on the belt to get snagged on things—like saddles and barbed wire fences. Yippee ki-yay.

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Posted in Rancho Roly Poly, Science/Engineering, Scribbles, Texana

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Osama’s Keystone Kop

Posted on February 28, 2011 | Comments Off on Osama’s Keystone Kop

We’re either very lucky or the enemy is very inept.

This young Saudi, living in the windy, isolated West Texas city of Lubbock on a student visa and, therefore, apparently attending Texas Tech University (though they managed to keep their name out of the stories), got caught buying some unusually-toxic industrial chemicals.  To make bombs for terrorist attacks, the feds say.

We’re lucky that Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari isn’t the finest product of human evolution. Or, uh, maybe he is. This could well be evolution at work.

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Posted in Science/Engineering, Scribbles, Texana, The War

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I call on you in the name of Liberty

Posted on February 24, 2011 | Comments Off on I call on you in the name of Liberty

Commandancy of the Alamo
Bexar, Feby. 24th, 1836

To the People of Texas & all Americans in the World– Fellow
Citizens and Compatriots–

I am besieged by a thousand or more of the
Mexicans under Santa Anna–I have sustained a continual Bombardment &
cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man–The enemy has demanded a
surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the
sword, if the fort is taken–I have answered the demand with a cannon
shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls–I shall never
surrender or retreat.
Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty,
of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to
our aid with all despatch–The enemy is receiving reinforcements
daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or
five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain
myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets
what is due to his own honor & that of his country–Victory or Death.

William Barret Travis, Lt. Col. comdt.

It’s traditional to read this aloud on the 2nd of March. Even Gov. Ann Richards did it when she was in office. But as it was actually written 175 years ago today…

Much more detail at this classic site. And a contemporary view via the Alamo cam. And the Deguello bugle call of No Quarter which the dictator’s troops played before the final dawn assault on March 6, 1836.

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Posted in Library, Texana

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