I arrived in Austin around 10 A.M. on Monday.  Most every place was packed with students on end-of-year field trips, but that was true in Palo Duro as well.  Kids have been part of my landscape for so long, that I miss them when they aren’t there.  So this week would prove to be very refreshing.  I spent about ninety minutes, in and around the Texas State Capitol, once having parked in the visitors’ garage.

This capitol building is suitably huge and majestic, befitting a state that, under the terms of its admission to the Union, may legally subdivide into as many as five states. That this diverse land has chosen to remain united as the Lone Star State is a message to the nation as a whole, as well as a reminder to its citizens to not repeat the choice it made in 1861.  Until recently, there was a separatist movement in Texas, to bring back the Republic of 1836-45.

There was much that was praiseworthy about the original Tejas Rebellion.  It would likely not have happened, had not Mexican President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna usurped nearly imperial powers, after his election by the Congress of Mexico, in 1833.  The majority of Tejas residents by then were American southerners, who had a sense of their own freedom, while espousing the institution of slavery.  The irony was not lost on them, but they were determined to safeguard their freedom, anyway.  More on Santa Anna, and the rebels, in Day 4, Part 3.

Here are some photos of this magnificent building and its surroundings.

Approaching the capitol from the east.

Here is Sam Houston.

This statue honors those who fought for freedom in 1836.

A Fountain of Youth, on the South Side of the Capitol.

This is a close-up of the dome, from the south side.

Six Flags Over Texas- The Real Deal.

The Texas State Capitol, from the south.

The Tenacity of the Tejano, part of a sculpture honoring the Mexicans who stayed in Texas, after 1836.

The Texas Capitol Visitors’ Center,  is southeast of the Capitol.

In 2008, an arsonist set fire to the Texas Governor’s Mansion, which was unoccupied at the time.  This piece from the portico of the mansion is on display in the Capitol Visitors’ Center.

Here is an interior view of the Rotunda, taken after I got back from lunch (See Part 2).

Silhouette of Lady Liberty; was taken from north side of the Texas Capitol.

So you can see, the Texas State Capitol could easily take up a good five hours of a person’s time.  This vignette, like my other posts, could easily be topped by the connoisseur of Texas history.

I will have three more posts on Austin:  Part 2 is on Downtown; part 3 will cover the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and part 4, the University of Texas at Austin.   Some may be up tonight, depending on where I stay the night.  Otherwise, being Memorial Day weekend, I will post my 20 or so remaining blogs over the course of next week.  Stay tuned.

Texas drew people from the world over, during its brief stint as an independent nation,1836-1845.  Among the Europeans who came in droves were the Bohemians and Moravians, now known as Czechs.  They tended to settle in areas where there were many Germans, for some reason- areas like what are now San Antonio, the Hill Country and Corpus Christi.  This, even though Germans and Czechs weren’t exactly kissing cousins.

I found a gem of  a town, with a large Czech presence:  West, TX.  It is orally referenced as “West comma Texas, to distinguish it from the REGION of West Texas, from which it is rather far.  The town of West, TX lies just north of Waco, another center of German heritage, which is unfortunately better known for the Branch Davidian debacle of the 1990’s.  I didn’t have time to seriously discover Waco and my friend who lives near there was busy, anyway.

West, TX, however, may be well-covered in an hour or so.  It is named, not for the idea of Texas being in the West, but after Thomas West, a rancher who was also the area’s first Postmaster.  He promoted its growth, as a counterpoint to Waco and Fort Worth.  Somehow, though he built a solid little town, its greatness is still a potential rather than a reality.

West, TX is a fine place to stop and enjoy awesome Central European staples, such as feisty sausages, beer bread and kolaches (fruit or nut filled buns).  I chose Czech Stop, a bakery attached to the Sunoco station.  Actually, it was chosen for me, as everyone else was closed, with it being Sunday.   No matter, the place was packed, with people flying up over the hill and whipping into the parking lot, as if there were a fire sale going on.

I bought enough poppy seed kolaches, cheddar-jalapeno rolls, summer sausage and rye bread to keep me happy over the ensuing three days- making breakfast and supper  at restaurants unnecessary.  I had to save for purchasing beach wear, you see.

Here are some scenes from West, TX and from the delightful Oasis Inn, in Temple, TX, where I spent Sunday night.  Below is West City Hall.

Czech-Mexican fusion is big here, as it is in Corpus Christi.

Other bakeries in town do stick to traditional central European fare.

Below, the gazebo honours Thomas West.

Another Czech butcher shop/bakery was closed, but looks interesting.

On the far West Side of West, I found this:

Now, since this was such a long, full and wonderful day, I found a marvelous little motel, right off I-35, in Temple.

It’s Oasis Inn.

Understanding a city like Fort Worth takes a good dose of meat- lovin’.  I imagine it’d be hard to be a vegan and live here, though I’m sure there are plenty who do.  I am one who likes a balanced diet, so some meat in a day is a good thing, in my view.

I spent about forty minutes on Saturday and an hour or so today, walking around Fort Worth’s downtown, before heading up to the city’s heart:  The North Side.

As I mentioned earlier, when cattlemen build something, it’s meant to last.  Here are Tarrant County’s Administration Building, and a few other shots of downtown Fort Worth.

This is where the Fort Worth Colts (baseball team) play, or so I’m told.

Downtown has a mix of Victorian, Art Deco and Modern architectural styles.

Now, the fun part- the Stockyards District!

Here is one of several Barbecue choices on the North Side:  Cooper’s.   It’s a large open bay with long tables.  Pick out your meat and choice of sauces, jalapeno or “regular’, then go on to the carbs area- baked potato, potato salad, corn on the cob, etc, then get a drink cup and settle up at the register.  After that, “set down” and dig in!  Oh, there’s cobbler, but you have to practically beg the girl at the carbs area for a piece.  She might not think you need it.  Some customers pitch a fit if you leave your tray after eating, but there is a busperson, so ignore them, and let him do his job.  It’s all good.

There are still a few head of cattle left in the pens.

I walked up into and along the pens and came out here, where the animals obligingly dare you to try and pet them.  Warning signs dissuade most everyone, including me.

There was a good crowd on the streets south of the pens, reminding me of all the tales told about Old Fort Worth.

This is, of course, the Livestock Exchange.  As I walked around, I noticed a few more BBQ choices, for those who like table service.  One is Riscky’s Steakhouse (Yep, that’s the spelling).  Another is Cattlemen’s.

After one has eaten, it’s time for a show.  Billy Bob’s Texas has it covered!

There’s more than enough in the North Side to keep a passel of kids entertained, for days.  I will be back here, some day.  It was time, though, to head a bit west, to the Cultural District, and Log Cabin Village.

I could have kept going a bit longer, on Friday night, but Comfort Inn’s cold-as-ice desk clerk (refugee from the Welfare Office, much) didn’t mess me up. I had a nice breakfast, got laundry done and the morning crew were great guys.

I got to Quanah by mid-morning.  The town is named for the Comanche chief, Quanah Parker, whose mother was actually a white woman captured as a child by the Comanche, and raised by them as one of their own.  It is said she was the inspiration for Kevin Costner’s character’s love interest in Dances with Wolves.

Quanah never saw his mother after he was nine years old.  This was part of the impetus for him to carry on a concerted conflict with white settlers and the U.S. Cavalry, which ended with the Army, under Col. McKenzie, slaughtering the Plains warriors’ horses, and Quanah giving up the fight.

He quickly adopted mainstream culture, becoming a successful farmer and merchant, and encouraging other Plains Indians to do the same.  Geronimo emulated Quanah, after he, too, felt the tide becoming overwhelming.

Quanah is also remembered as an advocate of the Vision Quest, which, he taught, should be   enhanced with ceremonial use of peyote,  a hallucinogen about which he learned from Mexican Native peoples.  He is seen by many as a founder of the Native American Church.

In any case,  I am somewhat fascinated with Chief Quanah’s life and legacy, so I spent an hour or so in the small museum.

This is the high school, also named in Quanah Parker’s honor.

Below is Quanah Routes Museum

The museum also commemorates area veterans, and astronaut Ed Givens, a native of Quanah, TX, who would have been the first man to walk on the moon, had he not died in a car accident in Houston, two years prior to the launch of Apollo I.

There are also collections of memorabilia from the early part of the twentieth century, on up to the fifties.

Meet Mr. Poison

Remember Howdy Doody?

A calculator, from before the days of “apps”.

There is much to be learned from the life of Quanah Parker, especially about resilience and adaptation.  There is also much to be learned in small towns like Quanah, about preservation of both small items and large legacies.

After I left Quanah, I drove a few miles east, to Chillicothe, and found this little prairie gem:

Love’s Barbecue, for those who do.

I had a delectable two-meat combo (Brisket and German sausage, with fresh sauerkraut, Cole slaw and meaty beans.  I did have UN sweetened tea, but that was balanced by the decadent sin of Pecan Cobbler.