In honor of our many wonderful Texans who frequent, and greatly enliven this site, we are choosing the great state of Texas as the next in our American Puzzle Pieces series. To refresh your memory, we started this series because we who live scattered across America have come together here, united by beliefs and values we share, by concerns for the future and direction of our country. We enjoy each other, learn a little, share some humor and a beer or two from a Texas sized cooler, manned by our own WeeWeed. To date, I have written articles on a couple of states I have called home, and Pat gave a great feature on Michigan. Sadly, tragically, I have never visited Texas. However, with all the attention given the Lonestar State after Rick Perry’s hat toss, we have wanted to show our appreciation for our Texans, so I have decided to make them work. Being Texans, I just don’t think they will care.
As someone who loves American history, my attention has always been drawn to the Alamo. It is a symbol for me, a symbol of what this country is made of, of what makes it great, of yes – dare I say it- American exceptionalism. In all the world is there a finer example of love of country than those men who chose to remain at the Alamo for the sake of Texas? Is there a more poignant Battle Cry than Remember the Alamo? There are many places I dream of visiting in this land of ours, and this little mission is among them. How many men leave a legacy as lasting as Sam Houston? An imperfect man, as we all are imperfect, who stepped forward to lead in a time of great need. This is just one place I would like to visit, just one instance of history in a state rich with stories waiting to be told, places of haunting beauty. The Chisholm Trail, the Big Thicket, Galveston Bay. Yeah, I know they have Houston and Dallas. Can you tell I’m not a city girl?
Here’s the deal. I want you Texans – that means especially you WeeWeed, to chip in here and write this tale for us. Anyone can google Texas and get what they want to know. I would like to hear it straight from the longhorn’s mouth. What do you love about Texas? What story do you have to tell, what scenery can you post a picture of? What makes you guys such a kick a$$ bunch of people? Tell us about your favorite Texans, past and present. We enjoy your participation, we love your jokes, we honor your home state. Let us see it from your eyes, please.
Pull up a stool, dig down deep in WeeWeed’s cooler (you gotta get down past that fancy stuff Grunt drinks), grab a Silver Bullet and tell a tale, Texas style. Allow me to close with one of my very favorite songs in the world. My oldest son threw the cassette tape out the window once when I might possibly have played it over and over a little too much. But really, can you ever get emough of El Paso?