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What It Means to Be a Texas Gentleman Jan 11, 2017

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One of my favorite, but now largely unknown speakers in American history was Robert Green Ingersoll. Redwater, Texas was originally named Ingersoll – after him. He was a philosopher and a popular intellectual, the most sought after orator of his time. He left us many fine proverbs. One of my favorites is this: “The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.”…

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Here’s Your Texas-Themed Reading List for 2017 Dec 28, 2016

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I’m not an expert on many things, but when it comes to judging the quality of Texas literature, or Texana as it is called, I am as confident as a bronc rider still upright at seven seconds. That last second of the eight is reserved for humility. Chance needs scant time to have one spittin’ up dirt. So I decided I would take my chances and prepare a list of good Texas books you might want to…

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The Story Behind Texas’ Favorite Butter Dec 26, 2016

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Texas has a great number of Texas brands: Southwest Airlines. Texas Instruments. Lone Star Beer. Dell Computer. Imperial Sugar. The King Ranch. Now, The King Ranch is a brand that came, quite literally, from a brand. King Ranch even has its own brand of Ford Pickup. The King Ranch also helped launch another old Texas brand, Falfurrias Butter. It is a little circuitous, but this is how…

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Jack Sorenson’s Paintings Capture the Simple Joy of Christmas Dec 14, 2016

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This is the story of a boy who loved Christmas so much that he grew up to make it more magical for the rest of us. That is, if you have ever had the good fortune to see his paintings – and if you haven’t, I’m here to make sure your luck changes. The artist’s name is Jack Sorenson. He grew up on the edge of Palo Duro canyon, a place so rare in its quality of light that Jack’s unique talents must…

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Trying to Talk Texan? Let Your Words Lean Into Each Other Nov 30, 2016

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A nice lady wrote to me not long ago and said that she was happy to have a son with a good, solid, two-syllable Texas name. “His name is ‘Ben,’”she wrote. I loved that. We do that, don’t we? Well, many of us do, anyway. There are 30 million Texans so there are many dialects out there. But in the traditional or classic Texas dialect, we tend to convert one-syllable words to two-syllable words.

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The Queen of King Ranch Nov 16, 2016

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When Richard King, the founder of the King Ranch, was on his deathbed, he told his wife, Henrietta Chamberlain King “Don’t let any of that land get away from you.” At the time of his death in 1885, King’s famous ranch consisted of about half a million acres. He had amassed this land on the advice of Robert E. Lee, who told him that he should buy all the land in the wild horse desert that he could…

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Dr Pepper: The Story of Texas’ Favorite Soft Drink Oct 19, 2016

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My favorite snack as a teenager was a Dr Pepper with salty peanuts. You remember: you pour the peanuts into the Dr Pepper and let them float around and season the drink. Didn’t get much better than that. Dr Pepper is the oldest soft drink in America. Older than Coca-Cola, in fact, by a full year. It was created in 1885 by a pharmacist, Charles Alderton, in Waco, Texas. And its original name was…

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Sure, Texas Is Big – But It Used to Be Even Bigger Oct 05, 2016

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Texans have a kind of proverb that goes like this: “Driving across Texas isn’t a trip; it’s a damn career.” Texas is big, no doubt about that. But it used to be a lot bigger – about a fourth bigger. When Texas joined the United States in 1845, Texas’ borders (and shape) were quite different. The northern boundary of Texas in those days stretched all the way up into what is today southern…

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The Real Texan Who Inspired Captain Woodrow F. Call Sep 21, 2016

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In the mini-series Lonesome Dove, Charles Goodnight was immortalized loosely as Captain Woodrow F. Call, played by Tommy Lee Jones. In truth, Charles Goodnight in real life was even more fascinating than the fictional Woodrow Call. Goodnight, who is the most famous rancher in Texas history, and the most ubiquitous Texan of his time, became a Texas Ranger at the age of 21.

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Homesick for Texas: Songs & Tributes to the Lone Star State Sep 07, 2016

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To my mind, the signature song about longing for Texas is this one: I wanna go home with the Armadillo; Good country music from Amarillo and Abilene; The friendliest people and the prettiest women you’ve ever seen. That’s “London Homesick Blues” sung by Jerry Jeff Walker and written by Gary P. Nunn. But there are dozens of songs that make Texpatriates (Texans forced to live outside of…

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