There are miles and miles of Texas, as Bob Wills famously sang long before Asleep at the Wheel recorded their live video, and I saw 1440 of ’em in six days on a road trip to the Texas Panhandle. Here’s what I learned.
1. The buffalo still do roam—within their corrals. But if they start eyeing you, don’t count on that fence.
2. Texas is ready-made for iPhone panoramas.
3. You can get a town named after you, if you start one up with your cereal fortune.
4. Texans take real good care of the 1930s gas stations that sell their favorite commodity, oil.
Fill ‘er Up in Turkey, Texas by Jann Alexander ©2015
A Trio of Pumps, Shamrock, Texas by Jann Alexander ©2015
Fill ‘er Up in Shamrock, Texas by Jann Alexander ©2015
5. Folks are right friendly in Texas, and purty dang proud of their 1930s cafes.
6. There’s more glamour in small Texas towns than you’d expect.
7. There’s always somewheres fancy to visit.
8. Every Texas town keeps its treasures in a junk shop.
9. Though crime doesn’t pay in Texas, thanks to those Texas Rangers, it pays to brake for historical markers.
10. You won’t eat anything greener than iceberg lettuce.
11. You’ll have plenty of choices for burgers and barbecue.
12. The tallest building in any small Texas town is the courthouse, where you can get to its heart and history.
13. You’ll spend a lot of time at train crossings.
14. Most of the bugs in Texas will find your windshield and front grill.
15. If there are do-overs in life, then next time, be born with mineral rights.
You can learn a lot about Texas in six days—as I did, when I wanted to soak up life in the Panhandle to research the two novels I’m writing. And with 465 photographs in those 1440 miles, and even more inspiration to show for it, my creative well got a much-needed refill. In fact, it’s brimming over. So as the friendly Texas folk say, y’all come back to visit Pairings real soon. I’m serving up more Texas lore, images and tall tales, with those two books in the works. ♣
What did you learn on your last road trip?
- Travel along with me for more Art + Travel HERE.
- Stroll through my art prints and paintings HERE.
- Find some inspiration among 45 quotes on writing, art and creativity, HERE.
- I’m frequently shooting things from the past. You’ll find more in my Time Travels, HERE.
You can get a sneak peek of my upcoming novel:
Read an excerpt from A Habit of Hiding here
For more on the art of writing, look HERE.
Get Popular Pairings each month:
Jann Alexander :: Pairings 
I want to go!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great observations, Jann, and the photos are spot on for the subjects. I have one for your next list, something that I learned 35 years ago when I was working with some crazy Texans in Western Colorado: Texas is the only place that you can stand ankle-deep in mud and breathe dust.
Have a great weekend and thanks for this nostalgic look at your home state.
Ω
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gee Allan you make it sound so appealing. I’m heading out now in my boots to look for some mud and dust 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thought of you earlier this week when I was in downtown Naperville taking snow photos and spotted a “Keep Austin Wild” bumper sticker. Of course I took a photo of it and will use it at some point. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
janet
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s wild! Usually the bumper stickers are Keep Austin Weird. Maybe it’s a sign we’ve already given up 😦 Hope to see that bumper sticker in your post soon!
LikeLike
Whoops! My bad. It was “weird” not “wild.” 🙂 Too many w’s, I guess.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great photos and wry observations. Loved it!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Emilio, nice to hear it! Hope you get to cover some miles in Texas one day too. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person