Texas Tidbits: Bob's Big Bend Adventure

Photo from Bob's Big Bend Adventure**

Texas is about 267,000 square miles of Bad Ass. I have traveled about four-fifths of those 267,000 square miles. The one-fifth of Texas I haven't seen is the area in and around the Big Bend. Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll make that trip with wife and little girls next summer. However, a good friend of mine, Bob Zeller at Texas Tweeties recently took a trip to the Big Bend with his lovely wife, Ann. I like Bob and all, but I gotta tell you, he married up.Way up. :) Now where was I? Bob...trip...Ann....oh,yeah, so Bob and Ann take this trip to the Big Bend. Bob wrote a bit of commentary about the trip and he took loads of photos that illustrate the rugged, unspoiled beauty of this part of Texas and serialized it on his blog. So far, there are five installments of Bob' writings and photos, with each one more breathtaking than the last. If you've never been tp this part of Texas or if you've been a hundred times, you are sure to find something new in Bob's posts. Give 'em a read and let your imagination run wild with thoughts of cowboys and the Indians that roamed these mountains and prairies that are still just as wild and untamed as they were hundreds of years ago.

Here are the keys to Bob's Place:

• Bob's Big Bend Adventure, Part 1 - The Dangers
• Bob's Big Bend Adventure, Part 2-The FunThings
• Bob's Big Bend Adventure - Part 3 - Pinto Canyon
• Bob's Big Bend Adventure - Part 4 - El Camino del Rio
• Bob's Big Bend Adventure - Part 5 - Places to Stay and Eat

Go forth and explore Bob's Big Adventure to the Big Bend and check out the outstanding photos. And while you're over at Bob' place, I think you'd like to think about ordering one of his Texas Tweeties 2011 calendars. Aside from the magnificent photography you'd expect from Bob, the calendars are very sturdy, not that cheap ass paper you get at your local retailer. Just to remind you, I do not receive any remunerations for hawking Bob's calendar. 1) I have one so I know of what I speak when I describe it. 2) Bob put in countless hours getting the photos in the calendar. Birds ain't like a dog, they don't come to you when you whistle. 3) Bob is my friend and having gotten to know him over the last couple months, I have great respect and admiration for him 4) He's from Michigan, yet he chooses to be a Texan. That alone is reason enough to respect the man.
5) I am all about helping a friend.

***Photo copyright by Bob Zeller***

Weekend Rerun!

I am still under the weather, so today I am gonna post some stuff that's been posted before, but it's certainly worth a second read, if you've already looked it over. For our newer visitors, it'll be a great opportunity to catch up on the material they have not had the chance to read yet. At any rate, you'll be exposed to rantings of a madman the award-winning (my Mom awarded me a Dinky Button) literature that makes you queasy you've come to expect from yours truly, so set your expectations real low and you won't be disappointed. It's a win-win deal.

• The Law West of the Pecos- The heartwarming tale of a man who basically ruled a portion of West Texas from the Court's bench. Justice Roy Bean style went like this: a guy was accused of killing a Chinese man. Judge Bean studied on it for a bit, then proclaimed the defendant not guilty. The Judge said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "it's certainly against the law to kill a man, but the law says nothing about killing a Chinaman. Case dismissed." Read the post and click on he links and you'll find more tear-inducing tales of the Law West of the Pecos.
• Forged of a Hotter Fire- I have posted 288 times on this blog so far, and this is in my Top 3 Favorite Posts. In the story, click the link to read a great essay from Coach Bum Phillips on what it means to be a Texan. I think our non-Texan friends will enjoy it and gain a little insight as to why Texans are so fiercely proud of our heritage. God bless Texas.
• Country Music Month Wrap Up- This was posted about a week and a half ago, but it's still worth re-reading or just clicking on the links to the music of BOCEPHUS!!!

That's a pretty good day's reading right there. Sit back, crack open a beer for breakfast and hit the "Bocephus" post, crank up the music and read the other two posts while you jam. That's the way people "forged of a hotter fire" do it.