martes, 26 de Febrero
Beautiful Southern Texas is my home indefinitely. I have been enjoying 70-80 degree weather here in the Rio Grande Valley. Taking a stroll along the Rio Grande while peeling a fresh grapefruit has been my occupation. For the first time, I have tasted the salty ocean air and seen the billowing waves of the Gulf of Mexico. For this land-lubber and son of the Mid-South, it was quite an experience. On the way home tonight, we were stopped by a border patrol who wanted to make sure we were American citizens. He did not ask for I.D., so I guess the hot Texas sun has failed to brown our skin to an unrecognizable degree.
We also visited Palo Alto Battlefield, a controversial National Park that commemorates the first battle of the Mexican-American War. It was an honor to see the flags that marked the places where once battle lines had been drawn. Texas is also not void of Southern Independence history. Brownsville was called the "back door" of the Confederacy during the war. The South smuggled their cotton across the border into Matamoros and shipped the textile unharmed by the Yankee blockade into Europe. Also, the last battle of the war was fought nearby at Palmito Ranch.
It has been a challenge, as well as a learning experience, to try to communicate with the locals. I have learned to order "limonada" instead of lemonade, and have seen that the Tex-Mex of the central-South does not compare with real Mexican food. Taquitoes are sold everywhere. Popular meat choices are pollo, bistek, and fajita, and the frijoles charros (cowboy beans) are out of this world!
While the days have been filled with many sweet hours, the reason that brought us to Brownsville was a bitter one. We are here to sell my grand-father's house after he passed away last November. His love for everything cowboy reverberates from his pictures of Buffalo Bill and Roy Rogers to the historic Chisolm Trail. And somehow, I think his passion for history has passed to the next generation---as a heritage.
Bryce A. Chandler
Brownsville, Texas
Beautiful Southern Texas is my home indefinitely. I have been enjoying 70-80 degree weather here in the Rio Grande Valley. Taking a stroll along the Rio Grande while peeling a fresh grapefruit has been my occupation. For the first time, I have tasted the salty ocean air and seen the billowing waves of the Gulf of Mexico. For this land-lubber and son of the Mid-South, it was quite an experience. On the way home tonight, we were stopped by a border patrol who wanted to make sure we were American citizens. He did not ask for I.D., so I guess the hot Texas sun has failed to brown our skin to an unrecognizable degree.
We also visited Palo Alto Battlefield, a controversial National Park that commemorates the first battle of the Mexican-American War. It was an honor to see the flags that marked the places where once battle lines had been drawn. Texas is also not void of Southern Independence history. Brownsville was called the "back door" of the Confederacy during the war. The South smuggled their cotton across the border into Matamoros and shipped the textile unharmed by the Yankee blockade into Europe. Also, the last battle of the war was fought nearby at Palmito Ranch.
It has been a challenge, as well as a learning experience, to try to communicate with the locals. I have learned to order "limonada" instead of lemonade, and have seen that the Tex-Mex of the central-South does not compare with real Mexican food. Taquitoes are sold everywhere. Popular meat choices are pollo, bistek, and fajita, and the frijoles charros (cowboy beans) are out of this world!
While the days have been filled with many sweet hours, the reason that brought us to Brownsville was a bitter one. We are here to sell my grand-father's house after he passed away last November. His love for everything cowboy reverberates from his pictures of Buffalo Bill and Roy Rogers to the historic Chisolm Trail. And somehow, I think his passion for history has passed to the next generation---as a heritage.
Bryce A. Chandler
Brownsville, Texas
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