January 27, 2012
When Dad and I traveled through the American Southwest in the summer of 2011, we did a lot of base camping–staying in membership campgrounds, federal lands or state parks within an hour of major cities. This allowed us to pay lower nightly rates and explore the countryside, rather than exclusively focusing on known tourist destinations. ...
January 6, 2012
Texans like to say that things are bigger in Texas. Certainly the jubilant holiday feeling in Austin, Texas is both large and contagious, and combined with Austin’s fun outings, the nature trails of Lady Bird Lake, and great music spilling out on every street corner downtown, it’s a fun place to spend at least part of ...
December 30, 2011
Blame it on years of living in New Orleans, where locals still hold picnics in the stunning above-ground cemeteries. Or blame it on a somewhat morbid fascination with all things dark yet beautiful. Regardless, Dad and I are particularly enamored by cemeteries, and make it a goal to see the major burial grounds in each ...
December 29, 2011
I’m a bit of a government nut, always keeping up with the latest Senate and House debates. So when Dad and I were in Austin, Texas during the spring of 2011, I was excited to tour the Texas State Capitol complex. As it turned out, the state legislature was in session, offering us the chance to ...
December 26, 2011
When Dad and I headed out on our Western adventure in the spring of 2011, we actually knew relatively little about the region. But we were eager to learn as much as we could. In states as diverse as New Mexico, Utah and Arizona, we sought out major museum complexes and tiny roadside attractions looking ...
December 24, 2011
Dad is a mid-generation Baby Boomer. His teen years were filled with the hallmarks of the turbulent 1960s–the Beatles, the Vietnam War, race riots and protests and seismic shifts in the cultural zeitgeist. But perhaps no single event had a bigger effect on him than the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy. As Dad ...
September 3, 2011
The third largest city in Texas, Dallas is a bustling hub for businesses, sports and the arts. It boasts fantastic museums that take visitors on an enlightening expedition through art, history, science and human innovation that has had a vital role in shaping our world and broadening our perspectives. Listed alphabetically, the following five museums ...
August 2, 2011
Is it hokey? Or is it history? It’s hard to tell at first glance in Fredericksburg, Texas, at least when you come for Oktoberfest as we did a year ago. This October festival means that Main Street, with its nineteenth century houses is bedecked with Texas state flags and German ones. It means rowdy polka ...
July 17, 2011
Dad and I learned a very interesting lesson during our Western adventure this summer: Texas is a big state. Of course, we already knew the facts and figures, but maps simply do not do it justice. Even more importantly, we learned that West Texas is desolate. When we left San Antonio, headed for Carlsbad, New ...
June 21, 2011
Bandera, Texas looks like a Hollywood set. Billing itself as the Cowboy Capital of the World, Bandera has changed little since its founding in the 1850s. Just an hour outside San Antonio, Bandera was originally a migrant camp for workers at the local mill. Gradually the town built up around the mill, primarily populated by ...
