Learn the Address

I'm a day late with this post, but I just heard about this project today. Filmmaker Ken Burns has challenged all Americans to commit the Gettysburg Address to memory. It's a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. You can even go to Learn the Address and upload a video of yourself reciting or reading the Address.

My favorite thing is the mash-up of all of our living presidents and some celebrities reciting the address.

I grew up in the days when rote learning was the standard. I can still recite many of the things I learned in school. I know the Preamble to the Constitution, the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, the Concord Hymn, Hiawatha, the books of the Bible, and a few others. But I can only remember about half of the Gettysburg Address.

I'm making a pledge right now. I will memorize the entire Gettysburg Address and post it on the web site. Will you take the pledge too?

And, while we're at it, how about we ask all athletes who represent the USA at the Olympics to memorize the words to The Star Spangled Banner. I don't think that's unreasonable.

Texas A to Z

Grams is proud to be a Texan. I was born in Texas and have never lived anywhere else. All students in Texas are required to have one credit in Texas History, usually in middle school. I'm embarrassed to admit that, when I was younger, I thought everyone studied Texas history. I mean, why shouldn't they? It's so interesting and exciting. It never occurred to me that people all over the USA didn't have to take a class and learn about Goliad or the Alamo.

You may not know that March is Texas History Month. Grams is a bit of a Texas history buff. March 2, 2011 was the 175th anniversary of the adoption of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the day we declared our independence from Mexico and became a sovereign nation.

I thought I would use this as an excuse to celebrate Texas so I've put together a list of all things Texan from A to Z.

A is for the Alamo, the cradle of Texas liberty, where Texas heroes Davy Crockett, William Travis, and Jim Bowie along with about 180 other lesser known heroes died. It's also for armadillo, the official state mammal, commonly seen on the side of Texas highways as roadkill.

B is for Bluebonnets which are just bursting into bloom along Texas highways and byways. Bluebonnets are to Texas was fall leaves are to New England. There are entire web sites dedicated to following the annual blooms. And for Bluebell Ice Cream made in Brenham and considered by most Texans to be the best ice cream you can get without hand cranking it on your front porch.

C is for chili, the official dish of the State of Texas, invented in San Antonio. And, for the record, there are no beans in Texas chili.  C is also for Caddo Lake, the only natural lake in the entire state. According to a Caddoan legend, Caddo Lake was formed by an earthquake. A Caddo Indian Chief was warned by the Great Spirit to move his village from the low lands. The Chief ignored the warning and one day while he and his men were out hunting the ground shook. When they returned, their village was gone beneath the water of the newly formed Caddo Lake.

D is for Dr Pepper the oldest major brand of soft drink in the U.S., originally concocted and served at Morrison's Drug Store in Waco Texas. It's also for white-tailed deer which are abundant and widely hunted in Texas. The first day of deer season is practically a state holiday.

E is for Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, a huge, pink granite dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is one of the largest batholiths (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States. And, the view from the top is awesome. Hiking Enchanted Rock is one of my proudest accomplishments.

F is for the flags of six different nations that have flown over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States of America, and United States of America. It's also for the Frio River, a beautiful, ice-cold spring-fed river that runs through the Texas Hill Country. A favorite destination for most Texans. Frio is the Spanish word for cold and, trust me, the water is always cold.

G is for Goliad where the first offensive action of the Texas Revolution took place and the original Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. It's also the site of the massacre of Colonel Fannin and 341 of his men when they were marched outside the walls of the Presidio La Bahia and shot. It was the largest loss of life in the cause of Texas freedom and "Remember Goliad, Remember the Alamo" became the battle cry for the revolution.

H is for Houston, the largest city in Texas and the fourth largest city in the U.S. It's named for General Sam Houston, the first president of The Republic of Texas.

I is for independent. Texas is the only state that was ever an independent nation. The Republic of Texas existed from 1836 until statehood in 1845. And ... Texans are notoriously independent. As you know, everything is bigger and better in Texas.

J is for President Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States who is remembered for his Great Society policies including the passing of Medicare, Medicaid, the Civil Rights Act, and the Voting Rights Act. It's also for Lady Bird Johnson who led the effort to beautify America. She is responsible for the re-seeding of wildflowers across the State of Texas and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas bears her name.

K is for the King Ranch, located in South Texas and one of the largest ranches in the world. It's larger than the state of Rhode Island. And it's also for Kinky Friedman, musician, political satirist and gubernatorial candidate. He's definitely a Texas original.

L is for the Lone Star flag. It's blue for loyalty, white for purity, and red for bravery. The Lone Star stands for our unity ... one God, one state, one country.

M is for the Marfa lights, mysterious ghost lights that are visible year round. Native American's knew about Marfa Mystery Lights long before the first recorded sighting in 1883.

N is for Willie Nelson, a Texas original and living legend as famous for his run ins with the law as for his epic country music career. It's also for Nacadoches, the oldest town in Texas. It's so picturesque you might think you're in the Old South.

O is for oil, black gold, Texas tea. In 1901, the Spindletop gusher ushered in the 20th century and took Texas from an agrarian economy into the petroleum and industrial age.

P is for Palo Duro Canyon, the Grand Canyon of Texas and home to the production, Texas, billed as the most spectacular outdoor musical drama in the world, complete with horseback riders and fireworks.

Q is for Quanah Parker, the last chief of the Comanches, who never lost a battle to the white man. He was the son of a Comanche chief and Cynthia Ann Parker, a white captive.

R is for ranching which was born in the wide-open spaces of Texas. Texas boasts the Cowboy Capital of the World at Bandera. R is also for Rio Grande, the fifth longest river in North America which forms the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

S is for San Jacinto where General Sam Houston's army defeated Santa Anna. Now the site of the world's tallest war memorial, 15 feet taller than the Washington Momument.

T is for Tex-Mex, the regional cuisine which combines the best of Mexican and American cooking. Tex-Mex is noted for its usage of sour cream, cheese, meat, heavy use of Comino (cumin), jalapeño and even olives.

U is for universities ... Texas is home to some of the best. Texas A & M at College Station, the University of Texas, Texas Tech, SMU, Baylor, and Rice to mention just a few of the big ones. And Texas is home to one of the biggest and best sports rivalries anywhere between the Fighting Texas Aggies and the Texas Longhorns.

V is for Virgen de San Juan del Valle Shrine in San Juan, Texas (near McAllen) which is visited daily by hundreds of pilgrims seeking miracles, healing, and indulgences through the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Shrine was rebuilt after a plane was deliberately crashed into the original shrine in 1970. Miraculously, the image of the Virgen was unharmed and all 130 persons inside the church made it out alive.

W is for wildflowers which are just bursting into their annual springtime bloom along the highways and byways in Texas. It's also for Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, the king of western swing.

X is for the XIT Ranch in the panhandle of Texas. It was once the largest ranch in the world "under fence." The land for the ranch, some three million acres, was payment from the State of Texas for the granite used to build our state capitol building. It's also for  X Marks the Spot a Texas Monthly article detailing stories of buried and lost treasure in Texas, everything from pirate ships to bank robbers' booty.

Y is for the Yellow Rose of Texas. Legend has it that a beautiful mulatto slave named Emily Morgan was entertaining Santa Anna when the Texians launched a surprise attack on a napping Mexican army at San Jacinto. She was the inspiration for the well-known song. And, although the Yellow Rose of Texas isn't actually a rose, Tyler, Texas is the site of one of the largest municipal rose gardens in the world.

Z is if for Antonio Zapata, military leader and wealthy ranchero, who was convicted of treason and executed because of his armed resistance to Santa Anna and loyalty to the Republic of Texas. And it's for ZZ Top sometimes referred to as "That Little Ol' Band from Texas." The rock legends, who have played together as a unit since 1970, are best known for their bearded, haggard look and reclusive mystique and for such hits as "Sharp Dressed Man" and "Gimme All Your Lovin'."

I love being a Texan!

The Substitute Diaries on Re-writing Literature

Grams favorite days as a substitute teacher are the days when I get to teach English or Language Arts. It's no secret to anyone who knows me that reading is my passion.

Photo credit

The week before the Christmas holidays I had the opportunity to teach a high school English class that was reading Julius Caesar. I was very excited to learn that they were reading the parts aloud. This is something I remember doing when I was in school. Assigning students to read each part makes for active class participation that this literature lover can really get into. Clearly the plays of William Shakespeare were written to be performed, not read silently.

Imagine my horror when they started reading and I discovered they were reading a modern American translation of Julius Caesar. Seriously! Specifically, they were reading Act 2, Scene II, about Calpurnia's dream.

In the original text Calpurnia said:

What mean you, Caesar? think you to walk forth?
You shall not stir out of your house to-day.

In the modern translation Calpurnia said:

What are you doing, Caesar? Are you planning to go out? You’re not leaving the house today.

I found this disturbing on so many levels. First of all, I'm offended that anyone thinks that high school students can not learn to read and understand Shakespearean English. We did it and I know they're at least as smart as we were. And, second, isn't the way Shakespeare wrote what made Shakespeare Shakespeare? Translation into modern English takes away the rhythm and rhyme of the writing. Shakespeare DID NOT write in modern English. High school students SHOULD NOT read Shakespeare in modern English. Re-writing Shakespeare is what I call a tragedy!

Photo credit

Then, last week I heard a news story that reported that NewSouth, Inc. will publish new editions of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These new editions will omit the use of the "n-word." WHAT?

If my memory serves me correctly, the use of the "n-word" is central to these stories. It's part of describing the world that Tom and Huck lived in. In my opinion, it's integral to understanding the relationship that Tom had with Jim and what was extraordinary about that relationship. To replace the "n-word" with the word "slave" is not right. Changing that word does not change the reality of the world in that time period. It's part of our history.

As George Santayana said:

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Gone to Goliad

On Saturday, I met my sister, "Aunt B", in Goliad. Goliad is one of my favorite places to visit and I've been there many times. It's about halfway between my house and Aunt B's house. We're always looking for someplace to meet and this is a good choice. This was my first trip to Goliad Market Days.

If you're not from Texas, you may not know that Goliad is the site of Presidio La Bahia and Mission Esperito Santo. It was the place where the first offensive action in the battle for Texas independence took place when local colonists captured the presidio and hoisted the "bloody arm" flag. On December 20, 1835 they signed the first Declaration of Texas Independence here on the altar of the presidio chapel.

On Palm Sunday of 1836 it became the site of the largest single loss of life in the cause of Texas independence when Colonel Fannin and 341 men, who had surrendered to the Mexican army, were marched outside and shot at close range. Twice as many people died here as at the Alamo. The rallying cry for Texas independence became "Remember Goliad. Remember the Alamo."

You can still visit Presidio La Bahia which has been restored and the replica of Mission Esperito Santo. You can sit in the chapel and walk across the drill yard. It's especially moving to go for historical reenactments. The museum curators and docents tell the story in a beautiful and moving fashion. Grams will admit that no matter how many times I go, it still moves me to tears.

The centerpiece of Goliad Market Days is the Goliad County Courthouse which was designed by English Architect Alfred Giles in 1894. The market is set up all the way around the square. As you can see from the photo, Saturday was a post-card perfect day. The weather was warm but not too hot.

We started with lunch at one of several restaurants located around the square. We chose Panache on the Square which turned out to be a really good choice. It only offers a few menu items each day, but all of them are done well. It's a great little place, especially if you consider yourself a foodie. Aunt B and Grams both had half a Rachel sandwich, veggie chips, and a bowl of potato soup. It was delicious. On Saturday's menu they also offered a hamburger and another soup (I think it was Chicken Tortilla). We also noticed that they have a Sunday brunch. I think it would be worth the hour and fifteen minute drive from Corpus Christi just to try it.

We especially enjoyed several things about the market. As a matter of fact, we had so much fun that I didn't snap very many pictures. First of all, the market is smallish but it offers a very nice variety of merchandise. It wasn't just the same thing over and over again. Second, it was not crowded. There were a lot of people there, but it's set up well and spread out enough that it's not jam-packed with people. But my absolute favorite part was that all around the square there are rocking chairs and benches placed so you can just sit and rest a while. That's a really nice touch ... especially since Aunt B and Grams have dubbed ourselves as "LOL squared" (little old ladies - laughing out loud). We're both afflicted with bad knees and need to rest from time-to-time.

Market Days are dog friendly. There were several dogs there who were all on leashes and all very well behaved. I will admit that I fell in love with this beauty who is half Golden Retriever and half Chow. Gorgeous!

Goliad Market Days are held year round on the second Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can buy a wide variety of merchandise from hand-made lace to Tupperware. If you go, I recommend that you stop at the Whataburger or a gas station and use the bathroom before parking and walking into the square. They only have one bathroom with two stalls and the line for the ladies room was long.

For more information about Goliad and Market Days, visit the Goliad County Chamber of Commerce web site.

Grams and Grandad's Summer Vacation - Plymouth & Cape Cod

Grams and Grandad are on what I call a "fabulous" vacation this summer, courtesy of Southwest Rewards and Hilton Honors.  We are in the Boston area for the week.  The culmination of our trip will be Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular on July 4th.  We've watched it on television for years and every year I've said "we really need to go see this in person."  So this year, here we are.

We left Corpus Christi at 9 Tuesday morning and made the 3+ hour drive to Nick's house in Northeast Houston.  We parked our car there and he took us to lunch and dropped us off at Hobby Airport for our 3:40 flight. 

The Southwest Rewards program gives you free flights for traveling on Southwest Airlines.  If you fly Southwest, you really must join their rewards program.  This is one of the perks of Grandad working in Houston.  The tickets cost us $10 each.  The downside is that they restrict which flights you can take.  The closer to a holiday you want to travel, the more difficult it is to book the trip.  That's the explanation for our "late in the day" trip. 

We flew from Houston to New Orleans where we were delayed more than 30 minutes.  The explanation given by the pilot is that a thunderstorm had just moved through the airport so traffic was backed-up getting to the gate.  We sat on the tarmac for more than 30 minutes waiting to pull up to a gate.  We later heard from another airline employee that the delay had actually been because Vice President Biden had been leaving the New Orleans airport after a trip to the Gulf Coast regarding the oil spill.  I suspect it was probably a little of both. We did not have to change planes in New Orleans, but we were able to move to an exit row which gives Grandad (who is 6'5" tall) a little more leg room. 

From New Orleans we flew to Baltimore where we should have had 50 minutes to make the connecting flight that would bring us to Boston Logan. We arrived at gate B2 and had less than 5 minutes to sprint to gate A11 to catch our flight.  We made it with a couple of minutes to spare and were again able to get the exit row seats.  Southwest even held the flight long enough to make sure our luggage was on board.  The sacrifice we made to the weather and VP Biden was the time we had for dinner.  We arrived in Boston around 11:30 p.m. having had no dinner.  Needless to say, all the airport food outlets were closed.  By the time we claimed our luggage, caught a shuttle to the car rental agency, picked up our car, and drove to the hotel, it was 1:30 a.m.

We did not go completely hungry, we had snacks.  Grams always travels with snacks.  Thanks to a Facebook posting from a friend who spent five hours last weekend on an airplane tarmac, I had plenty with me this time.  My carry-on had beef jerky, protein bars, and mixed nuts.  And when we checked into the hotel, the night clerk gave us breakfast bars, apples and bottled water. 

Our hotel rooms are rewards stays from Hilton Honors.  The first two nights are being spent outside of Boston in the Worcester, Massachusetts in a Hampton Inn.  Tomorrow, we'll be be moving to the Homewood Suites Cambridge/Arlington. 

When we checked in last night we were exhausted and cold.  Temperatures last night and tonight have been in the 50s.  I was dressed for South Texas when we arrived and was literally shivering by the time we got to our room.  When we walked into the room, we found the thermostat set on 60 degrees.  It didn't warm up until sometime around 5 this morning. 

We slept until about 9 this morning, had our free breakfast at the hotel and headed for Cape Cod.  It's about a 90-minute drive from our hotel, but the weather was cool, there wasn't much traffic and the scenery is beautiful. 

Our first stop was Plymouth where we stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts to use the bathroom.  We split a cake donut and asked for directions to the tourist information center.  The young lady at the counter was very helpful and gave us very good directions and the following advice "When you park your car, be sure to put a quarter in the parking meter or they'll give you a ticket."

She talked exactly like Julianne Moore's character with the exaggerated Boston dialect on 30 Rock.  It sounded more like "When yah pahk yah cah, be shuh to put a quahtah in he pahkin meteh or they'll give you a ticket."  It was good advice; we saw several cars with parking tickets on the windshield. 

We enjoyed the lady at the visitor's center.  She was extremely knowledgeable and very helpful.  I thought for sure she must be a retired history teacher, but she said that she had learned everything she knows about the area just from listening to other people over the years. 

On her recommendation, we paid $10 each for a shuttle tour of Plymouth which turned out to be interesting. The driver/tour guide also sported his very own Boston accent and was probably the worst tour guide in the history of tour guides. He told us several times that he didn't have his notes with him or he would tell us about one place or another. There were 10-12 stops on the tour where other passengers would have gotten on and off the trolley. But we were the only two passengers for all but one leg of the trip. The guide would point out a place and tell a story about it.  But he drove so fast, that by the time he finished his story we would have already passed the next place of interest.  The fact that we had already passed a place did not deter him from launching into his story about the place that we had already missed. After a while it was hilarious. But is was fun anyway and we saw many things we wouldn't have found on our own.

Salem is absolutely beautiful. There are blooming flowers everywhere, including the most beautiful hydrangeas I have ever seen. The water is sparkling and I love the Cape Cod architecture. It's amazing to see buildings that were built in the 1600s and 1700s and everywhere you turn there are historical monuments and markers.

We had a delicious late lunch at the Blue Blinds Bakery.  We split a Bread and Cheese Plate and a bowl of Potato Soup.  They were so nice that they split the soup into two small bowls for us and served each with a generous slice of Sun-Dried Tomato Bread.  The entire meal was absolutely delicious and cost about $10.  As we were leaving, we bought two macaroons, a ginger snap, and an oatmeal raisin cookie to take with us.  The ginger snap was the best I've ever eaten.  The cookies were large enough to share.  We haven't eaten the oatmeal raisin cookie yet, but I'm sure it will be delicious. 

After our lunch we drove to Hyannis and looked around.  Wow, there are some gorgeous estates up there.  We also drove a little way down the coast and just looked around.   That included a drive through the village of Sandwich which is the home of the Sandwich Glass Works.  If you're ever on Cape Cod you should definitely put it on your itenerary.  It doesn't take long to get there if you're in Plymouth, it's the next town over.  Sandwich is the oldest incorporated town on Cape Cod.  My Mom collected "Sandwich Glass" but I never really knew what that meant.  The glass works is not there any more, but there is a museum with glass-blowing demonstrations and a lovely little museum shop.  It's one of the most picturesque villages I've ever seen.  Absolutely gorgeous, and slightly off the beaten path.

We arrived back at the hotel around 8 o'clock and ordered a pizza from a local place called Blue Jeans Pizza.  It arrived quickly and had a hand-tossed thin crust and was topped with pepperoni, meatballs, Italian sausage, onion, green peppers, mushrooms, tomato sauce and blend of cheeses.  It was better than our usual chain-store pizza and we enjoyed just relaxing for a while.

A few things I've noticed since we got to Massachusetts.  The first thing is how many Dunkin' Donuts they have.  They are as ubiquitous here as Starbucks are in other places.  Locals tell us they like Dunkin' Donuts coffee better than Starbucks.  If it's better, I may never know, because there's a Starbucks right next door to my hotel and, to quote an old cigarette commercial "I'd rather fight than switch."  The second thing I've noticed is that drivers actually stop for pedestrians in crosswalks here.  Kudos to Massachusetts drivers!

The most amazing thing so far is how good the air smelled everywhere we went on Cape Cod ... think of all things fresh ... flowers, evergreens, salt air, and some other mysterious quality that I can't quite put my finger on. The aroma is enticing, bewitching, and intoxicating.  I think I would stay just for that wonderful aroma.

Tomorrow, we're heading to Salem. I would like to visit Concord and Lexington if time allows.  I'm pretty sure lobster is on tomorrow's menu, but we'll see what looks interesting as the day goes by. 

I heard from a friend that Corpus Christi had six inches of rain today along with significant coastal flooding.  Hurricane Alex made landfall tonight in northern Mexico.  I hope that damage is minimal and everyone in the path of this storm is safe.  I'm not sorry that we're missing all the excitement, but it's odd to be out of the loop.  I miss Dale Nelson's "every hour on the hour" updates.