Observations of Texas.

So, Texas is pretty much like it’s own country.  I mean, it feels like a foreign country…it’s definitely different than the Midwest!

As I drove through East Texas and then around Houston over these last several days, I’ve made some observations about this place that I wanted to share with you…

• Texans are CRAZY proud of being Texans.  
• The red dirt, cattle ranches, and road-side shacks of East Texas made me feel like I was in Uganda.
• Everything really is bigger in Texas: pancakes, interstates, speed limits, price tags, and hospitality.  The only smaller in Texas is the price of fuel (yay)!
• The Texas state flag hangs at the same height as the American flag…no kidding.
• The freeways have these feeder roads (also called frontage roads), and you can literally drive alongside a freeway for miles and miles without ever getting onto the freeway…it’s actually REALLY handy.  Also, U-turns are legal.
• Texans are really proud of any store, restaurant, or person originating in Texas (Freebirds, Buc-ee’s, H.W., and W.).
• You are immediately marked as an outsider if you fail to use the word “y’all.”
• Knowing the nicknames of the freeways makes you feel like you’re part of the “in” crowd.  Don’t say, “The inner loop or the outer loop.”  It’s the Loop and the Beltway, respectively.
• Palm trees are everywhere.
• The humidity makes you feel like you’ve been cloaked in a hot, wet, wool blanket.  Forget good hair days!
• It seems that if you do not own and wear in public your cowboy boots, you aren’t cool.  Unfortunately, mine are in Indiana, making me uncool.

Buc-ee’s.  This is a REALLY BIG DEAL here.  It’s a gas station/convenience store, but it’s really like a mini-shopping mall! They boast the best shopping, the most and cleanest bathrooms on the road (I concur), and their own in-house beef jerky.  It’s insane!

Freebirds.  This is a native Texas burrito place, much like Chipotle, only way cooler.  It’s really punked out and each employee looks like a rock n’ roll star…and you are supposed to sculpt something out of your aluminum foil when you’re done eating.

Outdoor reading time.  Well, that lasted for about 5 minutes, because it’s so HUMID.  The heat alone is not so bad, but the humidity just makes you sweat instantly.  Ugh!

City Centre.  Palm trees, nice restaurants, and trendy stores…pretty neat place!

The Egg and I.  So, I ordered one pancake and two eggs…and the pancake was GINORMOUS! I felt terrible that I couldn’t eat it all, but it was pretty impressive when they sat it down.  Talk about Texas-sized!