Texas … and Floriduh.

Ever been to Texas? I haven't been for weeks now.  Texans love Texas as you can see from this lazy river pool at a hotel in Houston.  Yes, that it is the outline of the great state of Texas enshrined in concrete and filled with water and chlorine. 

I used to really admire Texas - I thought of it as a can-do place where the populace was into picking themselves up by their bootstraps.  Self reliance at its finest, and people not looking for a handout.  Recently, I have found that that is not true for a chunk of the population.  I hate it when that happens.

The other thing I liked about Texas was how quirky it was.  That definitely remains true.  I was driving from Ft. Worth to San Angelo in West Texas recently.  I needed to get a drink, and stopped at a roadside gas station with a convenience store inside.  I walked in, took a look around, and then went immediately back to the car to grab my camera.  Why?  Take a look.
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What convenience store has an entire section devoted to crosses of the type shown above?  And who buys them?  That cross is fascinating.  Why put guns on a cross?  I have no idea except that something like that will sell in Texas.  Don't believe me?  Check this one out:

You should see how nice that baby looks in my house.  It was difficult to figure out which one to buy given the massive selection.  Remember, this is a typical convenience store, with very limited shelf space.  And this section was right up front, the area of the store with the most marketing impact.  
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I have nothing against religion or Christianity.  But I don't recall ever seeing a store like this in Pennsylvania.  One of the great things about it was that it was run by a couple of Middle Eastern guys - I'm not lying.  The one I talked to was named George.  Haha, sure, that's his real name, but hey, it was on his name tag.  Oh, and if you turned around in that aisle with all the crosses and looked at the other side, there was a good display of gun statuary, including this lovely piece, which is also on display in the finest museums in Europe:
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I need someone else to explain how these things can co-exist.  I'm usually pretty glib, but I just don't have enough words in my vocabulary to properly describe that scene properly.  Before I finally exited this store, I came across some bumper stickers and other items with slogans on them that I thought you might find interesting.
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I missed the one that said "we don't use 911, we use .357"  But I did score a good Diet Coke and also picked up some deodorant that I had forgotten back in Philly.  That store truly had it all.

It's an interesting world down there in Texas, that's for sure.  I will say that we had a beautiful drive for a few hours.  It's green, rolling, with cattle and lots of open space, lush grassland, and wildflowers galore.  And lots and lots of pickup trucks, almost all of which have been decorated with after-market accessories.  

Oh, and bar-b-que.  I love brisket and man, was this ever a good meal all washed down with an IBC root beer.  YUM!
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Texas isn't the only unique place south of the Mason-Dixon line.  Florida also has some cool stuff.  And good BBQ, like Tom Jenkins in Davie and Fat Boyz in Deerfield Beach.  And nothing tops this souped-up electric wheelchair:
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I'll bet that baby flies on I-95. 

​And how about this sign?  Can you read it?  If not, I'll blow it up below, but first check out the curb in front of the car, the grass, the curb on the other side, and the tree.
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Here's the blowup of that sign:
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Haha, they don't put that sign up UNLESS someone actually DID drive through that median, right?  The nice thing about the blowup of that sign is that the reason for driving through the median is also self-evident:  Kentucky Fried Chicken!  Yes, it will make you take all kinds of chances in order to get your hands on those 11 herbs and spices that make that chicken so darn tasty.  Then again, if you've ever been to Florida, you know that the BEST fried chicken actually comes from Publix Super Markets.  Oh man, is that stuff spicy and tasty!  No b.s. here.  Try it and tell me I'm wrong.  I"m hooked.

That's it for this little photo montage.  God, guns, and food, how can you go wrong?  What a country we live in!  I truly love the U.S.  

I'll be back soon with so much more it will make your head explode like that dude in the movie Scanners.  Later gators.
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