Have you ever heard of Old Rip, the horned frog?

The story goes:

In 1897 when the courthouse in Eastland Texas was built, Rip accidentally got caught in the construction. Thirty years later the courthouse was torn down and Old Rip was found sealed alive in the cornerstone!

Old timers were fond to recount tall tales that a horned toad could live 100 years without food or water. But this was totally unexpected.

Old Rip was reported in the news of the day and his fame spread through papers and news reels. Rip even went on a tour of the country and visited President Calvin Coolidge at the White House.

He lived the life of fame and luxury for a year until he finally froze to death during a very cold winter. Old Rip’s body has been preserved in a glass exhibit at the new Eastland Courthouse.

Did you get enough rain? Here in Houston we did! For several days it just poured down. And I realized that I need to extend my walkway further out to the car. Funny how you never think of these things until your feet get wet. lol

So, stuck in the house, I got to surfing other Texas websites a found 2 interesting ones that I would like to share.

The first is about something I had never heard of before - Geocatching. Basically what you do is hunt for a hidden location and when you find it, there is a prize waiting for you. You take the little prize and replace it with another treat for the next person. (nothing too much, the real prize is in finding the place) It looks like fun and I think I’ll tell the hubby about it.

Did you know there are bigfoots in Texas? I sure didn’t! And by looking at the map of reported sightings, they have even been spotted along the Brazos River. egads! I’ll have to really be on the lookout next time we are in Mineral Wells, lol

Have fun!!!

Memorial Day weekend is coming up and many Texans will be having a barbecue. All over the Lone Star State we will be firing up the grill. Yep, here in Texas we love our barbecue.

My mother was a Texan through and through. For a time we lived in California and I guess she was going through barbecue withdrawal. I can clearly remember, more than once, her spotting a BBQ stand on the side of the road and making my father turn around so she could get some. lol

To some, BBQ is serious business. And now there is even a movie about it called Barbecue: A Texas Love Story. It is a fun journey through the Lone Star State to visit BBQ cook-offs, the Salty Dawg cookers at the Mosquito Festival, a church that raises money from the sale of their “Holy BBQ” and more.

The film is narrated by Ann Richards and features commentary by famous Texans such as Dan Rather, Kinky Friedman, Liz Carpenter (chief of staff to President Johnson) and Cactus Pryor (Austin radio host). But the real stars of the movie are people of Texas who shared a laugh and a meal.

From small towns to family reunions, roadside BBQ pits to restaurants, cook offs and festivals - one thing is sure, all over Texas we are cooking and eating barbecue!