Texas, Random Thoughts

[Rocky]

By now everyone in the world knows about the disaster in Texas.
I've been following the coverage on CNN and I am in awe of the rescue efforts by the first responders, volunteers, ordinary people, medical personnel, brave and skilled helicopter pilots and their brave and well trained crews that rescued so many. There are so many to honor and thank for what they are doing. Those are the real hero's of this world - not the nitwit celebrities that so many worship.
I thought I knew a fair amount about Texas before all of this, but I have since learned a lot.
Most of what I knew was learned from western movies and TV programs like Dallas. Texas was only about plains, deserts, cowboys, cows, outlaws, The Alamo, the Rio Grande and oil wasn't it? Not so. There is very much more.
I knew there were port cities like Galveston, Corpus Christi and Houston, but I don't ever remember seeing a movie about any of them so they were not on my radar one bit.
I knew about Brownsville because the Confederate Air Force was located there at one time and is now in Midland.
To be honest, it wasn't until Glen Campbell sang the song about Galveston in 1969 that I took notice of the fact that Texas has a sea coast - even though I knew it had one; sea waves crashin', sea birds flying, huh? In Texas? Yes, it's true!
It's regrettable that I had to learn more about the Texas seaports this way. The utter devastation, loss of life and human misery is almost beyond comprehension.
And another hurricane appears to be possibly heading for the U.S. next week

The tail end of Harvey is expected to pass over us Sunday night into Monday, but will only bring a normal amount of rain. We'll wait and see, but Environment Canada says not to worry.
I'll let you know on Monday.

 

[DaveM]

I have also been following the events that are being broadcast on our TV and the utter horror of this is mind blowing. People loosing everything and some even loved ones it sure is sad.

Rocky you so right about the true heroes being those on the ground right now and not the celebrities that seem to only do anything for the fame they might get out of it. The ordinary people who themselves are suffering are the ones to really be commended on their actions and bravery here.

 

[hemibee]

Yes, there is a lot about Texas that people don't know.

Houston is the busiest port in the United States in terms of foreign tonnage, second-busiest in the United States in terms of overall tonnage, and thirteenth-busiest in the world.

Texas has 7 distinct regions, we're not all plains and desert.

Texas is the only State in the USA that was once it's own nation.

There is a lot of things we are proud of and I could go on for hours but the things we are most of is our people and our neighbors in Louisiana. There used to be a Texas saying: "If all the folks in Texas that are originally from Louisiana were to leave Texas, Texas would be a ghost town. When Louisiana has troubles, Texans are there to help. Texas was the first to open evacuation centers when Katrina struck New Orleans. Louisiana State University (LSU) biggest fan base outside of Louisiana is in Texas. When North Louisiana was flooding, Texans mobilized to help. Before the floods from Harvey were taking place, the Cajun Navy was mobilizing to head to Houston or wherever they were needed and the Governor of Texas authorized their involvement quicker than the Louisiana Governor allowed them to help in the North Louisiana floods.

Some random videos from these past 7 days.

 

[hemibee]

Here's a good article from a transplanted journalist in Austin that talks about the people of Texas.



A MESSAGE, FROM AN AUSTIN JOURNALIST - FOR US TEXANS...

"I’m not a Texan. I don’t adore the Lone Star State. I’m a transplant who’s lived in Austin for the last four years. I can’t name the state fish, I don’t understand the thing with mums at Homecoming, and I think chicken fried steak sucks. I don’t care about Friday Night Lights.

But I married into a Texas family. A Texas family with crazy deep roots. My wife is a direct descendant from the Texas Revolution. Through my marriage, I get a front row seat to all things that filter through the Texas lens. I’ve learned a lot about bluebonnets and Whataburger. I know the difference between casual allegiance with Texas colleges, what it really means to be a Longhorn, and the difference between good salsa and crap that came out of a jar.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned as an outsider looking in, it’s that there’s a sense of purpose to these people like I’ve never seen. A central passion runs through Texans unlike any other American identity. Pride percolates here. It’s something people who aren’t from Texas just can’t grasp. We may have a docile sense of civic pride for our hometowns, but nothing like this state demands of its residents.

The Texas flag flies as high as the American flag, while the state Capitol is just a smidge taller than the U.S. Capitol, because – Texas. There are Texas flags on everything. And folks all over this huge collection of miles expect a reverential obsession from those who choose to take up this address, if only for a while. That sense of purpose and absolute unwillingness to bend in their pride is why Texas will only become stronger in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Before Texas, I spent seven years in New Orleans, a place that knows about heartbreak and flooding. To love New Orleans is to love the city. But a New Orleanian ain’t much of a Louisianan, despite them being hand in hand. They’re two different cultures. But here, even if you’re from the Panhandle or live along the Gulf of Mexico, you still adore this state and will bond together under that flag, that symbol.

Typically, cities talk smack on one another, and the outlying country towns don’t want anything to do with the big cities and their completely different personalities. There are liberals and conservatives, cowboys and city slickers, white folks, brown folks, black folks and every shade in between wearing cowboy boots. This place has many stories, many sides to the dice.

Harvey took many lives. It dumped acres of water onto the streets of Houston, decimated Rockport, and flooded Galveston and cities and towns across southeast Texas. But Texas will lick its wounds. Texas will come back bigger and better, and brighter and with more Texas-ness than you can imagine. Texans cannot allow for their diamonds to go unpolished. The thought of a place in Texas where local culture dies just doesn’t feel right. There are no places where the roads are unfinished, or the buildings lie in ruins – that would go against everything these people have known their whole lives: This land is precious and it is our birthright.

........ H-E-B and Buc-ee’s, two Texas brand giants, came to the rescue, offering shelter, food, showers, and support. Mattress Mack, a Houston mattress maven, opened his warehouses so folks could get a good night’s rest. The people here know a love that moves deeper than their sense of pride – it’s a calling of purpose.

You cannot count Texas out. There’s no other state in our union that could handle this hurricane. New York has taken its lumps. New Orleans knows what loss feels like, but this is a monster named Harvey that we’ve never seen before. Who better to challenge Harvey head-on than Texas? They’ll do it wearing an Astros cap and with a twisted smile, daring that water to take a piece of the land they love so much."
~Robert Dean is a writer and journalist living in Austin.

 

[DaveM]

@hemibee thanks for posting all this information and it sure is sad but inspiring at the same time to see people doing what they can in a situation like this.

 

[Triblade]

My wife has friends from high school that drove down to Houston with their boats to rescue people. Spent 5 days rescuing people, dogs, cats, and even deer from the waters. Streamed some of it live on Facebook, even caught parts about a city mayor threatening to arrest anyone that came there to attempt rescues without authorization. Pretty crazy down there, and the price gouging BS is happening as far north as Dallas. Luckily the wife's family is from just south east of Dallas and only got rained on.

 

[Rocky]

I'm pleased to report that the a$$ end of Harvey passed by overnight and was much ado about nothing.
Just a normal rain storm and barely any wind.
The sun is breaking through this morning and it should be a nice Labour Day.
It's unusually cool for this time of year, but if it warms up a bit later I may take a ride by myself.

 

[Triblade]

@Rocky Great to hear brother! Hope you have a nice smooth road for that overdue ride. Carpe diem as they say.

 

[hemibee]

How in the world could have Harvey had any more rain to dump on anyone? j/k

Glad to hear he was a non-event for y'all.

 

[Rocky]

@Rocky Great to hear brother! Hope you have a nice smooth road for that overdue ride. Carpe diem as they say.

Thanks Triblade, but as Harvey pulled away he brought in some afternoon gusting winds so I decided to not bother to ride.
These aren't serious winds at all, but just enough to make riding a bike less pleasant.