Texas Trivia

There have numerous things that have intriqued me while we've been traveling or since we've arrived in Texas and I thought I'd share them with you. Some are odd simply because they are not what I'm accustomed to....

Work Zones - While back home in PA the speed limit for traveling through a work zone is normally anywhere from 30-45 m.p.h. here the lowest we've ever seen is 60 m.p.h. This is based on speed limits from 70-75....you are barely slowing down but this is acceptable for going through a construction zone. Hope those workers have their hard hats on !

Fire Ants - Oh boy can these little things bite ! While setting up the Rv at the park in Texas, I got what I think was a fire ant between two of my fingers and man, did it hurt. It stung for an hour afterwards too. They are not to be reckoned with !

Armadillos - I'm dying to see one but as of yet I haven't ( not even a squished one on the highway).

Washaterias - What do you think these are ? I originally thought a car wash but no....they are what we call "laundromats"

Hunting - Yes, it's universal....wherever men shall exist there shall be hunting. It must be coming up on hunting season here as we see Deer corn, deer stands and ever other hunting paraphenalia in stores or at roadside stands. We even saw bags of deer corn today in the dog food aisle at Wal-Mart (maybe someone should tell them that deer aren't pets).

BBQ - When you're in Texas, you're in BBQ country. Right alongside the tree stands that you'll find at the roadside stands, you'll find home-made BBQ pits made out of barrels and drums or any canister that will hold hot coals. Maybe they have spits to turn the deer on and that is why they sell them together. Up and down the restaurant strip, you'll find an assortment of BBQ shacks. They are about as plentiful as catfish places...I must say that the handbreaded catfish is mighty tasty though...Yum !! And the handbreaded shrimp is different than the commercially prepared and frozen shrimp that you get in restaurants up home....has a great breading on it and the shrimp are very flavorful. Had a great shrimp and catfish platter at Jerry's in Onalaska last Monday. Had my heart set on the seafood platter until the waitress told me there was a set or two of frog's legs on it...my appetite took two giant leaps backward...(no pun intended). Yes, I used to shoot frogs in the creek as a child but that was a long time ago and I know longer have a craving for them on my dinner plate so the catfish and shrimp platter won out....it was great.

Texas toothpicks - To keep things rolling on the topic of food, do you know what Texas toothpicks are ? Strips of jalepeno peppers and onions breaded and deep fried. They are mighty tasty.

Well, that is all for today on your lesson on Texas trivia....stay tuned, I'm sure there will be more before we leave here...