Only in South Texas 3

I see this sign from the highway. The first thing that popped into my head was "Is this where a sloth would come for a pedicure?" One Nail?

There was a documentary years ago that chronicled the Rio Grande Valley as two cultures separated by one river. Everyone would know what these folks sell. Many in the area might not know that spelling was an issue.

This decal was on a sporty looking car, but I don't remember the make - not Ferrari. I continue to look for the huge fancy truck that had a decal, "Powered by Frijoles." It was in front of me at a stop light but I could not get my camera out fast enough before it drove away.

The local flea markets in the area are very busy Wednesday through Sunday. The bad spelling does not surprise me at the flea markets. What surprises me are the people who are buying flat screen TVs, microwave ovens, and other appliances. You take it home and it does not work, are you going to find the seller again?

The flea markets are getting classier. The markets have many eating establishments, some are stand-up, others sit-down. This one is class all the way - menudo, guacamole, and wine.

Only in South Texas 2

Although these exist not only in South Texas, they are here and maybe surprising to be here in South Texas.

Cotton is king.  As kids, my brothers and neighbors would spend time in the cotton fields making believe we were working. Many times we did not make enough to cover the food we ate. The two pix were taken before the tropical storm "Don" came in.  These plants are about 12 inches tall. All cotton is machine picked. The only way humans could pick this cotton would be on their knees.                             

In the olden days the real pickers used 10-12 foot sacks. The younger pickers used 6 foot sacks or home-made smaller ones. The pickers pick from three rows, straddling one and picking from left and right. These were the pickers who depended on the crop for their survival.They would go up and back, weigh, unload, and back again.    

             

I hated rows that stretched into the horizon. This type of row meant that it would be a long time before I could sit under the shade of the truck and drink cool water. The black and white pix are from the Internet archives.

 As kids, cotton picking was a way to get us out of the house and maybe earn enough money to go to the movies. 

Certainly Muslim places of worship are not unique to South Texas, but they are unusual, when you consider that 95% of the population is Mexican-American.

This building is fronted by another with the sign, "Muslim Society of South Texas." It is a beautiful copper dome in McAllen, Texas, a city of more than 100k residents. More surprising was to find a similar sign in my home town, Weslaco, population 30K. Although they have yet to build such a magnificent building, their presence is known. I regularly see a white van drive past my house, with two men. They both were white garb and a white woven beany. They stare my way as if to try and convert me.

Spell-check

 Now if you are spending big bucks for a hand-painted sign, wouldn't you want to do a check of the spelling?


Call 968-6108 for an "appiontment."

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Good old-fashioned Mexican style barbecue is prepared by steaming the head of the steer and then stripping the meat off the bones. Eaten as tacos with corn tortillas and pico de gallo it has no equal. However, the

word in Spanish is "barbacoa" NOT "bardacoa." Who got the painting job? Needless to say, these businesses no longer exist. Both menudo and barbacoa are typically only sold on weekends.

As I drive around I encounter the odd and the unusual, for South Texas. I know that Scientology and Dianetics are all over the world, I just never expected to see this sign in the southernmost tip of Texas. I did not see any signs of Ron L. Hubbard or John Travolta.

Back in the day, cotton was king. Then citrus came into its own. Because of unpredictable freezes and droughts, cotton and citrus orchards were replaced by  sorghum and sugar cane.

The sugar cane field was right across the road from the cotton field in the first pictures. Imperial Sugar has a refining plant in the area. There were no sorghum pictures to show as most of it has been harvested. Again, sugar cane and sorghum exist not only in South Texas, but these crops are here to stay.

Only In South Texas - Part 1

South Texas is a unique place. The Rio Grande defines the border with Mexico, but it does not define culture. South Texas is bi-cultural and, to an extent, bilingual. Some of what I see is obvious and other things are unexplainable. To that extent I decided to post about the unique, the strange, and the unexplainable.

A wet Spring brings cacti to life and fills them with flowers. These flowers in turn will become the fruit, Cactus Pears.

For some folks both the fruit and the cactus "leafs" are delicacies. During Lent, the devout will shun all meat products and indulge in eating cacti. The cacti dish will look like sliced green beans. The cacti can be prepared with eggs, or sauteed, or steamed. I used to tell my mother, grandmother and aunt that cacti was not meant for human consumption but for cattle feed.  Remember the cactus that is eaten is the tender new growth, not the mature plant seen above.

The fruit on the other hand is tasty. It must be peeled and eaten cold. It has a unique texture and taste. The picture shows a very large cactus plant in a field.. This fruit may not make it to maturity as the birds will peck away if there is no one to harvest what remains.

Bilingual

Pronto Insurance has these billboards all around.  There is no explanation or translation offered or expected. If you live here you will get it.

The reference to the flour tortilla needs no explanation.

If you are not familiar with the Tex-Mex language, you have no clue about the "chancla." A chancla is everyday footwear. It can be flip-flops, sandals, tennis shoes, etc. The moms and grandmas would use the chancla as a threat to punishment, "Te voy a dar con ls chancla." (I will hit you with my shoe is you don't behave.) I don't feel threatened when I read the words in English. Although kids would try to run away from the dreaded chancla, there was no escape. A flying chancla always seemed to find its target. 

There is no stronger a football following than in Texas. In all of my travels, I never came across a house that honored a championship, not even in Prosser, WA.

 The local high school colors are purple and white. The football fanatics are alive and well for the home team as well. Purple and white are colors commonly seen around town.

In Weslaco, Texas there are at least two "hierberias." This is a store that sells all sort of herbs (but not for cooking) used for medicinal purposes. In case you were not aware there are products designed for weight loss, cancer, diabetes, and cirrhosis of the liver. There are ointments, powders, and incantations to help the consumer with the evil eye, poverty, and revenge. Look at what was on display in the front window of one of these shoppes.

I took these pictures through the looking glass after the store closed. I did not want to have a voodoo doll with my name on it. 

The figure on the throne is sitting on a pile of gold coins. The legs are tied and it is wearing Liberace's robe. I don't know what it all means. 

This figure is holding a ball and chain with broken chains. Or it could be that Death is playing volleyball and is about to serve. (I know. I am doomed.)

 If you prefer to believe and follow a more traditional religion, consider the Catholic Church and their belief in "holy water." It almost sounds as bizarre as the "hierberia ." I first saw this when I attended a wedding at this church. I knew that I had to take a picture.

San Martin Church is a pretty picture amongst the swaying palm trees. Notice the small red section at the base of the bell tower.

This is it. Is it just me that questions and asks, "Huh?"

There is another HUH?

A trip to the cemetery gave me the opportunity to snap the following pictures and ask, "Huh?"

What is the line of thought? I noticed that many graves had these solar lights. The departed were both young and old. Is this in line with "walk into the light?" Or is it similar to the Motel6 slogan, "We'll keep a light on."

 Believe it or not. It is a wacky world in South Texas - only in South Texas.

More to come.

Joe

 

Texas Folklife Festival

I attended the Texas Folklife Festival this past weekend in San Antonio. The event used to be held the first weekend in August, but some years ago it was moved to June because of the August heat. It may get moved again - to January - because of the June heat.

History:

     The event is held on the grounds of the Texas Institute of Texan Cultures. The Institute is adjacent to the "Tower of the Americas," in case you are in town looking for an interesting and cool place to learn about Texas history.       The Institute is part of/ associated with University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The Texas Folklife Festival is an offshoot of the folklife festival held in D.C.

The purpose is to bring to light the many cultures that are in Texas and are a part of Texas history. There is plenty of food to taste - fallafel, fajitas, rabbit, chow mein, blot wurst. To wash it all down you will find an assortment of drinks as well. The many peoples are also highlighted by music and dance performances at one of 7 stages. Here are some of the pixs.

The festival is run almost entirely by volunteers and some of them come in costumes.

Around the grounds there are crafters making baskets, carving, cooking, etc. There are many kid-focused activities as well.

I think these women were baking beans and handing out samples to onlookers

The following three pictures came from the wine tent.

The "Texas Hold'em" bottle was in a glass display. It was a red Grand Reserve - whatever that means.

 The American Indians in Texas performed and then introduced as Comanche, Apache, and Cherokee. The individuals names were all Hispanic/ Mexican

This was a group of Filipino performers about to take the stage.

The performances I saw were an odd combination. First there was the Mexican Folkloric dancers. Although they were young and still needed time to get all those steps down, they were colorful. Then there was the German folk dancers. These were quite a contrast to the foot stomping Mexican dancers. The Germans were followed by the American Indian Dancers, again an odd contrast to the Germans.

The group leader stated that the men have two kinds of hats - round tops and square tops. He said that the Catholics wore the square tops and the Protestant the round tops. True?

This was the only clear picture of the American Indian dancers. My camera does not do so well with movement and these folks were kind of hyper.

Once I figure out how to post a video, I will add the three 15 second videos from the festival.

Joe

Remodeling Update

After much delay, I finally finished the kitchen make-over. Two days ago, I put up the back splash.  If I had the money, I would have bought fancier, more expensive glass tile. These glass tiles were half the price of the others. It took most of the day, but in the end I was happy with the result.

If anyone is interested in doing this kind of work, I can offer you some how-to tips that I learned along the way.

Driveway:

I installed a gate opener, but the slope of the driveway kept the gate from working as it should. I needed to take down the old concrete and some of the new. I am thinking that in the future, a new drive way will have to be poured or constructed. This will do for now.

The fence had to be raised to clear the slope. The fence is now back level with the other.

The red is mulch. I needed something to cover the rock and dirt. I did not have the strength to break the right side. Maybe in the near future I will again rent the concrete breaker/ jack hammer thing and break the concrete to even out the look. Maybe Not.