www.Statesman.com
by: Dave Thomas
March 2, 2016
It’s Texas Independence Day. That’s right, Texas’ 180th birthday. What did you get her? Aw, you haven’t done any shopping yet? OK. You can join in on my gift: 180 things we love about Texas.
And it’s not easy coming up with 180 things. I mean, sure, I once rode from San Angelo to Terlingua in a van full of armadillos driven by a guy named Jalapeno Sam. And I’ve eaten barbecue from Silsbee to El Paso. And I once was in Eden and Utopia on the same day. Heck, that picture up there? That wasn’t even staged. My garage looks like that all the time. I just added the candles. (OK, that’s not true. But my wife wouldn’t argue.) I’m a pretty Texas feller. But 180 things is a lot to think up.
Thankfully, my coworkers and Facebook friends pitched in and we got there. Please, take your hat off, ease on back and enjoy.
THE TOP TEN
1. Willie Nelson.
2. Real barbecue. Spelled with a “c,” of course, because the c stands for “cow.”
3. Wide open spaces and lonely roads.
4. Big skies. I’m a bigger fan of majestic than menacing.
5. An Awesome Diversity of people (which leads to an awesome diversity of food, music and culture).
6. Bluebonnets! Bluebonnets everywhere!
7. Tacos from Austin. (Ha! We’re just kidding. We’ll take a taco from anywheres south of Oklahoma.)
8. Shiner Beer. The only Texas beer you could buy before Prohibition that’s still made at its original brewery.
9. That spot on Highway 87 east of Eden (really) where West Texas just kinda appears.
Read Dave Thomas’ other 170 reasons here.
