Carl Henning

The Second Amendment to the US Constitution provides the right to keep and bear arms. Why a Second Amendment Cowboy? Texas! Texans need their guns.

The first thing I think about when I hear “Cadillac Ranch” is not “a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas,” as Wikipedia puts it. By “art” they mean burying ten Cadillacs nose first in a Texas field. Over…

A monument to Helium? Really? Absolutely! One of several exciting finds in Amarillo, Texas. Erected 1968, commemorating the 100th anniversary of discovery of helium in the gaseous atmosphere surrounding the sun. (The discovery of traces of Helium on earth was first announced in 1895.)

The Sid Richardson Museum features paintings by Russell, Remington, and others as well as fancy leather saddles. Sid Richardson was a Texas oil entrepreneur. His foundation put together an excellent collection in Ft. Worth.

Ennis, Texas was once a major railroad hub. The Ennis Railroad Museum provides a glimpse into the past. Established in 1872, Ennis was named for a railroad official. In 1872 the line used wood-burning locomotives that had to stop every 10 miles for wood and water. The line ran from Dallas (population 2,000) to Houston (population 9,000) in 12 to 15 hours.

There is a lot to do in Cleburne, Texas. Like see its history in the Layland Museum. It’s housed in the former Carnegie Library. Interesting history of the building: Andrew Carnegie donated funds for the library (and over 2,500 others).…

Things to do in Cleburne, Texas: visit the Cleburne Railroad Museum. Why on earth were we in Cleburne? Baseball – a tournament for our 16-year-old grandson’s team. Baseball is a big deal in Cleburne. Their first pro team dates from over…

As we’re ready to bid Galveston adieu, we stop at the Galveston Naval Museum at Seawolf Park on Pelican Island. It features the USS Stewart (a destroyer escort) and the USS Cavalla (Gato Class Submarine). Both saw service in WW2.

It wasn’t always the Bishop’s Palace. It was completed in 1893 for the Gresham family. Made of stone, it survived the great hurricane of 1900. The family took in many survivors. In 1923 it was sold to the diocese for use by the bishop.

An accounting of tall ship Elissa and deadly bananas, praise the Republic of Texas navy, a squadron of pelicans, and Zeke, one of many sea turtle sculptures.