Texas
is a big state, but it is getting smaller by the day. I constantly see
land that used to be farm or ranchland being bull-dozed for housing subdivisions
and strip shopping centers. But I do love it here. There's something for
everyone. Check below for links to other Texas-related sites.
My
family on my dad's side has been in Texas for five generations. My dad
and grandfather were cattle ranchers in addition to their other professions
as it is damn hard to make a living at just raising cows. The life of a
cowboy is often glamourized on TV, but it is nothing like that. Being a
rancher means working from sun-up to sun-down every day. It means always
having dust stuck to the sweat under your shirt. It means having your heart
break because you have to sell that steer that has become like a pet or
finding a new calf that the fireants got to. It means having to go out
every morning during the cold snaps and breaking the ice in the water troughs
with an ax. It means having your arm up to your shoulder up a cow's back-side
trying to turn her calf so you don't lose the calf and mama both. It means
swearing like a pro because cattle never want to go through the squeeze
chute or into the livestock trailer. It means learning how to handle 50-pound
feed sacks because they don't come any smaller than that. It means never
having much money but it doesn't matter because you're too tired to go
out and spend it anyway.
But
it also means seeing a spectacular sunset after a hard day's work and suddenly
realizing that you're the luckiest sum'bitch alive and being thankful that
you're out there doing what you're doing even if you are all covered with
sweat and dirt and just ruined your favorite pair of jeans trying to squeeze
through that barbed-wire fence.
We
had to sell most of the cows and the small ranch my parents had when my
dad died, but I'll forever cherish those memories.
TEXAS LINKS 
yeeHa!
- Texas Website and Resource Directory
Lone
Star Junction - A Texas history resource, but check out the Songs
of Texas midi files.
TravelTex - Very nicely
organized site. I refer to it a lot.
Lady
Bird Johnson Wildflower Center 
Wild Texas: Parks Directory
- Get info about Texas' state parks. I mean ALL kinds of information!
State of Texas Government Information
- Don't let the name fool you.
Office
of the Secretary of State - Get election results and more here.
The
Texian Heritage Society - Did you know a"Texian" is someone of
Texas when Texas was an independant republic? Great site--check out
the Texas History Links.
Texas Branding Iron
Company - Order your authentic, registered branding iron.
Cowman's Choice Cool Ag 'Net
Sites - Ag Publications and Breed Associations
Top 100 Texas
Websites - According to Texas Monthly Magazine.
Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame Museum -
North
American Stone Skipping Association (NASSA) - Just for the heck
of it.
Mister
Smarty Pants Texas Facts
Texas
Almanac - Not the whole thing, silly, but it still has some good
info here.
Marilyn
Hoye's Home Page - Check out the obituaries printed in the Houston
newspapers from 1839-1850--they're a trip!
Texas
Wine Trails - Texas has great wine. Go here for info on wineries,
events and more.
Barbecue'n
On The Internet - A comprehensive site.
1998
State Fair of Texas - A Texas institution.
The
IIs of Texas - Internet Information of Texas. Promoting Texas
people, Texas Products and Texas Pride. Search by city, or catch
up on Aggie jokes. Here's their Austin
page with info on local attractions.
Texas
Beef Council - Get recipes, nutritional information and more.
AUSTIN LINKS The
Central Market Home Page - Central Market is my FAVORITE grocery
store. They have the largest selection of fresh produce, a great
bulk coffee section (free samples!), a wonderful bakery (more free samples!)
and more cheese than you can shake a stick at. I frequently have
meetings upstairs in their cafe, which is a good excuse to have coffee
and one of their sinful desserts. (The chocolate mousse, Black Forest
Cake and Strawberry Shortcake are my faves.)
The French Legation Museum
in Austin
Austin 360 - What's
up in my neck of the woods.
The
Austin Classifieds - Classified ads for the Austin American
Stateman.
The
Austin Chronicle - On-line edition of one of Austin's favorite
papers. It's so eclectic!
Austin
Convention and Visitors Bureau
Travis
County, Texas - Info on living in Travis County--everthing from
gardening to marriage licenses.
In
and Around Plugerville, Texas - Our neighborhood.
Pflugerville
Parks and Recreation
City
of Round Rock Local Government - Our extended neighborhood and
my preferred stomping ground.
Maddog
'n' Miracles Homepage - Check out the scanned photos section for
photos of Austin's Christmas lights, Texas wildflowers, Texas signs, and
Texas Fall colors.
League
of Women Voters - Austin Area
The
Austin Geneological Society
Folk
Dancing in Austin - To date, 17 different folk dancing styles are
represented here.
Night
Wings - The Bats of Austin
KLRU-TV
Austin - Austin's PBS station.
The
University of Texas at Austin
Huston-Tillotson
College - Apparently, they don't have their own website (!), but
here's some basic info from College Guide.
Austin
Independent School District
Japan
America Society of Austin - What keeps me busy in my "spare" time.
There's a couple of articles I wrote about being half-Japanese in the JASA
Newsletter.
Austin
Oita Sister City Committee - Or check out the Oita
City Page from Oita, Japan.
Austin
Japan Association - The UT Japanese Student group.
Japan
Industry and Management of Technology Program/IC2 Institute at UT -
Check out info on their free speaker series.