Howdy from Texas!

Do you know the difference between a tenderfoot and a buckaroo? A tenderfoot is someone not use to ranch life. We are tenderfoots but wanted to learn how to be buckaroos, or cowboys, so we visited Brenham, Texas. We also wanted to learn about Texas history. For 10 years, from 1836 to 1846, Texas was an independent country. In 1846 it became a state. The history of Texas is very interesting.

In the early 1800’s, people carved G.T.T. on the door of their home so friends would know they had "Gone to Texas" in search of a better life. In 1821 Stephen Austin, led 300 families to the area around the Brazos River, which was, at that time, part of Mexico. The town of Washington-on-the-Brazos grew up and became The Birthplace of Texas.

We sat in Independence Hall where settlers met to write their Declaration of Independence from Mexico and their Constitution for the new Republic of Texas. As we listened to our guide tell the story we tried to imagine what it was like for the settlers. Signing both documents was very dangerous. They were brave but must have been afraid because the Mexican president, Santa Anna and his army of 1500 were marching on the Alamo in present-day San Antonio. They had to leave their homes because they were afraid that Santa Anna’s army would attack them after the Alamo. They returned a month later when the Mexican Army was defeated at San Jacinto.

Nearby was the Barrington Farm, the home of the last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones, where we were able to step back into the 1800s. Jim Lauderdale, the guide, explained, "There is no such breed as oxen. They are steers that have been trained as oxen and were the tractors of the 1850s. The mule was like today’s SUV; it was for working and riding while the horse was the family car." He said, "The settlers arrived full of hope but soon learned how hard life was." We tried to imagine what it was like to raise all our food, wash all our clothes by hand, and pick cotton.

We visited a Cotton Gin Museum, where the guide explained that, "If you were old enough to walk you were old enough to pick cotton." Children had to fill 100-pound bags but adults had to fill 200-pound bags. Everyone worked from sunrise to sunset when the cotton was ripe filling bag after bag until the wagon was full. Then it was driven to the cotton gin where a machine took the seeds out of the cotton.

While the hard life of the settlers is in the past it is still possible to have a "real" Texas experience. We visited Texas Ranch Life, where John Elick, the owner, demonstrated the art of cutting with his horse, Rebel. Rebel and John worked as one cutting, or separating, one of the longhorns from the herd. The next day after an introductory lesson explaining everything from how to mount to how to control the horse we were off for a ride through the fields. You might say we started as tenderfoots but ended up as buckaroos. We wished we could stay longer because they also teach guests roping and other cowboys skills like participation in cattle drives and roundups.

"Zdravo" from Montenegro

Montenegro is a newly independent country. The citizens voted to be independent in June 2007. But people have been living in the area for over 2000 years. Once it was part of a country called Yugoslavia that was divided into several countries and one is Montenegro. Can you break the name of Montenegro into two words and figure out what the name means?

Today the city of Ulcinj is a pretty town on the Adriatic Sea. The mountains of Montenegro become hills that end at the shore so there are a lot of steps to the beach and the walled city. The walled city is high on a cliff surrounded on three sides by water and there are a lot of little coves so the area was a favorite hideaway for pirates. Being a pirate may sound exciting but it was illegal and dangerous. From the 14th century to the 18th century pirates would attack ships on the Adriatic Sea, steal their cargo, and then sail off to their hideaways. Some of the pirates became very famous. There were large rewards for anyone who could catch the leader of more famous pirate groups. Sometimes one pirate would kill another pirate to get the reward. It is easy to see why the walled city of Ulcinj was a popular hideaway as it was possible to see in all directions in case anyone tried to sneak into the area. At one time there were as many as 400 pirates in Ulcinj. It is hard to believe that this peaceful, pretty bay and walled city was once filled with dangerous pirates. A city has grown up outside the walls. Today people enjoy the beach and strolling through the quiet walled city.

We took a bus to another area on the coast where there is another walled city. Why do you think people build a wall around their city? We liked walking around the walled city and try to imagine what it was like to live in a walled city. We visited the walled city of Budva and while we were walking down the narrow streets we heard singing. We followed the sound to a restaurant with a pretty outdoor area. There we saw a group of women in traditional costumes singing traditional Montenegro songs so we stayed and listened. We thought their songs and costumes were beautiful.

There are many lovely beaches along the coast so the area is popular with tourists who love to swim, sun bathe, and fish. In the middle of the summer it is very, very busy. Someone told us, "You can’t even see the sand on the beach – just tanned bodies sunbathing." I think he was exaggerating.

The food in this part of the world is very good because it is so fresh. There is a lot of fresh fish to eat because they are so close to the sea but also lots of vegetables. Chef Jovo Medin invited us into the kitchen so we could watch him cook some traditional foods. Our favorite dish is called muckalica, which is a mixture of meat and vegetables that makes a delicious stew. We noticed on the wall of the kitchen there were colorful pictures of each of the dishes they serve with the recipe below. Not only would everyone cooking know the exact recipe they also know what it should look like when it is served. We thought that was a great idea. When we left we said, "Hvala," which means, "thank you."