Tree Rooster

Remember the Tweedles, Tweedledee and Tweedledum?  They're a pair of extremely colorful roosters belonging to one of our neighbors who also happen to be identical twins that no one call tell apart.  They frequently roost in trees and not only crow at dawn but at all other times during the day and night!

Strolling in Her Sunday Shoes

Hill County Courthouse (Texas No. 25)

When I went on my last courthouse hunting trip, I had not read the history of the Hill County Courthouse in Hillsboro, Texas.  In fact, I didn't know anything about this courthouse - other than the fact that it was beautiful - until tonight when I went on line to find some facts to include in this post.

On the night of January 1, 1993, the 1890 Hill County Courthouse was virtually destroyed by fire.  Not even firefighters from more than 15 companies could save it.  The grand clock tower, the roof, and the third floor collapsed as onlookers cried.  The impressive district courtroom was gone and records dating back more than a century were either lost or badly damaged.  All that remained of the stately building were the four limestone walls and the interior metal staircases.

Restoration architects had little to refer to in an attempting to re-create the courthouse's past grandeur.  Since there were no blueprints, they looked at the original architect's nearby courthouse designs in Granbury and Weatherford and interviewed those who worked in the courthouse to get their impressions and memories.

Seven years and many millions of dollars later, this beautiful building was completely rebuilt  to its original splendor.  Help from community members, including Hill County native Willie Nelson, and funding from the Texas Courthouse Alliance made this possible.

When originally constructed in 1890, the architectural style was pretty much a Texas hodgepodge of Second Empire, Classical Revival and Italianate features.  A writer for the Saturday Evening Post called it a monstrosity, while another at Harper's said it was an outstanding cathedral.

The massive three-story limestone structure has two-story Corinthian columns, mansard roofs, and a tower in the middle that is seven stories tall.  Of the clock tower, the locals say that even if you are miles away, you can still tell when it's time to feed the dog!

Galveston Ghost Sign

I found this wonderful multitasking ghost sign on my trip to Galveston this past summer.  It has at least three advertisements painted on it, Coca-Cola (which appears to have been refreshed lately) the E. Dulitz Furniture Store, Spearmint Gum and perhaps even more.  This building predates the 1900 Galveston Hurricane which stands today as our nation's most deadly disaster with between six and twelve thousand lives lost.  Galveston has withstood several other major hurricanes in the intervening years, but this 129-year-old structure has served generations of Galvestonians as a downtown business establishment.  For over 100 years the building was an active furniture store.  It was heavily damaged in the 1900 storm but Mr. Dulitz was able to make repairs and moved his furniture business into the location in November of 1901, just 13 months after the hurricane.  I took this photograph in July and read the book entitled Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson just last week, gaining a new insight to the many historical structures which have withstood the test of tropical hurricanes along the Texas Gulf of Mexico coast.

Joining others who love fascinating signs at Signs, Signs

On Tiptoes

Mr. Creepy

Praying Mantis

The Barbershop

When my dad was alive he wouldn't have been caught dead in a beauty shop getting his hair cut.  But today that's more often the case than not.  Barbershops are quickly becoming a thing of the past.  In our little town of 900 people there is no longer a barbershop, and if the guys want a haircut, they must go to one of four or five beauty shops (as they are still called here) in town.  They don't seem to mind.  My dad would have been incredulous!  I discovered this traditional barbershop in Hico, Texas, on my road trip last month.  I wonder if the barber lives upstairs.

Beak Sharpening

Military Macaw

Caldwell Zoo

Tyler, Texas

Ringtail Lemur

Grasshopper!

Texas size!

Brown County Courthouse (Texas No. 8)

Although not among the most beautiful, nor among the oldest, nor among the most historic, the Brown County Courthouse in Brownwood deserves to be on my old, beautiful, historic courthouses quest.  I actually photographed this lady in July 2011 on my road trip from Texas to Arizona and the picture was originally posted elsewhere, so I'm simply incorporating it so that I can have all my old, beautiful, historic courthouses in one place.

Built in 1917, the structure is frequently referred to as a remodeled version of the county's 1884 courthouse, but the remodeling was so extensive only the vault was left untouched.

Brown County was named for Captain Henry S. Brown, an Indian trader and fighter who came to Texas in 1824 from Missouri and who fought in the Texas Revolution for independence from Mexico.

Facts:  Brownwood is located 165 miles southwest of Dallas, 200 miles north of San Antonio.  It is almost in the very center of the state.
Population of Brownwood: 20,000
Population of Brown County: 38,000

An Old Sign with a Modern Message

Would Harriet Nelson or Beaver Cleaver's mother have ever made such a statement?

Joining other sign-seekers at Lesley's Signs, Signs

A Handsome Devil

Rhinoceros Iguana

Red Barn

I finally found a new red barn in Nacogdoches County, Texas

Linking with other barn enthusiasts for

Barn Charm

Morning Walk

I've been having some health issues lately and I know I need to exercise more, so thankfully the summertime early morning temperatures have dropped to the high 60s/low 70s and I can stand the humidity at those temperatures, so I've been trying to walk the last few mornings.  Today was misty, cool, and I wasn't really worried about rain, because it had rained earlier, and, although not sunny, I felt I'd stay dry.  Here are (is?) a few of the things I encountered.

Wild morning glories still displaying raindrops 

twining themselves around a new strand of barbed-wire fencing

English mulberries

A hint of what's coming

Autumn leaves, hooray!

The road is a silvery ribbon after an early morning shower

Brown leaves are beginning to accumulate on the edges

Mrs. Redbird, high above in the tree tops where she thinks I can't see her,

patiently waiting for her man to come home

By the time I made it around the curve of the road it had started raining again, although very gently, 

so I stuck my camera under my shirt, picked up the pace 

and trudged up the steep incline to the final destination - home!  

I had decided if it was raining really hard by the time I reached our driveway 

I could stick my camera in the mailbox, go retrieve the truck and come back and rescue it, 

but it wasn't necessary.

First Baptist Church - Center, Texas

The First Baptist Church near the courthouse square in Center is surrounded by white crape myrtle trees and gardenia bushes.

Wright Opera House - Denton, Texas

Although I'm not sure how the citizens of 1899 - 1901 Denton would feel about their opera house being painted pink with purple trim, I still have to admit that it is a grand building.  The info I could find on the Web indicates it was built in 1899  but as you can see, the building sports the year 1901 above the door.  It's located on the square adjacent to the Denton County Courthouse and was constructed for the whopping sum of $25,000.  It was the elite showcase of the city until 1913 when movies made their appearance in Denton. Later it functioned as an office supply store and more recently as a used book store.  The ground floor of the building has been gutted and it looks like a used book store - just one big great room.  I wonder what happened to the stage, the organ, the velvet curtains, the theater seats and all the other things that made opera houses the elegant places they were.  Today, in addition to the book store, there are eight luxury apartments on the second and third floors.

Green Heron?

One morning this past week I took a walk down to our pond.  It had been a long time since I had walked there.  I had put it off because the pasture is full of goat weeds that our lessee was to have mowed, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a cattle trail that meandered down the hill leading just to the dam and the pond.  I was hoping to find some early morning bird life and I spotted this fellow.  I THINK it's a green heron, but I will leave it to TexWis Girl to be the final arbiter.  She is the authority on pond fowl in this area.  The closer I got he kept jumping out further until the only place left to land was a clump of dirt, or maybe that's a big rock.  I would have liked the water to have more color but it was very early, just past dawn, and there just wasn't a lot of color available at this hour.  There are a lot of egrets that roost during the day in old dead trees that are still standing in the pond but it was so early they had not come in from their nighttime roosting place.  But now that I know there are green herons (right, TexWis Girl?) and I'm pretty sure blue herons and now that the weather is cooler, perhaps I'll make the trek down there more frequently.

For Sale

A recent road trip took me through Waxahachie (WOCKS-ah-HATCH-ee), Texas.  I'd received a hint that I should check out the District Clerk's Office adjacent to the courthouse on the square downtown.  I finally spotted the building that I thought was probably the one in question and found it to be a beauty indeed.

As I approached closer I noticed a little sign on the door.  Curious as to what the sign was for, I went to investigate.

The building is for sale!  This beautiful historic building, almost 7,000 square feet of history, can be had for probably less than the $350,000 asking price. Now, it probably has some plumbing problems and some electrical problems but at just $50 a square foot, this is a bargain.  If I had an extra $350,000 I'd buy it and renovate enough rooms to house all my blogger friends who came to visit me in beautiful downtown Waxahachie (and believe me, it is a beautiful city!).

Linking to Lesley's Signs, Signs

Check 'em out!

Bad Feather Day

If you're a macaw I suppose the price of vanity is having to endure the molting season!

Caldwell Zoo

Tyler, Texas

Denton County Courthouse (Texas No. 24)

Reputed to be the second most photographed courthouse in Texas is the Denton County Courthouse in Denton.  The Romanesque style structure was built in 1896.

Denton was the last stop of the second day on my recent courthouse-hunting road trip.  The next morning just after dawn I headed on down the road and my next destination took me back into the old downtown area right by the courthouse and I couldn't resist another shot of it in the early morning light.

I think it's pretty cool that the courthouse has its own custom-made door handles!

Denton County was named for John B. Denton, a Methodist minister, lawyer, and militia captain who was killed in 1841 in an Indian battle.  Denton became a legendary folk hero in the area, and in 1856, John Chisum, a successful rancher in the area remembered the stories his father told him of Denton’s death. When a grave was discovered by some boys along Oliver Creek, Chisum investigated. Some survivors of the Indian raid which had resulted in Denton's death identified the bones as Denton's by the blanket they were wrapped in, an old broken arm, and some gold teeth. Chisum took the body back to his home and kept it in a box, hoping a family member would claim it. When no one did, he buried Denton’s body in the corner of the yard near his house. When he sold his property to J.M. Waide years later, he left written instructions with an old friend, J.W. Gober.  I don't find a reference as to what kind of instructions were left but the story goes that in 1900 the Old Settler’s Association of Denton County wanted to bury Denton in the city that bears his name. They placed an advertisement in the paper which Gober answered, producing the letter written by Chisum. The body of Denton was exhumed once again and buried during an elaborate ceremony on the lawn of the Denton County Courthouse on November 21, 1901.

Denton County is one of the few counties in Texas whose county seat shares the same name (now that's a whole 'nother post!) and is one of the fastest-growing counties in the U.S.  The city of Denton is 38 miles south of the Texas/Oklahoma border and 39 miles north of Dallas.  Today it is part of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex.  One of its nicknames is Little D (Dallas being Big D).

Population of Denton County:  663,000
Population of Denton:  113,000    

Cleburne Mural

Several of you expressed an interest in seeing the entire mural of which the last post was just a part.  

So here it is!

The Cleburne mural depicts the history of Cleburne and the Cross Timers region of Texas 

from when the Spanish explorer Luis De Moscoso first scouted the area in 1542.  

The first panel is also a tribute to General Patrick R. Cleburne 

who was Born in Cork County, Ireland, and was a resident of Helena, Arkansas, 

and who commanded a regiment from Texas and Arkansas during the Civil War.  

He was killed at the battle of Franklin, Tennessee, on November 30, 1864, 

along with five other Confederate generals.  

Two years after the conflict, Confederate veterans and townsmen voted to name  the town 

in Gen. Cleburne's honor, who was sometimes known as "The Stonewall Jackson of the West." 

The second panel illustrates the beginning of Johnson County in 1854, 

some of its prominent citizens and the three courthouses of the county.

It is between here and the following panel that the gentleman in the window from the previous post appears.

The Chisholm Trail went through this area

The Sante Fe and MKT Railroads opened up this area of Texas to national commerce

In the 20th Century, the Cleburne Motor Company produced the Chaparral, 

one of the first automobiles manufactured in Texas, 

and "Slats" Rogers built the first airplane in the state.  

I'm unsure of the relevance of the baseball player.  

I can find no information on the Internet about the last panel 

but it appears to depict a frontiersman and a tall modern structure.  

I don't think it has to do with the oil industry 

because that developed primarily in the eastern, western, and coastal areas of the state.  So perhaps it's a cell phone tower 

(although I can't figure out what the buildings at the base of the tower represent) 

and this panel shows the progression between those times.  

If you have any thoughts or ideas. feel free to express them.

Cleburne Window

This rather spooky looking window is actually part of a huge seven-panel mural which stretches for a city block in downtown Cleburne, Texas.  The mural portrays the history of the Central Texas town from the days of the Spanish explorers to modern times.  I'm not sure who the gentleman peeking out the window is but he seems to be a center dividing point in the mural, although the "window" appears near the building's roof while the mural panels are at street level.

Along Came a Spider

Parker County Courthouse (Texas No. 23)

Back in the 19^th Century, the Texas legislature passed a law stating that an effort should be made to place the county seat of each county to within five miles of the geographic center of the county. The citizens of Weatherford took this as a challenge. Not only is their town in the center of their county but their courthouse is built over the exact center.

This second empire design is built of limestone and was restored in 2005 through the Texas Historical Commission's Courthouse Preservation Program.  This was the fourth courthouse for Parker County, the others having been constructed in 1856, 1858, and 1878.  Typically the first courthouses were simply log cabins or other temporary buildings until a proper structure could be built.  Later courthouses were usually destroyed by fire.  I've yet to find a courthouse in Texas that is the original.  The advent of fire safety in the late 1800s helped preserve many buildings.  Courthouses which were razed were demolished because of termite infestation or rot or simply because they were in such dilapidated condition that it was economically unfeasible to restore them.  The Texas Historical Commission often spends many millions of dollars in each of its restoration projects and all construction must be as close as possible to the original structure.

Weatherford is located 60 miles west of Dallas.
Population of Weatherford:  25,000
Population of Parker County:  117,000

Mr. Red

East of Groesbeck

Early Morning 

Limestone County, Texas

Joining other barn enthusiasts for Barn Charm

Situation Resolved and Dragonfly

My situation with the e-mail account has been resolved.  Thanks for all your kind thoughts and good wishes, but I am happy to let you all know that I did not get hacked.  I attempted to put in an outdated password (I totally forgot I had changed it months ago) three times and it's like putting in the wrong pin number at the ATM machine three times.  The machine eats your card and won't give it back.  Password protected accounts are frequently set to disable after three incorrect attempts because the server believes the account is being hacked.  So you might say I hacked my own account and the lights went out!

After all those crazy submissions, Microsoft denied me access to my account but suggested I resubmit my request.  For some reason, within an hour after the second request was submitted they unlocked my account.  I had planned to spend the day notifying all my contacts that they needed to note a new address for me.  Thank goodness that wasn't necessary so I went to see Hope Springs instead.  Cute movie.

But a small problem did arise with Blogger.  I started using a gmail account on a temporary basis until I could resolve the issue, and after two days I awoke this morning to find that Blogger had substituted that gmail address as my sign-in address, without my permission and with no request from me!  That really ticked me!  I could see my blog but I couldn't comment on others' posts nor could I get into my blog to post.  When I attempted to sign in I was told I had to set up a Google Plus account.  I don't want any more accounts.  Blogging is my networking activity and I don't want another circle of friends.  Somehow I managed to go back in the history of my account and find a link to a sign-in form.  I put my old sign-in name back in and, voila, I was back in business.  That's not to say that Blogger won't, in a couple of days, change my sign-in info again, but we'll see.

In the meantime I did finally get my first picture of a dragonfly that I felt was worthy of publication.  I've seen much more beautiful photos from many of you, my blogger friends, but this one is a start so maybe a little more practice may yield some some finer pics.  I love how they hold on to narrow reeds and this one reminds me of a flute player.  What are you reminded of when you see this guy?