Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Amarillo. Palo Duro Canyon. Route 66. Amarillo By Morning. Is This The Way to Amarillo? Texas History. Emperor of China. Release of U.S. POWs. Mardi Gras.

 

For “Travel Tuesday”:

Question: “What is the place in Texas with the coldest temperature during winter?”

Answer: “Amarillo is the place in Texas with the coldest temperature during winter. January usually has an average temperature of 35.8 F.”

#Region.R_Description#“Amarillo is in the The Texas Panhandle Plains region which offers visitors a wide variety of experiences from the breathtakingly beautiful canyon lands, to the Old West heritage that is still evident today. You can visit the birthplace of Buddy Holly and many other famous artists, explore a wide variety of museums & exhibits, or simply enjoy the wide open skies that have attracted visitors for generations. Discover the adventure of the Texas Panhandle Plains.”

Internationally-famous outdoor musical TEXAS!

Internationally-famous outdoor musical TEXAS!


Amarillo, Step Into The Real Texas

Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Amarillo, TX

“Howdy! We're glad you stopped by to visit Amarillo, Texas. We're the place where you can "Step into the Real Texas." From canyons to cowboys, big steaks to big spaces, everything Texas is famous for is right here. We're easy to find and once you're here, you'll want to stay an extra day or two.

Amarillo is in the center of the Texas Panhandle, a 26-county area that is bordered by New Mexico and Oklahoma. Here, the southern plains meet the desert. Founded in 1887 at the intersection of two railroads, today the city is the intersection of Interstates 40 and 27.

The Amarillo area is a major destination for Old West enthusiasts from all over the globe. The lure of the Old West also draws thousands every year to attractions like the internationally-famous outdoor musical "TEXAS."

The Big Texan Steak Restaurant in Amarillo, TX

Big Texan Steak Ranch

Think Amarillo and you think steak. No place sums up Texas, Amarillo and steak better than the Big Texan Steak Ranch, home of the 72 oz. steak. Eat it and all the trimmings (salad, bread, potato and shrimp cocktail) in an hour and its free! 35,000 have tried; 5,500 have succeeded.

 

imagesCA205C1B The area's most famous bumper crop, located south of Interstate 40 just a few miles west of town, the Cadillac Ranch attracts visitors from around the world. The 10 Cadillacs buried nose down celebrate America's love affair with the automobile.

Amarillo is the largest Texas city on Route 66. Now, a stretch of the old highway, along Sixth Ave. between Georgia and Western Sts., has been revived into a stretch of antique shops, restaurants and cafes.

It's hard to describe the grandeur and variety of the Amarillo landscape. From 1000-foot deep Palo Duro Canyon and the wide-open spaces of the Texas Panhandle to the whimsy of the world-famous Cadillac Ranch and those magnificent Amarillo sunsets, it's all here.”

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imagesCA4MRKBL Arts & Cultural
Amarillo Botanical Gardens
Amarillo Little Theatre
Amarillo Opera
Amarillo Public Library
Amarillo Symphony
Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts
The Galleries at Sunset Center
The Lone Star Ballet

Museums
Amarillo Railroad Museum imagesCACRNPVO
American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame & Museum
AMoA-Amarillo Museum of Art
Don Harrington Discovery Center
Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Texas Air and Space Museum
Texas Pharmacy Museum
The RV Museum @ Jack Sisemore Traveland

 

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“Welcome to the RV Museum at Jack Sisemore Traveland. The Sisemore’s began collecting and restoring unusual vintage RV’s over 25 years ago and have built a museum to house their collection. These include the Flexible Bus from the movie RV, the first Itasca motor home ever built, and the oldest Fleetwood in existence. And many other RV’s from the 1930's through the 1970's.  Step back in time, reminisce and enjoy the progression of the RV industry from its inception till now.”

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“Texas Air and Space Museum, Not just for aviation fans! The museum honors Amarillo's and the Texas Panhandle's history of flight. Featured are extensive documents, newspaper articles, exhibits and photos dating back to the beginning of English Field Airport.

Visitors can get close to a Grumman Gulfstream II NASA Shuttle Training Aircraft (flown by astronaut and Amarillo native Rick Husband), a North American P-51 Mustang (on loan), a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (on loan), a de Havilland C-7A Caribou and the Beercat-- a locally built biplane-class aircraft flown by Texas Panhandle pilot Bobby Speed at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, NV.”

More at: http://www.visitamarillotx.com/index.cfm

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“Big steaks, big canyons, or a big connection to ancestors from the days gone by. To make big memories, visit Amarillo

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“Short aerial video (shot from airplane) of Amarillo, Texas and the Palo Duro Canyon.”

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Historic Route 66 Through Amarillo

“On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act which initiated the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways across America. As a result, many small towns that had once thrived along the famed east-west Route 66 were bypassed by the new high-speed interstate highway system. Faced with financial ruin, these small towns struggled to survive.

In this travel video, I take a drive along a brief section of eastbound Historic Route 66 (Business 40) through Amarillo, Texas. The road continues on into downtown Amarillo on the west side of town.”

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George Strait - Amarillo By Morning

 

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Is This The Way to Amarillo?

“Troops in the Royal Dragoon Guards shot a home video at their Al Faw base of their version of the video sung by Tony Christie and mimed by Peter Kay.”

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I hope you enjoyed your visit to Amarillo, TX.

Texas History, for large and small kids.

Song: Newsboys Something Beautiful

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Last emperor of China abdicates, Feb 12, 1912:

“On February 12, 1912, Hsian-T'ung, the last emperor of China, is forced to abdicate following Sun Yat-sen's republican revolution. A provisional government was established in his place, ending 267 years of Manchu rule in China and 2,000 years of imperial rule. The former emperor, only six years old, was allowed to keep up his residence in Beijing's Forbidden City, and he took the name of Henry Pu Yi.

Pu Yi was enthroned as emperor in 1908 after his uncle, the Kuang-hsu emperor, died. He reigned under a regency and underwent training to prepare him for his coming rule. However, in October 1911, his dynasty fell to Sun Yat-sen's revolution, and four months later he abdicated. The new Chinese government granted him a large government pension and permitted him to live in the imperial palace until 1924, when he was forced into exile.

After 1925, he lived in Japanese-occupied Tianjin, and in 1932 Japan created the puppet state of Manchukuo in Manchuria under his rule. In 1934, Henry Pu Yi was enthroned as K'ang Te, emperor of Manchukuo. Despite guerrilla resistance against his puppet regime, he held the emperor's title until 1945, when he was captured by Soviet troops.

In 1946, Pu Yi testified before the Tokyo war crimes tribunal that he had been an unwilling tool of the Japanese and not, as they claimed, an instrument of Manchurian self-determination. Manchuria and the Rehe province were returned to China, and in 1950 Pu Yi was handed over to the Chinese communists. He was imprisoned at Shenyang until 1959, when Chinese leader Mao Zedong granted him amnesty. After his release, he worked in a mechanical repair shop in Peking.”

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Release of U.S. POWs begins, Feb 12, 1973:

“The release of U.S. POWs begins in Hanoi as part of the Paris peace settlement. The return of U.S. POWs began when North Vietnam released 142 of 591 U.S. prisoners at Hanoi's Gia Lam Airport. Part of what was called Operation Homecoming, the first 20 POWs arrived to a hero's welcome at Travis Air Force Base in California on February 14. Operation Homecoming was completed on March 29, 1973, when the last of 591 U.S. prisoners were released and returned to the United States.”

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Mardi Gras - Modern Idolatry?

“The strange revelries of modern culture have their roots in ancient rites and religion.”

Transcript at: http://www.ucg.org/beyond-today-daily/christian-living/mardi-gras-modern-idolatry

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Yesterday:

After I got back from taking the check for the water bill 4 miles into town to avoid the late charges, Ray came over.  We had some items that needed to be glued together. When the contractors installed some of my kitchen cabinets they chose ones were ready made, but they are covered in thick white vinyl.  Not my choice at all.  On the top edge of one lower cabinet doors the vinyl had come loose, and it was starting to crease.   I ironed the creases out with a cool iron, and Ray glued the vinyl back on with E-6000, and we left it to cure with pipe clamps on it.

While we had the glue out, Ray and I glued up the lining on a bag, and clamped it.   Then we packed up my old chandelier in a box with bubble wrap, along with it’s special glass globes and bulbs. That should keep it safe until it gets sold.

It was probably premature, as we could still have some cold weather, but we took down one of the winter vinyl panels on the screen porch.  It was a gamble as I have hundreds of aloe plants wintering on the porch. The days have been so nice, and it was great to get the fresh air in there again.  Arlo and Miss Priss really thought it was great, too.

Then Jay called, I could tell he was a bit tipsy.  He wanted me to go down there and pick up their paper recycling and two pieces of pie for Ray and me.  Misty and I had our walk down there.  Jay wanted me to bring him back here to stop him from sitting on his mother’s porch drinking and watching TV, as his boss was coming to pick him up at midday.  Pitiful!  But he did put the wall panel back up in my garage, before his boss came.

Ray went to orientation to volunteer at the cat habitat, as Kenya, our SPCA boss would be there tending to it from 5.30-730.  As we didn’t want Arlo to get too imprinted here, he rode with Ray. He settled back in with his litter mates in the habitat.  He wasn’t teaching Miss Priss not to bite, anyway.  Priss and I miss him, but it had to be.  I miss my Bobbiecat and Prime, so Kenya is trying to find me an old cat who can be mine, and we can be together for the rest of our days.

2 comments:

Gypsy said...

I used to make frequent trips from Asheville NC to Sacramento CA, driving I-40 most of the way. Since I traveled during the winter I don't think I ever had an easy drive through Amarillo, and remember the icy road surfaces.

LakeConroePenny,TX said...

Thank you for your comment, Gypsy.

I went through there in March of 1969, and it was like a ghost town because of the closure of the Amarillo Air Force Base on December 31, 1968. So it was a very easy drive through town, even with a 42' travel trailer!!

Happy Trails, Penny, TX