So, ya wanna be a Texan?

Maybe it's because you're livin' and workin' in Texas.  Maybe it's because you wanna be a "real" cowboy (or cowgirl).  Maybe it's because you want to live in a "whole other country", or maybe it's because you just want to live in a "special" part of America.  Whatever th' case may be, you're gonna have to do some other stuff first.

Here's an article from th Texas Department of Vehicles that pretty much explains it all.

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First of all, you've got 30 days to apply to be a Texan.

Now, If you stand six-foot-five, ride a big white horse, and can wrestle a tornado to the ground, congratulations! — You’ve just been named a member in good standing of the hearty, resourceful, and friendly people the world refers to as Texans, and we’re proud to have you among us.

However, should you fail to meet any of the above qualifications, be not concerned. Simply perform the simple tasks outlined below and, yahoo — you’ll be a Registered Texan, too!  Because, contrary to what you may have heard, becoming a member of the greatest state in the Union is easy! So let’s get started.
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To be a Texan, you first need to have your vehicle inspected.  This is easy. Simply take your car, truck, motorcycle, or heavy-duty trailer to a certified Vehicle Inspection Station. (Many mechanic shops, full-service gas stations, and oil change locations offer state inspections. Your local telephone directory should direct you to one that’s convenient.) When you go, make sure to take along proof of insurance. If your insurance policy was not issued in Texas, you may need to show proof that you carry the minimum amount of coverage.*

*Minimum coverage in Texas is $30,000 bodily injury or death to one person in one accident, 
$60,000 bodily injury or death to 2 or more persons in one accident; and $25,000 injury or 
destruction to other property in one accident.

Now, to be a Texan, you don't have to be able to stand in the middle of one county 
and see over into the next one.

To be a Texan, you need a Texas vehicle registration sticker and Texas license plates.

                                      

This, too, is easy. After getting your vehicle inspection sticker, visit your friendly county tax

assessor-collector (whose office is listed in your local directory). You will need to show proof that you own your vehicle, such as registration or title from your previous home state, as well as proof that you carry the minimum required amount of insurance coverage (see page 2).*
What’s important to remember is that your vehicle registration fee (about $60 a year, but varies by county**) helps to build and maintain our Texas highways, roads, and bridges. And approximately one-third of that is invested in programs in your own county.

* Once you’ve received your vehicle registration sticker, renewing it in subsequent years is easy because many counties allow online renewals at www.texas.gov.

** Newcomers also pay a title application fee, as well as sales tax-related fees required by the State Comptroller’s Office. Sales tax fees on a vehicle could be $90 or the difference between the previous state’s sales tax and the Texas sales tax. 

To be a Texan, you don't need to own an oil well, unless of course you live in Midland where it's mandatory.

To be a Texan, you need to have a Texas Drivers license.

Lastly, you have 90 days from the time you move to our great state to visit your nearest Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) office and obtain a Texas Driver License. (For locations, visit www.txdps.state.tx.us.) Because you’ll need to take along a few documents that prove who you are (sorry, that prized bowling trophy won’t do), we urge you to visit the aforementioned Web site and click on ID Requirements for Texas driver license/identification certificate. And that’s pretty much it: Vehicle registration sticker and inspection sticker, proof of insurance, Texas license plates, and Texas Driver License. — Now you’re starting to look like a real Texan.*
* For information on voter registration and other services for new Texas residents, visit: www.texas.gov.

To be a Texan, you don't need to own a horse, you do however, need to practice safety at all times

To be a Texan, put Texas in your corner.

One final thing: Texas law requires that you have your registration and inspection stickers and insurance within 30 days of moving to our state. Otherwise, you could be in for an unscheduled meeting with one of our fine law enforcement officials. Of course, we have all the confidence in the world you’ll do what’s right for Texas and your new fellow Texans. Because when you stick up for the Lone Star State, you’re sticking up for all of us. And we’ll be mighty proud to call you a fellow Registered Texan.

Like to learn more? Just go to www.registeredtexan.com or call (512) 465-7611 or 1 (888) DMV-GOTX (368-4689).

NOW, If you're a fellow SKP member, there's a booklet that they put out called, "How to Become a Real Texan."  Lots an lots of information.  Real good readin' and purty interestin' too.

Later  .  .  .  Fellow Texan Wannabees

A Short Geography Lesson

Bein’ a non-native Texan, for some time now Ive’ wondered what th’ names of all th’ different parts of Texas were. I know th’ Piney Woods and Hill Country but th’ rest?  Sooo, while th’ Missus and I were in San Antonio th’ other day, I heard a tour guide on th’ Riverwalk sayin’ somethin’ about th’ 7 different regions of Texas.  Well, my ears and interest both perked up at hearin’ this.  It wasn’t too much longer that I ran across this riverboat guide and she explained to me what th’ regions were called. #1 Panhandle Plains, #2 Big Bend Country, #3 Hill Country, #4 Prairies and Lakes, #5 Pineywoods, #6 Gulf Coast, and #7 South Texas Plains.  So, I googled these different regions and came up with a little info for each of 'em.

 

The 7 Different Regions of the Great State of Texas

The Texas Panhandle Plains Region covers the area of Texas that supposedly looks like a panhandle, that being the rectangle shaped northernmost part of Texas, between New Mexico and Oklahoma. The Panhandle Plains Regions extends east almost to Fort Worth and south to Interstate 20.

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Big Bend Country is also referred to as West Texas.  Some (not all) non-Texans think Texas is all desert, cactus & tumbleweeds etc.  Well, if that’s what you want to see in Texas, Big Bend Country is for you.

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Texas Hill Country starts in the west in Crockett county, to Austin and Travis county in the east, with Mills county the northern fringe of Hill Country with Kinney, Uvalde and Medina counties making the southern end. The capital of Texas, Austin, is the Hill Countrys Big City. Due to its many attractions and scenic beauty, the Texas Hill Country is one of the most popular tourist areas in the southern United States.

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The Prairie & Lakes Region is between the Piney Woods to the east and the Panhandle Plains and Hill Country to the west. Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington are the big cities in the Prairie & Lakes Region.

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The Piney Woods is sometimes referred to as East Texas or Deep East Texas. 

The Piney Woods Region is so named because much of the region is covered by tall pine tree forests. 

The Piney Woods Region is where the Texas Oil Boom began, in towns like Kilgore, Longview and Marshall. 

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The Gulf Coast Region is a long, narrow slice of Texas along the Gulf of Mexico, with 624 miles of shoreline, running from Sabine Pass in the north,  south to the Rio Grande River. Among the Gulf Coast towns are marsh-surrounded Beaumont, historical Galveston, tropical South Padre Island, Port Isabel and Brownsville. 

The biggest town in the south end of the Gulf Coast Region is Corpus Christi.

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Since the South Texas Plains Region (or Brush Country as some would call it) borders Mexico, it’s no surprise that many of the towns in this region of Texas have an Old Mexico feel to them. Mexican heritage plays a large role in this region of Texas.

The South Texas Plains Region covers San Antonio at its north end to the Mexican border in the south. 

San Antonio is the biggest attraction in the South Texas Plains, with its Riverwalk, Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Sea World and, of course, the Alamo. Laredo, on the Mexican border is the other big city in this region.

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Well, there ya have it and now I know.  Interesting! I guess I’ve been in all regions of th’ state of Texas and just didn’t realize it at th’ time.  I really like th’ Pineywoods,  th’ scenery in Hill Country is awesome and th Gulf Coast is great with Padre Island being a favorite.  So where am I at, HA, Catarina, South Texas, out in th’ middle of Brush Country where most of my GG friends are, with some being lucky enough to be in th’ Gulf Coast region.  Oh well, like they say, “Texas, it’s a Whole ‘Other Country.”

Later  .  .  . 

A Colorado Vacation – Another Awesome Adventure

July 6^th, 8:00AM, another “Awesome Adventure” was about to begin.  Th’ whole thing started off with a bang, I couldn’t get th’ RV's awning to retract correctly.  Now, let me preface this statement by saying that th’ awning had been staked out for a little over three months, in th’ same position.  Sooo, what should have been a one person 3 minute job quickly became a two person 1 hour task.  Aggravatin’, that’s what it was.  Anyhow, thoroughly wringin’ wet with sweat and tired already, 10AM, we hit th’ road.  First stop, Canyon Trail RV Resort in New Braunfels, a short 3 hour drive.  We stayed in New Braunfels for a couple days while having some much needed repairs done to th RV. Whle we were there, we shared a meal with Victoria Graham and her husband.  Good folks.

Our route consisted mostly of I-10, US 83, 87 and 289 to Wiley Co.  We stopped overnight in Lubbock to visit our Grand-daughter Kara and her husband, Dustyn.  Ol' JW and Taylor (our Great grand daughter) got a little closer to each other (that's another story in itself).  We spent a few days visiting with our boy Jeff, and his wife Debbie and our Daughter, Gari and her hubby Ronnie..  Rested, a lot.  Visited with Amber and Jared and Kacey and Tyler (Grand kids and great grand babies).  While we were there, we (and I use that term very loosely) decided to see what there was to offer in the way of a new pickup truck in this area.  Anyhow, to make a long story short, we purchased a 2012 Ford F150 Lariat. Very nice truck. And even nicer after I had Jared tint our windows, thanks Jared, they look great.

Ford F150 Lariat

A couple days later, we were off to th’ mountains for our “4 Wheelin’ Family Reunion.”  Now, Jeff thought there were only gonna be around 15 or so at th’ camp but it turned out that there were 26.  And we all had a good time.  We camped at th’ Poncha Loop area (10,200’),  just over Poncha Pass.  Temps were in th’ 70’s daytime and low to mid 40’s at night, perfect (at least for this old fat man).  We 4 wheeled every day we were there and even got in some time at Mt Princeton Hot Springs. 

Now, our 4 wheelin’ adventure deserves some mention because of th’ SNAFU that ensued.  We reserved and made a down payment on a side by side 4 wheeler from Stanwood Motorsports in Westcliffe back on May 31^st or so.  When it came time to pick up said 4 wheeler, they didn’t have one for us.  Now, ole JW was not a happy camper at this point.  We had to drive about an hour away from th’ campsite just to get to Westcliffe.  Not only did they not have a unit for us but they also had no paperwork showing we ever rented a 4 wheeler.  Well, thank goodness I had my mobile banking app on my smartphone because it showed how much and when they took th’ money.  They did give me back my deposit and we headed back to camp.  Disgusted is a very mild term for what ol' JW was.

Artic Cat - Wildcat

Now this is where it gets good.  My wife, Wanda, was so upset that there was no way Stanwood Motorsports was gonna ruin our 4 wheelin’ adventure.  She called them back and negotiated a better unit than what we were going to have to begin with and at half price and money for gas.  HA HA HA.   (See picture above) Well, th’ only problem with this was, we couldn’t get th’ unit until th’ next day and we had to drive all th' way back to Westcliffe to get it.  (I thought they should have offered to deliver it.)  Anyhow, it all worked out and we had a great time 4 wheelin’.  Now, it came time to take th’ unit back.  We were told to return th’ unit  on Monday morning at 10am.  No problem, except, when we got there they were closed on Mondays.  (Their website said they were open Monday – Saturday).  Since th’ insurance on th’ unit was provided by, me, I didn’t feel safe leaving th’ unit and maybe having someone steal it.  Several hours passed and we tried to call every number we could find for them but to no avail.  Finally, we went across th’ street to a café and th’ owner said he knew th’ guys at Stanwood and would get ahold of them for us, didn’t happen.  Ole Willie (th’ café owner) said, just leave th’ unit at Stanwood and put a note on it sayin’ “Willie’s got th’ key!”  Good 'nuff for me.  So folks, if you ever feel like you want to rent a 4 wheeler from Stanwood Motorsports in Westcliffe, Co. PH# 719 783-2880 be sure to have something in writing regarding your agreement and double check with them before you drive over to get your rental, (by th' way, we still haven’t got our copy of th’ rental agreement from them.)

After 7 days of boondockin’ (no ATT phone service, no WIFI, no internet, no TV, HA, it was great)  we returned to civilization at Wiley, Co.  About another week or so was spent relaxin’ and restin’ before we headed back to th’ grind of th’ oil patch. 

We did take two days in San Antonio at th’ San Antonio KOA.  We went downtown both days to th’ Riverwalk and th’ Tower of th’ Americas.  Wonderful time in SA.  On Aug 6^th  (exactly 30 days after we left) we arrived back at our gate near Catarina, Tx.  Despite our very few little problems, It was an excellent vacation.  Plan to put a bunch of photos on FB once I cull them out (we took over 1500 pics).  Can’t wait for th' next time Jeff.