Calvert, Texas

Driving through central Texas on Highway 6, we visited the historic town of Calvert to take a look around. Having driven through it many times, but always in a hurry to get to my destination, I never considered stopping.  We are so glad we took the time to explore this neat town.

Along with its Victorian charm, we discovered it was, at one time, the 4^thlargest town in the state.  In the 19^th century, it was a bustling community filled with theaters, hotels, plantations and thriving businesses.  Their biggest industry was cotton, boasting one of the (if not THE) largest gins in the world. With the arrival of the Texas Central Railway, Calvert became a major cotton shipping point. 

The town suffered a decline after the end of the Civil War with a yellow fever epidemic and later with the completion and competition of Interstate 35.  However, there has been a strong and successful revitalization effort breathing new life into Calvert.  The historic buildings on Main Street are being renovated and new businesses are moving in.

Today, the town is filled with art galleries, cafes, and antique shops and Victorian houses have been converted to bed and breakfasts.  The historical value hasn't diminished though.  Just about any building you can enter, you would be passing through the same doors that Texans have previously since the 1800's.

There was a time I didn't give much thought to these small rural towns, other than they were notorious for speed traps. But to see so much Texas history preserved in Calvert reminded me how important these communities are to our state.  Maybe those from outside of Texas will think so as well.  

On your next road trip,  make an excursion to an old town as part of your journey. Take a look around. Eat some lunch. Buy a gift. I bet you find much more than just a Dairy Queen.

Lady Liberty standing in front of the historic Eloia Theater.

Boutiques abound!

Build in 1879 by the Oscar Family.

Built in 1874,  the popular chocolate shop and French Bistro, Cocoamoda now calls this home. 

Renovation in progress.

My Life in Kenya

Ok, so I have to explain the title.  There is a British comedy, As Time Goes By, with Judi Dench that I have watched on PBS for 2 decades.  Dench's husband on the show, Lionel Hardcastle, wrote a book called My Life in Kenya about some time he spent there.  Much of the show is based around the writing, publishing and promotion of this not so successful book. The show is hilarious, especially when people ask Lionel, "What's your book about?" Duh.

Today at my eye doctor appointment, I met a man from Kenya.  He is the assistant to my doctor (who is also Kenyan) and has lived here for several years.  We struck up a conversation about travelling and I told him about my project of studying other cultures.  I didn't even have to ask him about his life in Kenya.  He offered it completely unsolicited. 

One of the most interesting things he told me was when he first came to the US he was very surprised that when meeting people they would ask "What do you do?"  He didn't understand why they wanted to know this.  In Kenya no one asks you what you do.  Instead, they ask how you and your family are doing.  So he would keep asking his friends, "Why do people keep asking me what I do?"

Does this mean that Americans are more interested in what you do as opposed to who you are?  I don't believe so. There are so many different ways to make a living here, I think most of us are just interested in learning about them.  Like when you hear that someone manufactures and sells ring binders to large corporate accounts.  You think, huh, ring binders?  Well, why not?

Another story he told me was when you want to visit a friend in Keyna, you just show up to their house.  It's not uncommon for the visit to last 2-4 hours.  If you show up to a friend's house in the US they ask, "What do you want?"  An unexpected visit implies an emergency of some kind.

I would like to think that the idea of unexpected friendly visits sounds great to me.  But you know that feeling you get that makes your skin itch...when someone comes to the door and you have no makeup on and your hair is a disaster and your kitchen looks like it exploded?  Not exactly a set up for a relaxing visit.  The Kenyans must know something we do not.

He's lived in the United States long enough now that when he goes back to Kenya for a visit he suffers from reverse culture shock.  He thinks everything runs too slow paced and he gets frustrated. I think it just proves we can adapt to any living condition. 

And we are all the same...just the details are different.

I never considered Kenya on my list of possibilities.  But I think I might like to write  my own version of "My Life in Kenya".

Croatia Joins the EU

Croatia joined the European Union as its 28th member today.  An historic and exciting day, for sure.  One of the great objectives of the EU is to provide peace and stability to a continent that has had, shall we say, some difficulty in that department.  Economic development and better opportunity in world trade are also some of the other important goals of the EU.  The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so to speak. 

I'm not enough of an economist, world historian, or fortune teller to say if joining the EU will solve the problems of Europe. But I do believe that moving forward and always looking for ways to improve are important objectives for anyone. 

I know many of the Croats I spoke with during my trip were apprehensive about the accession.   But I am very hopeful that this is a positive move and Croatia will continue to grow stronger.  I look forward to following this great country's new journey.

My Croatian friend from Bjelovar posted on her blog about it.  I'm attaching the link because I think it is important to get some local perspective.

http://ireality2.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-next-day.html