This is another one of those courthouses that jump out at you as you're coming up towards town.  That and, along with the slight elevation, it's a quite lovely sight.  There's just something about this courthouse that I find especially aesthetically pleasing.  I can't entirely explain it, but it is.  And it even has a … Continue reading 19. Bandera, Bandera County →

As someone asked me, Texans sure do love their limestone buildings, don't they?  I replied that it's almost like the entire state is made of limestone and granite...  This exchange would come back to haunt me.  I refilled my empty water bottle here and if my water was any harder, I could have carved a … Continue reading 18. Hondo, Medina County →

There's a saying about San Antonio: the streets were laid out by a blind man being led by a blind donkey.  Considering that it's celebrating its 300th anniversary next year, that's almost an apropos assessment.  It's also the perfect example of why large cities are a bit of an annoyance on a project like this.  … Continue reading 17. San Antonio, Bexar County →

The day was running down, especially since it got cut short by real life.  So, I did a quick swing through Bastrop.  The Bastrop County Courthouse has its memorials and all that stuff and the seemingly obligatory Confederate memorial, but this one caught even me off guard. Nobody ever expects CSA poetry. So anyway, I … Continue reading 16. Bastrop, Bastrop County →

OF COURSE this county was named for Robert E. Lee!  And OF COURSE there's a monument dedicated to him! Of course, this touches a certain nerve in me.  The funny thing is that it's not Robert E. Lee specifically.  There actually is a county seat called Robert Lee (Coke County), but it's named for Col. … Continue reading 15. Giddings, Lee County →

So, the first interesting thing about Caldwell is that, like at least one other courthouse (Williamson County), you could see it from miles away, sitting up on top of its hill.  Secondly, though I drove past more cotton fields than I think I've ever seen in my life (Messers Baader and Meinhof were working double … Continue reading 14. Caldwell, Burleson County →

It's funny because I rolled into Franklin wondering where the courthouse was.  I looked left and right but couldn't spot it.  Then all of a sudden, BOOM!  How could I have missed this?  Interesting note: as I was walking around the place, I noticed that the cornerstone was noted as being laid in 2011 (it … Continue reading 13. Franklin, Robertson County →

So this morning I set off on the road to hit some new counties.  So I set off in a semicircle around the counties east of where I have already been.  That started me off in scenic Marlin.  Well, maybe it was scenic.  I'm not sure.  I wasn't there very long. It's a nice little … Continue reading 12. Marlin, Falls County →

That dashing guy is Peter Hansborough Bell, cavalry officer at the Battle of Buena Vista, third governor of Texas, and namesake of Bell County.  I barely managed to get here before the light was gone.  In fact, I'm amazed I was able to get this shot.  It was just after sundown and the shots from … Continue reading 11. Belton, Bell County →

Home of Dr Pepper and Baylor University and inspiration for a great many country songs.  I got out of work early and shot straight up here so I could knock out a county or two tonight.  Well, a new one and one backfill.  Waco is a special county, so I hit several caches tonight instead … Continue reading 10. Waco, McLennan County →