San Jacinto Day

Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad!

On April 21, 1836 the Battle of San Jacinto occurred and it was the last battle of the Texas Revolution. Texas won their independence from Mexico. 

Today is an official state holiday, but of course I still had to work :p (They don't really give anyone the day off...). An annual San Jacinto Day Festival and Battle Reenactment is held on the weekend before, on, or after (depending how the days fall) . This year the festival is on April 26, 2014 from 10am-6pm at the San Jacinto Monument.

2012

Now not only is there a battle reenactment at about the same time of the actual battle they do have both camps set up for you to walk through and ask questions about life in the 1830s. I have asked Santa Anna where his Yellow Rose of Texas was and he  didn't answer my question. I'm not sure if he was in role and didn't want to answer my question or if he didn't know what I was talking about. It could also be that I was in the 7th/8th grade when I asked. Lol! 

There is also vendors, the museum gift shop, entertainers, petting zoo, train ride, square dancers, among other things. 

If you've never been it is worth checking out. The best time to go to the top of the Monument is early in the morning when they open at 9am, during the actual Reenactment because everyone will be out there. They stop selling tickets around 5:30pm and the show runs hourly from 10am-5pm. Be prepared for a long day and lots of people. 

As for me, I won't be out there this year I've gone numerous times and will be at work. Have fun yall!

National Museum of American History-Washington, D.C.

Where do I even begin to write about the National Museum of American History?  This place is amazing! We drove up to meet friends in Georgetown for lunch (which if you are in the area, you must eat at Filomena Ristorante the food is to die for!) and make it over to the museum.

Caroline Scott Harrison's dress

We only got to see about 1/4 or a 1/3 of the museum. It is so large, and there is so many things to see. I had the biggest smile on my face the entire time I was there. It was like taking a kid into a candy store instead this was taking a mid 20's woman with a B.A. in history to the ultimate American history archive! 

As we walked in the first display was the The Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that inspired the National Anthem. The flag is over 200 years old and is quite a site to see. I wanted to take a picture of it sooooooo bad, but photography is not permitted.  I understand why they can't let pictures to be taken to preserve the flag, but they are nice enough to share pictures on their flickr page. Ok, ok we must move on to some other things now. 

Other things we got to see were the First Ladies dresses, pieces of the White House, debris from the Twin Towers after the 9/11 attacks, a piece of the Berlin Wall plus a few other things. I really wanna spend a full day or two walking around and seeing EVERYTHING! 

If you make it out to D.C. to see the museum plan on spending a few hours. There is so much to see and read, plus they have a pretty nifty gift shop. I plan to go back, hopefully soon while the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

This is my Civil Era type photo.

Admission to the museum is free and they are open 364 days a year (closed on Christmas Day) from 10am-730pm.

Houston Zoo-Houston, TX

While contemplating my next blog post I came across some pictures from the Houston Zoo. It's been a couple of years since I've been... I want to go feed the giraffes! Plus there is new babies at the zoo, and what is more adorable than a baby animal? This got me wondering on how the zoo came to the city and if there was any interesting story to its creation. 

The Houston Zoo had its early beginnings in 1922 with a bison named Earl. A fence was put around him and the park collected other birds and reptiles. At that time it was named Hermann Park Zoo. The first staff member was Hans Nagel who built up the collection and bought the zoos first elephant, Hans. Hans, the zookeeper, did lion and elephant shows. Only in Texas, would this story exist but he passed away on Zoo ground during a gun fight. 

In 1950, the Zoo expanded to add primates, an aviary and an array of other animals. They have an agreement with the city for a 50 year lease of the park. They have expanded the Zoo and brought in more animals. 

The nest time to visit the Zoo would be in the spring or fall just for the simple fact that our summers can be unbearable sometimes. 

I plan to make it out there soon to feed the giraffes, see the large cats, and the baby elephant. 

They are open from 9am-7pm; children under 2 are free, children 2-11 $11, adults $15, and senior citizens 65+ $8.50.