In this edition of Rick's Cafe, Sandy and Rick decide to get away for a one day vacation, a more or less improvised spur-of-the-moment trip for the July 4th holiday.
The ever ingenious Sandy quickly finagles our lodging: a "limited use" mini-cabin on the lake at Buescher State Park near Smithville, Texas. "Limited use" turns out to mean no bathroom, although there is a common bath/shower building about a hundred feet away.
That's roughing it! Sandy's no dummy, however; we do have A/C, lights, electric, bunk beds, and a small fridge.
The lake view is idyllic. Another one of Sandy's wonderful finds!
As darkness falls we are treated to a an eerie symphony of toads, a rather noisy affair that lasts most of the night. I managed to capture a little snippet of the free concert on my camera's video (the sound is the interesting part):
Goodbye, Mini-Cabin 1! We loved you well.
We take a leisurely drive through the scenic trail to the adjacent Lost Pines State Park.
I don't know how the pines got lost here in south Texas. Sandy says Indians brought in seedlings. That's as good a theory as any I can come up with.
Another short drive brings us to the bustling metropolis of Flatonia.
Anytown USA, July 4th
(actually it's Flatonia, Texas):
From Flatonia, we scoot along Hwy 90 to the little town of Praha, a Czech settlement dating from the mid-nineteenth century.The pride of Praha is the Catholic Church of St. Mary's.
St. Mary's Praha had its centennial in 1955!
Some interior views of St. Mary's - Praha
About the same time he Czechs made their way to Praha, a Moravian settlement was founded at Blum Hill (later High Hill). St Mary's at High Hill is about a fifteen minute drive from her sister church St.Mary's Praha.
There is an unusual raised lectern on the side of the church:
You don't really expect to walk into a small-town Texas church and see something this magnificent:
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Our last stop for the July 4th holiday is the Monument Hill State Park in La Grange, Texas. Monument Hill commemorates the infamous "black bean" episode following the Texas war of independence. An 1843 expedition of Texan fighters was defeated at Ciudad Mier. The survivors were marched to Mexico City, but a large contingent escaped into the mountains and were recaptured. An enraged Santa Anna ordered the men executed, but the commander General Francisco Mejia refused to carry out the order.
Santa Anna replaced Mejia, but by that time a diplomatic effort by the US and Great Britain persuaded him to spare most of the prisoners. Santa Anna, after the fashion of the Roman Legions, decided to "decimate" the Texans (kill every tenth prisoner).
To help determine who would die Mejia's replacement (Colonel Domingo Huerta) had 159 white beans and 17 black beans placed in a pot. In what came to be known as the Black Bean Episode (or Black Bean Lottery), the Texans were blindfolded and ordered to draw beans. Officers and then enlisted men, in alphabetical order, were ordered to draw. The 17 men who drew a black bean were allowed to write letters home and then were executed by firing squad. On the evening of March 25, 1843, the Texans were shot in two groups, one of nine men and one of eight.
According to legend, Huerta placed the black beans in last and had the officers pick first, so that they would make up the majority of those killed.
The white bean survivors, including Bigfoot Wallace, finished the march to Mexico City and were imprisoned at Perote prison along with the 15 survivors from the Dawson Massacre. Some of the Texans escaped from Perote or died there, but most remained captive until they were released, by order of Santa Anna, on September 16, 1844.
The remains of the executed prisoners were eventually repatriated to Texas and lie at this spot on the banks of the Colorado.
Monument Hill State Park is a quiet, peaceful place. We really liked it. There's a spectacular view of the bluffs overlooking the Colorado River.
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