The only state once recognized by the U.S.gov-ernment as an independent country.Texas is still more a nation than a state in many ways.It's larg-er than several European nations combined,with an amaxingly varied landscape and population. Since the fall of the Alamo,the Lone Star State has been the site of historic collisions:between the Old South and the New West,be-tween the Anglo culture of North America and the Hispanic culture of Latin America,between persistent small-town values and the glittering internationalism of Houston and Dallas.Yet its citizens are all Texans first,united by a storied past of epic battles,rangers and rustlers,cattle barons,wildcatters,and wheeler-dealers. The Texas Myth also embraces legendary sports teams and the fans that cheer them on; a down-home cuisine featuring Tex-Mex,chili,and rancn-style barbecue; and colorful politics across the spectrum,including outspoken liberals like Lyndon Johnson and former governor Ann Richards.Oil and cattle wealth built a legacy of ach

In the entire universe, there seems to be one constant that most everyone shares: the notion of beauty. This fact is not scientific, it is not logical, and the value of this knowledge is hard to assess. But the certainty is absolute as every one of us looks into a meadow of waving flowers, gazes at the surf and the sea, or looks deep into the night sky at the stars and beyond. God's Art explores the grace, the texture and the colors of this beautiful universe, and asks a lot of questions along the way: Why isn't the universe gray instead of such a rich incredible range of colors; Why is there so much variety in all things from snowflakes to galaxies; Why are we blessed with an appreciation for all this wonder if it does not contribute to our survival? Questions are more fun than answers, and a well-phrased quandary will keep us occupied longer than a stark fact. This is a beautifully illustrated book of questions.

illinois,that long slice of the heartland stretching fro lake michigan fto kentucky,may be the most american place of all.its great patriot,abraham lincoln,and its great athlete,michael jordan,stand for what s best about our country. the prairie state has some of the midwest s richest farmlnd,and,by geographic luck,illinors also has the vital metropolis of chicago.the windy city took in the continent s resources and shipped them far and wide ,becoming the nation s railroad hub and later its crossroade of the air.after the dev-astating 1871fire,visionary planners and architects like daniel burnham and louis sullivan designed boulevards,gracious parks,and beaux arts buildings thet make this one of the most livable of cities. both chicago and downstate illinois have grow them,like john dere s plow; the prairie style homes of frank lloyd wright;mail-order merchandising from sears and wards;an ener-getic,all-american literture from carl sandburg,nelson algren,gwendolyn brooks,and saul bellow;and the soulf

In 1977, Laura Bell, at loose ends after graduating fromcollege, leaves her family home in Kentucky for a wild andunexpected adventure: herding sheep in Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin.Inexorably drawn to this life of solitude and physical toil, ayoung woman in a man’s world, she is perhaps the strangest memberof this beguiling community of drunks and eccentrics. So begins herunabating search for a place to belong and for the raw materialswith which to create a home and family of her own. Yet only throughtime and distance does she acquire the wisdom that allows her tosee the love she lived through and sometimes left behind. By turns cattle rancher, forest ranger, outfitter, masseuse, wifeand mother, Bell vividly recounts her struggle to find solid earthin which to put down roots. Brimming with careful insight andwritten in a spare, radiant prose, her story is a heart-wrenchingode to the rough, enormous beauty of the Western landscape and thepeculiar sweetness of hard labor, to finding oneself even i

“oklahoma,where the wind comes sweepin down the plain!”who doesn t know the stirring lyrics to the most famous of all state songs?rodgers &hammerstein s musical captures the rambunctious frontier spirit of this state-an even more captivating place in reality. in oklahoma,the american west and the american dream come together-sometimes in one person,like will rogers,the part-cheokeejournalist and vaudevillian who became the nation s best-loved humorist.woody guthrie,our lureate of folk song,also springs from oklahoma soil,as do journalist bill moyers and apache sculptor allan houser,whose work graces the white house lawn.oklahoma helped to create the cowboy icon:on the legendary chisholm trail,in touring wild west shows ,and in the movies ,with actors roy rogers and gene auty.amerca s oil boom began her,and “black gold”built the art deco skylines of tulsa and okla-homa city.hardy survivors of the dust bowl era,oklahomans planned and built the “mother road,”route 66,and afine collection of museu

Moon Spotlight Wisconsin’s Door County is a 95-pagecompact guide covering Sturgeon Bay, Lakeside, Bayside, WashingtonIsland and Rock Island. Author Thomas Huhti offers seasoned adviceon must-see attractions, and he includes maps with sightseeinghighlights so you can make the most of your time.. This lightweightguide is packed with recommendations on sights, entertainment,shopping, recreation, accommodations, food, and transportation.Helpful maps make navigating this popular vacation getawayuncomplicated and enjoyable.

ohio was the first midwestern state,carved out of the northwest erritory after the u.s.was born.in some ways ohio is the most quintessentially american state:nt distinctly north,south,east,orwest but a bit of each;notstrictly farm or industri-al,small-town or urban,but equally all of them.ohio has the industriousness and cultural polish of the northern and eastern states ,the south s pro-found respect for tradition,and the restless energy that blazed trails across the western frontier.this might explain why eight ohioans have been elect-ed u.s.president-people from all over the coun-try can see something of the mselves in aleader from ohio. ohio doesn t have one great urban metropolis like chicago or new york;instead it has seven major cities.towns grew up along the rivers,canals,rail linesand roads.thanks to its abundant resources and the fortunes of geography,ohio was destined to become an industrial powerhouse.steel nd rubber might come to mind first,but state industries have ranged from cars to cerami

The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine andcovers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majesticmountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to takea hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surelythe most entertaing guide you’ll find. He introduces us to thehistory and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (orjust foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears.Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you longfor the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit andread in).