Thursday, April 21, 2016

Teksas - trochę historii w pigułce

Nie wszyscy wiedzą, że Teksas był kiedyś prowincją Meksyku (1821-1836).

Początkowo liberalna polityka władz meksykańskich zachęcała imigrantów przybywających głównie ze Stanów Zjednoczonych, do osadnictwa na terytorium. Sytuacja stopniowo się jednak zmieniała, na niekorzyść kolonistów, którzy buntowali się przeciw coraz to bardziej restrykcyjnym prawom. Konflikt ten zaostrzał się stopniowo i miał swoje apogeum za czasów dyktatury prezydenta Meksyku — generała Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana. Efektem tego była Teksaska Rewolucja — anglojęzyczni osadnicy Teksasu podjęli walkę mającą na celu oderwanie się od Meksyku i utworzenie niezależnego państwa.


Niektóre z bitew jakie miały miejsce w tym okresie:
  • Gonzalez (2 października 1835) - pierwsze starcie zbrojne Rewolucji. 
W 1831 roku, osadnicy mieszkający w Gonzalez zaopatrzenia zostali przez władze meksykańskie w armatkę, która miała pomóc kolonistom bronić się przed atakami Komanczów. W związku z pogorszeniem się sytuacji politycznej w Meksyku oraz buntom w kilku częściach tego kraju, naczelnik armii meksykańskiej postanowił, iż niekorzystne byłoby pozostawienie działa w Gonzales. Wysłał więc stu żołnierzy, by odzyskali armatę. Mieszkańcy osady oddać jej nie chcieli. Na strzały żołnierzy odpowiedzieli walką, która trwała kilka godzin. W efekcie czego, wojsko (przy stracie dwóch żołnierzy) wycofało się. Nikt z mieszkańców Gonzalez nie zginął, armata pozostała tam gdzie była, co uznano za zwycięstwo.
  • Alamo (23 lutego - 6 marca 1836)

Podczas oblężenia misji Alamo (dzisiejsze San Antonio) zginęli prawie wszyscy jej obrońcy (185-260 mieszkańców Teksasu). Walczyli heroicznie broniąc swych pozycji przeciw 1500 żołnierzom armii generała Santa Ana. Kilku Teksańczyków, którzy złożyli broń/przeżyli oblężenie Alamo, zostało straconych na rozkaz generała. Świadkowie tych wydarzeń, niebiorący udział w walkach, zostali wysłani do miejscowości Gonzalez by nieść wieści o tym, co stało się w Alamo.

Najbardziej znani obrońcy Alamo:

William B. Travis (1809 - 1836) - dowódca obrony Alamo. Urodził się w Południowej Karolinie. Był prawnikiem i podpułkownikiem Armii Teksasu.


Na zdjęciu powyżej miejsce w okolicy Alamo, w którym Travis narysował na ziemi linię, mówiąc (mniej więcej) te słowa: 'Ci z was, którzy gotowi są oddać życie za wolność, przejdźcie przez linię.'

James Bowie (1796 - 1836). Urodzil sie w stanie Kentucky, był pionierem i farmerem - hodował bydło w Luizjanie. W Teksasie osiedlił się w roku 1830. Już jako obywatel Meksyku ożenił się z córka zastępcy gubernatora prowincji Teksasu.



David Crockett (1786 - 1836) - polityk, pionier, żołnierz i bohater ludowy. Urodzony w Tennessee, przybył do Teksasu w 1836, by walczyć o niepodległość stanu.



Ciała obrońców Alamo, z rokazu gen. Santa Ana, zostały spalone. Ich popioły złożono w zbiorowej trumnie dopiero w lutym 1837 roku.


  • Goliad (18 lutego - 27 marca 1836)
Po nierównych walkach (1500 walczących po stronie Meksyku / 500 kolonistów Teksasu), w wyniku poniesionych strat w ludziach, dowódca grupy teksańskiej, generał Fannin, zgodził sie na kapitulację i oddanie się w ręce armii meksykańskiej na dobrych warunkach. Nie wiedział jednak, że generał Santa Ana wydał wcześniej rozkaz egzekucji wszystkich rebeliantów. W niedzielę palmową, w marcu 1836 r. wyprowadzono 327 więźniów - żołnierzy rewolucji teksańskiej - w trzech kolumnach na trakt Bexar, San Patricio oraz Victoria. Wszyscy zostali rozstrzelani, a ci którzy przeżyli, dobici.

Generał Fannin zginął jako ostatni. Przed śmiercią poprosił o egzekucję przez strzał w serce, by jego rzeczy zwrócone zostały rodzinie oraz o chrześcijański pogrzeb. Strzelono mu w twarz, rzeczy generała zabrali żołnierze meksykańscy, a jego ciało spalono wraz z ciałami innych żołnierzy.

Dwudziestu ośmiu teksańskim więźniom udało się jednak uciec i powiadomić o tym, co zaszło armię generała Hustona.

  • San Jacinto (21 kwietnia 1836)
Wojska Teksańskie pod wodzą generała Sama Houstona pokonały armię generała Santa Ana. Walki trwały 18 minut. Santa Ana pojmany, podpisał kapitulację.

Wynikiem Rewolucji było powstanie niezależnej Republiki Teksasu.

Na zakończenie tego postu wspomnę jeszcze, że zwrot 'Gone To Texas' (lub w skrócie GTT) był często używany przez Amerykanów emigrujących do Teksasu w XIX wieku. Pisali oni 'Gone To Texas' na drzwiach domów, które opuszczali, a także na okalających je płotach.

PS
Dzisiaj jest rocznica bitwy pod San Jacinto. Niezły zbieg okolicznosci. Zauważyłam to, już po opublikowaniu postu. :-)

Zdjęcia:
David Crockett: By Chester Harding (1792 - 1866) (cliff1066) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons,
James Bowie: George Peter Alexander Healy [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons


Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Footwear & Climate Change


If you think about shoes and climate, probably you mean: summertime - sandals or flip flops, winter - boots, rain - rubber boots. At least I used to think only about such footwear and climate possible connections.

Moving to Texas, besides many other things and pieces of clothing, I also brought quite a few pairs of shoes and boots. All of them were made in Europe. To my surprise, not long ago after my arrival in the State, some shoes started falling apart. No, they were not old. It was the glue. In the hot Texas weather, the European glue is simply disappearing. I am not sure why, but the local air and heat have certainly something to do with it. Anyway, the shoes get totally dry, straps and soles simply fall off. I like my shoes, so I am not happy about what is going on. We try to fix what can be repaired, but unfortunately, not always it is possible. I had to throw away a couple of pairs, including quite elegant black velvet pumps.

Where are you European glue?

fixing my shoes with some 'super glue'


That is not the only thing which is happening to European footwear in Texas climate. Although  I polish my shoes regularly (to keep them neat and moisturize the leather), despite my efforts, the drying process has affected some of my boots too. As a result of it, they tend to molt like snakes when they get rid of their skin layers. The surface peels off which makes it look really ugly. That was why, some time ago, I had to throw away a very nice cowboy-like boots.
Well, it is a pity as both my shoes and boots are not only cute or/and fancy but comfortable as well.

another pair to go to the trash bin


All in all, last year that I bought myself a new pair of winter boots. They were made here so, hopefully, I will enjoy wearing them longer.

Have you got new shoes for me to try them on? Soon will need to get some.....

Thursday, April 14, 2016

How to Make an Old T-Shirt Interesting Again

If you happen to have an old T-shirt which seems to be no longer interesting, you can try to improve it and make it look nicer.
  1. The easiest way - find a decorative element and sew it on your T- shirt. Well, if you are not good at handling a needle, get an applique badge which you iron on with heat, to attach it to the surface.
  2. Another way of decorating a boring piece of clothing is painting it. And this is what I enjoy most!
  3. Simply choose a pattern you like and have fun (doing the painting) :-). 
  4. When you do not like the effects of your work, all in all, it is just an old T-shirt. You can wear it at home only or throw it away. Just dare to be creative.
See what I have done!
First, I sewed on the apple badge

Then I painted some flowers - a Kashubian pattern of course.....
Later I painted more flowers...

And here it is!
An old - new T-shirt

The back is a result of: do what you feel like doing ;-)
Hope you like it as much as I do.

See my other 'hand-painted projects' here.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

March Photo Gallery by Polish Ladies Abroad Club

Proud to say, our pictures are part of the monthly photo gallery on the club blog run by The Polish Ladies Abroad. The photos which make our collage where taken at The North Texas Irish Fetival and at Easter time.


If you want to see the entire March Gallery, visit the page: http://klubpolek.pl/galeria-marca-2/


Ton's Mongolian Grill


Ton's Mongolian Grill in Grand Prairie is a place where we like to visit from time to time, when we happen to be in the area. The reason is the food which we enjoy having there and quite reasonable prices as well.
If you have never been there, it is a type of buffet place where you can choose what you like to eat and you can have as much as you like. Then, it is cooked/grilled on a hot stove top.
If you fancy meat - there are thinly sliced, frozen pieces of beef and chicken, some fish and sausage. If you are vegan or vegetarian you can choose your vegetables only option. I personally like adding some beans sprouts to my plate (besides other things of course). 
Nevertheless, no matter what you crave for on a certain day, it is important how you spice it and the proportions of the seasoning you pour into your bowls. I have noticed, some people tend to flood their food with a lot of oil, which results in high flames of fire when it all is placed on the grill. Obviously, it makes the meal burnt and spoils its taste. Not to mention that it can be also dangerous to the cooks.
I usually take one (only one - even if I happen to have two bowls) measure/ladle of sesame oil, one measure of cooking cherry and soy sauce. At the very end, I top it with one scoop of garlic. To add some extra flavor, I also choose one or two rings of jalapenos.
After that, go to have it cooked - with some rice and an egg - or with double rice portion/ without anything - it is up to you. Mind your place in the line though. Once it happened to me that some guys messed up with the queue - they changed their places, skipping us - and I ended up with a plate of somebody else's meal. That person got mine. Well, to make the matters worse, the girl started eating 'my' food with her fingers. That was why I had no other choice but doing my 'bowl and food run' again. And had it all cooked again.


Since, a few portions of food are grilled at the same time, sometimes it happens I find on my plate carrots or some other pieces which are not of my choice. They just accidentally get mixed during the cooking process. It does not bother me though, usually there are only just a few of 'not mine stuff', I put them a side if I do not like them.
The meal is followed by vanilla ice cream and a Chinese fortune cookie. We like having them both at the same time, they just match so well! Despite being rather plain, the dessert tastes really good (according to us) and both of us enjoy having it.
What else? When you arrive and you are showed to your table, you can also order a soup or an additional portion of rice. We have tried the soups. I neither recommend the hot and sour one nor the egg drop. Not of my taste at all.


The interior of the place is simple but pleasant enough. Personally, I find the Chinese landscape printouts quite nice. The waitresses are usually attentive and diligent. When there are more customers, it is obvious, they are not able to be at all the tables at once.  Anyway, the service has never been a problem there.


We generally like the place but, frankly speaking, it has one disadvantage - the toilets could be improved. On the other hand, I have seen worse restrooms in much more expensive restaurants which I do not name here.

All in all, whenever we are nearby the Ton's Mongolian Grill and we have enough time to stop there, we do. The meal is always a kind of a treat. You can have more than one helping (we sometimes get more ice cream) or if you do not like your lunch/dinner (on the contrary to a regular food place), you can make yourself another portion of a different food selection. All for a good price.


Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Movies Monthly - March

This is the third part of our Movies Monthly 2016 diary.
In March we decided to stop watching 'Vinyl'. Having seen a few episodes of the series, we lost interest in it. Why? It is simply too dark for two little children like us. :-)
If 'Vikings' continues to go in a weird direction, meaning less Viking stories, more opium stuff and sadist noble man scenes, we will not follow it either. Well, we shall see.

The best movies of the month were:
  1. The Seventh Cross - 1944 (war, drama) - Director: Fred Zinnemann, main character played by Spencer Tracy
  2. Angela's Ashes - 1999 (drama) - Director: Alan Parker
  3. The Lovely Bones - 2009 (fantasy, drama) - Director: Peter Jackson
  4. Shall We Dance - 2004 (drama) - Director: Peter Chelsom, stars: Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon
'Blow-Up' and 'Monty Python' are classics, that is why I do not list them as best movies of the month. Anyway, I was glad I came across 'Blow-Up' on one of the channels. I had searched the TV schedule for some time as I wanted to watch the film again. 'Monthy Python' hilarious as always..
Why we watch Diagnosis Murder and MacGyver - short and interesting enough to watch when there is no time to watch something longer/a proper movie. Besides, the main characters in both series always have a solution to everything.
Finally, 'Spy' - one of the more recent productions - a really good comedy and action movie as well.


Colors (related to movie genres) which I use in my diary notes:


Action
Adventure
Comedy
Documentary
Detective/Crime Story
Drama
Biography
Fantasy, SF
Family
History
Horror
Musical/Concert
Thriller
War 
Western
Family

Some of the films are marked with asterisks (if we really like them/do not care for them much). Most of the titles on the list are not marked at all - we simply generally enjoy watching them because of different reasons.

154. Natural Born Outlaws: John Dillinger - 2016 (history)
155. The Seventh Cross - 1944 (war, drama)****
156. Death in Paradise 4.8 - 2015 (detective story)
157. The Murdoch Mysteries: The Black Hand - 2011 (detective story)
158. Vikings: Mercy - 2016 (drama)
159. The Twilight Zone: Two - 1960 (science fiction) with very young Charles Bronson
160. Texas Country Reporter - 2016 (documentary)


161. The Murdoch Mysteries: Voices - 2011 (detective story)
162. Office Space - 1999 (comedy)
163. Midsomer Murders: Dead in the Water, part 1 - 2004 (detective story)
164. Midsomer Murders: Dead in the Water, part 2 - 2004 (detective story)
165. Texas Country Reporter - 2016 (documentary)
166. The Murdoch Mysteries: Blood Lust - 2011 (detective story)
167. Columbo: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health - 1991 (detective story)
168. Angela's Ashes - 1999 (drama)****
169. Vinyl ep.4 - 2016 (drama)
170. Celtic Thunder legacy - 2016 (concert)


171. The Twilight Zone: In Praise of Pip - 1963 (science fiction)
172. Monty Python and the Holy Grail - 1975 (comedy)****
173. Evan Almighty - 2007 (comedy)
174. The Twilight Zone: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - 1963 (science fiction)
175. Spy - 2015 (comedy)***
176. Diagnosis Murder: Baby Boom - 1998 (detective story)
177. Heatstroke - 2014 (drama, thriller)
178. Death Valley Days: Swamper Ike - 1953 (western)
179. Vikings:Yol - 2016 (drama)
180. Big Eyes - 2014 (biography, drama)


181. Crime and Punishment - 1935 (drama)
182. Heartbreak Ridge - 1986 (action, drama)
183. Ginger & Rosa - 2012 (drama)
184. Happy-Go-Lucky - 2008 (comedy)
185. Berkeley Square - 1933 (fantasy)
186. Vinyl ep.5 - 2016 (drama)
187. Mississippi Burning - 1988 (drama)
188. Texas Country Reporter - 2016 (documentary)
189. The Twilight Zone: On Thursday We Leave for Home - 1963 (science fiction)
190. Magic in the Moonlight - 2014 (comedy)


191. The Murdoch Mysteries: The Kissing Bandit - 2011 (detective story)
192. Max - 2015 (family)
193. No Country for Old Men - 2007 (crime story, drama)
194. Blow-Up - 1966 (drama)
195. Vikings: Promised - 2016 (drama)
196. The Avenging Angel - 1995 (western)
197. Dolphin Tale 2 - 2014 (family, drama)
198. The Twilight Zone: The New Exhibit - 1963 (science fiction)
199. Having Wonderful Crime - 1945 (comedy, detective story)
200. The Lovely Bones - 2009 (fantasy, drama)****


201. Swiney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - 2007 (musical)
202. Logan's Run - 1976 (science fiction) - an interesting story (with Michael York), some parts of the movie were filmed in Fort Worth
203. MacGyver: Thin Ice - 1988 (action/adventure)
204. 1916: The Irish Rebellion: Awakening - 2016 (documentary)
205. 1916: The Irish Rebellion: ep.2 - 2016 (documentary)
206. Nova: Secret's of Noah's Ark - 2015 (documentary)
207. Brokedown Palace -  1999 (drama)
208. Vikings: What Might Have Been - 2016 (drama)
209. Anatomy of a Murder - 1959 (crime story)
210. Lucy's Lost Episodes - 1989 (comedy)


211. The Lamb of God - 1992 (short, drama)
212. Midway - 1976 (war)
213. MacGyver: The Invisible Killer - 1988 (action/adventure)
214. Vacation - 2015 (comedy)
215. Muppets Most Wanted - 2014 (family, comedy)
216. Grantchester 2.1 - 2016 (detective story)
217. Tombstone - 1993 (western)
218. Are You Being Served: Top Hats and Tails - 1976 (comedy)
219. Blind Date - 1987 (comedy) - We have seen the movie before. I did not realize Bruce Willis played in it though - I did not recognize him!
220. Shall We Dance - 2004 (drama)


221. Live Free or Die Hard - 2007 (action)*
222. The Twilight Zone: Of Late I Think of Cliffordville - 1963 (science fiction)

Other Movies Monthly Entries: