A Taste of Texas

I've been taking a little grief lately from my Texas friends, that My Tale of Two Cities blog is more than a little lop-sided in my extended coverage of life in England. Guilty as charged, and so I set out this past weekend to try and give you a slice of life--Texas style.

Let me introduce those of you outside of Texas to the unbelievably popular Buc--ee's, a glorified gas station/convenience store that has been growing by leaps and bounds across the southern and central parts of Texas since its first store opened in 1982.

In Texas, we do things in a big way, and Buc--ee's is no exception. With a huge cult following now and, and its 25 stores being more of a destination than just a stop-off along the road,

guests are greeted when they enter the door by the iconic Buc--ee Beaver

and reminded at every turn that "Beavers Rule." Buc--ee's shirts are seen everywhere across the state, and the Texas teens have embraced the little guy with the overbite into their own wardrobes.

How many other gas stations have their own Facebook page and are celebrated on You Tube?

One of their more popular billboards scores of miles from the store is

You Can Hold It!

Because you see their early claims to fame were their immaculately clean restrooms,

"oops" not these,

which are decorated with Texas art-work,  offer roomy private stalls,  and have been featured on the national ABC evening news as seen here. They're "worth the wait!"

Many plan their meals while traveling, around their Buc-ee's stops, where you might choose from the deluxe samples of jalapeno cheese stuffed pork tenderloins,

the free Dippin Dots on this 100+ degrees day,

fudge,

BBQ sandwiches,

kolaches and cinnamon rolls,

a few healthy choices,

any candy you could dream of,

the ever popular Buc-ee's Nuggets,

or something from their own line of gourmet items.

You can shop for most anything in the main store, or their adjacent hunting/outdoors shop, including a chandelier for your home,

some Texas style furniture,

your animal skin rugs,

cowboy hats,

or "other" styles,

as well as your Texas souvenirs.

Kids love their own section,

where they can find their own line of clothing, pop guns

or horses to make their way around the state.

And for those of you with more intercontinental interests, you might even find something with an international flair such as this Lait à Chèvre-Goat's Milk lotion.

Our visit last weekend to the Madisonville store, midway between Houston and Dallas, was an entertaining break in our drive, and even though it wasn't quite lunch time, we managed to grab a few snacks on our way out the door, and I managed to check out those restrooms so that I could be accurate in my reporting!

You never know who you might bump into.

Maybe Willie Nelson?

And so off we rode into the sunset, with snacks and drinks in hand, knowing that our very first visit had turned us into Believers!

We'll be back!