Download or read book A Hill Country Paradise written by Elaine Perkins and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2012-05 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the mid-1800s, land speculators said that Western Travis County in Texas would be a paradise, a perfect place to grow crops, raise livestock, and build a life. Settlers were seduced by such stories, and many of them including a large segment of German immigrants made their way to this promised land. What they found was, for the most part, an arid area of cedar trees, poor soil, rocks, and snakes. Still, these hardy people carved out a good life for themselves, making the best of what they had, and their descendents continue to live in the area today. Historian and Travis County resident Elaine Perkins relates the tales of these settlers in A Hill Country Paradise, a moving testament to the pioneer spirit that made this place prosperous. From the earliest settlers through two world wars, Perkins reveals the tragedies and triumphs of those who made the county their home. This historical record brings this Texas county's past to life, recalling residents fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War, breaking ground for a new homestead, rustling cattle, taking advantage of burgeoning business opportunities, squabbling, and heralding the arrival of electricity. Vivid details, solid research, and an intriguing narrative make A Hill Country Paradise not only educational, but also entertaining, securing the memory of this county's past for future generations.
Download or read book Almost Paradise written by Corabel Shofner and published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2017-07-25 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When twelve-year-old Ruby's mother goes to jail, Ruby finds her Aunt Eleanor, an ornery nun with some dark secrets, who Ruby hopes will help free her mother.
Download or read book A Paradise Called Texas written by Janice Jordan Shefelman and published by Eakin Press. This book was released on 2014-10-01 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bluebonnet Award Nominee. - Searching for a better life, Mina, Papa, and Mama left their German fatherland aboard the brig Margaretha, bound for Texas. They had been told it was the paradise of North America, but when Mina steps onto the desolate beach at Indian Point on a cold December day in 1845, she wants to go back to Germany and Opa's cozy house in the village of Wehrestedt. But go on they must. In spite of mama's tragic death, Mina and Papa push inland with the Kaufmann family to the Texas hill country. There Mina encounters an Indian chief and his young daughter, Amaya, whose help she needs when Papa falls ill. Based on her ancestors' immigration to Texas, Janice Shefelman tells of a journey into the wilderness that is filled with hardship, tragedy and adventure . . . young readers will glimpse a fascinating view of what life in early Texas was like for German settlers.Texas
Download or read book Restoring Paradise written by Robert J. Cabin and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 2013-05-31 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Three quarters of the U.S.’s bird and plant extinctions have occurred in Hawai‘i, and one third of the country’s threatened and endangered birds and plants reside within the state. Yet despite these alarming statistics, all is not lost: There are still 12,000 extant species unique to the archipelago and new species are discovered every year. In Restoring Paradise: Rethinking and Rebuilding Nature in Hawai‘i, Robert Cabin shows why current attempts to preserve Hawai‘i’s native fauna and flora require embracing the emerging paradigm of ecological restoration—the science and art of assisting the recovery of degraded species and ecosystems and creating more meaningful and sustainable relationships between people and nature. Cabin’s extensive experience as a research ecologist and applied practitioner enables him to provide a rare, behind-the-scenes look at successful and inspiring restoration programs. In Part 1 he recounts Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge’s efforts to restore thousands of acres of degraded pasture on the island of Hawai‘i back to the native rain forests that once dominated the area and sheltered native birds now on the brink of extinction. Along the way, he presents an overview of Hawaiian natural and cultural history, biogeography, and evolutionary biology. Following chapters look at restoration work underway by the U.S. Park Service to reestablish native species within the vast Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park; by a charismatic scientist and dedicated volunteers to restore the native forests of Auwahi on the southern slopes of Haleakalā; and by the Limahuli branch of Kauai’s National Tropical Botanical Garden to revive a thousand-year-old taro plantation. To investigate the compelling and often conflicting philosophies and strategies of those involved in restoration, Cabin opens Part 3 with interview excerpts from a cross-section of Hawai‘i’s environmental community. He concludes with a provocative and insightful discussion of the contentious, evolving relationship between humans and nature and the power and limitations of science within and beyond Hawai‘i.
Download or read book A Hill Country Nature Book for South Central Texas written by Thomas E. Manes and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE TEXAS HILL COUNTRY IS A SPECIAL REGION WITH EXCITING TOPOGRAPHY AND MANY WONDERFUL ANIMALS AND PLANTS. THE WRITINGS IN THIS BOOK ARE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AUTHORS OWN EXPERIENCE, GIVING AN OVERVIEW OF OUR HILL COUNTRY ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS SOME DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE FLORA AND FAUNA FOUND IN THE HILL COUNTRY.
Download or read book The Texas Hill Country written by Terry Thompson-Anderson and published by Shearer Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A guide to the best restaurants in the Central Texas region. Includes recipes.
Download or read book Welcome to the Fallen Paradise written by Dayne Sherman and published by Macadam Cage Pub. This book was released on 2005-10-01 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Believing that he has escaped the legacy of violence that has haunted his family in Baxter Parish, Louisiana, twenty-seven-year-old Jesse Tadlock returns home after a nine-year Army hitch to reclaim his life, only to be confronted by a dangerous neighbor who threatens everything he cares for. A first novel. Reprint.
Download or read book This Side of Paradise written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published by The Floating Press. This book was released on 2009-04-01 with total page 503 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Side of Paradise is a novel about post-World War I youth and their morality. Amory Blaine is a young Princeton University student with an attractive face and an interest in literature. His greed and desire for social status warp the theme of love weaving through the story.
Download or read book Hacking Whiskey written by Aaron Goldfarb and published by . This book was released on 2018-09-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hacking Whiskey is the opposite of stuffy, preachy books on how to drink whiskey "the right way." Aaron Goldfarb, the writer behind the most googled article about infinity bottles, has gathered all the whiskey hacks to help readers turn average whiskey into a better-tasting spirit, and have fun while doing it.
Download or read book Wineries of the Texas Hill Country Plus One Fine Brewery written by John F. Aceti and published by FriesenPress. This book was released on 2016-11-29 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many people who visit wineries in the Texas Hill Country know and enjoy the social aspect of drinking a glass of exquisite wine along with some delicious food. Friends, spouses and even family members consider wineries as a sophisticated place to interact and socialize in a comfortable setting. Many of the owners have designed their tasting areas as places of enjoyment and cheerfulness. While drinking quality wines one can also view pieces of art on the walls, a great variety of wine related gifts, clothing and books. Many tour vehicles for "special groups" can be seen in parking areas at all the wineries. On some days one needs to drive around awhile to find an open space. For those who have not visited a winery, I can assure you that it is a unique experience and you will probably make some repeated visits. People who drink wine and travel in the United States or abroad tend to visit wineries wherever they travel. You may even walk out with a bottle or two of your favorite wine!!
Download or read book Paradise Road written by Jay Atkinson and published by Wiley. This book was released on 2010-03-29 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Noted writer Jay Atkinson recreates Jack Kerouac's legendary On the Road journeys in contemporary North America Jack Kerouac's iconic 1950s novel On the Road is a Beat Generation classic, chronicling the adventures and misadventures of Kerouac's travels crisscrossing North America with Neal Cassady, William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and other colorful companions. Now gifted writer Jay Atkinson hits the road to retrace Kerouac's legendary journey today. The author's experiences offer fascinating insights on American culture and society then and now and illuminate his own quest for self-understanding and discovery. Contrasts the life and landscape of Kerouac's 1940s and 1950s America with the realities today Filled with unexpected adventures and strangers encountered on Atkinson's trips to New York, New Orleans, Chicago, Denver, Mexico City, and the California coast Reveals Atkinson's engaging reflections on the search for personal identity and self Other titles by Jay Atkinson: Ice Time (a Publishers Weekly Notable Book of the Year) and Legends of Winter Hill (a Boston Globe bestseller) as well as the novels City in Amber and Caveman Politics Absorbing and beautifully written, Paradise Road is essential reading for Kerouac fans as well as lovers of engaging travel memoirs and anyone interested in American life and culture.
Download or read book Bicycling Through Paradise written by Kathleen Smythe and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bicycling Through Paradise is a collection of twenty historically themed cycling tours broken into 10-mile segments centered around Cincinnati, Ohio. Written by two longtime cyclists--one a professor of history and one an architect--the book is an affectionate, intimate, and provocative reading of the local landscape and history from the perspectives of cycling and Cincinnati enthusiasts. Tours, navigated by Smythe and Hanlon, take cyclers past Native American sites, early settler homesteads, and locations made know through recent Ohio change-makers as navigated by the authors. With extensive details on routes and sites along the way, tours between 20 and 80 miles in length are designed for all levels of cyclists, and even the armchair explorer. Riders and readers will visit towns called Edenton, Loveland, Felicity, and Utopia. Along the journey, they'll encounter an abandoned Shaker village near the Whitewater Forest and a tiny dairy house called "Harmony Hill," the oldest standing structure in Clermont County, Ohio. They'll also take in the view from the top of a 2,000-year-old, 75-foot tall, conical Indian mound at Miamisburg. Riders can follow the Little Miami Scenic Trail and take a detour to a castle on the banks of the Little Miami River. Other sights include a full-scale replica of the tomb of Jesus in Northern Kentucky and the small pleasures of public parks, covered bridges, tree-lined streets, riverside travel, and one-room schoolhouses. And if all this isn't exactly Paradise, well, it's pretty close.
Download or read book Barton Creek written by Ed Crowell and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2019-04-03 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While Barton Springs Pool is an iconic landmark of Austin and many people are familiar with the end of Barton Creek and its seven miles of public greenbelt, less is known about the forty-odd miles beyond that tumble and twist across private lands, eventually feeding the Colorado River. Legendary fights saved Barton Springs in the 1980s and 1990s, when the pool repeatedly was closed because of pollutant runoff from streets, nearby construction, and leaking sewer lines. In 1992, a highly publicized campaign resulted in land protections and stricter water standards. But will the creek and its springs become fouled again? That possibility arises upstream where tributaries and other creeks flow across mostly rural acreage, attracting new housing and business developments. Not only would city bathers lose access to the pool, but endangered species of salamanders and birds that depend on the Edwards Aquifer and its unique habitats face an uncertain future. Following the creek from downtown Austin’s Barton Springs Pool to its source as a cow-pasture trickle, longtime resident and journalist Ed Crowell explores the creek’s contentious political history, its historic and current residents, and the mounting environmental pressures threatening it. Barton Creek highlights the passionate individuals involved in the stream’s preservation, from city scientists to local landowners, who want to see the creek running clear and clean for future generations. Striking photography and vivid descriptions will entice readers to fall in love with Barton Creek all over again.
Download or read book Flavor of the Hill Country written by Randolph Jorgen and published by Western National Parks Association. This book was released on 1992 with total page 64 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richly illustrated cookbook transports readers back to 1915 in the Texas Hill Country, before the introduction of packaged foods, refrigeration, and mass-produced goods. Photos by Laurence Parent.
Download or read book The Texas Hill Country written by Michael H. Marvins and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2018-09-13 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Like many Texans, Michael H. Marvins has been making regular pilgrimages to the Hill Country for much of his life. Traveling the back roads of the Texas Hill Country, cameras always poised for action, Marvins has captured the excitement of small-town rodeos, savored the mesquite-smoked atmosphere of local eateries, observed the daily lives of people on the land, and admired the scenic beauty of the landscape and its natural denizens. Most important, he has captured his impressions with the skilled eye of a master photographer. Popular Houston Chronicle columnist Joe Holley opens The Texas Hill Country by highlighting the many qualities that draw Marvins—and so many of the rest of us—to the Hill Country. Next, Roy Flukinger, senior curator of photography at the University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Center, discusses Marvins’s unique photographic vision and the fresh ways in which he helps us see this popular region. But the principal focus in The Texas Hill Country: A Photographic Adventure centers on Marvins’s artful images, inviting readers to share his unique perspectives on this enchanting and popular region. He takes us with him on leisurely backcountry drives and into the laughter and swirl of dance halls. His lens embraces the people, the land, and the culture that keep so many Texans—and would-be Texans—coming back to the Hill Country again and again. The author's proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation.
Download or read book The Cedar Choppers written by Ken Roberts and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 2018-03-06 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the low-water bridge below Tom Miller Dam, west of downtown Austin, during the summer of his tenth or eleventh year, Ken Roberts had his first encounter with cedar choppers. On his way to the bridge for a leisurely afternoon of fishing, he suddenly found himself facing a group of boys who clearly came from a different place and culture than the middle-class, suburban community he was accustomed to. Rather, “. . . they looked hard—tanned, skinny, dirty. These were not kids you would see in Austin.” When Roberts’s fishing companion curtly refused the strangers’ offer to sell them a stringer of bluegills, the three boys went away, only to reappear moments later, one of them carrying a club. Roberts and his friend made a hasty retreat. This encounter provoked in the author the question, “Who are these people?” The Cedar Choppers: Life on the Edge of Nothing is his thoughtful, entertaining, and informative answer. Based on oral history interviews with several generations of cedar choppers and those who knew them, this book weaves together the lively, gritty story of these largely Scots-Irish migrants with roots in Appalachia who settled on the west side of the Balcones Fault during the mid-nineteenth century, subsisting mainly on hunting, trapping, moonshining, and, by the early twentieth century, cutting, transporting, and selling cedar fence posts and charcoal. The emergence of Austin as a major metropolitan area, especially after the 1950s, soon brought the cedar choppers and their hillbilly lifestyle into direct confrontation with the gentrified urban population east of the Balcones Fault. This clash of cultures, which provided the setting for Roberts’s encounter as a young boy, propels this first book-length treatment of the cedar choppers, their clans, their culture and mores, and their longing for a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.
Download or read book Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites written by Laurence Parent and published by University of Texas Press. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since it was first published in 1996, Official Guide to Texas State Parks and Historic Sites has become Texans’ one-stop source for information on great places to camp, fish, hike, backpack, swim, ride horseback, go rock climbing, view scenic landscapes, tour historical sites, and enjoy almost any other outdoor recreation. Freshly redesigned, this revised edition includes eight new state parks and historical sites, completely updated information for every park, and beautiful new photographs for most of the parks. The book is organized by geographical regions to help you plan your trips around the state. For every park, Laurence Parent provides all of the essential information: The natural or historical attractions of the park Types of recreation offered Camping and lodging facilities Addresses and phone numbers Magnificent color photographs So if you want to watch the sun set over Enchanted Rock, fish in the surf on the beach at Galveston, or listen for a ghostly bugle among the ruins of Fort Lancaster, let this book be your complete guide. Don’t take a trip in Texas without it.
