Pop Hero Native to America

Really there is a lot to mourn with Michael Jackson's death yesterday. I think that had Sherman Alexie written his book Reservation Blues after yesterday afternoon, I am pretty sure he would have included Mr. Jackson in this passage...

“Still, Big Mom had her heart broken by many of her students who couldn’t cope with the incredible gifts she had given them. Jimmy Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis. They all drank so much and self destructed so successfully that Big Mom made them honorary members of the Spokane Tribe.

Late at night, Big Mom’s mourning song echoed all over the reservation. The faithful opened their eyes and took it in, knowing that another of her students had fallen. The unbelieving shut their doors and windows and complained about the birds howling in the trees. But those birds weren’t howling. They all stood quietly, listening to Big Mom, too. She didn’t teach just humans how to sing. And those birds heard her mourning song, they also wondered which of their tribe had fallen.”

---- (page 201) Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie

June Padre Island

Seriously, I just don't know what people are talking about when they say, "I just don't like Texas beaches". I've heard it a lot actually and it wasn't until last week when I visited Padre Island and Port Aransas with Momma Brooks that I was able to get the authority to respond to a line like that with, "what the hell is wrong with you?" It's true, there is no "surfer dude" about it but there is a lot to love on from a Texas beach. Why if you want to:

... stalk some neat looking birds like this one....

or learn about neat ocean things from a ranger who knows...

or see the release of the world's most endangered sea turtles (the Ridley sea turtle) when they are only 24 hours old and smaller than the size of a silver dollar...

or walk aboard the "Blue Ghost" - the U.S.S. Lexington - aircraft carrier...

or get a close up look at a Portuguese Man-of-War...

or just take some great pictures

Well then I suggest that you take a trip down to the gulf with a kite and a different expectation than what you may have gone to San Diego with. Don't worry you can still get a dynamite shrimp taco there.

Oh and one last thing....captions for this photo anyone?