Tag Archives: nineteenth century
FREE RANGE: FOOD, NATURE, PLACE, AND MORE
Re-wilding the monocultural self
While reading the recently published Rambunctious Garden: Saving Nature in a Post-Wild World, by Emma Marris, I found myself simultaneously cheering and exclaiming with a steely squint: Hey! Real conservationists can’t think this! You’re just giving ammunition for them to … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged agribusiness, climate change, environmentalism, farming, Madroño Ranch, nature, nineteenth century
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A holy fool in “the land of the Philistines”
Greeks and Trojans, Christians and Muslims, Jews and Arabs, Serbs and Croats, Tutsis and Hutus—the collision of cultures is rarely, if ever, a pleasant sight. The protracted and bloody war between the Plains Indians, especially the Comanches, and the white … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Comanches, Jefferson Davis, John R. Baylor, nineteenth century, Robert S. Neighbors, Texas Rangers, violence
2 Comments
"The Blackest Crime in Texas Warfare"
Our usual route from Austin to Madroño Ranch takes us through Johnson City to Fredericksburg via Highway 290, and then down Highway 16 through Kerrville to the turnoff opposite the Medina Children’s Home. Every time I pass the sign for … Continue reading
Madroño’s mythical bison
We spent last weekend at Madroño with Shawn and Susanne Harrington of Asterisk Group, who are designing a visual identity for the ranch suitable for use on business cards, website, food labels, letterhead, gimme caps, T-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, … Continue reading
Wings over Luckenbach: Jacob Brodbeck and the limits of history
This week, for spring break, we flew to Colorado to ski and to visit Heather’s sister Isa and brother John and their families. As I sat on the plane, gazing out the window at the green and brown patchwork unfurling … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged aviation, Fredericksburg TX, Isa Catto Shaw, Jacob Brodbeck, John Catto, Luckenbach TX, nineteenth century, Texas Hill Country
2 Comments
Stonewall: permission to dig
There must be a story behind the sign at the front gate of the Stonewall Community Cemetery—I mean, who digs a new grave in a cemetery without permission?—but I don’t know it. Even though I wrote the entry on Stonewall … Continue reading
Posted in Place
Tagged Civil War, Handbook of Texas, Israel Nunez, Lyndon Johnson, nineteenth century, peaches, Pedernales River, Stonewall TX
1 Comment
Massachusetts, part III: take a walk on the wild side
A Very Long Time Ago, my mother brought home a Peter Max-style poster with this quotation from Henry David Thoreau: “In wilderness is the preservation of the world.” Each time we moved, its reappearance was an indication that I was … Continue reading
Posted in Nature
Tagged camels, David Quammen, Henry David Thoreau, Madroño Ranch, Massachusetts, nineteenth century, predators, walking, wildness
1 Comment
Massachusetts, part II: in defense of Thoreau
On our recent trip to snowy Massachusetts, as Heather told you last week, we carved out time for a pilgrimage to Walden Pond, just south of Concord, the very wellspring of American conservationism. Walden Pond, of course, is where that … Continue reading
Extra! Americans losing sense of place!
One of the things that we hope will characterize Madroño Ranch: A Center for Writing and the Environment is a strong sense of place. It’s right there, implicitly and explicitly, in our mission and vision statements, just off to your … Continue reading
Bigfoot Wallace
Wallace Creek, which flows through Madroño Ranch, is named for Bigfoot Wallace, the legendary nineteenth-century Texas Ranger and Indian fighter who received a grant of 320 acres about five miles north of Medina in 1849. Wallace was celebrated as “the … Continue reading