By Earl Nottingham
They come from all walks of modern life but share a common purpose: bringing history to life. Representing the soldiers and family members from the defining moments of Texas history, re-enactors don the trappings and channel the personas of individuals long since gone to give our current generation a look at what life was like during the tumultuous birth and evolution of this state. Read more.

By David Sikes

The game’s objective was to squarely strike a designated fence post with a smooth brown rock from Paw-Paw’s driveway. The irregularly shaped stones (slightly smaller than a golf ball) fit well in our young hands. I was maybe 5 at the time and my brother Phil was 18 months older.

The upright post supporting horizontal white planks stood about 25 feet away, beyond which stretched Paw-Paw’s pecan pasture. I can still recall the sound created by a well-thrown stone when one connected with the post. It was the solid knock of victory. Yes, we were keeping score. Read more.

By Melissa Gaskill

The Gulf of Mexico represents one massive, interconnected ecosystem bordered by three nations: the United States, Mexico and Cuba. It takes a little mathematical calisthenics to assess how big it is.

From the tip of the Yucatán Peninsula to Cape Sable, Fla., the Gulf shoreline measures more than 3,500 miles — 357 of them in Texas — plus another 236 miles on the western end of the island of Cuba. Add in bays and other inland waters, and the total hits more than 16,000 miles of Gulf shore. Read more.