Articles by Todd DeFeo

The 40-foot-tall “Monument of States” was built from stones from all 48 states at the time of its completion. The structure contains 1,500 rocks from all 50 states and 22 countries. A number of parties, including tourists, governors, a prime minister and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, also donated stones to the cause.

It was dinnertime when we landed at Hobby Airport. So, my wife and I made a beeline for the hotel, dropped off our bags and headed to a Houston institution. The Rainbow Lodge is one of the city’s oldest eateries, and its menu falls a bit on the wild side. From antelope to buffalo to venison, this dining establishment puts a unique twist on a steak dinner.

The missions, today a part of San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, serve as important artifacts in the study of how Europeans colonized the region just 200 years after Christopher Columbus “discovered” the new world.