About Real Texas

What is RealTexas Blog.com?

First, let me welcome you to this page.  This is where you can learn more about Real Texas Blog and David Werst.

You may be visiting here after following me on twitter or visiting other places I am active such as Facebook or YouTube.

I encourage you to become a subscriber. It’s easy.  You can do it with just a click.

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It’s free and it’s fun.  You’ll learn a lot about Real Texas here.

Real Texas is wherever you find it.

It really is  a state of mind.  There are folks interested in Real Texas worldwide.  Sometimes they are where they are geographically by job, marriage, or circumstance.  They are “Spiritual Texans” no matter where they live. Yes, that’s a Real Texas term….That FLDS sect you have read about is about 35 miles from my house where they have a real wife and several ‘spiritual wives.’

I have a new Ebook coming out soon that points out How To Be Texan – Wherever You Are. Here is what it looks like and it will be available soon.

Meanwhile, in Real Texas Blog you will find:

Texas stories told here…….some true!

You will also find a repository of articles, some useful, intended to be thought provoking, humorous, or entertaining.  Most of the articles or musings or writings will be those of the editor, but some will be guest written if the articles stay true to the Real Texas philosophy.

I would guess it would be difficult for a writer of a big city magazine to understand and write about Real Texas if their life experience has been only that of a city dweller.  That being said, I have read some really great articles by now urban individuals who have some life experience outside the city.

They have generally been employed by community newspapers at some point in their life and have had their butts chewed out by somebody’s mad momma who was not at all impressed by a college degree over something that went into print in the newspaper.  In fact, community newspapers all over Texas are more often than not classified as Real Texas by default.  They just understand the whole Real Texas psyche, attitude, nuances, and all.

OK.  Who is David Werst?

David Werst is the editor/publisher of RealTexas Blog.com  and a dedicated proponent of the Real Texas way of life easily found in rural Texas.  David is a 4th generation newspaper publisher who was able to sell his weekly newspaper before he dropped dead at the keyboard.

David had always intended to retire in the Lake Buchanan area near Austin, but found it over-run by city people and Californians bent on changing Real Texas to something else.

David’s heart was always in rural Texas which he considers the heartland of the Great State.

His great-grandfather was a pioneer Texas newspaper publisher. His grandfather was a newspaper owner as was David’s father.  David is a past president of the West Texas Press Association and he grew up in the back shop of a hot metal newspaper where his dad made galleys of type on the linotype and an old widow woman mailed out the papers using a Mustang Mailer to stamp the addresses on the newspapers. The papers back then were usually printed in-house on a flatbed Babcock press.

David fears daily newspapers are facing a lingering demise with community newspapers being the only viable print media to stay for the long run.

David now lives in Sherwood on the banks of Spring Creek about a half mile from where his great-grandfather first published his newspaper in 1900.

RealTexas Blog.com is published from David’s home office/manspace in Sherwood.  You won’t find  Sherwood in any list of incorporated cities, but it’s in the San Angelo, Texas geographic area.  Some people call it The Republic of Sherwood.  He draws on his experience and passion for Real Texas and Texans and believes they are still the finest examples of human beings on the planet.

Five questions answered by David Werst

Question 1:  Is the part of Texas you consider ‘real’ limited to rural Texas?

– “Generally, but I’ve known some real redneck city boys and girls who regularly put me to shame.”

But can you find aspects of Real Texas in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Houston, and beyond?  Yes, you just have to look real hard whereas in rural Texas the Real Texas attitude, speech, and lifestyle is low hanging fruit. It’s everywhere and you don’t have to look for it.   Just walk down the street and it’s there.  A man tips his hat when he is introduced to a female.  You wave to passing cars and trucks.  Doors are held open.  Men are judged by what they can do instead of what they say they can do.

People are polite.  A visiting out of stater once remarked to me, “You sure do know a lot of people out here.”  I asked him how he knew that.  He commented that  ”You wave to everyone you meet on the highway.”  I told him that’s just the Real Texas way.  There’s a good chance I do know them, But that’s just the way we are.  It’s not like that as much as it used to be, but old timers still acknowledge a passing pickup truck or car with a wave or gesture of some sort.

So, Real Texas is not limited to any geographic area.  It’s just more noticeable in rural areas.   And after the ebook How To Be Texan – Wherever You Are becomes available, you will be able to be a practicing Real Texans Wherever You Are.

Question 2:  So, where can you find a part of Real Texas in Austin?

–What’s this fixation with Austin?  The answer is:  Mostly in south Austin.  At the Broken Spoke, and a few other places that have been around a while and not been “affected”.  Yes, there is a reporter who works at the Austin American-Statesman whom I consider to be Real Texas. You can’t find Real Texas at a Rudy’s barbecue.  Sorry. Or any place on 6th street that I know of, but you can listen to some dern good music and have a great time in the Live Music Capitol of Texas.

I guess there’s lots of Real Texas in Austin.  I just wish they knew the difference between a “breakfast taco” and a breakfast burrito.  We have subscribers to Real Texas Blog in South Austin and in South Africa.  We love ‘em all.

Question 3:  Is RealTexas limited to Anglo white males?

–Are you kidding?  Is Earl Campbell the Tyler Rose?  Is Juan Levario Sr. called Mr. Baseball in West Texas without a reason?  Can Joe David Werst build a fence?  Texas Tech’s Alicia Thompson stopped playing basketball and is now a female football player.  Is she for real?  You bet!  Don’t misunderstand.  There’s tons of RealTexas folks who are white and male, but being Real Texas is not about people so much as it is an attitude.  A philosophy.  A state of mind.  Real Texas is not limited to gender or ethnicity. For example:  Here’s a philosophical question that can only be debated over a 5 gallon bucket full of ice cold beer:  Is a Toyota Tundra a Real Texas Truck?  Given enough beer, that could be a really profound discussion.

Question 4: Give some examples of places, people, and things you consider to be Real Texas.

__OK.  I already included some. But how ‘bout London dance hall.  Boots & Saddles club, Wurstfest, the Luling Watermelon Thump, Santa Rita No. 1, Fort Concho, TeePee tavern, the Gage Hotel, the Settles Hotel, the Bluebonnet Hotel, Amarillo by morning, H.E.B, cedar choppers in Junction in the old days.  Willie Black, Saginaw Flakes, Texas Aggies,  The Menger Hotel,  Cliff McMullan, Juan Levario, Sr.,  Coach Bob Ledbetter, Audie Murphey, Dripping Springs, Claytie Williams, Liberty Hill and coach Jerry Vance, Tumbleweed Smith, Spike Dykes, Richard Boggs, Bum Phillips, Bum McReavy, Tommy Lee Jones, Connie Levario, Mike Elkins, J.R. Dunn, Kathryn Cope Kessler, and Billy Bob’s Texas.  Tim and Dale Lee Sellman, Elmer Kelton, Odessa Permian, H.F. Ritchie and Jim Bob Solsbery.  Zach Edwards and his band are up and coming Real Texans.  T. Gosney Thornton is as real as it gets.  He lives in the metro Knickerbocker area.  There’s lots more and we will get to them sooner or later.

Some Real Texas folks don’t even live in Texas right now.  They are called ex-patriots. They are currently pulling duty somewhere other than Texas in their jobs or life.  They still consider themselves Real Texas wherever they are.

There’s a whole world of Real Texas people and places and we will find them together as we go along the trails, current and past….in RealTexas Blog.com

Question 5: Who made you the arbiter of all things Real Texas?

–Somebody has to do it.  Somebody told me one time that opinions are like ‘ears’…everybody’s got one. That’s a good thing.   Diversity and all that.

-I have traveled all over Texas, seen all kinds of Texas people, taught Texas History for 12 years, worked in the Texas oilfields, wrecked cars, rolled pickups, gone to boys town, done day work on Texas ranches, swam in the Gulf of Mexico and the Rio Grande, written thousands of pages of newspaper reporting on all things Texas from city hall to the State Capital.

-I’ve been a politician and hated politicians, drank in lots of Texas honky tonks and been thrown out of a few, and have always respected Real Texas and Real Texans wherever they are found.

I’m qualified. Plenty of others are qualified too and I hope they will add their comments.

Tell us a little more about yourself and your typical day.

–I was born in San Angelo on a Christmas Day and grew up in Big Lake.  There is usually not a lake at Big Lake.  It’s generally dry.  I’ve both walked across the dry lake bed there and water ski’d on it.

-Graduated from Texas State University, U.S. Army (airborne), Newspaper editor and publisher for 27 years.

-Educator, former private pilot, played all high school sports (which I get better at the older I get)  Worked in the oilfields, owned some very small interests in oil wells during the first boom.  Smoked, chewed, drank.  -Currently have almost zero vices due to my former lifestyle.

Fairly laid back, somewhat reserved at first, father of 28 year old Joe David Werst, and married to Ramona since 1-1-2000.

Life is good in Real Texas.

A typical day starts in the morning when I get up.  For several decades I got up at 5:32 a.m. and got after it.  Don’t have to anymore so I don’t.  If you had told me I might sleep until 9:00 in the morning, I would think you were crazy as a bedbug.  Only lazy people do that….the flies will get you.

But that’s what happens and I really enjoy it.  I do a short workout after rising and shining.  About a mile on a treadmill with a view that tricks me into thinking I live in paradise every morning.  The view is of a fully loaded Spring Creek with water about as wide as a highway and plenty of giant pecan trees on my side of the creek.

On the other side of the creek is West Texas.  It’s mesquite pasture and dry looking land.  On my side are hundred year old pecan trees that would take two men to stretch their arms around.  The limbs on my trees are larger than most folks entire trees.

After the workout, I also have a hot tub up on the second story screened in deck/porch.  Never had a hot tub before, but they take the ache out of old broken bones from a mispent youth. The workout is not anything to brag about, but it’s supposed to be good for you so I do it.  It gets me going.

Yes, I do have boots and wear ‘em sometimes.   Drive a Chevy Avalanche.  We have chickens, ducks, guineas, peacocks, a bobcat, a cat, and two new puppies.  I go through the yard picking up stuff and doing a few chores until Texas gets too hot or until Ramona calls me up for breakfast.

She cooks.

I know a lot of wives don’t or don’t have time because they are juggling half the world in a short amount of time, but she cooks.  And I am grateful for it.

I was too busy and worked too much to be grateful for all the good things in my former life, but I am grateful now and that makes a world of difference.

After breakfast (yes, fresh eggs from our own chickens) I go downstairs where my office is located.  Couldn’t be better as it is private manspace. All I have to do to get a fresh mindset is to walk out the door and there I am in paradise.

Or, just look out my window and watch the chickens work all day long, hunting and scratching, making a place for themselves.  They all have names and yes, their own personalities. Kinda like people, huh.

I go through email, get a few ideas and then start writing on whatever suits my fancy.  Welcome to the Real Texas world.

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Real Texas……It’s a great place to be whether you live here or not.

Keep readin’ and you will learn How To Be Texan – Wherever You Are.

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