The State of Texas: Root, root, root for the Sod Poodles

What Texas is talking about today No Images? [Click here]( [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( [Texas Monthly]( October 9, 2018 QUOTE OF THE DAY "It’s ba-a-a-ck." —The Port Aransas South Jetty, on Facebook. A gator [that's been plaguing Port Aransas]( (or, as the South Jetty notes, perhaps it's a different friend?) showed up in a ditch behind behind a Dollar General on Sunday. THE LATEST [Root, Root, Root for the Amarillo Sod Poodles]( AUSTIN CORONA When the finalists for Amarillo’s new Double-A baseball team were announced, they raised eyebrows. But thanks to a catchy song, sod poodles are winning over Amarilloans. [Read more.]( TEXAS MONTHLY ARCHIVES [Boyd Elder Is the Most Famous Artist You’ve Never Heard Of]( FEBRUARY 2018 — STERRY BUTCHER The West Texas artist sold more art than Picasso. After his death, we are revisiting Sterry Butcher's portrait of Boyd Elder. [Read more.]( Every Tuesday, we'll share a piece from our archives. Check back tomorrow for Meanwhile in Texas: weird news from around the state. [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( OUR TOP STORIES [‘Abandoned East Texas’ Captures the Beauty of the Forgotten]( The houses, barns, restaurants, cars, and businesses that have been left behind are celebrated by 33,000 people on Facebook. [Read more.]( [From Dirndls to Lederhosen, Fredericksburg Turns Out in True Oktoberfest Style]( Locals and Texans from across the state wore their Oktoberfest best on opening night of the town’s annual three-day celebration. [Read more.]( [Ted Cruz and Beto O’Rourke Fight It Out With Social Media Ads]( O’Rourke has spent more on social media advertising than any politician in America this year—other than President Trump. [Read more.]( THE STATE OF TEXAS Visit From Veep Vice President Mike Pence [visited Dallas on Monday]( to whip up support ahead of the midterm elections, which are now less than a month away. Pence was the big draw at fundraisers for U.S. Representative Pete Sessions and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who are both locked in closely watched reelection campaigns. According to the Texas Tribune, Pence received his biggest applause when he brought up this weekend's confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Pence said that the confirmation vote represented a midterm election offering a "choice between a party that’s committed to moving our nation forward and a party that’s committed to the politics of destruction, winning at any costs, that the Senate ... rejected this past weekend." His appearance comes a week after the president's son, Donald Jr., stopped through Wichita Falls and Conroe. Into Orbit The Astros handily secured their ticket to the American League Championship Series. Cleveland had a 2-1 lead heading into the seventh inning on Monday, but the Astros rallied, rocketing past the Indians on their home turf to win the game 11-3. As if a three-game sweep wasn't enough, the Astros also [tied an American league record]( when George Springer logged the team's twelfth consecutive home run in a postseason game. The Astros will face either the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Whoever it is, you know who we'll be rooting for. Texas Flood Nineteen people were rescued and at least four others are missing after floods swept through the Hill Country town of Junction. Thanks to twelve inches of rain that dropped over the area and already saturated grounds, the South Llano River overflowed its banks inundating a nearby RV park. “It’s basically gone now,” Mayor Russell Hammonds [told the San Antonio Express-News](. “I saw a few mobile homes and RVs floating down the river. It’s a pretty grim sight.” A meteorologist with the National Weather Service told the paper that the river had flowed at around two feet recently, but by Monday morning, it was flowing at 31.2 feet in Junction. FOOD & DRINK [Dining Guide: Highlights From Our October 2018 Issue]( TEXAS MONTHLY We review more than sixty restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new! [Read more.]( [Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report]( [Stay Roped in with Rodeo Report]( Get an inside look into the high-intensity world that combines talented athletes with horses and livestock, steep competition, old-school traditions, and family fun. Rodeo Report’s coverage from the PRCA circuit includes competitor updates, performance analysis, and behind-the-scenes stories of triumphs, challenges, injuries, and rerides.Read More]( [Talk Like a Texan podcast: Listen Now!]( MORE FROM TEXAS MONTHLY [Vintage Postcards of Texas: Music Hall at Fair Park, Home of the State Fair]( JOHN NOVA LOMAX [The Texanist: What’s So Great About the Shape of Texas?]( DAVID COURTNEY [Did Paul McCartney Mistake the Chilean Flag for the Texan One at ACL?]( ABBY JOHNSTON [Say hello to our fall collection. 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