Tex's Christmas Adventures

Tex’s Christmas Adventures with Ms. McDonald

During Christmas vacation Ms. McDonald agreed to take Tex, the Longhorn to her home to celebrate Christmas with her and her family.  Ms. McDonald is the third grade teacher at St. Thomas More Parish School and answered the following questions for Tex:

1.  Where is Tex?  (name of city, state, country)

Celebrating Christmas with  Ms. McDonald in  Mobile, AL; Wichita, Kansas; and then home to Houston, TX.

2.  What is the geography like there? (mountains, plains, coastal, lakes, etc.)

Mobile is overall flat however in certain areas there are a few hills. There is water surrounding much of the Mobile area due to it’s proximity to Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Wichita, Kansas – Very flat land with a lot of open space. It is quite snowy this time of year (as you can see from the picture in the plane).

3.   What are typical foods that are eaten there?   What type of foods do you and family and friends like to eat?

Mobile contains a variety of food however primarily what it known for is its seafood and what some people call “Soul food” or “Country cooking” these are foods such as turnip greens, friend chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes, etc. Although that is what Mobile is known for we didn’t have too much while I was there. For Christmas, we had green bean casserole, turkey, mac-n-cheese, and apple pie for dessert. All homemade! The McDonald family really enjoys a restaurant named Bangkok Thai, Ms. McDonald always tries to make a pit-stop there while she is home.

 Kansas – In Kansas they eat pretty much what Texas serves …just not as tasty…while I was there we had some delicious Italian food and Ms. McDonald enjoyed their chicken tortilla soup. 

4. What types of jobs are there? (agricultural, manufacturing, commercial, etc)

Mobile – Mobile contains jobs in all areas however what is unique about this area are the ports. Mobile is a hub for shipping. They have had ships from all over the world. Places like China, Egypt, Columbia, England, and the Dominican Republic have shipped items to Mobile for export. They are also known for their building of ships. Ms. McDonald’s friend is actually helping build a ship that the US Navy will use! It’s in the final stages of completion. He actually took it out a few weeks ago with some navy personnel to make sure everything worked correctly.

Wichita, Kansas  is proud to be known as the “Flight Capitol of the World” it earned this name because it is the location which produces the most airplanes. Pretty cool!

5.  What are the popular sports or games played there?  What popular sports or games interest you, your family, and your friends.

Mobile – all sports are a big deal but college football takes the cake. Throughout the entire year people are seen sporting their favorite teams’ flags and attire. The two biggest teams in the area are Auburn and Alabama. Ms. McDonald personally loves going to baseball games with her family, the local minor league team are the Mobile Baybears. They have had players who are now playing for the New York Yankees and the 2013 World Series (and Ms. McDonald’s favorite) Boston Red Sox! The Baybears play at the Hank Aaron Stadium, named after the famous baseball player, Hank Aaron. He is known for his breaking of Babe Ruth’s homerun record of 714 homeruns. Ms. McDonald also worked three summers at this stadium while in college.

Kansas- Ms. McDonald isn’t really sure what is the most popular sport/game officially in Kansas but what is for sure is her friend is all about college basketball. She knows everything there is to know about her KU (Kansas University) team. 

6.       Where are you going next Tex? Give us a hint and see if we can figure it before you get there! Tex's clue for the next stop: Tex helps Mrs. Normann-Petersen’s class make sure they look nice for a special event with a photographer.  Can you guess where Tex went on this next visit?  Please email Mrs. Normann-Petersen if you think you have a guess! cnormannpetersen@stmorenews.com

7.        Tex, can you include any pictures of yourself and surrounding area and/or landmarks? Please click here to see Tex’s adventures with Ms. McDonald. 

For more information on Mobile, Al please click on the links below:

http://www.cityofmobile.org/

http://www.mobile.org/

For more information on Wichita, KS please click on the links below:

http://www.wichita.gov/Pages/default.aspx

http://wichitachamber.org/