TravelWorld International Magazine Summer 2024

THEY ALMOST MISSED THIS ONE!
Two other Texas icons (at least in
our minds) are Al Shepperd and his
neighbor, Doug Hill, who created
Stonehenge and Easter Island,
located on the grounds of the
Hill Country Arts Foundation in
Ingram, Texas.
Inspired by an upended limestone
slab, Shepperd, funded by
Hill, decided to create his own
Stonehenge, made of plaster and
graphite-covered metal mesh and
steel frameworks. The display,
which is 90 percent as wide and
60 percent the height of the
original, stood in Shepherd’s
pasture until it was relocated in
the summer of 2010.
Texas’ Stonehenge is 90 percent as wide and 60 percent
as high as the original Stonehenge in England.
Photo by Terri Marshall
Hold My Beer
VANESSA:
So I get Stonehenge. But I don’t
get why there are also Easter
Island figures here.
We must give the Texas Hill Country kudos because their residents
know how to take weird to an extreme. The Cartoon Saloon, for
example, literally made Vanessa slam on the brakes at 70 m.p.h. and
back up to see what the hell was going on, almost sending us both
through the windshield.
TERRI:
Dear God! What is wrong with you?
TERRI:
I don’t get why you get
Stonehenge.
(This from a woman who
started one of our mornings
with the greeting, “Wake up! It’s
time to go on a mermaid hunt!”)
VANESSA:
Just look! We almost missed this!
TERRI:
Is it worth me being decapitated by a window?
VANESSA:
Am I going to be in trouble if I say yes?
While the Cartoon Saloon wasn’t worth Terri’s untimely demise, it was
a truly unique roadside stop. Located just outside of Comfort, TX, this
collection of buildings, which includes a saloon, art studio and the
Lone Star Beer Can Christmas tree that started it all, was created by
cartoonist J.P. Rankin a.k.a. the Cartoon Cowboy.
Stonehenge and Easter Island in
Ingram, TX. Because why not?
Photo by Vanessa Orr
Said mermaids were located
throughout the town of San
Marcos—the Mermaid Capital of
Texas—and it was a lot of fun to
wander around looking for these
absolutely ethereal creations, which
were made at the behest of the San
Marcos Arts Commission for their
Mermaid March in 2016. The town
also features several “hidden” minimurals,
which we added to our list
of strange things to find.
The city of San Marcos is The Mermaid Capital of Texas. Who knew?
Stunning mermaids line the streets of San Marcos that were created
for the Mermaid March in 2016. Photo by Vanessa Orr
12
13