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The problem with all this is we're so often misunderstood. Some years ago at the Amon Carter Museum in Ft. Worth, (It sits on a slight rise and is approached by a set of rather wide and steep concrete steps),there was a very large group of Japanese business people from Japan who were visiting the exibits there. When they were leaving and had already reached the bottom of the steps, the docent, who was standing at the top finally remembered to say our usual parting words. "Y'all come back now." It was then the entire Japanese delegation turned around and dutifully climbed back up to the top of the steps.

And then there was the new journalist on an east Texas newspaper who was initiated to the newspaper business by being assigned to write obituaries. He reported that a recently departed man had been, "a tar saleman." The family threatened to sue the paper for the ignorance of some upstart Easterner confusing an automobile "tar" salesman with someone who merely sold asphalt.

And lastly, the notion that Austin is the capitol of the United States is probably shared by most Texans. To wit: All directions begin there. No matter what part of Texas one lives in, when traveling, we all say, we're going "up" to Amarillo (that's north of Austin), "out" to El Paso (west) or "down" to Houston (south).