Dennis discovers 9 things in Texas that you'll never see in New Jersey

In a recent conversation with my daughter she pointed out that she found her favorite bottle of wine at the liquor store for $12 as opposed to the $15 she paid for the same wine at the gas station.

Yes, the gas station.

She lives in Texas, where you can buy beer and wine at the gas station, Target, Walmart and on and on. She also works at a hospital where they announced in a recent employee meeting that you can no longer bring your guns into the hospital. You'll have to leave your loaded gun in the car.

My daughter almost laughed out loud in the meeting. She's a Jersey girl and couldn't fathom the thought of bringing a loaded gun anywhere. I visited her this weekend and was struck by just how different the culture can be in a different part of the same country.

We were pushing our bikes up a very steep hill and heard a jogger coming up behind us. We parted so that he could pass between us and he said, "you're too kind, bless the both of you." He wasn't a priest or rabbi. He was just a jogger, but that's just how people speak there.

Over the weekend, many different things stuck out to me because it's something you'd never see back home. Here's my list of nine things you'd find in Texas, but you'd never see in New Jersey.

Amazing barbecue in dumpy looking joints