After a month off for the semester break, Eyes on Texas is back with a weekly look at Texas through the eyes of the world beyond it.

When EoT was last published, Rick Perry had begun his slow fade from the presidential race. Shortly after Perry bowed out of the race earlier this month, the New York Times wrote a national political obituary for Perry while  looking forward at his future here in Texas. Meanwhile, the Texas Tribune, which partners with the Times, put together a nifty-looking timeline of the highs and lows of the Perry campaign.

Rick Perry speaks during his presidential campaign, which he suspended earlier this month. Photo by Gage Skidmore via Flickr.

Gawker is somewhat less concerned about Perry’s political future; it’s just enamored with his new gun.

The Guardian notes that British artist Jeremy Deller is spending a week in a Texas cave to be one with bats. In addition to any art considerations, notice the Texas details that British writers seem to relish: “Apart from the bats, the biggest attraction in this desolate corner of Texas is the state’s largest live oak tree. On the road to Utopia, every vehicle is an enormous pickup. We pass a dead armadillo and stop in a metal shed for a hot taco lunch.” (Note possibly offensive language, besides pairing armadillos and tacos in one sentence.)

The Los Angeles Times’ take on illegal Texas deer breeders focuses on the sentencing of prominent east Texas breeder Billy Powell last fall. The Houston Chronicle wrote a similar feature on Powell and illegal deer breeding back in October.

An Austin American-Statesman feature isn’t from outside Texas, but it discusses the decline of an aspect of Texan-ness that’s especially recognizable for those outside the state: The Texas twang. Researchers at the University of Texas are trying to trace the evolution of our state’s distinctive accent, and they believe they’ve pinned down the source of its gradual decline: Young, white women from the Dallas area.