more on PATTY MCGILL

WHAT ARE THE TRAILS LIKE?

There are about 1.75 miles of trail now, but our long-term vision is to have between 4 and 5 miles of trail. There are two trails. One is easy, and the other is about 1.5 miles up the side of the canyon. There are some wonderful vistas across the canyon, and at the top you can see out to Fort Worth.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT DOGWOOD CANYON ITSELF.

One of the reasons Dogwood Canyon is so special is the really unique combination of animals from East Texas, West Texas, North Texas and even Central Texas. We have a combination of plants and animals that I don’t think can be seen anywhere else. We’re like a little slice of the hill country here in south Dallas County, but we have Texas buckeye, juniper... a rich diversity of plants and animals in one location.

SO DALLAS HAS TWOAUDUBONCENTERS?

Dallas County is the only county in the country that has two Audubon centers. The Trinity River Audubon Center is very different. It was built on a restored landfill, so that is a site that was badly damaged and is recovering. Their location is more about restoration. Ours is almost a pristine site, so we have a lot that we are trying to protect here in the canyon. The way it differs from other conservation centers is that we run it in a way that we can protect the environment but also get people out where they can see it and enjoy it. We’re trying to incorporate people and learning into the picture. We’re more about wise stewardship than total protection.

WHAT ELSE YOUWOULD LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT THE CENTER?

People who are not familiar with this area really need to come see it. We’re going to have things for nature lovers of all ages to get out and enjoy the site.

HOWDO YOU LIKE LIVING NEAR WHITE ROCKLAKE?

We just fell in love with the White Rock Lake area. We’re both Midwesterners, so we love having trees and birds in our backyard. We like to get over to the lake and walk. We’ve been very happy with it. We were looking for a place that has a neighborhood feel, and it definitely has that. —RACHEL STONE

Gargoyles

Mark Sherbet’s gargoyles aren’t evil or menacing. He thinks of them as benevolent monsters, like the ones in his favorite childhood storybook, “Where the Wild Things Are.” “Those monsters aren’t scary,” the neighborhood resident says. “In fact, they’re endearing.” Sherbet started Gable Gargoyle Co. about two years ago. On a trip to Europe, he discovered gargoyles everywhere. And when he came home, he noticed them on old buildings here, too. But when he looked for a gargoyle to put on his own roof, there was none to be had. So he decided to build one. Making the statues themselves took some experimenting, but he figured it out pretty quickly. He uses silicone molds and a very fine cement mixture. The trick was figuring out how to get the thing up on any roof so that it would stay there in any weather. And the solution turned out to be simple. He built, basically, a small table for the gargoyle to sit upon. In architecture, it’s called a plinth, and it can straddle just about any gable. Gable Gargoyle offers three styles of gargoyle, plus two angels. A sculptor is working on a fourth gargoyle design. And Sherbet also takes commissions. He recently completed a Buddha statue for a client in Lake Highlands. The Catholic Church started using gargoyles in its architecture 1,000 years ago or so to symbolize scaring off evil spirits. They had an architectural purpose, too: They were spouts that carried water from the rooftops. “Gargoyle” comes from the French word gargouille , meaning throat. Technically, what Sherbet makes are grotesques, but most people don’t know what that means, so gargoyle is the more common, if incorrect, term. “Some people say they’re scary or evil,” Sherbet says. “They’re not any more evil than those guys in “Where the Wild Things Are.” Sherbet takes orders from the continental United States and Canada at gablegargoyles.com. His designs also are available at Walton’s Garden Center, 8652 Garland Road, and Nicholson Hardie, 5725

Lovers Lane. —RACHEL STONE