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It’s o cial: Ginger Man Pub to take over vacant Angelo’s location

Recent spike in gunrelated crimes in Lakewood Hills A Chipotle worth complaining about High-density (but not high-rise) residences coming to White Rock Lake Greek restaurant in Lakewood shopping center locked out

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Reader Comments

“Thisisgettingridiculous.”— Clay on Dallas Arboretum to buy another Garland Road property for future parking

“I know for a fact some people can’t even park in their own driveways sometimes due to Arboretum traffic, and more parking would suit them just fine.” —Wilson! on Will the Dallas Arboretum continue to grow, and will it need more parking? Yes and yes.

“Wow, finally something happening at this dilapidated location. This ought to be interesting for the area. The high-rise fight still makes one shudder …” —TedBarker on High density (but not high-rise) residences coming to White Rock Lake

“The problem this post alludes to is that national chains are often geared to impose their own image and culture, usually at the expense of what already exists locally. Personally, I think homogenization is best restricted to milk and discouraged in neighborhoods.” —Norman Alston on A Chipotle worth complaining about

“That is the smartest idea I’ve heard so far for the area! Way to go. I’m definitely going to be a customer.” —Angela Pendleton on Family history, neighborhood connections aided Luke’s Locker deal at Arboretum Village

“So glad this is being looked into. I’ve been told by the neighborhood association not to contact media or forward any crime alerts they send us to anyone, which I found questionable and a bit controlling. It seems our ‘image’ needs to be kept clear of many crime issues.” —Tomato lady on Recent spike in gun-related crimes in Lakewood Hills

“Sounds like a glorified head shop. However, if you are ingesting a product via inhalation, then vaporizing is far safer than the old fashioned way. Live and let live.” —John B on Vapor Dallas now open and ‘very, very pleased’ with business so far

“This is great! I hope they increase their menu ... we need a good hang out/ bar/ restaurant in the Lakewood shopping center.” —Scott Taylor on It’s official: Ginger Man Pub to take over vacant Angelo’s location (via Facebook)

“I noticed the exterior lights the other day and they look great!”

—Jennifer Arianna Rutherford on Lights on at J.L. Long Middle School: Potter lights replaced throughout (via Facebook)

“Fascinating — on the heels of Salata and Bread Zeppelin, both of which recently launched in the ‘burbs with basically identical concepts ...” —Karen Yates Muncy on Crisp Salad Company coming soon to Lower Greenville (via Facebook)

“This is the classic ‘Authority/Service Provider Lure’ I’ve been teaching about for 26 years now. At least these are not ‘violent’ offenders, but criminals nonetheless.”

—Jeff McKissack on Police: Beware of ‘distraction’ crimes (via Facebook)

Q&A: George Boyd

George Boyd, 86, caught what he calls “bird photography disease” decades ago at White Rock Lake and has photographed thousands of birds, animals, wildflowers and insects since then. He lives near the lake with his wife, Shirley, and spends most of his spare time going through old photo scrapbooks and digitalizing his pictures.

How did you originally begin photographing White Rock Lake?

We moved into our house here 50 years ago. We never spent much time at the lake except the occasional picnic or something. A family doctor told me I was much too heavy, and I was burning the candle at both ends. He insisted that I do some kind of exercise. He just kind of pulled something out of thin air, he said, ‘Like running.’ So I started driving to the lake, and I had a mile mark, and I’d run and then the next day I’d go back and run two miles and then got up to four. I started running more and more up at the lake, and when you do crazy things like that, you have to do things to play games with your mind, so I started listening to all the different water birds. I started trying to distinguish what they were and just kind of got interested in them.

In the meantime, Shirley and I went on a trip to Big Bend, and the guy who was our leader, he just knew everything about it. As well as telling everything about the plants and the soil, he was also a birder. He would point out all these different birds, and I realized it was like hunting; it was the same genes that make you want to go hunting with a gun. For years I would go out hunting, and my main interest was just to see what bird I saw. It wasn’t shooting with a gun, it was mostly just looking, and this kind of just grew into wanting to document what was here. The pictures were kind of like trophies.

My youngest son conned me into buying an A1 Canon with a 50 to 100 zoom lens, and I started trying to take pictures with that. Soon I found I needed something better than that. Like most hobbies, it kind of evolved from there.

On Earth Day at the Bath House Cultural Center, they had a two-week showing of the wildlife at White Rock Lake with my pictures, and the North Texas Master Naturalists had a tent set up next door, and they were taking people on wildflower walks. I went on one of those walks, and a man gave me a list of what had been seen down there. I found you could hunt wildflowers just like you can hunt birds or animals.

The next year I had the same thing [a picture showing] about the wildflowers at White Rock Lake. And then butterflies and dragonflies, and what I call critters, you know, lizards or turtles or snakes.

Was your interest spurred mostly by wildlife or maybe a dual fascination with photography?

It was the hunter wanting trophies. I’m basically a hunter, only I hunt with a camera. I started out wanting to document all the wildlife at White Rock Lake.

Did you grow up hunting? Where did that come from?

I guess it started when I was a little kid. I don’t remember how old I was when my daddy started taking me out with the shotgun to go rabbit hunting. Of course, that was back when if you shot a rabbit, you ate a rabbit.

And I guess it’s like anything you get involved in where there’s a certain amount of competitive spirit.

So, when was the transition from hunting to photography?

I’d been deer hunting in a blind in Colorado some, but I was mostly just interested in the wildlife. I just really enjoyed seeing the wildlife there. The fact that you could photograph it, and the advantage of hunting with a camera is that there’s no closed season on anything. If you shoot it today and don’t like the picture, you can go back and shoot it again.

Do you remember

Around What Age That

was?

Well, when I really got into serious birding, I think somewhere around 40. That would have been around the early ‘70s.

In the time you’ve been out at White Rock Lake, have you seen the wildlife change a lot? Were there things that used to be there that aren’t anymore?

Actually there are a lot of things that you see now that weren’t there before. I remember the first time I saw the white pelicans. I was on the dam early one morning, and I looked out there, and I could not believe what I was seeing. There were about 10 or 12 pelicans. I came home and got Shirley, and we went back out there, and sure enough they were still out there. They’ve been back ever since. Also, now coyotes are more prevalent and bobcats are more prevalent. We’ve gotten mink down there.

How about the monk parakeets?

I was running one evening, and I saw the birds fly over, and I couldn’t identify them, but they were making noise like a parrot would. There was a doctor who walked down there with his dog, and he had a big pair of binoculars. We’d meet almost every morning. I said, ‘Did I see parrots flying over? Am I imagining that?’ He said, ‘Oh no, those are monk parakeets. There’s nine of them and they rest in the super structure at the electrical company.’ So I went down, and sure enough they were building down there by the power plant. The next year there were a few more, and a few more, and they’re all over this part of town now.

Do you have a favorite photograph?

The red fox I guess is one of my favorites. I was down at the old fish hatchery pond,and I wastryingtophotograph some little kinglettes — a type of sparrow — and they were just darting around. I saw something move behind the brush. He came out I guess to get a drink of water in the creek. I had the camera on it, and he stuck his head out, and it was a red fox. I snapped a picture. Of course it was a manual camera, so I shot it, and it advanced the camera, and I pushed the button again, and all I had was just the hole; he was gone that fast.

So all the years you’ve been photographing at White Rock Lake, you never get tired of it?

No, I never do. There’s always something new. Brittany Nunn

Travel size

Don’t underestimate Sawyer’s short legs, says his mom, Molly Schindler; there is nothing the 2-year-old beagle mix loves more than a nice, long walk through his Junius Heights neighborhood.

Baffled by new healthcare options? This neighbor has answers.

If you have been trying to figure out how the new health insurance laws are going to affect you, your family or your business, you might be pulling your hair out.

We’re pretty sure cosmetic hair replacement is not covered on any plan, so stop.

Plus, the panic is unnecessary because there’s a guy here in the neighborhood who can help with the tangles of information, and misinformation.

East Dallas native Ryan Holloway with Holloway Benefit Concepts understands the nuances of the Affordable Healthcare Act, and he’s here to help.

We know the big brokers are pushing consulting services during this time of confusion to large companies with deep pockets, and who can blame them? But Holloway says there are lots of area businesses, families and individuals that also need guidance, and now.

“Hopefully area business owners aren’t moving forward without first getting educated,” Holloway says. “An uninformed insurance decision can cost a family or business thousands of dollars a year. Being over-or-under insured can be costly and very frustrating.”

Here are a few things you should know, Holloway says:

If you’re already suitably insured, think early renewal. “If what you currently have is working, renewing before January can buy you another 12 months in today’s market.”

“Don’t be a Healthcare.gov guinea pig. They currently have major website issues,” Holloway says. “Take some time and educate yourself on the available options while the bugs get worked out.” Applications for January can be submitted up until December 15, and open enrollment extends through March.

“Know that regardless of where or how you sign up, your costs will be the same. As of January, pricing is completely based on family or employee demographics.” Find a partner who can walk you through the process and be an ongoing resource.

“I want to be the local resource,” Holloway says. “Helping businesses and residents make educated decisions is my mission”.

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Curiosities

We give thanks to the Curious things in life - Curiosities. 2025 AbramsRoad 214.828.1886 getcuriosities.com