2013 March Lakewood

Think you know White rock Lake inside and out? Even you might be surprised.

by

Fight like a girl

The Dallas Women’s Foundation funds organizations that empower women.

50

Adventure seekers X marks the spot, but Geocachers seek puzzles and fun rather than treasure.

A leading lady

Virginia chandler Dykes is passionate about helping people achieve their dreams.

30

Money matters

The neighborhood is alive with business matters these days. catch up on the latest.

On the cOver: White Rock Lake. Photo by hilary Schleier

Photo of the sunset on White rock Lake

robert Bunch

Photo

Memory Care at White Rock Lake

I can see clearly now

Looking back on my life in glasses

I was in fourth grade when fate joined me with prescription glasses.

I was sitting in the last row of the classroom, as far from the blackboard and teacher as possible. This wasn’t necessarily my choice; although I tend to be a backbencher by nature, the fact that my last name begins with “W” generally resulted in a spot in the back of every classroom with my bottom-of-the-alphabet compadres.

(I would imagine, what with all of the political correctness these days, the “Ws” are no longer exclusively relegated to the back of the class. But I digress …)

Something new was in the works that day: A class project was on the pull-down screen in front of the blackboard, and the teacher took turns ensuring we were engaged/awake by randomly calling on us to read portions of the assignment.

Reading wasn’t a problem for me, as you can probably imagine from my line of work, and soon it was my turn. Immediately, I began stumbling over one word after another.

First, I was frustrated. Then I was embarrassed. Then I was silent.

Maybe the teacher saw me squinting. Maybe she had a hunch. But in what presumably was an attempt to help, she methodically moved me up one seat in the row, and then another, and then another, as I continued to stumble over the words.

Now, I have to admit that by the time I was temporarily seated in the front row having displaced four or five chuckling classmates along the way — my reading difficulty was more a function of water in my eyes than my inability to see the screen.

Regardless, the teacher sent home a note suggesting my parents have my eyesight checked out.

Soon thereafter, I was selecting my first set of prescription glasses from among the five or so “youth” options available at Duling Optical in Detroit Lakes, Minn. Those black horn-rimmed beauties went through a lot with me — touch football games, Little League baseball, my first (and last) junior high dance, lots of good and some less-than-good grades, and the usual other collection of school-age fun.

I’ve worn glasses every day since, with 12 or so months off for contacts my first year in college — I wanted to make a good impression, I suppose, as if wearing glasses was really a life-changing negative.

It turned out the original “hard” contacts, combined with the wind and cold of Chicago mornings, just weren’t for me.

Every five or so years since, I’ve wound up with either a new set of frames, lenses or — pocketbook willing — both.

And that’s a long-winded way of explaining why my column picture looks different today. Maybe you noticed; maybe you didn’t.

The photo needed to be changed anyway. A few months ago, someone recognized me in a restaurant and suggested I didn’t look like myself.

“Your hair looks a lot whiter in person than it is in the magazine,” she told me, simply stating the obvious.

So now I will gaze out at you with whiter hair, a lighter beard and a new set of glasses.

I can see a lot better with these glasses, too, so it should be easier for me to connect with you now that I’ll be able to see more clearly if you’re wearing glasses or not.

To see The progression of rick Wamre’s frame fashion since elementary, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search: glasses.

Rick Wamre is president of Advocate Media. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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Gaston-Garland shopping center

After Lincoln Property Co. semirevealed its plans for the GastonGarland shopping center, here’s a sampling of what people had to say.

To read about the plans, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Lincoln.”

“It is unfortunate that no one can have a vision for what I consider to be the gateway for all of Lakewood, East Dallas and Forest Hills. It could become a known landmark that houses many amenities and with a second or third story, if zoning permitted, could have one of the most beautiful views of White Rock Lake. I still believe a bridge over to the lake would be an enhancement. I’ll keep hoping that one day that corner gets the credit it deserves instead of always being labeled an eyesore. It deserves more than that.”

–Valengland1

“With the running, biking, walking, kayaking, canoeing, rowing, sailing, and hiking that happens all around our lake and neighborhoods... don’t you think an REI store would be ideal fit? Thisarea is such a great place already & to come in with status quo development just does not fit fabric of our community.”

–Bmw Biker

“‘Once Lincoln updates the site, it won’t change for years, probably decades.’ This is the real problem. At this point I’d rather see them do nothing (maybe kick out the dance club) and let it go to rot. At least then it’d be affordable space for wacky ideas.” – Los_Politico

4755 Chapel Hill Rd $2,950,000

9562 Ash Creek Dr $575,000

7057 Coronado Ave $960,000

Chimney Hill Ln $275,000

“So short sighted of Lincoln that it is hard to fathom. So much potential, being squandered. The city should try to intervene here to pressure Lincoln to rethink its plans.”

“Many neighbors agree with you and would like to see a better plan. What’s the best way to organize and accomplish this?” – amc

“Raise a bunch of money, buy it, and then put your money where your mouth is.”

Regional chain coming to our corner of Lakewood

In February, Advocate president Rick Wamre posted a blog on advocatemag. com about a regional/ national chain that could soon be built on the longvacant former site of Mustang Auto at the northwest corner of Abrams and Richmond. The guessing game has begun for what it will be. Via the process of elimination, we at Advocate are betting on Chipotle.

For more, visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search “Chipotle.”

“Lakewood is in serious danger of losing its character and becoming just another faux, post-yuppie stretch in Dallas. Not happy about this at all.”

Blevy

“I’m not defending a Chipotle moving into LW, but Jack in the Box, Philly Connection, The Dixie House (Black Eyed Pea), Pacuiggo, Cantina Laredo, Radio Shack, etc. have been there for years and they aren’t really what I consider the building blocks of neighborhood character. Even Whole Foods is a yuppie chain grocer from Austin. In the end, it’s a shame that a local business couldn’t make sense enough of the location to have it developed, but I don’t think this marks the beginning of the end. If you think so, then I think you missed the other beginnings of the end that have occurred over the past two decades. Just my opinion.” – Eric Holmes

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It’s a wild world

Wily coyotes, road kill-relishing possums and shifty armadillos explained Coyotes frequently are spotted hanging around populated running/biking trails and neighborhood parks, and if you’ve heard their howls, you know the racket can disturb a quiet evening with the effectiveness of a siren. Urban wildlife is simultaneously fascinating and frightening. If we are to peacefully cohabitate with the local fauna, we need to better understand wildlife habits and characteristics. Master naturalist Bonnie Bradshaw — who founded nonprofit DFW Wildlife as well as 911 Wildlife, a company that partners with the City of Dallas to tackle wildlife dilemmas — explains a few things:

Coyotes aren’t going to hurt you, and coyote cat murder is overstated.

There is a fascinating study going on in Chicago. Today they have tagged and are tracking 360 urban coyotes. The findings in that study reflect what we see around here. Coyotes have adapted to living in residential neighborhoods. Their main food source is rodents. There are more rodents in developed neighborhoods. Therefore, coyotes will live longer, produce more offspring and those offspring will live longer in residential areas. They are not a threat to people. They occasionally will take a cat or small dog, but their danger to pets is

greatly exaggerated. Cats make up less than 1 percent of the coyote diet. Cats are far more likely to be killed by a car. They could also become prey to a great horned owl or a bobcat.

Coyotes are out and about right now. A couple of things go on that you might notice. For one, they react to the seasons. Like us, they don’t want to be out during Texas summers, so you won’t see them much then. In the fall, winter and spring, they could be out any time of day. The coyote is extremely intelligent and has learned that humans in the city are no threat.

Can Türkyilmaz

In a rural area, someone will shoot them if they show themselves. Here, people will just pull out their cameras and shoot photos.

Coyotes are clever.

I would say they are smarter than your typical domestic dog. They have learned traffic patterns and patterns of homeowners and house pets. They find the properties with overflowing birdfeeders and fruit trees. Some people don’t know that a significant part of their diet is fruit. They thrive on a wide variety of food they find in the neighborhood.

That torturous noise is the sound of love.

The Latin name for coyote is canis iatrans, which means singing dog. The coyote has 12 different vocalizations, some of them torturous to our ears, but to them it is a mating call. Two coyotes can sound like a dozen or more. Coyote mating season starts sometime around mid-February. Valentine’s Day. That sound you heard was probably coyote love.

To make a coyote leave, yell and withhold food.

Over the past 250 years, man has tried various means — hunting, trapping, killing, moving — to rid urban areas of wolves and coyotes, but for coyotes it has had the opposite effect. The more we do to try to eliminate them or force them into hiding, the more they breed. The best way to eliminate them is to eliminate food. Don’t leave pet food outside. Don’t leave overflowing bird feeders. Eradicate any den sites. Often they will build a den under a shack or a porch. And finally, we can use aversion conditioning. When one is following you, or sitting on your lawn, yell at it. Throw something at it. Teach it to flee from hu-

Robert Bunch

mans. If someone has fed them, they will follow people, hoping to be fed.

That sound in your attic is …

If you hear scampering in your attic, it is a squirrel. If it sounds like a person running around up there, it is a raccoon. They are large and clumsy.

That cacophony in your chimney is …

Probably chimney swifts. They are very loud but very tiny. They are one of four birds totally dependent on human structures. Their little feet are incapable of perching, so they do everything in flight. They construct nests from tiny twigs. They will leave for winter. If they take up in your chimney, I suggest putting an old blanket in the damper to quiet the noise.

Possums can’t get rabies. And they eat poop.

Most common concerned calls we get are about coyotes, bobcats and possums. Especially possums. People are terrified that they are carrying rabies. But possums don’t carry rabies. In fact they are nice to have around. They are like a little neighborhood sanitation crew. They eat road kill and other nasty stuff such as dog excrement. They eat roaches and other things we don’t necessarily want to see.

Possum: “I was set up!”

A lot of people call and say a possum is digging up their yard. I tell them the possum was framed. The armadillo did it.

Relax. That giant snake is harmless. The most common snake is a rat snake. It’s 99 percent of what we see in this area. And they can be as big as six feet long, which can be pretty intimidating. But they are not aggressive toward people. Again, keeping the snakes away is a matter of keeping the food sources away. Snakes eat rodents. Rodents eat trash, pet food and birdseed.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Explanations have been edited for brevity.

IF YOU HAVE A WILDLIFEISSUE, contact 911 Wildlife through 911wildlife.com or at 214.368.5911.

TO READ ABOUT RACCOONS and the distemper epidemic in Dallas, visit advocatemag.com search distemper.

Not just a job, a lifestyle

Virginia Chandler Dykes, who lived more than 30 years in Lakewood, was a child when her parents died in a car accident, and her grandparents ultimately raised her. “My grandmother always told me, ‘Get a good education and no one can take that away from you,’” she says. Dykes received her bachelor’s degree in art and psychology from Southern Methodist University in 1952. “There wasn’t much you could do with those degrees,” she laughs. Out of curiosity she met with Fanny Vanderkoi, Texas Women’s University’s first head of occupational therapy. “I talked with her in her office, and she said that I was going to be an occupational therapist. It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Dykes says. She completed the program in two years and went on to be director of Baylor University Medical Center’s occupational and recreational therapy department for the next 25 years. “That was at a time when they were really building up Baylor,” she says. Dykes led several departments and clinics ranging from psychiatry to hand splinting. After noticing all the women gathering together to chat after dropping off their husbands, who were stroke patients, Dykes decided to form the first support group, called Boomerang. “The patients and wives really got behind it. We even had a crest made,” she says with pride. Dykes didn’t stop there, she also went on to create the Virginia Chandler Dykes endowed scholarship fund for TWU therapy students at her alma matter, with the help of her husband. The scholarship was a hit, and a friend suggested adding a program to honor outstanding clinicians. “Then I thought, why don’t we just expand this to involve all leaders in the community?” she says. After getting the OK from Ann Stuart, TWU chancellor and president, in 2002 she started the Virginia Dykes Leadership Award. Dykes has so far honored people such as Susan and Charles Cooper, Marnie and Kern Wildenthal, Myrna D. Schlegel and Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, and T. Boone Pickens. What started off with a collection of about 100 people in a medium-sized room at the inaugural award ceremony has turned into a group of 400 in celebration of the event. Recently Dykes’ husband died, and she’s looking for yet another goal to keep her busy. “To enable young people to achieve their dreams has been a joy to me and my beloved husband,” she says.

—Monica S. Nagy

What gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Gather those old maternity clothes … and take them to Nexus Recovery Center to donate to its moms-to-be who struggle with addiction and are in the process of getting their lives back on track. For more ongoing volunteer opportunities, Nexus also is seeking a classroom helper for its childcare service, and a green thumb for the organic garden. Contact Beth Hunter at 214.321.0156 ext. 2101 or bhunter@nexusrecovery.org for more.

Put your high school diploma to the test …

and offer GED tutoring for Alley’s House’s clients. Give a teen mom a couple hours a day, once or twice a week and help her achieve a life goal. For females 21 and older, year-long mentor opportunities are also available. Alley’s House also needs childcare providers and someone to help organize the donated goods room. You can also organize a diaper drive or donate baby items such as strollers, car seats, or baby food and toddler snacks. Go to alleyshouse.org to download an application. Email Angel Davis at program. director@alleyshouse.org for more.

Cultivate your crayon skills … and become a playroom volunteer at Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center in its brand new building at 5351 Samuell in Dallas. Be a positive adult presence in the life of at-risk children by spending the day engaging them with fun activities such as coloring, toys and games while they wait to talk with experts at DCAC. With a little sensitivity training, you’ll be ready to play. You can also help by donating school supplies, backpacks and uniforms for children whose homes are deemed unsafe. For more information, call the front desk at 214.818.2600 and ask for volunteer coordinator Julie Zvara.

READ THE STORY ON PAGE 46 for more about these organizations.

KNOW OF WAYS

that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.

&

Addie girl!

Addie the beagle was rescued by her mom, Holly Thomas, who says her pup loves people and always is getting into predicaments. Addie thinks the birdbath makes a perfect water dish. She is blind in one eye, but that doesn’t stop her from chasing squirrels and cats. When not terrorizing the neighborhood wildlife,Addie enjoys a daily walk to Starbucks in Casa Linda Plaza.

Out & About

March 2013

March 16

Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade this year. The parade, hosted by Greenville Avenue Area Business Association, begins at 11 a.m. at Greenville and Wellons to SMU Boulevard. Arrive early and stay late for the pre/ post-parade activities. All proceeds go to the GAABA Scholarship fund. Participants are encouraged to take the DART. Greenville and Wellons, dallasstpatricksparade.com, free

MARCH 1–3

Irish festival

The Southwest Celtic Music Association hosts its 31st annual North Texas Irish Festival at Fair Park. Its theme “Along the Lines” highlights three significant contributions Irish immigrants brought to America.

Fair Park, 972.943.4616, ntif.org for times and performances, one-day pass $10-$20, two-day pass $25-$30, some discounts available

THROUGH MARCH 2

El Corazon art exhibit

The Bath House Cultural Center is wrapping up its 19th annual El Corazon Art Exhibition, a show featuring heartinspired art. Artist Jose Vargas started the show because of a shared fascination with the aesthetics and symbolism of hearts.

Bath House Cultural Center, 521 E. Lawther, 214.670.8749, dallasculture.org, free

MARCH 2

It’s My Park Day

The City of Dallas is asking neighbors to rally around their local parks to make them cleaner and greener. Register with Dallas Park and Rec Department, 214.670.8483, free

MARCH 1–8

The Art of Innovation

Chester Business & Innovation Law pllc invites high school students in Lakewood to create original artwork that conveys the spirit of innovation. The winner will be announced March 21 and will be given a cash award, plus a donation to the art department of the student’s school. Students who reside in zip code 75214 or who attend Woodrow Wilson, Lakehill and Bishop Lynch high schools, may participate. For more, email info@ chester-law.com.

Chester Business & Innovation Law pllc, 6301 Gaston, 214.988.9248, free

Begins March 22 ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

For the 50th anniversary of this sci-fi classic, Dallas Children’s Theater draws in audiences with its top-notch production of an extraterrestrial adventure across space and time. The play was adapted by John Glore for children 8 and above. Baker Theater at Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, 214.978.0110, $16-$25

Begins March 2

Dallas Blooms

During Dallas Blooms the park brims with 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs including tulips, daffodils, Dutch Iris and hyacinths, in addition to 100,000 pansies, violas, poppies and thousands of other annuals and perennials. First, more than 100 cherry blossom trees bloom over a 10-day period, and during the second month of the festival, the arboretum’s 6,000 azaleas flourish. Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, $9-$20

MARCH 14 –17

Savor Dallas

Foodies, wine lovers and curious culinary consumers are invited to the ninth annual Savor Dallas. The event, featuring cuisine from more than 60 of the Dallas area’s top chefs plus 400 premium wines and imported beers, kicks off at Trinity Groves at the foot of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge on March 14. After a few days at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and other venues, the festivities will wrap up at the Dallas Arboretum March 17. Savor Dallas, 888.728.6747, savordallas.com, $35-$300

JIM BERRONG

AMY MALOOLEY & RENE BARRERA MALOOLEY | BARRERA GROUP

DICK CLEMENTS THE DICK CLEMENTS GROUP

GEORGE HAYNESKIM NIKOLISKIM LE-HENDERSONEDWINA DYE CJ PRINCE KIM SINNOTTJORGE GOLDSMITMARGOT STRONGSCOTT KASERMANJ.D. SMITH STEVE DAVIES

MARY RINNE KHRIS MACHO

March 8 - April 7

‘Rumpelstiltskin’

Watch as this Brothers Grimm show comes to life with Kathy Burks & Co. at Dallas Children’s Theater. The play was adapted by B. Wolf for children ages 5 and above.

Studio Theater at Dallas Children’s Theater, 5938 Skillman, 214.978.0110, $16-$25

PA INTING WITH A TWIST

Express your inner artist! Instructors lead attendees in creating paintings with a featured piece of art, bring nothing more than your imagination, wine or beverage. Perfect for Private Parties as well. 5202 Lovers Ln. 214.350.9911 paintingwithatwist.com

214.560.4203

THE STO R E IN L A KE HIGHL A NDS

Necklaces, charms and bracelets by Waxing Poetic. Choose from stock or order at the Trunk show March 17th – your customized jewelry, crafted with love, will be ready by Mother’s Day.

10233 E NW Hwy @ Ferndale (near Albertsons) 214.553.8850 Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 TheStoreinLH.com

MARCH 23

Shred It

Friends of Tietze Park Foundation hosts its sixth annual shred to raise funds for Tietze Park. Bring documents to the Skillman Church of Christ parking lot between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. This year, Iron Mountain, a global leader in information management, will handle the shredding.

Skillman Church of Christ parking lot, 3014 Skillman, 214.823.2179, $7 for one bankers box, $5 for each additional box, seniors $5 per box

MARCH 24–31

Dallas Cup soccer matches

The Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup XXXIV is happening this month at Cotton Bowl Stadium in Fair Park. During the weeklong event, 180 teams from 19 countries and 22 states will go toe to toe for the championship.

Fair Park Cotton Bowl Stadium, dallascup.com, value packs available + $10 parking

B A BY BLISS

Introducing Tea Swim. For the first time ever: Swimsuits so colorful and comfortable, of course they come from Tea!

babybliss & miniME 6721 Snider Plaza

469.232.9420 shopbabybliss.com

YOG A MAR T

Renew your practice of restorative yoga with the proper support required. Blankets, bolsters, sand bags and other items to assist you are available at Yoga Mart. Yoga Mart. 6039 Oram (at Skillman)

ON C E UPON A C HILD

Spring into Savings arriving daily Name Brands and gently used apparel as well as new belts, socks, tights and bows. 9am - 7pm M-F, 10am7pm Sat and 1pm - 6pm Sun 6300 Skillman St #150 214.503.6010 onceuponachildlakehighlands.com

The Advocate Foundation’s limited-edition, numbered, and hand-painted ornament; perfect gift for the new home owner or Dallas transplant. Sales benefit neighborhood organizations.

214.292.0486 foundation.advocatemag.com

ALFONSO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

718 N. Buckner

alfonsosItalianrestaurant.com 214.327.7777

AMBIANCE: DRESSY CASUAL

PRICE RANGE: $5-$21.75

HOURS: MON-THURS 11 A.M.-9P.M., FRI-SAT. 11 A.M.-10P.M.,SUN 11:30 A.M.-9P.M.

DID YOU KNOW?

ALFONSO’SALSO SERVES SEAFOOD DISHES, SUCHASFRESH BROILED SALMON ANDFRESH BAKED HALIBUT.

If you walk into the kitchen of Alfonso’s Italian Restaurant, you’ll see flipping, stirring, grilling, broiling and baking. But there’s one thing you won’t see — zapping. “Even to this day, you won’t find a microwave in our kitchen,” says founder and owner Peter Colombo. He says his father, the restaurant’s namesake, was a food fanatic who wouldn’t have approved of microwaves in restaurants. Each meal is made to order, and if you order the chicken parmesan at Alfonso’s, you’ll eat the same meal you would have eaten 30 years ago when the restaurant was established in Casa Linda Plaza before moving to its current location at 718 N. Buckner. Through the ups and downs of the economy, many restaurants have been forced to “cut corners” with their food, but not at Alfonso’s. “We never change the product, even with the rising costs. I use the same cheese I used 30 years ago,” Colombo says. “Consistency. That’s the key.” —BrittanyNunn

Chicken parmesan and tiramisu at Alfonso’s Photos by MarkDavis

1 Scalini’s Pizza and Pasta

Who doesn’t love a good hole-in-thewall? Scalini’s thin-crust pizza is a Lakewood favorite even food snobs rave about.Hurry in before the place fills up!

2021Abrams

214.821.8088

2 Angelo’s Spaghetti House

Angelo’s has been an East Dallas staple since 1992, and if you’ve ever tried their lasagna, you know why. Cuddle up with a date in one of their many cozy corners, and top the night off with bread pudding.

6341 La Vista

214.823.5566

3 Prego Pasta House

You can’t talk about long-standing Italian places without mentioning the classic Prego Pasta House. If a blast-from-thepast isn’t enough to get you in the door, its pizza should.

4930 Greenville

214.363.9204

Move over, bubba

McPherson Cellars Tre Colore 2010 ($12)

I received a phone call last month: “I’m writing a book and need to know if people still call Texas wine Chateau Bubba?”

“Hardly,” I was happy to say.

The quality of Texas wine has never been better, and more wine drinkers than ever know this. A Texas wine Twitter event in January was such a success that TxWine was the Twitter’s most popular hashtag that evening — not an easy feat on a social media network where the Kardashians are the top attraction. And how about a Texas wine stunning the food types at a barbecue cookoff in the Pacific Northwest earlier this year, besting wines from California, Washington, and France?

But that’s far from the only good news. The 2012 grape crop was the second outstanding harvest in three years, perhaps the first time that has happened in Texas wine history. Yes, the state still doesn’t produce enough grapes, and the Legislature still regards Texas wine as something akin to the bearded lady in a carnival sideshow, but the industry has overcome those handicaps with style. Today, Texas wine not only tastes good, but tastes like it’s supposed to taste.

All of which means it’s time to try the state’s wine. The following are available from their respective wineries if you can’t find them at your local retailer:

2010 ($26). Yes, it’s pricey, but worth the expense. Kiepersol, somehow, can turn out top wines from its vineyards in East Texas — not an easy thing to do.

($12). Skeptics always complain that Texas wine is too expensive. That’s where this red blend comes in, which is often for sale in grocery stores for as little as $10.

($12). A simple red blend that is greater than the sum of its parts. My pal Dave McIntyre, the wine columnist at the Washington Post, drinks this at home and pays for it.

—Jeff Siegel

JEFF SIEGEL WRITES ABOUTWINE AND neighborhood dining news every Friday on lakewood.advocatemag.com.

with your wine

Roasted peppers

This is one of those things that is expensive to buy and seemingly too difficult to make at home — the province of big name chefs. In fact, it’s amazingly easy, and the peppers can be used in pasta, sandwiches or pizza. Serve with the Texas wine of your choice.

GROCERY LIST

4 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut in 1/2 lengthwise

2 Tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

2. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a baking sheet and place the peppers, cut side up, on the oil. Turn the peppers over, season them with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Place the warm peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool for at least 30 minutes, and then peel the skin off.

Takes 50 minutes

Ask the wine guy

How many wineries does Texas have?

Almost 250 — about f our times as many as 10 years a g o.

—Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY

taste@advocatemag.com

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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to LIVELOCAL@ADVOCATEMAG.COM

A&A Barbershop in Casa Linda Plaza closed, but a new barbershop might take its place. Leasing representative Matt Squire of AmREIT says AmREIT is “marketing the space to hopefully be another barbershop, as there are many hair salons in the area, but not as many traditional barbershops that cater to men.”

The steel frame for Trader Joe’s new Lower Greenville store is up, and some cement for adjacent parking has been poured, as work continues on the specialty grocer expected to open in late spring.

Farther north on Greenville, across from Lights

Fantastic and kitty-corner from Ozona, the new Beck’s Prime sort-of fast-food burger restaurant is open Beck’s is on the east side of Greenville, just north of the car wash.

The Lot, the new causal dining restaurant at 7530 E. Grand where the old Backyard Beach Bar used to be, opened for dinner on Feb. 25, and starts serving lunch and brunch as well on March 25. Managing partner John McBride says it’s going to be a casual American food restaurant with a “kidscape” and activity center for adults. “Our goal is just a really laid back, come-as-you-are mentality,” McBride says.

At 2008 Greenville, the former Lost Society space, H&G Supply Co. will open early this year. The new restaurant will be one of the few in DFW with menu items catering to followers of the popular Paleolithic diet.

Also, Mudsmith, a new coffee shop/beer and wine tap, opened at 2114 Greenville right across from the future Trader Joe’s Brooke Humphries, owner of Acme F&B, Barcadia Bar and Grill and It’ll Do, promises a “unique coffee shop experience serving celebrated Four Barrel coffee out of San Francisco.”

After 25 years of business on Lower Greenville, J. Pepe’s has closed its doors. According to general manager Raj Pole, owner Jimmy Bharmao is bringing in a new investor that will remodel the building and reopen it as a bar or restaurant under a new name.

A few blocks south on Greenville, Mextopia also has recently closed. Owner Ricardo Avila shared on Mextopia’s website: “We are moving on! The Greenville Ave. location has been a difficult one for us and it is time for us to move on. We have an exciting collaboration in the works, we will keep you posted on its development.”

After eight years in the Lakewood shopping center, the School of Contemporary Ballet Dallas has relocated to the Mockingbird/Central Plaza Shopping Center It is now located on the second floor above Whole Earth Provision Co. and Jason’s Deli. The move leaves another empty storefront in the Lakewood shopping center.

Austin Street Center of Dallas, a nonprofit downtown shelter providing services for the homeless, opened a new consignment store in Casa Linda Plaza The store, Hope’s Clothing and Consignment at 9440 Garland, sells gently used, upscale apparel, electronics and furniture, and selected items on consignment. Proceeds go toward providing services for Austin Street’s clients, which include psychological counseling, work-readiness programs, substance abuse counseling and a transitional living facility for those with employment. Call 214.421.0912 to schedule a pick-up for donations.

The Tradition-Lovers Lane, a high-end rental senior-living community, broke ground recently at 5850 Lovers at Matilda. The 7.5-acre community will include a 202-unit independent-living building, and a 109-unit assisted living/memory-care property next door.

more business buzz every week on

Mudsmith “Grubbage”

TheLot

What a wonderful WHITE ROCK LAKE world

Story by ChristinaHughes Babb

Danny Fulgencio

Part

one

Like any other athlete

east Dallas residents with physical limitations find freedom on the water

day in 2010, a tree toppled in front of a Lakewood home.

Elizabeth Daane and her sons were returning to their house on Pasadena after feeding the neighbors’ cats when they heard the crack.

“Run,” Daane demanded as she instinctively pushed her children toward safety.

When it struck, the tree punctured Daane’s lung, fractured a vertebrae and left the young mother’s lower body without feeling or functionality.

Daane survived her injuries, endured physical therapy, began adjusting to her new limitations and resumed life as a busy professional, wife and mother, but she missed the aerobic activity that she previously had found in running and cycling at White Rock Lake, a hub of outdoor recreation less than a mile from her home.

Over the past several years, East Dallas resident Mary Condon researched ways in which to combine her experience as a physical therapist and her love of rowing. The result was the collaboration with the White Rock Boathouse, Inc., a nonprofit corporation, and the emergence of an adaptive rowing program last May. Mary explains that “adaptive” means adjusting the sport to meet the needs of people with physical limitations. Adaptive rowers might include folks with spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, someone who has lost a limb or someone who is sight or hearing impaired.

“We had (in the spring adaptive rowing

class) a man with brittle bone disease — or Osteogenesis imperfecta — who never let it stop him from becoming an athlete,” Condon says. “He is a paralympian whose ice hockey team won the gold. There are a couple of people with amputations, some spinal cord injuries. Some of them have had disabilities since birth and others sustained their injuries as an adult — one was in a car accident. Another was hit by a bus.” On the first day of class last spring, during which enrollees would learn rowing fundamentals on machines called ergs, Condon had eight students.

Elizabeth Daane was one of them.

“I signed up because it was there, right near my house, and I wanted to exercise.” When you don’t have use of your legs, she explains, finding an effective form of cardiovascular training is tough. Though Daane herself had never rowed, she says her sister is a rower and her brother-in-law was a crew coach at Princeton. “When they came to visit me, my brother-in-law was very impressed with the (White Rock Boathouse). He said ‘do you realize that one of the biggest boathouses I’ve ever seen is half a mile from your house?’ And he has visited a lot of boathouses.”

No matter what your bodily restrictions, being in a boat on the water makes you feel free, those involved with the program attest.

“In the boat,” Condon says, “they look just like any other athlete out here at the lake. One day, one of the women, with tears in her eyes, told me that it is just so nice to see everyone out of their (wheel)chairs.”

For Daane, being on the water is freeing and fitness boosting, but, also importantly, it

On a ludicr O usly blustery thanksgiving

Danny Fulgencio

helps give her sons, ages 11 and 8, a positive perspective on circumstances.

“One of the main reasons I took this up, other than to stay in shape, is because I want them to see me as normal, not impaired.”

The pumping of the heart, the flowing of the blood, the strengthening of the core, shoulders, triceps and biceps all make the rowers feel resilient, alive and healthy, but camaraderie among the participants provides a psychological sort of healing that is arguably equally important, says Toni Collins, a

“It is easier to go to a workout when you are not the only one in a chair.” —Toni Collins

mother of 11-year-old twins who sustained a debilitating spinal cord injury in an accident eight years ago. She says she had re-learned how to exercise — she rides a hand cycle and has worked with trainers at the local gym — but that being with a group of people, all of whom share a common bond, was especially motivating and comforting.

“There are just things you can’t share with others who don’t have similar disabilities,” she says. “If I joke with an able-bodied person about falling out of my chair, for example, they won’t laugh!”

While she still engages in other sports, Collins says “it is easier to go to a workout when you are not the only one in a chair.”

Learning at their own pace, adaptive rowing students are free to “piddle around on the water or bust out an intense workout,” as Collins puts it. It is an activity from which participants derive physiological and psychological benefits that increase their quality of life, the women agree. They repeatedly use the word “free” to describe how it makes them feel. They also insist that without the dedication of unpaid volunteers Condon and assistants Lisa Henry and Michael Lutz, the opportunity would not exist.

Collins chuckles as she describes how “easy” the adaptive rowing team has it. “A big part of rowing is getting the boats, carrying them to shore, putting them back up when you’re done. The volunteers take care of all the hard stuff for us,” she says. “When we are done we are off in our cars as they are putting back all the equipment.”

The women hope to spread the word about the program, which so far has only been publicized via word of mouth.

“What a joy it is,” says Condon. “I mean, what a gift Mary has given us.”

VISIT WHITEROCKBOATHOUSE.COM TO LEARN MORE about the adaptive rowing program or to enroll. The program is open to any person with a physical disability. An $80 enrollment fee includes 10 sessions with a coach.

Full circle

Completing the full circumference of WhiteRock Lake trail, on foot, is a rite of passage

DRIVE TO THE END OF WINSTEAD, A WINDING ROAD

WEST of White Rock Lake, any Saturday morning at about 5:30 and Dave Dozier will flag you down. He assumes you are there to join him for a run. On a dewy winter morning he dons a black tracksuit with reflective stripes and he invites early morning guests, runners and walkers, jovial folks he calls friends, into his home of 50 years — cozy quarters whose décor includes display cases full of medals from White Rock, St. George and Boston marathons, to name a few, hundreds, dating back as far as the 1970s, and collages containing magazine clippings and racing bibs.

An inconspicuous manila folder contains what we came for: certificates for completing, on foot, a full 9.2-mile loop of White Rock Lake.

In his early running days, Dozier says, running all the way around White Rock Lake was something only the most serious runners did.

“Once you ran the loop,” he says, “you were somebody.”

In the 1970s a gang of diehard runners including White Rock Marathon founder Tal Morrison challenged Dave to run all the way around, rather than the couple-mile out-andback jaunts they had seen him performing at the lake. When he eventually took them up on it, the guys gave him a certificate of completion. It is a tradition Dozier continued, mostly under the radar, long after Morrison and the other old timers stopped running. Recently a local fitness magazine publicized the practice and Dozier got an unprecedented amount of takers. But he doesn’t give these certificates away to just anyone. “You really have to do it. I have to see you. I will run with you,” he says. “And you can’t have done it before.” The certificates are reserved for those

running the loop and the distance for the first time ever.

And while the certificate is a neat token of achievement, it really isn’t about the paper. It’s about the camaraderie as runners gather at the starting point. Those who meet at Dozier’s place vary in pace — taking anywhere from 70 minutes to three hours to circle the pond. The wee moments before the jog are for catching up and laughing while Dozier tells everyone to “shut up. My wife is asleep.”

Voices fill the erstwhile silent neighborhood with stories of marathons past. Dozier’s friend Julie Stauble recalls a time Dozier stumbled at the finish line, knocking out his front teeth. Dozier teases the group’s fastest runner, a psychiatrist named Joe Gaspari who is preoccupied with qualifying for the Boston Marathon. “He’s always looking at that watch. Doesn’t he know we are here to have fun?”

It’s about the other lake goers. When Dozier ran the first of his 9,000-some lake loops, he says, there were about eight guys regularly running the lake. On a Saturday morning these days, there are hundreds, maybe a thousand. “I stop and talk a lot. I know everyone out there,” Dozier says.

It’s about the commitment and motivation one feels after hitting that 9.2-mile milestone, says Stauble, who ran a marathon after meeting Dozier and joining his informal running group. She says it changed her life.

“A lot of lives have changed out here,” Dozier says. “And we’ve had people that didn’t fit in in the world, fit in with us.”

It’s about the sense of completion. The circle represents wholeness, unity and infinite possibility, right? But Dozier scoffs at all that philosophical stuff. “It’s just fun. I love this. Running is my way of life.”

IF YOU ARE INTERESTEDIN MEETINGDOZIER for a run around the lake and, if you make it, a certificate, email editor@advocatemag.com.

PART THREE

You’ve got a friend Enter the (mostly) freewheeling world of a White Rock goose

THE SIGNS AND ADS STARTEDAPPEARING around the neighborhood and on digital message boards in mid-April last year.

“Urgent: Wilbur Goose, leader of a big goose gaggle at White Rock Lake, is missing.”

The pleas for Wilbur’s safe return initially were met with amusement and a spattering of jokes — “The goose is on my kitchen table” or “Have you checked inside the coyotes?”

But if it wasn’t a prank, and it wasn’t, the obvious question is, there are dozens upon dozens of geese at White Rock Lake, so how do you know that one, in particular, is missing?

White Rock Lake frequenter Annette Abbott chuckles at the query.

“If you ever met Wilbur,” she says, “you would understand.” Wilbur wasn’t just any wild waterfowl. He was a lover — had a girlfriend goose, Priscilla, who stuck by him until her 2010 death. They were “the reigning royalty of the goose gaggle,” Abbott says. Wilbilla, as it were.

He was a prankster. He loved to play and was known to “goose” (pinch one on the backside) from time to time.

He was brave — known to stare down dogs.

He was a friend. He’d eat crackers right out of your hand, but he especially loved whole grain honey bread. If you approached the lake by car, Wilbur might waddle up and peck on your window, Abbott says.

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Danny Fulgencio

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Priscilla might try to get in the passenger seat. Abbott met Wilbur eight years back, when the grand goose and his mate were living at The Point on West Lawther (he later joined the east side gaggle). Abbott says she was going through an emotional rough patch and she bonded with Wilbur as one might with a pet.

“You know how your dog sometimes gives you that look like, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong, but I’m here for you and it will be OK’? Well, that’s how Wilbur was. He would attach to those who needed a friend. That’s kind of how Charles met him too.”

Charles Fussell, a plumber, is Abbott’s neighbor and friend who also is one of the White Rock geese’s greatest allies. Even after long unforgiving workdays, he reports via pickup truck to Sunset Bay, on the east side of White Rock — most evenings for the past eight-plus years — to feed the fowl, primarily corn (often 200 pounds in a day) and wheat bread, he says. The birds know the plumber. Even if they are far out on the water when he arrives, they scuttle up to shore at the familiar sound of his engine.

Fussell resembles the Pied Piper as he walks to the shoreline with ducks and geese tugging at his jeans, Abbott says.

Whenever possible, this plumber purchases geese from dealers, for about $40 a pop, purely in order to save them from poor living conditions and premature deaths. He rescued the first couple of geese from a dealer in Sunnyvale about eight years ago and one of those is still living at White Rock. They do well with the relocation, he says.

“They immediately take to the lake and

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become a part of the community,” he says. “It’s such a good life for them, plus, the people at the lake enjoy them. (The geese) almost have the sensibilities of a dog in the way that they gravitate toward and relate with people.”

A goose can live as long as 35 years, Fussell says. He suspects Wilbur was 15 or maybe 20. The geese — a mix of Canada, African, Chinese Toulose, Pilgrim and Emden — are savvy when it comes to survival. Even without human help, they could live on naturally occurring vegetation, Fussell says. And they protect themselves from coyotes and other predators, possibly, by appointing lookouts. “At night,” Abbott says, “there are noticeably four sentries surrounding the sleeping gaggle in the waters near the Bath House. They may appear to be asleep, but they sit up and make noise when some seeming danger approaches.”

No goose has quite taken the place of Wilbur since his disappearance — which Fussell attributes either to a coyote or bobcat-type hunter or a human goose-napper — but Abbott says those with distinct personalities get nicknames. “There’s Laurel and Hardy, for example, a regular slapstick comedy act,” she notes.

Fussell admits it is difficult to know he can’t entirely protect these loveable animals, with whom he feels such kinship, but he knows that their lives at the lake, while not 100-percent danger free, are joyful.

“They love freedom so much, it’s worth the risk. If any of them could talk, I am certain they would say they would rather be out here than safe in a cage somewhere.”

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Part FOUr all the lake’s a stage Here, all the

ChanCes are you assumed it was just remnants of

the White Rock bathhouse beach circa 1953, when Dallasites swam the waters with impunity. It is, sort of.

The poles in the water behind the Bath House Cultural Center are purposefully arranged, atop a swath of concrete that remains on the lake’s bed, to showcase water-wildlife performances. At one time the arrangement included floating disks, and it glowed in the night sky, powered by solar panels, spotlighting the feathery actors.

“A bird landed on one of the poles and I said to Tom (Orr) that it looked like its own sculpture. He said, ‘what if we put 100 poles in the water?’ And that’s almost what we did.” —Frances

Bagley

In 2001 artists Frances Bagley and Tom Orr — sponsored by Dallas Water Utilities Department and the Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs — created the White Rock Lake Water Theater, “an environmental work that combines nature with education and art.” Signage on the beach — faded etchings on concrete columns — educates observers about waterwildlife behavior and what to expect during a given season. The show would constantly change with the weather, light, seasons and wildlife patterns, note the artists, a married couple that lives near the lake.

Daily observations of the lake inspired the project, Bagley says. “A bird landed on one of the poles and I said to Tom that it looked like its own sculpture. He said, ‘what if we put 100 poles in the water?’ And that’s almost what we did. There were about 80. They used to light up, but some of it has gone into disrepair,” she says. The couple worked tirelessly researching wildlife and laboring in the water to bring their vision to fruition.

On shore, they installed stone columns and seats for humans. The concrete steps near the shoreline and the scopes on the Bath House patio were also part of the project. Support from the city allowed the artists to perform regular maintenance on the installation for five years. “We would get in the water in our wetsuits and check the lights and clean the poles,” she says. The disks had a hard time staying put and the poles are impossible to keep clean, she adds. Bagley fears the piece might not last much longer. “I don’t know if they are going to remove it or have it improved. If they want to improve it, we know a lot now that we didn’t know then and have a lot of new technology. We would be happy to help,” Bagley says.

Though the poles are grungy, the floating disks have disappeared and the lights have gone out, the birds’ show goes on. On any given evening, most of the poles are occupied the players continue to pause, dive, frolic and sing, oblivious to the ravages of time on their stage.

cranes, turtles, geese, ducks and pelicans are the players

Girl (em)power(ment)

With enough funds to allow significant development, the Dallas Women’s Foundation backs organizations helping teenage parents, mothers in recovery and abused children

Story by Brittany Nunn Photos by Can Türkyilmaz

“We see women as the agents of social and economic change,” says Dallas Women’s Foundation president Roslyn Dawson Thompson.

“Our whole focus is that we are committed to the belief that when you invest in a woman, you benefit her family, you benefit the neighborhood, you benefit the community, and ultimately you benefit the world.”

The Dallas Women’s Foundation, which was founded in 1985, is a nonprofit community foundation that grants more than $2.5 million annually to more than 1,000 programs that focus on women and women’s issues.

The Dallas Women’s Foundation, or DWF, has poured more than $16.5 million into the Dallas community, a large portion of which has gone directly to helping East Dallas organizations.

Of course, they couldn’t do it without donors who believe in their vision and approach. Add that to the research DWF puts into women’s issues, and you have a recipe for success.

“We have grown since inception to become the largest women’s fund in the world, which is an exciting statement to make,” Thompson says.

“There are 160 women’s funds world-

Alicia Graf

Mack.

Photo by Andrew Eccles

the

Dallas

Recently

“We

“We

“We have grown since inception to become the largest women’s fund in the world, which is an exciting statement to make”

ERIC CANTU Construction

specifically surround women by taking a gendered approach.”

Alley’s House

During the fall 2012 grant cycle, Dallas Women’s Foundation granted $15,750 to Alley’s House in Old East Dallas.

Alley’s House offers physical and emotional support services while teaching teen moms parenting and other important life

skills.

Because teen pregnancy is such a common factor in poverty, the support Alley’s House offers makes it an important partnership to DWF, says Thompson.

“It’s the concept that, if they can be

Allison Whitehead, executive director of Alley’s House

appropriately supported, learn parenting skills and learn the life skills they need, they will have the ability to be self- sufficient,” she explains.

Allison Whitehead, executive director of the organization, says she founded the program in 1997 because she saw so many teen moms dropping out of school.

A large part of the Alley’s House program is the completion of 80 lessons in 80 weeks, which allows teen moms to earn their GED as well as receive mentoring.

“We are helping them invent their life and create choice,” Whitehead says. “They go from no choice to full choice, so it’s really cool to see the look on their faces when they have that ah-ha moment of power and choice, of ‘Wow, I can actually make this decision, and I can do it.’”

Alley’s House receives no federal funding, so grants like those from DWF are key.

“(The partnership with DWF) is a good alignment for us,” Whitehead says. “Empowerment, that is what we do, and their support has helped us in doing what we do better.”

SEE

WHAT GIVES

on page 21 for volunteer opportunities at Alley’s House.

Nexus Recovery Center

During the fall 2012 grant cycle, DWF granted $30,000 to Nexus Recovery Center in East Dallas.

“Nexus is an awesome, awesome agency that we have funded for a good long time,” Thompson says.

Nexus, which was founded in 1971, is a recovery center specifically for women with alcohol and narcotic addictions.

In 1990, they became one of the few substance treatment agencies in the country that allows women to bring their children into treatment.

Nexus director Becca Crowell says they opened up their doors to families because they recognized childcare was a huge barrier between women and treatment.

“These women weren’t getting treatment before,” Crowell points out, “because no one else says, ‘Well, bring your kids along.’”

WHERE BORING BECOMES BEAUTIFUL!

Now, many of their clients get treatment because of pregnancy.

“Pregnancy is the motivational factor,” she says. “It’s the ah-ha moment, and then they get healthy babies, which goes a long way.”

Crowell says many of their childcare providers also work with the kids on any emotional or developmental issues.

“It’s not just babysitting, and we’re proud of that.”

SEE WHAT GIVES on page 21 for volunteer opportunities at the Nexus Recovery Center.

Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center

Also in 2012, DWF granted $20,000 to Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center in Old East Dallas.

The Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center is one of the largest advocacy centers in the country, as well as one of the most respected, says the chief of external affairs Ellen Magnis.

Its purpose is to act as the coordinating body for child abuse cases that might end up in criminal court.

“We work with 26 different police agencies in Dallas County,” she says, “as well as Child Protective Services, as well as Children’s Medical Center and many other partners.”

In cases where there is suspicion of child abuse, the staff at DCAC conduct nonleading, non-suggestive forensic interviews with the children.

“[The staff] are also trained in the developmental style of children, so the child can tell his or her story in his or her language.

They’re talking with someone who really knows how to talk with a child. And that way the child is only talking to one person, and they’re not having to talk to a police officer with a gun on his hip, and if the case does end up in the court system, the fewer people this child has talked with, the better.”

After that, the child begins therapy, which is where the Dallas Women’s Foundation grants have benefitted the Advocacy Center.

“Most of our clients are children who have been sexually abused, and our most common client is about a 9-or 10-year-old girl who has been sexually abused by someone she knows and trusts, so the healing process of that is significant.”

SEE WHAT GIVES on page 21 for volunteer opportunities at Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.

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Nexus Recovery Center director Becca Crowell

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Treasure quest

High-tech hunting game participants have a different perspective on our neighborhood

Few outside of the geocaching world consider cassette tapes, Legos and ratty notebooks treasures. Geocachers seek more than trinkets, though. For them, the real — and less tangible — treasures include adventure, diversity and community.

Geocaching is a game with one basic goal: go to a specific location using GPS coordinates and either a smartphone or a GPS device. In its simplest form, geocachers drive around until their device shows they are near their target, then leave the car to find the cache — a hidden object, often camouflaged, containing a logbook and maybe some dollar-store trading items. If geocachers choose a more challenging target, they may be asked to figure out the coordinates by solving riddles, cryptograms or sudoku, which can take hours to months. Extreme geocachers have even repelled down caves, donned scuba gear and climbed overhanging rock walls to hide or reach caches.

Dena T. Robinson

Lakewood is home to an active geocaching community. Kevin Darbe, North Texas representative for the Texas Geocaching Association, says there are easily 500-1,000 dedicated geocachers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Within five miles of the Dallas Arboretum, you can find about 400 caches.

“You do what? Why?”

When Darbe hears these questions, he tells non-geocachers they must experience

“Best decision I ever made! Wish I was able to do it sooner.”

— Tom, 29

geocaching to understand it. His reasons for his more than seven-year geocaching career: it’s a great way to exercise, you can find caches for any age or ability (he knows two geocachers who are each missing a leg) and

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“I think if you ever liked hunting treasure when you were a kid or finding something, it really speaks to that part of you.”

Geocachers Paulette Deutman and Martin Lollar hunt for GPS coordinates near White Rock Lake. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

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“it gets kids off the damn sofa.”

Part of the attraction is the element of mystery, too. These modern day Nancy Drews don’t have to be professional detectives to solve a case.

“I think if you ever liked hunting treasure when you were a kid or finding something, it really speaks to that part of you,” says Martin Lollar, a six-year geocaching veteran better known as BriarBoy on geocaching.com — the website where players post cache challenges.

It’s a way to be a tourist in your own neighborhood and a local in unknown environments. Through geocaching in Dallas, Darbe encountered Bonnie and Clyde’s graves and discovered an unfinished park under the intersection of Central Expressway and LBJ.

“[Geocaching] takes you to cool spots that even if you’ve lived here your whole life, you never knew existed,” says Darbe, geocaching alias kd&prettierhalf. The first time Darbe and his wife went geocaching with their son’s GPS device, “we had no idea what we were doing. That was almost 20,000 caches ago.”

Travelers can bypass traditional tourist traps by searching for local caches. While visiting the Pacific Northwest, Lollar and Paulette Deutman (or GeoMojoGirl) found a cache that took them to an open grassy area overlooking the Columbia Gorge in time to watch the sun set.

“We never would have found that if we hadn’t been geocaching and someone hadn’t recommended that,” Paulette Deutman says.

Darbe has found caches in all 50 US states and 10 Canadian provinces.

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“It is the most diverse group of people you have ever met in your life,” Darbe says. “We know a guy who’s a full-fledged doctor. We know a guy who’s a baggage handler at DFW airport. We know numerous police officers, numerous teachers and ages ranging everything from 5 to 90.”

“If people look at it from the outside, we’re very loose knit and unorganized, and that’s a good thing, but among ourselves we’re very supportive,” says Jack Lowry, who is better known as coinpopper and lives off Garland Road. “I had both knees replaced, and it’s hard for me to want to get out and walk. [Geocaching] keeps me from vegetating.”

“For me, its something that we do together. It’s our little thing that’s part of our relationship.”

Each cache is different,, and Lowry, who has found more than 7,000 caches, says he remembers the ones he finds pretty well. As he takes and replaces trinkets, or signs logbooks, he gathers experiences and friendships.

“This is my cache of memories, if you will,” Lowry says. “These are just things I remember.”

Geocachers not only build relationships through the game; they also strengthen existing ones.

“For me, its something that we do together,” Paulette Deutman says of her relationship with Lollar. “It’s our little thing that’s part of our relationship.” —Lauri Valerio

This screenshot shows hidden East Dallas caches.

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8494 Stults Rd Dallas / 214.349.8912 /dallaslutheranschool.com

SCHOOL OF CONTEMPORARY BALLET DALLAS

5400 E. Mockingbird Ln. Dallas / 214.821.2066 / schoolofcbd.com

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727 White Rock Trail Dallas / 214.348.7410 / WhiteRockNorthSchool. com

FIRST BAPTIST ACADEMY

1606 Patterson St. Dallas / 214.969.7861 / fbacademy.com

SPANISH HOUSE

5740 Prospect Ave. Dallas / 214.826.4410 / DallasSpanishHouse.com

ZION LUTHERAN SCHOOL

6121 E. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630/ ziondallas. org

THE HIGHLANDER SCHOOL

9120 Plano Rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORI SCHOOL

7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com

LAKEHILL PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Leading to Success. 2720 Hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931 / lakehillprep. org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

848 Harter Rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / stjohnsschool.org

69% of our readers say they want to know more about private schools. to advertise call 214.560.4203

BAPTIST

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

All services & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45. Trad. & Blended (Sanctuary), Contemporary (Great Hall), Amigos de Dios (Gym) / 214.860.1500

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

DISCIPLES of C HRIST

CENTRAL CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 4711 Westside Drive / 214.526.7291

Sunday Worship 11:00 am ./ Sunday School 9:45am

Wed. Bible Study 5:00 pm./ www.cccdt.org / ALL are welcome

E AST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am

Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org

HIGHLANDS CHRISTIAN CHURCH (Lake Highlands) 9949 McCree Rd. 214-348-2805 / www.highlandschristianchurch.com

Sundays: School 9:45 am / Worship 11:00 am / Rev. Paul Carpenter

ECKANKAR

HU CHANT CLASS / Learn to chant HU. Benefits: Study dreams, past lives, Soul Travel, expand awareness, experience divine love Mar. 14, 6:30 pm / Lakewood Library / meetup.com/Eckankar-Dallas

L UTHERAN

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

fIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Lane

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

m ETHoDIST

L AKE HIGHLANDS UmC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

mUNGER PLACE CHURCH / Expect Great Things.

Worship Sundays, 9:30 and 11:00 am / 5200 Bryan Street 214.823.9929 / www.mungerplacechurch.org

WHITE RoCK UNITED mETHoDIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk

NoN-DENomINATIoNAL

DWELLING PLACE CHURCH / Being the church in every day life experiences / Sundays at 10:30am / www.dpclife.com

Magnolia Theater / 3699 McKinney Ave. / 469.438.5405

P RESB y TERIAN

KING’S PARISH A SSoCIATE REfoRmED PRESBy TERIAN CHURCH

kingsparish.com / Rev. David Winburne / Worship at 10:00 am

Meets at Ridgewood Park Rec Center / 469.600.3303

NoRTHPARK PRESBy TERIAN CHURCH / 214.363.5457

9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org

Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services

NoRTHRIDGE PRESBy TERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:30 am / Childcare provided.

ST. ANDREW ’S PRESBy TERIAN / Skillman & Monticello Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org

214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am

UNIT y

UNIT y of DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972-233-7106 / UnityDallas.org

Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am

Better together

The “spiritual but not religious” group is growing. These “believers” do not participate in formal religious communities. They are faith freelancers: carrying God and moral values in their hearts, but not worshipping with others on Sundays, serving or teaching or praying with others, or giving their money to the mission of a religious institution that they belong to.

The trend away from religious practice in America is disturbing (especially to a pastor, for obvious reasons). Every new report brings worse news than the last about the disappearance of people from the pew.

Reasons for disaffection are diverse, yet not all defensible.

Some have left church because they have been wounded or offended by judgmental believers or unbending leaders. Upholding moral standards can morph into scorn for those who fall and fail. Instead of mercy being the air we breathe in the church, it is reluctantly doled out to contrite sinners. Since we are all sinners, some sinners therefore are in charge of reminding other sinners of their sin and then dispensing grace grudgingly. A lack of humanity and humility in spiritual leaders is demoralizing. Some dropouts have grown weary of the unhealthy encounter.

Others can no longer reconcile their faith with their intellect. The faith that made sense of the world to them as children makes less sense to them as adults. They accept the theory of evolution as fact. They believe the equality of women to men and gays to straight are self-evident. They can’t mesh a loving God with one who condemns most people to hell because they haven’t professed Jesus as their Savior. Appeals to reject science, qualify equality or insist on eternal damnation in the name of faith leaves them cold if not hot, and some take their leave from church because of it.

Increasing numbers are not closing the door on church; they are just not darkening the doors of churches. I see more drifting

away than running away. It happens when kids get involved in sports activities on Sundays or after kids are gone from the home. The habit is broken, even if the faith isn’t.

But if faith isn’t practiced within a community, is it not broken? The church may be broken, but what about those who leave it behind? Attitudes of pride and superiority can creep in there, too. Neither scorn nor apathy is a virtue, even if directed toward church.

Most churches work to pass on the meaning of a good life that pleases God. Practiced religion — more than unanchored spirituality — points to that life, reinforces those truths, and bears witness to God by concerted acts of justice and kindness.

The Rev. Lillian Daniel has written a new book titled “When Spiritual But Not Religious Is Not Enough.” Says she: “Throughout time and history people grow closer to God by going deeply into a religious tradition. There is value in landing somewhere and going deep, … allowing yourself to be shaped by a tradition that is bigger than you are. I think the danger of creating your own spirituality is that you simply create a God in our own image. That works when your life is going well, but when things fall apart that is not really much of a foundation.”

Relationships are hard work, even — maybe especially — a relationship with God. Working on it with others is time-tested wisdom. We get better together. Together, we get better.

In this journey of faith, we really do need each other

I see more people drifting away from church than running away. The habit is broken, even if the faith isn’t. But if faith isn’t practiced within a community, is it not broken?

George Mason is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church. The Worship section is a regular feature underwritten by Advocate Publishing and by the neighborhood business people and churches listed on these pages. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

community

After 34 years, the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association board of directors and District 14 City of Dallas Councilwoman Angela Hunt gave what is now called the Dallas St. Patrick’s Parade a new kick. On Jan. 16, they revealed the new name and logo. The parade, which is to be held March 16, is expected to attract more than 100,000 people and generate millions of dollars for the City.

For those “impulse gardeners” out there who need help turning their backyard from an eyesore into a utopia, the Dallas Arboretum is offering weekly adult education classes until June. These classes, like the one it held in February with landscape architect Bill Goodnick, will cover topics such as gardening, photography and painting.

Caddo Investments hopes to sell its two Lakewood office towers, including the Advocate’s home base, the Wells Fargo Bank Building, and three other Uptown buildings the group owns. Caddo successfully revived the old Wells Fargo property and made the building accessible to neighborhood groups who need office space for meetings.

education

The Woodrow Wilson Wildcats Boys and Girls swim teams paddled away with District 13-4A trophies and titles on Jan. 24 at the Alfred J. Loos Natatorium. As a relay team, the boys swim team finished first place in the 400m freestyle relay and second place in the 200m medley relay. Individually, Max Zotos won the 100m backstroke and 200m medley; Noah Thompson won the 50m and 100m freestyle; and Colin Weimer won the 100m butterfly. Zane Wright placed second in both the 500m freestyle and 100m breast stroke. The girls swim team took first place in both the team 200m medley relay and team 400m freestyle relay. Individually, Olivia Schoenecker took first place in both the 200m and 500m freestyle; Greer Lambert took first place in the 100m butterfly and 100m breast stroke; and Samantha Schoenecker took first place in the 100m freestyle and placed second in the 50m freestyle.

During a meet in Azle, Texas, the Math/Science Team at J.L. Long brought home two Sweepstakes trophies – second place for the sixth grade team and second place for seventh and eighth grade team. The students also brought home four team trophies — all second place for sixth grade Number Sense, seventheighth grade Number Sense, sixth grade Calculator, and seventh-eighth grade Calculator. The students also received 42 individual awards.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE FEATURED?

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

The Art Metals program opens up employment opportunities within the art industry.

Fine arts may include metal sculpture among other techniques.

Cost: $249 for 48 HRS.

For more information call 214-860-5900.

IT ALL BEGINS HERE. 1402 Corinth Street 214-860-5900 www.elcentrocollege.edu

March 2 FREE ADMISSION

Art Scavenger Hunt 10 am – 2 pm

Children’s Art Activity

10 am – 12 noon

Art in Action Sculpture Demo

10 am – 12:30 pm

Family Tours

Hourly from 10:15 am – 12:15 pm

Yoga in the Garden 11:30 am

Presented by YogaSport (weather permitting)

Creative Writing with The Writer’s Garret 12 pm

Storytime with Dallas Public Library 12:30 pm

NasherKids Live! 1 pm

Science for Kids, Presented by the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

NasherKids Meal at Nasher Cafe

11 am – 2 pm

NasherSculptureCenter.org

Palm Sunday Worship 10:30 March 24 Maundy Thursday Communion 7 pm March 28

Good Friday Tenebrae 7 pm March 29

Easter Breakfast 9 am March 31

CELEBRATION OF EASTER 10:30 am March 31 c c

Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development

Donut dash

The Hypnotic Dont 5k featured donut hole pit stops on the course and donuts for runners before and after the race.

EvEnts

TABLE TALK

Not your typical women’s bible study Times Ten Cellars

March 25 - May 6 6:45-8:15pm Register Online: www.TheMarcellaProject.com

ClassEs/tutoring/ lEssons

ART: Draw or Paint. All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Jane Cross, 214-534-6829. Linda, 214-808-4919.

ARTISTIC GATHERINGS

Art Classes For All Ages. Casa Linda Plaza. 214-821-8383. www.artisticgatherings.com

DRUM & PIANO LESSONS Your location. UNT Grads, Betty & Bill. View BucherMusicSchool.com or call 469-831-7012

GUITAR OR PIANO Fun/Easy. Your Home. 9 to Adult. Prof Musician. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

JEWELRY Making Parties at Art Gallery. BYOB & creativity. All else included! jewelrymakingparty.com or 1-855-254-6625

LOCAL TEACHER WHO TUTORS Algebra 2, Pre Cal, Calculus. Your Home/Mine. Melissa-MS. 817-988-0202

MATH TUTORING Elementary through High School Sari Bahl, MS Ed 25+ years exp. 214-357-8680

VOICE TEACHER with 38 years experience. MM, NATS www.PatriciaIvey.com 214-769-8560

ChildCarE

LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982 Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.

EmploymEnt

AIRLINE CAREERS Begin Here. Become an Aviation Maintenance Tech. FAA Approved. Training. Financial Aid, if qualified. Housing available. Job placement assistance.

AIM 866-453-6204

CREATE INCOME From The Internet. One On One Coaching & Group Support. www.MonthlyResidual.net

Contestants compete in the donut hole chubby bunny contest, following the 5k. Rules: shove as many donut holes in your mouth as you can and say “chubby bunny.” Hypnotic Dash photos by Ethan Healy.

BusinEss opportunitiEs

I’M LOOKING FOR A PART-TIME ASSISTANT Must be a Go Getter. Computer Wiz. Call BJ Ellis 214-226-9875

sErviCEs for you

AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688

CONFUSED? FRUSTRATED? Let A Seasoned Pro Be The Interface Between You & That Pesky Computer. Hardware & Software Installation, Troubleshooting, Training. $60/hr. 1 hr min. Dan 214-660-3733 or stykidan@sbcglobal.net

profEssional sErviCEs

ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com

BOOKKEEPING NEEDS? Need Help Organizing Finances? No Job Too Small or Big.

Call C.A.S. Bookkeeping Services. Cindy 214-821-6903

ESTATE/PROBATE MATTERS Because every family needs a will. Mary Glenn, J.D. maryglennattorney.com • 214-802-6768

HOLLOWAY BENEFIT CONCEPTS Benefit strategy For Area Businesses. www.hollowaybenefitconcepts.com 214-329-0097

Jason Mauldin and Kristina Burkley raced in donut costumes. The pink hat, Burkley says, is the filling.

For kicks

The Robert E. Lee Elementary School girls soccer team, the Lady Cougars, won the Northeast Girls Division Championship in December. The team is led by coach Mario Ramires and coach Brad Willingham.

Book review

BULLETIN BOARD B

BUY/SELL/TRADE

POOP SCOOP PROFESSIONALS Trust The Experts. 214-826-5009

Dallas’ First Doggie Daycare Featuring “Open Play” Boarding 6444 E. Mockingbird at Abrams In-Home Professional Care Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

“Best of Dallas” D Magazine Serving the Dallas area since 1994 Bonded & Insured www.societypetsitter.com 214-821-3900

MAVS/DALLAS STARS TICKETS Neighborhood group needs partners for great Dallas Mavs/Dallas Stars seats — tickets are priced at our cost; 2 seats for each game. Mavs seats are in Platinum Level Section 204, front row; Stars seats are Section 123, Row B (second row from the glass).

E-mail rwamre@advocatemag.com or call 214-560-4212. We have great Rangers seats available, too!

TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951

ESTATE/GARAGE SALES

CLUTTERBLASTERS-ESTATE/MOVING SALES

De-Clutter/Organize www.ClutterBlasters.com

Donna@ClutterBlasters.com 972-679-3100

ESTATE SALES & LIQUIDATION SERVICES

Moving, Retirement, Downsizing. One Piece or a Houseful. David Turner. 214-908-7688. dave2estates@aol.com

Molly Caldwell Crosby , author of “The Great Pearl Heist,” with past president of the Dallas Woman’s Forum Suzanne Palmlund at the Alexander Mansion, 4607 Ross.

Dallas-based author MollyCaldwell Crosby gives a book review of her most recent book, “The Great Pearl Heist,” at the Dallas Women’s Forum.

appliaNCe repair

APPLIANCE REPAIR SPECIALIST

Low Rates, Excellent Service, Senior Discount. MC-Visa. 214-321-4228

JESSE’S A/C & APPLIANCE SERVICE

TACLB13304C All Makes/Models. 214-660-8898

Serving your Neighborhood Since 1993

Repairing: Refrigerators •Washer/Dryers

• Ice Makers •Stoves • Cooktops • Ovens 214✯823✯2629

CarpeNtry & remodeliNg

ATLANTIS DESIGN-BUILD, LLC

Complete Remodeling. 40 Yrs Exp. Additions. 1 & 2 Story. Kitchens, Baths. Small Jobs To Entire House. Renovation & Design. Full Time Supervision. Licensed/Insured. Free Estimates. 281-761-4648

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Remodeling, Kitchens, Baths, Additions. Hardie Siding & Replacement Windows. Radiant Barrier, Insulation. Bonded & Insured. www.blake-construction.com 214-563-5035

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right! www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Professional Home Remodel. Shannon O’Brien. 214-341-1448 www.obriengroupinc.com

PREVIEW CONSTRUCTION INC.

James Hardie Cement Siding. Energy Star Windows. Kitchens-Baths-Additions & More. 214-348-3836. See Photo Gallery at: www.previewconstruction.com

RENOVATE DALLAS

renovatedallas.net 214-403-7247

SQUARE NAIL WOODWORKING

Cabinet Refacing, Built-ins, Entertainment/ Computer Centers. Jim. 214-324-7398 www.squarenailwoodworking.com

•

CleaNiNg ServiCeS

A

CINDY’S HOUSE CLEANING 15 yrs exp. Resd/Com. Refs. Dependable. 214-490-0133

CLEANING BY LT

Full Service House Cleaning, Personal Errands, Parties, Rentals. Linda 214-566-7743

LAST MINUTE House Cleaning. When no one else will clean I will. Bonded. Leslee 214-438-7790

MAID 4 YOU Bonded/Insured. Park Cities/M Streets Refs. Call Us First. Joyce.214-232-9629

MESS MASTERS Earth friendly housecleaning. 469-235-7272. www.messmasters.com Since ‘91

THE MAIDS Angie’s List Award! Deep cleaning specialists, Eco-friendly supplies. 972-278-6000

WANTED: HOUSES TO CLEAN

20 yrs. exp., Reliable, Great Prices, Excellent Refs., Free Estimates. No Crews. Sunny 214-724-2555

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

''You

daviscreativeservice.com

Commercial Construction Remodel Cleans make-readys windows carpet

$25.00 Off – 1st Full Detail Clean Complimentary quotes! lecleandallas.com

214.750.4888 20 years in business!

www.SherrellAir.com

972-216-1961 TACL-B01349OE

Computers & eleCtroniCs

BILL’S COMPUTER REPAIR

Virus Removal, Data Recovery. Home /Biz. Network Install. All Upgrades & Repairs. PC Instruction, No Trip Fee. 214-348-2566

COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED Great Rates! Keith 214-295-6367

IQUEUE MEDIA COMPANY 214-478-8644 TV Installation, Computer Repair, Security.

ConCrete/ masonry/paving

BRICK & STONE REPAIR

Don 214-704-1722

BRICK, BLOCK, Stone, Concrete, Stucco. Gonzalez Masonry. 214-395-1319

CONCRETE REPAIRS/REPOURS

Demo existing.

Driveways/Patio/Walks

Pattern/Color available 972-672-5359 (32 yrs.)

CONCRETE, Driveway Specialist Repairs, Replacement, Removal, References. Reasonable. Chris 214-770-5001

EDMONDSPAVING.COM Asphalt & Concrete Driveway-Sidewalk-Patio-Repair 214-957-3216

FLAGSTONE PATIOS, Retaining Walls, BBQ’s, Veneer, Flower Bed Edging, All Stone work. Chris 214-770-5001

eleCtriCal serviCes

TEXAS ELECTRICAL • 214-289-0639

Honest, Quality. TECL 24668 CCs accepted.

TH ELECTRIC Reasonable Rates. Licensed & Insured. Ted. E257 214-808-3658

WHITE ROCK ELECTRIC All Electrical Services. Lic/Insd. E795. 214-850-4891

’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11 CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARDS

Making

972-926-7007

arrowelectric.net

Phones Answered 24/7

exterior Cleaning

BLOUNTS HAULING/TRASH SERVICE blountsjunkremovaldfw.com 214-275-5727

FenCing & DeCks

#1 COWBOY FENCE & IRON CO. Est. ‘91. 214-692-1991 www.cowboyfenceandiron.com

4 QUALITY FENCING Call Mike 214-507-9322

Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.

FenCing & DeCks

FounDation repair

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

Northlake Fence and Deck

Locally owned and operated by the Mccaffrey family since1980

214-349-9132

www.northlakefence.com

FireplaCe serviCes

CHIMNEY SWEEP Dampers/Brick & Stone Repair. DFW Metro. Don 214-704-1722

Flooring & Carpeting

ALL WALkS OF FLOORS 214-616-7641 Carpet, Wood, Tile Sales/Service Free Estimates

HASTINGS STAINED CONCRETE New/ Remodel. Stain/Wax Int/Ext. Nick. 214-341-5993. www.hastingsfloors.com

STAINED & SCORED CONCRETE FLOORS New/Remodel. Res/Com. Int/Ext. Refin. 15 Yrs. TheConcreteStudio.com 214-321-1575

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS 214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

garage Doors

GARAGE DOOR & SPRING REPAIR

972-672-0848 TexasGaragePros.com

20% off with “Advocate Magazine”

ROCKET GARAGE DOOR SERVICE -24/7. Repairs/Installs. 214-533-8670. Coupon On Web. www.RocketDoorService.com

UNITED GARAGE DOORS AND GATES Res/Com. Locally Owned.214-826-8096

glass, WinDoWs & Doors

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Expert Window Cleaning. Haven 214-327-0560

CLEARWINDOWSANDDOORS.COM

Replacement Windows & Doors Free Estimate 214-274-5864

LAKE HIGHLANDS GLASS & MIRROR custom mirrors • shower enclosures store fronts • casements 214-349-8160

PELLA WINDOWS & DOORS

Specializing in Replacement Windows & Doors. Dan Cupp 972-742-6011 cuppdw@pella.com

ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829

Swimming Pool Remodels • Patios Stone work • Stamp Concrete 972-727-2727

Deckoart.com

eleCtriCal serviCes

4 U ELECTRICAL SERVICE, LLC

We will be there 4 U. 972-877-4183

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

Family Owned/Operated. Insd. 214-328-1333

EXPERIENCED LICENSED ELECTRICIAN Insd. Steve. TECL#27297 214-718-9648

LAKEWOOD ELECTRICAL Local. Insured. Lic. #227509 Call Rylan 214-434-8735

MASTER ELECTRICIAN Lic #TECL 55703. Resd/Comcl. Bonded. Contr Lic# TECL23423. Trinity Electrical Services. David 214-802-0436

MORIN ELECTRIC New/Remodel.Com/Res. Panel Changes/Full Services. All Phases. All Service Work. 469-230-7438. TECL2293

A FATHER, SON & GRANDSON TEAM Fences, Gates, Decks. Haven 214-327-0560

AMBASSADOR FENCE INC.

Automatic Gates, Iron & Cedar Fencing, Decks. Since 1996. MC/V 214-621-3217

CREATIVE METAL SOLUTIONS LLC

Automatic Gates, Fence, Stairs, Stair/Balcony Railings, Wine Cellar Gates. 214-325-4985

HANNAWOODWORKS.COM Decks,Doors, Carpentry, Remodeling 214-435-9574

KIRKWOOD FENCE & DECK

New & Repair. Free Estimates. Nathan Kirkwood. 214-341-0699

LONESTARdECkS.COm 214-357-3975

Decks, Arbors, Fences, Patio Covers

Trex Decking & Fencing.

#1

EST. 1991

FENCE & IRON CO.

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

WORLEY TILE & FLOORING Custom Marble Install. 214-779-3842

Restoration Flooring

THERASA’S SPECIALTIES Creates Unique Custom Window Treatments: Drapes, Valances, Cornice Boards, Roman Shades & More 972-271-6484 To Schedule Free In Home Estimate.

Energy-Efficient Windows

25+ Years Experience

469.774.3147

Hardwood Installation · Hand Scraping Sand & Finish · Dustless restorationflooring.net

Taking pride in our work

since 1975

WHITE ROCK FLOORS Hardwoods New/Refurbished Ceramic Tile

wrfloors@sbcglobal.net

Old fashioned work ethic.

Quality Workmanship, Quality Materials, Reasonable Prices, since 1987. 214.319.8400 fosterexteriors.com

1350 N. Buckner Suite 216

HOURS: M-F 8:30a-5p

214-293-7039

• frameless and framed shower doors & enclosures

• many glass & hardware options

premium quality custom shower doors & enclosures 214-530-5483

showerdoordallas.com

April DEADliNE MArch 6 214.560.4203 TO ADVErTiSE

Handyman ServiceS

#1 AT BIG JOBS. NO JOB TOO SMALL. 40+ years exp. Ron Payne 214-755-9147

A HELPING HAND Repairs, Redo’s & Remodeling.No Job Too Small.Chris 214-693-0678

A R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044

ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830

BO HANDYMAN Specializing In Historic Home Renovations & Pro Remodels. Custom Carpentry, Doors, Kitchens, Baths & more. 214-437-9730

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right. www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635

HARGRAVE CONSTRUCTION Kitchen, Bath, Doors, Tile & Handyman Services. 214-215-9266

HOMETOWN HANDYMAN All phases of construction. No job too small 214-327-4606

HONEST, SKILLED SERVICE With a Smile. General Repairs/ Maintenance. 214-215-2582

TW SERVICES Home Repairs and Yard Care. Contact 214-531-1897

WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS

Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232

Your Home Repair Specialists

Drywall Doors Senior Safety Carpentry

Small & Odd Jobs And More! 972-308-6035

HandymanMatters.com/dallas

Bonded & Insured. Locally owned & operated.

HouSe

Painting

1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work.

Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928

#1 GET MORE PAY LES

Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070

A + INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL

Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681

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ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned

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ALL TYPES Painting & Repairs. A+ BBB rating. Small jobs welcome. Call Kenny 214-321-7000

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality

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HouSe Painting

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

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RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 972-613-2585

WHITE ROCK PAINT & REMODEL References. Mark Reindel 214-321-5280

Painting · Remodeling

214-870-3939

www.amistadcsc.com

KitcHen/BatH/ tile/grout

FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com 214-343-4645

HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodels Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628

TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444

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interior deSign

A LADY’S TOUCH WALLPAPERING Free Estimates. 972-832-3396

CUSTOM DRAPERY Window Treatments, Blinds,Shades,Upholstery. Designer Workroom. 15% seniors & New Homeowners. Linda 214-212-8058 dblinda86@msn.com

FURNITURE PAINTING Tired of old Kitchen or Bathroom Cabinets. Let us make them over in a hot new paint treatment. Jamie or Kay 214-773-7221

TLC DESIGN INC Exp’d. Design Pro. Interiors/ Remodels. Consult 972-922-6483 tlcdi.com

KitcHen/BatH/ tile/grout

BATHTUB, COUNTERTOP & TILE Resurfacing: Walls, Tub Surrounds, Showers. Glaze or Faux Stone finishes. Affordable Alternative to Replacement! 972-323-8375. PermaGlazeNorthDallas.com

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

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• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

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• Kitchen Countertops

lawnS, gardenS & treeS

25% OFF TREE WORK Trim. Dead Tree Removal. Roberts Tree Svc. Insd. 10 yrs exp. 214-808-8925

A BETTER TREE COMPANY • JUST TREES

Complete tree services. Tree & Landscape Lighting! Fence & Deck, install/repair. Mark 214-332-3444

ADVANCED TREE SERVICE

Quality Tree Trimming & Removal. 214-455-2095

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING Firewood for Sale! Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Fall Special 20% Off Tree Work. 45 yrs exp. Insured. blountssodinstallation.com 214-275-5727

BRUMLEY GARDENS Visit us on Facebook Landscape Maintenance, Installation & Design 214-343-4900 www.brumleygardens.com

CASTRO TREE SERVICE Quality Work at Great Rates. Free est. Insured. 214-337-7097

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

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GREENSKEEPER Fall Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

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ORTIZ LAWNCARE Complete Yard Care. Service by Felipe. Free Est. 214-215-3599

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Installations of Fine Gardens, Patios, Paths & more!

lawnS, gardenS & treeS

RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296) SPRINKLERS, LANDSCAPING, Stone Work, Drainage. Installed and Repaired. Call Kevin at 214-535-3352,Lic#7840. www.bigdirrigation.com

TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION Repairs, service, drains. 27 yrs exp. Ll 6295. Backflow Testing Cell-469-853-2326. John

THE POND MAN Water Gardens Designed & Installed. Drained & Cleaned. Weekly Service. Jim Tillman 214-769-0324

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PesT

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Lakewood Resident

PLumbinG

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M&S PLUMBING Quality Work & Prompt Service. Jerry. 214-235-2172. lic.#M-11523

REPAIRS, Fixtures, General Plumbing, Senior Discounts. Campbell Plumbing. 214-321-5943

PooLs

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

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LOCK’S POOL SERVICE - 469-235-2072

Dependable repairs. Pool Electrical TICL #550

MICHAEL’S POOL SERVICE

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LEAFCHASER’S POOL SERVICE

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan Mossman FREE ESTIMATES 214-729-3311

roofinG & GuTTers

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NATIONWIDE ROOFING,FENCING,GUTTERS

BBB member. 214-882-8719

S&H IMPROVEMENTS 972-231-4273

Hand-nailed Roofing In Dallas Since 1984 Lifetime Transferable Labor Warranty

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

BERT

ADVOCATE PUBLISHING does not pre-screen, recommend or investigate the advertisements and/ or Advertisers published in our magazines. As a result, Advocate Publishing is not responsible for your dealings with any Advertiser. Please ask each Advertiser that you contact to show you the necessary licenses and/or permits required to perform the work you are requesting. Advocate Publishing takes comments and/or complaints about Advertisers seriously, and we do not publish advertisements that we know are inaccurate, misleading and/or do not live up to the standards set by our publications. If you have a legitimate complaint or positive comment about an Advertiser, please contact us at 214-5604203. Advocate Publishing recommends that you ask for and check references from each Advertiser that you contact, and we recommend that you obtain a written statement of work to be completed, and the price to be charged, prior to approving any work or providing an Advertiser with any deposit for work to be completed.

COMPREHENSIVE DENTISTRY

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80% of our perception is processed through our visual system. It is estimated that one in four school age children has an undiagnosed vision condition. Regular vision exams will ensure that your child’s eyes and visual system are helping them gain the most from their school experience. Call Dallas Eyeworks to schedule a convenient exam with Dr. Meyer.

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6458 East Mockingbird Lane

The T iny dog preven T ed a big crime.

It was a cold morning, in the mid-30s, and the sun was not expected to rise for another couple hours. Delene Ephraim and her husband, Erich, were asleep in their White Rock Valley home when a distinct noise — the repeated yapping of their tiny Dachshund — broke the night’s silence. Ephraim says her husband got out of bed to investigate the commotion in the backyard.

“He came out and started turning on all the lights,” she says. “The dog just wouldn’t stop barking.”

Amazingly, someone had actually scooped up the puzzled pooch and put it in its doggy crate. A closer investigation also revealed someone had tampered with a window screen in an apparent attempt to enter the home. The tiny pooch had saved the day — a canine hero.

Unfortunately, the Ephraims’ good fortune did not extend to their neighbor.

“The neighbor behind us hadn’t been at home and they got cleaned out,” Ephraim says.

Burglaries with residents in the home, are a scary proposition for sure, but luckily “man’s best friend” lived up to the adage in this case.

The Victim: erich and Delene ephraim

The Crime: Criminal mischief

Date: Saturday, Feb. 12

Dallas Police Sgt. Keitric Jones of the Northeast Patrol Division says dogs are good pets due to the fact that they can scare away burglars. He says this type of attempted burglary is rare.

Time: 5 a.m.

Location: 9500 block of Mossridge

“No matter if the dog is big or small, the bark usually scares the burglars away,” he says. “Break-ins are not really common during the night time hours. They are usually in the day because that is when most people work. If burglaries happen at night, it is normally because the suspect knows that no one is home.”

Because of this, Jones says to make sure your home is adequately lit during hours of darkness, especially in the rear of the residence, and make sure windows and doors are secure at all times even when at home. If you are present during an attempted break-in, Jones says, call the police, stay in a safe place until officers arrive and do not confront the burglar.

Sean

Chaffin

is a freelance writer and author of “Raising the Stakes”, obtainable at raisingthestakesbook.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

DO BETTER

Are we ready for the redevelopment of the Lakewood shopping center — a West Village-style re-do using the iconic movie theater as its focus? This is not to say it will happen, or even that it could, given the zoning and ownership problems that would have to be solved.

But talk to enough commercial real estate types, and their answer is almost always the same. If Lincoln Property, which bought the north part of the center last summer, wants to maximize its return, it will almost certainly have to do more than move lowpaying tenants to its Gaston-GarlandGrand property and replace them with

to Arboretum Boulevard). But several of the people I talked to — all of whom asked not to be identified, since they do business with the company — said it’s not difficult to imagine a scenario where Lincoln would propose remodeling the center along the lines described above. And, if it worked closely with the area’s neighborhood groups to develop a first-class project that would minimize traffic, identify key tenants to bring in, and boost property values, it’s certainly possible that Lincoln could overcome neighborhood resistance.

How could Lincoln Property not want to turn the Lakewood shopping center into a showpiece? But its efforts so far show that Lincoln may well be happy with taking the path of least resistance.

tenants better able to afford higher rents. Said one: “It’s all about highest and best use.”

Lincoln, as always, didn’t respond to an interview request (no doubt I should have been a little more circumspect on its proposal to rename Garland Road

There’s much to be said for offering to take the center into the 21st century while keeping those things that make it such an important part of the neighborhood. We could have a signature urban development that would be an example not just for the rest of the city but the country as well. (It would make some silly bridge look like the boondoggle that it has always been.)

Lincoln would have to overcome three hurdles to make any of this work. First, the area’s zoning, a 41-page planned development district that stretches from the Whole Foods to the Faulkner building, does not allow above-ground parking, and this kind of project requires a parking garage to make financial sense. One estimate? That it hold 250 to 300 cars. Second,

the shopping center is owned by two other groups — the theater strip by Lake Highlands’ Rutledge-Willingham, and the old library building in the middle by the Diener and Mills families.

Any proposal would have to amend this maze of zoning, never easy in this part of town, and figure out a way around the ownership tangle. Though, and this may be telling, a Lincoln representative apparently approached one of the other owners about selling last year.

The third obstacle? Whether Lincoln has the political and financial will to do this kind of project. It is one of the most respected retail and residential developers in the country, and I would have bet anything, when it bought the center, that this kind of project would have been on its agenda. How could it not want to turn the shopping center into a showpiece?

But its efforts so far — shifting tenants to and fro and proposing nothing more than another suburban-style strip center at Gaston, Garland and Grand — show that Lincoln may well be happy with taking the path of least resistance. One commercial real estate broker told me, given what he knows of the company’s mindset, that it’s content to bring tenants into the shopping center that can pay double the rent that current tenants were paying. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, and it’s Lincoln’s right.

But it doesn’t seem like the highest and best use for the property.

Jeff Siegel, a neighborhood resident, writes a monthly opinion column about neighborhood issues. His opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to him at 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; fax to 214.823.8866; or email editor@advocatemag.com.