2012 July Lake Highlands

WHITE ROCK’S WILD SIDE

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Model home

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

The happy people

A simple truth about this complicated demographic

A couple of months ago at a graduation ceremony, I listened as one of the highranking students addressed the crowd with a remarkably complete view of her future.

Her view was remarkable because the newly minted graduate still has quite a bit to learn about how the world actually works.

But no matter. She said something interesting that I’m still thinking about weeks later.

Quoting her father, she talked about striving to achieve this particular piece of advice: Go where the happy people are.

Turns out that pearl probably is derived from a song by “The Trammps” during the 1970s; the song’s about a lonely homebody who “put my blues on the shelf” and headed to a disco to be where the “happy people go.”

That’s a simple piece of wisdom, and it’s more difficult to achieve than it sounds, primarily because finding “happy people” is more challenging as we venture further and further from high school.

Identifying “happy people” is something I’ve thought quite a lot about lately. I’ve learned over the years that “smiling” people aren’t necessarily “happy”; some of them are just really good at looking the part, even if they hurt a lot beneath the surface.

And I’ve learned that “scowling” people aren’t necessarily “unhappy,” since hard work and relentless pressure tends to bend even the strongest among us, curling the face muscles permanently downward even if the attitude inside isn’t

necessarily that way.

So if hanging with happy people is a goal, yet finding them isn’t easy, what’s the real message?

Something I’ve noticed over the years is that the people who are happiest seem to have discovered a simple fact of life: You’re likely to be happy if you honestly believe you are really good at something.

From what I can tell, you don’t actually have to be good at a specific task to be happy; you just have to believe you are.

As an example, look at our presidents and those who are candidates for the office: Agree with them or not, they always exhibit the confidence that comes with sincerely believing they are the right man or woman for the job. And no matter how well others think they did in office, they seem satisfied with their effort.

Look at athletes, the elite and the beerdrinking alike: They are good because when the game is on the line, they believe they alone should be taking the shot or fielding the ball.

It works the same with teachers, with waitresses, with day-care workers, with truck drivers — those who believe they are best at what they do want to be in the middle of the action and seem most likely to be happy.

It makes sense: If we believe we’re good at something, we have reason to go home at the end of every day satisfied that we’re making a contribution to our neighborhood, to our companies, to our co-workers, to our friends and to ourselves.

And although simply going home each day happy to have made a contribution may not sound that earthshaking, those of us who have been at this awhile know that if it was all that easy, it wouldn’t be so difficult to “go where the happy people are.”

Rick Wamre is publisher of Advocate Publishing. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; fax to 214.823.8866; or email rwamre@advocatemag.com.

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publisher: RICK WAMRE

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editors

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RACHEL STONE

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art director: J ULIANNE fOWLER

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contributing editors: JEff SIEGEL, SALLY WAMRE

contributors: SEAN CHAffIN, GAYLA KOKEL, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAff

photo editor: CAN TüRKYILMAZ

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photographers: MARK DAVIS, DANNY fULGENCIO, ALISON fECHTEL, LORI BANDI

interns: JASMINE BIBBS, TALLY MCCORMACK, MATT MOZEK, JESSICA PETROCCHI, AMBER PLUMLEY, AMANDA RAMIREZ, KELSEY SAMUELS, LAURI VALERIO, CLARA WITTEN

Advocate Publishing 6301 Gaston Avenue, Suite 820, Dallas, TX 75214

Advocate, © 2011, is published monthly by East Dallas – Lakewood People Inc.

Contents of this magazine may not be reproduced. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for the content of all advertisements printed, and therefore assume responsibility for any and all claims against the Advocate. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising material. Opinions set forth in the Advocate are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the publisher’s viewpoint. More than 200,000 people read Advocate publications each month. Advertising rates and guidelines are available upon request. Advocate Publications are available free of charge throughout our neighborhoods, one copy per reader. Advocate was founded in 1991 by Jeff Siegel, Tom Zielinski and Rick Wamre.

MOST IMAGING APPOINTMENTS

SCHEDULED THE SAME DAY.

Because when it’s your health you want answers quickly.

At Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, we understand the importance of getting your tests done soon after your doctor orders them. That’s why we do our best to make appointments the same day you call. Our outpatient imaging department provides a range of services including magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography scanning, nuclear medicine, ultrasound, digital mammography, stereotactic breast biopsy, bone densitometry and X-ray.

Conveniently located in east Dallas, we have extended hours, free parking, and we accept most insurance.

To schedule an appointment, call 214-324-6220 or visit WhiteRockImaging.com.

ONLINE

North Lake Highlands development

On June 13, Lauri Valerio wrote about a long-term “idea” to replace the ALDI shopping center at Forest and Audelia with a fueling station for city vehicles. Search: fuel ForestAudelia for the full story.

Here’s what readers had to say: Forgive my ignorance, but how can tearing down apartments at Forest and Audelia be a bad thing? —LH ‘82 If they replace it with something worse for neighboring communities, such as loud smelly trucks at all hours of the night, it’s a bad thing. Also, once a zoning is changed it is changed forever. If it’s already gone this far, it’s a done deal. I just hope the neighboring homes don’t suffer for it. —LIKE IT IS I wonder what the Hazmat cost will be for decontamination of the property?

The Goforth service center has been spilling grease and oil runoff into the creek for years. —MICK

If they do this, they need to do it right. They’ll need to add a few stop signs in that neighborhood, so the police and city vehicles can disregard them on the way to and from the gas pumps. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to dodge non-stopping vehicles coming out of the facility on Goforth, and how many police cars and city trucks I’ve observed ignoring the stop signs at White Rock TrailLanshire, and White Rock Trail-Goforth.

—WILSON!

Rules of the restaurant

Contributor Carol Toler recently wrote about dining out with children. She relayed an experience at a neighborhood restaurant in which kids took over the outdoor patio (search: “dining kids” for full story).

Readers responded:

Perhaps they made special arrangements with the restaurant, but otherwise, no, not cool. Kids at a restaurant should be

directly supervised, behave appropriately, sit at the table, and eat the food that the restaurant serves. —AMC

Mixed feelings on this topic since I no longer have “little ones.” What angers/ annoys me is when I see parents turning a blind eye to their loud/ill-mannered children sitting right at the table with them... when they are clearly disrupting everyone around them. Eating out for our family was a family experience and an opportunity to spend quality time as a family... not ignoring behavior, or spending the evening with everyone’s noses stuck in their smartphones. —LH PARENT

I am the mother of 9- and 6-year-olds. I think that is completely inappropriate, both to put a group of kids in a completely different area and bring in pizza for them instead of ordering the restaurant’s food. I can’t believe the restaurant didn’t fuss about it. It’s really pretty stunning to me that people had the gall to do this. —BLP This sounds like special arrangements were made and probably paid for in advance. I can’t imagine anyone in any neighborhood doing this without special permission.

—GUEST

Crime in our neighborhood

Find breaking crime stories on the lakehighlands.advocatemag.com

June 6, a man is arrested for walking naked down Skillman (search: arrested naked).

June 11, police search for rapist attacking women near Richland College (search: sexual assailant).

June 12, a dead body is found near Super Target in Lake Highlands (search: dead body trail).

June 12, a burglar enters a home while the family sleeps (search: break-in).

June 18, the suspected Richlandarea rapist is arrested (search: rapes). Stay informed and stay safe. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/ category/crime.

Launch

community | events | food

neighborhood drama

Late at night, in a quiet Lake Highlands neighborhood, several people witness a bloody murder. They are neither horrified nor confused, for Tommy White, owner of the property on which the act occurs, has warned his neighbors in advance. “There is a film crew shooting a murder scene in our front yard,” he notified the homeowners group earlier that week. “Please don’t be alarmed.” White’s majes-

tic colonial-style home plays a key role in the forthcoming feature-length indie film “The Dahl Dynasty,” a modern retelling of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” written by Dallasite Kristen Reed. Reed, who partnered with Fort Worth producer Bryan Quinn, found places to shoot the film the same way she rounded up actors — Craigslist. She advertised her need for a Dahl Dynasty mansion. White was one of sev-

eral to volunteer his home. He’d recently revamped its façade. Once Reed saw it, she needed to look no further. “It was perfect. I didn’t need to look at any other homes.” They shot several scenes inside and outside the White House, as neighbors know it. They also shot at several locations around the city, including nearby Pocket Sandwich Theatre. Once she got going, Reed managed to shoot the low-

Producer Bryan Quinn and writer Kristen Reed used this Lake Highlands house for the set of their feature film. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Remodeling Talk...

Storm Damage to Your Roof?

Choose a Contractor Wisely

Has your roof been damaged by hail or wind, or are there other areas of damage? While replacing a roof seems relatively simple, there are many roofing contractors who are not fully qualified to do the job right. Their shoddy work could cost you money, headaches, or worse. You’ll find inexperienced roofers cropping up after a hail storm. We’re not against opportunism in the land of opportunity, but as a customer, beware. If you don’t use a local company with a Dallas license, an office, a reputation to protect, and knowledge of the local area, you could have trouble. We’ve heard countless stories and repaired the leaks and careless work of fly-by-night roofers. When we look them up online, they’re usually nowhere to be found. So if you hire a company like this, will you be able to find them if you have a problem

two years from now? And will they still be in Texas?

Poor work is common in roofing because customers are usually unaware of what’s involved (and the roof is out of sight and out of mind), including smart best practices, roof flashing details, handling problem spots, understanding alternative roof coverings, shingle types, grades, colors, low and high slope roofing. A roofer you can trust to be around for years and to back your warranty will earn your business by providing a thorough consultation and advice on the products, the process, and the warranty coverages. Even more important, a good roofing company will have a history and a reputation they won’t risk jeopardizing. Bella Vista Company is one. Please talk to us first if your roof is in need of repair or replacement. We’ll come out, inspect your roof, and give you a pressure-free, informative consultation.

budget feature-length film in about two weeks. The modernized Shakespearean tragedy revolves around Hamilton Dahl IV, heir to the Dahl family, and his quest for justice following the murder of his father by Uncle Claude. Once Reed is done with the editing, she hopes to shop it to film festivals. It’s all an exciting experience, she says. “I have written a lot of things, but I have never staged what I have written and seen what I’ve written come to life like this.”

—Christina Hughes Babb

Flag Pole Hill

As told to Keri Mitchell by Sally Rodriguez, Dallas Park and Recreation Department’s historian. Photos are courtesy of the Dallas Municipal Archives and curated by Rodriguez. She authored the book “White Rock lake,” available at area bookstores and through arcadiapublishing.com.

More than 400 acres for the northern area of White Rock Lake was acquired from Church Goforth, including the land now known as Flag Pole Hill. The area was originally named Doran’s Point Overlook. The point can be seen just across Northwest Highway, on the upper left of the picture. Today the point’s edge is marked by trees and not water. The roadway that goes up and around Flag Pole Hill is Doran Circle. William Doran was a city commissioner responsible for negotiating with all the landowners to acquire the land for White Rock Lake. Because of its elevation, Flag Pole Hill was an excellent location for radio towers that can be seen in the foreground. The building closest to the towers was utilized by WRR and today is our reservation office. The southern extension of White Rock Trail has not been built through the park. The road going across the lower right hand corner is now Lanshire, but was originally Mockingbird Lane. Prior to the Mockingbird bridge over the lake, Mockingbird flowed directly into what is now West Lawther, and if you continue north of Northwest Highway, the road turns and flows into what is now Lanshire.

Now Mockingbird goes across and White Rock Trail has been built. This picture is prior to the dredging that created Mockingbird Point where the dog park is now. They dredged in the late ’60s and early ’70s. I had an argument with someone who was telling me about the 200-year-old pecan tree on Mockingbird Point and I said, “That’s kind of impossible because the land did not exist.”

late 1950s

paws & claws

top dog

Squirrel-chasing, for the average canine, is confined to the ground, and many a hardworking hound is left barking up the backyard tree. But Tillie is not your average pup. The swift and nimble 4-year-old mix scales trees in pursuit of the little pests. But she wasn’t always so sprightly. When her human Patty Lanum found her wandering the Highland Meadows neighborhood in lake Highlands, Tillie was young, skinny and sickly. “As you can see, she has blossomed,” lanum says. “I discovered her tree-climbing ability one morning when I was looking in the backyard for her. She is deaf so she cannot hear me when I call her. I saw something out of the corner of my eye in the big tree — it was Tillie! She’ll do anything to catch a squirrel.”

ADVERTISING

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what gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Feed a friend

Help area low-income seniors feed their furry friends with the Seniors’ Pets Assistance Network (SPAN). SPAN provides food and veterinary care for these animal companions who, in turn, can help the well-being of their elderly humans. The Aunt Louise Pet Pantry Food Delivery volunteers will meet at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 14 at Security Self Storage at 6640 Skillman and head out for a couple of hours to deliver food and chat with seniors. Visit seniorspets.org for more information.

Ditch ‘em

Make the World of Goods a little fuller by dropping off extra furniture, clothing, jewelry and other items at the Catholic Charities’ World of Goods Resale Store at 10675 E. Northwest Highway. You can also donate time and physical or organizational skills. Help out just once or commit to volunteering regularly. Find more information at catholiccharitiesdallas. org/WorldofGoods.

Navigate Dallas

PINOT’S PALETTE

Join us for for kid’s camp and paint... Surfs up, baby. July 16 from 1pm - 5pm PinotsPalette.com 214.827.4668

BRUMLEY GARDENS

Pesky mosquitos? Our Brumley Gardens diffusers are effective, stylish and deet free! Try our body spray for extra protection. Enjoy the outdoors! Shop Local. 10540 Church Road. 214.343.4900 brumleygardens.com

LA MARIPOSA IMPORTS

Welcome! Our Store is your Store for all your South of the Border shopping needs! New shipments arriving weekly! 2813 N. Henderson Ave. 214.826.0069 lamariposaimports.com

THE HOSPITALITY SWEET

Now open in London Café inside Timothy Oulton at Potter Square. 4500 N. Central Expressway. 214.534.2241

—Lauri Valerio

Make a friend and help a refugee adjust to Dallas life. In the International Rescue Committee’s American Friend Program, you can teach a refugee ways to navigate grocery stores, public transportation and libraries and help them improve their English. The program lasts two hours each week for six months. For more information, see rescue. org/us-program/us-dallas-tx.

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.

THE STORE IN LAKE HIGHLANDS

So very Hip!! Introducing campus-perfect styles and three new colors. Featured: Mini Hipster in Indigo Pop Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30. 214.553.8850 10233 E. NW Hwy., #410. TheStoreinLH.com

ADVOCATE ORNAMENT

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

Out & About

July

July 4

Exchange Club of Lake Highlands Fourth of July Parade

The annual celebration kicks off with a parade down Church, from Audelia west to White Rock Trail at 9 a.m. Pull up a chair and enjoy floats, vintage cars and more filled with LHHS Highlandettes, Bell Boys, babies, patriotic puppies and more. Afterward, all neighbors are invited for fun and games near the LH North Rec Center. This event helps raise funds for the Exchange Club of Lake Highlands’ annual scholarships and other community service projects. Church Street (across from LHHS), lhexchangeclub.org, free

THROUGH NOV. 5

Chihuly at the DallasArboretum

The Chihuly exhibit continues with dramatic, colorful glass sculptures in more than 15 locations throughout the gardens. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings are “Chihuly Nights,” an opportunity to see the sculptures illuminated. Artist Dale Chihuly’s sculptures have been showcased in 97 exhibitions in seven countries in the last decade.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, $9 (child)–$15 (adult); Chihuly Nights $9–$20

more local events or submit your own

LAKEHIGHLANDS.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

THROUGH JULY 15

Beautiful Daughters’

Dallas Children’s Theater presents the tale of a great African king’s search for a wife. Beautiful maidens, rhythmic drumming and African song make this show a lot of fun.

Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $20–$26

Too Hot To Handle 5k/15k

At 7:30 a.m., runners will face the heat at this race, held on the north side of White Rock Lake. Enjoy snacks and a beer garden in the sponsor village following the race. This event benefits the Protective Animal League and Team in Training, the world’s largest endurance sports training program with a mission to raise money to fight blood cancers. Awards will be announced at 9 a.m. Norbuck Park, runproject.org/ too-hot-handle-5k15k, $30–$45

‘Mufaro’s

JULY 3

36th Infantry Division, U.S. Military Band concert

The Dallas Arboretum hosts a patriotic concert from 7:30–9:30 p.m. Wear your best patriotic attire for the costume contest and have a chance at winning a family four-pack to Studio Movie Grill. Guests can preorder their food from Highland Park Cafeteria or purchase at the kiosk the night of the show. Gates open at 6 p.m. All tickets must be purchased online in advance.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, $9 (child member)–$22 (adult non-member), free parking

JULY 14, 28

White Rock Local Market

From 8 a.m.–1 p.m., join local farmers, artisans and more for a neighborhood farmers market. July 28 will feature farmers, growers and artisan foods, while July 14 is the “everything” market with arts and crafts as well.

Green Spot Market & Fuels, 702 N. Buckner, whiterocklocalmarket.com, free

JULY 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, 24, 26, 31

Concerts at the Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum’s concert series is back again for 2012. This month’s lineup includes Lime Light, Asleep at the Wheel, Good Question Band, Killdares, Molly Ringwalds, Blaze of Glory, Brave Combo and Spazmatics.

Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland, 214.515.6500, dallasarboretum.org, $9–$22

Our New addition has recently welcomed her new addition, Madelyn Eve Muller born May 7, 2012.

Jennifer Muller, MD begins her practice on Monday August 6, 2012.

We would like to welcome you to our Walnut Hill OB/Gyn family. Please call our office or go online to schedule an appointment.

Walnut Hill Obstetrics & Gynecology Associates

8305 Walnut Hill Ln. Ste. 100 Dallas, TX 75231 214-363-7801 www.walnuthillobgyn.com

Please visit our secure website to schedule an appointment, pay a bill or email your nurse.

Jeffrey M. Thurston, M.D David M. Bookout, M.D. ]Julie M. Hagood, M.D. James K. Richards, M.D. Jennifer Muller, M.D. John D. Bertrand, M.D. Jane E. Nokleberg, M.D. Hampton B. Richards, M.D.

There’s a certain stigma attached to dining out with small children. Servers are generally not enthusiastic about cleaning up the mess. Goodfriend passes no such judgment. “We don’t hate your kids,” says owner Matt Tobin. “We opened this restaurant for the neighborhood. We are catering to the element that is here, and it’s young families.” Goodfriend serves up “farmhouse burgers” made with grass-fed beef and has quite a selection of craft beers. The menu lists suggestions for pairings. The Loretta beef burger with onionbacon jam and blue cheese goes well with the Left Hand Milk Stout. Not a meat-eater? There are options for veggie and turkey burgers, too. The most inventive item on the menu, Tobin says, is the Latin Lover, a chorizo burger with roasted red peppers, caramelized onions and manchego. Goodfriend doesn’t have a kids’ menu, and it doesn’t need one. The “cuddly pigs” (pigs-in-a-blanket) and sweet waffle fries keep the little ones happy. —Emily

Toman

The coop burger comes with lettuce, tomato, an over-easy egg, grilled bacon and brie. Photo by Mark Davis

[SE Corner of Walnut Hill] atomicpie.com | 214.553.5733

JG’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers

In addition to old-fashioned burgers, JG’s serves up stuff kids crave — all-beef hot dogs, chicken tenders, grilled cheese sandwiches. But here that doesn’t mean skimping on items that will satisfy slightly more sophisticated palates, including bleu cheese cheeseburgers, veggie patties, big salads, fat stuffed jalapeños and imported beers.

And for all ages: real whipped cream-topped milkshakes!

12101Greenville, Ste. 109 972.644.8628

jgshamburgers.com

FOOD AND WINE ONLINE

MORE DINING SPOTS |

Picasso’s Pizza

Kids aren’t picky about pizza. It’s round and gooey and you eat it with your hands. But adults will appreciate Picasso’s quality pies. They’ll also enjoy myriad other menu items including baby back ribs or the popular crispy chicken avocado club sandwich. Picasso’s recently added a gluten-free pizza crust to the menu. Another plus is the casual, roomy, televisionsurrounded atmosphere.

7215 Skillman

214.553.8100

picassopizza.com

Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/dining

JJ’s Cafe

July is burger month at JJ’s!

Try our gourmet burgers. Five to choose from for $6.99! (Served with fries or rings.) JJ’s serves its full breakfast and lunch menu 7days a week from 7am2pm.

Atomic Pie

Specializing in American and Italian flavors. Choose from our signature pizza, sliders, fries, fresh salads and more. We are in your neighborhood and deliver. Mon-Th 11am-9pm, Fri and Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 12pm-9pm. Closed weekdays 2-4

Tukta Thai

Any place with a golf putting green inside has got to be low-key enough for families to enjoy. Tukta Thai, set next to a 7-Eleven, is laid-back in appearance, but these folks are serious about good food. For young ones, the menu features several flavors of fried rice. Brave adults can order crazy-spicy crazy noodles. Just don’t get those dishes mixed up.

9625 Plano

214.342.0121

Highlands Cafe

Great food in your neighborhood – fresh sandwiches, salads, homemade soups; famous hamburger; delicious dinner entrees; kid’s meals; beer and wine. Serving lunch and dinner 11am - 9 pm Monday thru Saturday.

Goodfriend carries 16 beers on draft.

Photo by Mark Davis

PIZZA

9660 Audelia, Ste. 117

Some of the many conditions treated:

Back, Hip and Knee Pain

Degenerative Disc Disease/Discogenic Pain

Sciatica/Radicular Pain

Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

Neck, Shoulder and Arm Pain

Headache Pain, Facial Pain, TMJ

Abdominal Pain

Pelvic Pain

Cancer Pain

Arthritis Pain

Eastlake Medical Building 10611 Garland Rd., Suite 111 Dallas, TX 75218 (p) 214.771.3535 (f) 214.276.1708

centralpainmgt.com

porch sippin’

Fâmega vinho verde ($7) Portugal

Texas summers are so annoyingly hot that even people who have lived here all their lives never get quite used to it. Right about now, most of us are looking at the thermometer, checking the calendar, and trying to figure out when the first cool day will get here.

Which mean it’s time for porch wines. These are lighter wines, red and white, that can be served cool — or even colder and offer relief from the heat. Typically, they’re lower in alcohol, are crisp and fresh tasting, and can even be sweet. Plus, they won’t turn to mush if you add an ice cube.

These wines will get any porch sipping started:

This Spanish sparkling wine was made for the North Texas summer. It’s soft and generous, with sweet lemon fruit and bubbles that won’t quit. It’s a touch sweeter than most bruts (which means dry), but that’s not a problem.

A French red with just enough grapey flavor so that you can tell it’s from Beaujolais, but also lots and lots of character. Had acid and freshness, rare for a Beaujolais, as well as an earthiness and even some dark fruit. The quintessential porch red.

Vinho verde means green wine in Portuguese, and yes, there is a green tint to it (and even a little fizz). But it’s made for hot weather, with low alcohol and sweetish green apple fruit, and it doesn’t require tasting panels or long discussions. You’ll see many different producers, but the wine tastes mostly the same regardless (and can often be the same wine with a different label).

—Jeff Siegel

JEFF SIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on lakehighlands.advocatemag.com

with your wine

Not your usual black bean and corn salad

This dish’s poor reputation is due to canned vegetables and their lack of flavor. Fortunately, there are ways around that, even if you have to use canned black beans. Use thawed frozen corn if you don’t have fresh, and cherry tomatoes are a vast improvement over the usual grocery store stuff. Serve as part of any picnic with your favorite porch wine.

GROCERY LIST

2 c cooked black beans (well-drained if canned)

1 c corn kernels

1 c cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

3-4 Tbsp chopped cilantro

1/4 c diced red onion

1 jalapeño, finely chopped

3-4 Tbsp lime juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the black beans and corn, and microwave for 30 seconds or so to heat up.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Serves four as a side dish

Takes about 15 minutes

Ask the wine guy

How many grapes does it take to make a bottle of wine?

About 2 1/2 pounds, which works out to .00025 of an acre.

—Jeff Siegel

ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com

pet cover contest

Do

Restaurant Talk

Food court fire

NorthPark Center was closed for more than an hour on a recent weekday after a grease fire in the Panda Express food court location overcame employees, traveled through a Vent-A-Hood and into the mall’s attic, and broke through the roof. This was discovered around 10:30 a.m., and after a quick evacuation and after firemen poked a hole in the roof over Panda Express, shoppers once again were invited back to resume spending money about 11:30 a.m.

—Rick Wamre

Coffee so good you’ll forget someone is selling cremation next door

It’s not the type of place that stands out immediately. You’re more likely to notice the large “Local Cremation” sign at the corner of Greenville and Royal than the quaint “Café Silva” or subsequent “Coffee Shop” one. And once you start thinking about the whole cremation thing, do you really still want coffee and a scone? I promise, once you taste the pastries, made with great care by wife-owner Suraiya Khan, and the coffee imported from various regions by husbandowner Masoom Khan, you will forget all about the good folks selling cremation at a reasonable

More restaurant tidbits:

—Christina Hughes Babb

price a couple doors down. CaféSilva is named for the littlest Khan, Nurah Silva, age 2. The location of the café, which also serves lunch, actually is perfect. It’s right on the White Rock Trail and directly across the street from Moss Haven Park. They even sell protein bars and gels for nutrition-craving runners and cyclists who drop in. They have a nice big window overlooking the trail and Royal Oaks golf course. Suraiya says she hopes to build a patio someday. While I was there for a June photo shoot, I ordered a dark coffee, remarking “I need all the caffeine I can get today!” That’s when these coffee experts filled me in on a secret that rocked my stimulant-dependent universe: Dark coffee typically has less caffeine than light coffee. What? Did a little research (Googling) and sure enough, they are right. Not that I doubted them. 8499 Greenville, Ste. #108, 214.267.9836

Every Tuesday now through September, drop by for half-priced glasses and bottles of wine at Grimaldi’s, the brick-oven pizzeria at The Shops at Park Lane.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub & Grill will host local band Time Machine and karaoke every Monday night. Live music throughout the month includes a July 4th performance by self-identified local “eclectic” musician Matt Barron.

Strut your own stuff. Tuesday nights at

THIS PAGE: A male, or drake, mallard’s vibrant plumage — its iridescent green head, bright yellow bill and trafficstopping orange feet — is instantly recognizable. This one is flying over the water near Sunset Bay, at the southeast side of White Rock Lake.

Wild things

You make our heart sing

he retired photographer hasn’t cleaned his kitchen this week. He’s been too busy taking pictures. After more than 30 years as a professional working for newspapers and magazines, including nearly 20 years shooting for the Advocate, Robert Bunch, a 60-something Vietnam veteran, quit photography for pay and instead took it up as a hobby.

Now he treks to White Rock Lake on an almost-daily basis (except in mid-summer, he says, when “it is too friggin’ hot”).

His preoccupation works in our favor, because after about a year and a half of this, Bunch agreed to share his best photos.

Here is a look at White Rock through the eyes of a no-nonsense nature lover. >>

Story Christina Hughes Babb | Photos Robert Bunch

LEFT: Photographer Robert Bunch, a bit of a wild thing himself, spends his mornings at White Rock Lake. Photo by Can Türkyilmaz

I go out there in the morning usually Sunset Bay because that’s a hotspot … I spend about three hours shooting pictures and spend about three hours editing them and putting them on my website. Then if I feel like it, I go back in the afternoon and shoot for a couple more hours. It’s almost like a full-time job. I mean, I’ve neglected cleaning the house; I spend all my time on this. I just love it, man.

Photographer Robert Bunch

Far LEFT: A great blue heron reflects while wading in Sunset Bay waters.

LEFT: “The black-bellied whistling duck is probably one of the rarest ducks I’ve seen out there,” Bunch says. “That’s the only time I’ve seen one show up.”

aBOVE: A ring-billed gull chases a panicked coot.

CloCkwise from top:

An eastern kingbird snags a delicious dragonfly for dinner. “This is taken right up at Winfrey Point, on the hill,” Bunch says.

Ducklings line up for a photo. “Right after I took this, that one near the middle who is a little taller than the rest of them stood up and started flapping his wings,” Bunch says. “And they are so little. You just can’t believe how little they are, man.”

“My coyote pictures all have an asterisk by them,” Bunch says, “because you aren’t really sure if they are full-blooded coyote or part-dog, part-coyote. This one’s a little doggy-looking, in my opinion.”

A tricolored heron puts on a show. “This is a great-looking bird here. I took this at Sunset Bay. He was about five feet off the shore.”

Far LEFT: Two white pelicans go at it.

abovE: A baby Baltimore oriole begs its momma for food. Bunch says he was thrilled to find the nest of orioles, which is a very rare find at White Rock Lake.

LEFT: Bunch spotted this bobcat near Sunset Bay. “He was there for a few seconds and then he disappeared,” Bunch says.

See Bunch’s full wildlife portfolio at robertbunchphotography.com.

Trapped!

It’s a warm spring morning and photographer Robert Bunch is doing what he loves most — shooting images of birds and other life near White Rock’s Sunset Bay, located on the southeast side of the pond.

A teacher and a bunch of young students are standing nearby, and the teacher says to Bunch, “Is that a bird out there?”

Bunch squints into the sunlight, through tree branches, and sees a long wing sticking straight up into the air. Bunch knew the bird was stuck, but it was across the water in impenetrable muck, he says.

However, Bunch, a bird enthusiast, couldn’t sit back and let the animal suffer.

“I just can’t watch a creature in trouble without doing something, you know?”

So he called a friend who directed him to Kathy Rogers, who owns the Rogers Wildlife Rehab Center.

Rogers was tied up with errands for the next couple of hours, but agreed to help if Bunch would hold tight, and if he could figure out a way to get her canoe to White Rock Lake.

“I waited a couple hours, then drove out there, and we loaded the canoe in my truck and drove back to the lake,” Bunch says.

Rogers, Bunch and an assistant piled into the tiny canoe and set out after the trapped blackcrowned night heron.

“The boat was real wobbly. I took an old camera and lens because I didn’t know if I was going to fall in. So we got out there, and there was the bird. You could see how his wing was caught up there. Turns out it was caught on a kite string. Someone’s kite had gotten away, and it was just draped over those trees. It tried to get away, and that string got tighter and tighter.

“[Rogers] reached for the bird it bit her and drew blood ... she cut it free and carried it back to the boat. We paddled back, and she held that bird between her knees. She said he needed to be checked out real closely.”

Rogers took the injured bird back to the rehab

center and fixed him up. A few days later, she invited Bunch to join her for the heron’s release back into the wild.

Bunch, of course, brought his camera to capture the magical moment.

—Christina Hughes Babb

Photos by Robert Bunch

Astute observers and a dedicated volunteer give a doomed bird a second chance

If this tree could talk

Oddly shaped trees, such as one in Moss Park, may hold historical information about early Indian travels

Story by Ali Lamb

In 1997, a small group of local preservationists and Comanche tribal elders crossed into Gateway Park, part of the Trinity River Forest in southern Dallas. Among them was Steve Houser, who grew up in the White Rock area and now lives in Richardson near his tree-care

consulting company, Arborilogical Services.

Houser was anxious. He had never spoken with a Comanche. He turned to James Yellowfish, the Comanche tribal historian, and told him how much he respects the way Indians coexist with nature.

Steve Houser, front, stands with members of the Dallas Historic Tree Coalition near a suspected Indian Marker Tree. Photo by Danny Fulgencio

Yellowfish amended, “We are one with nature.”

Goose bumps rippled up Houser’s arms, and his sense of delight and anticipation intensified when the group slowed to a stop before the sizeable bent pecan tree.

Linda Pelon, anthropologist and ambassador to the Comanche nation, stood with Houser among the Indians. They presented their case to the elders. Pelon and Houser had exhaustively researched and measured the tree.

The last piece of evidence, however, was not theirs to collect.

The Comanche tribal elders listened. To Houser. To Pelon. And finally, to the tree. Then, in a gesture that was polite yet revealing of the historic distrust between the two peoples, they continued their discussion privately. When they returned to the group, it was with affirmation.

The pecan was one of theirs.

Houser had already known that the tree’s age could place it within the period that the Comanche nation roamed the area. He also knew that Gateway Park was located in what the Dallas Archeological Society had described as “one huge archeological site.” But inside that moment, the most substantial proof of the tree’s historic value was the tribal elders’ affirmation: “We know it. We feel it. We sense it.”

Once the tribe gave its blessing, the group circled around the base of the tree, linked hands — white to brown, brown to white — and danced in celebration of a rediscovered Indian marker tree in Gateway Park.

Pelon describes Indian marker trees as landscape navigation aids. Her belief, founded on nearly two decades of research, is that various Indian tribes would mark a significant area by tying down a sapling. If the sapling survived to maturity, the result would be a full-grown, fully bent tree.

“In terms of navigating the landscape, even great apes will break twigs to mark a trail. So primates have been doing this for a really long time,” Pelon says.

A common function of marker trees was to identify prime camping grounds. Tribes, such as the Comanche Indians, often camped near bluffs and terraces, which they utilized as lookouts and signaling points.

Based on her studies, Pelon hypothesized that the Gateway Park marker tree signaled a Comanche campsite. Then when the tree’s

Concerts at the Arboretum

estimated age — 150 — coincided with the approximate time the land was used by the Comanche tribe, it was simply confirmation of a hunch.

In terms of Pelon’s analogy, she caught a rabbit.

“For me, it’s like being Alice. I chase rabbits. And they take me to some curious places,” Pelon says.

The Comanche elders also have confirmed an Indian marker tree at California Crossing Park on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, which appears to signal the original low-water crossing.

“Of course, all of that has been engineered away now, with levies and controls. It takes a historian who understands the maps from an earlier time to put that information together,” Pelon says.

It also takes someone who understands the trees. This is Houser’s area of expertise. Unlike Pelon, Houser has no tie to the Comanche tribe. He is not an anthropologist. He is just a man who grew up among the trees. Playing underneath the Eastern red cedars atop Flag Pole Hill is a distinct childhood memory of Houser’s.

“I was one of those kids that, if I was upset with my family, they always knew where I would be. I’d be up in my tree, that’s where I always went. It was my safe spot,” Houser says.

That kid became an arborist, and that arborist became an advocate for the trees he knows so well. The past few decades, he has focused that advocacy on finding and recognizing marker trees.

“I do this because I love it. Because it needs to be done,” Houser says. “These are living witnesses to a significant part of our history. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. That’s it.”

Though there are few confirmed Indian marker trees around, there are dozens of potential marker trees, including one at Moss Park in Lake Highlands.

“I’ve seen it all my life and known that it could be one. I can never and will never, out of respect for the Comanche elders, designate a tree myself, but if I wasn’t inclined to believe this was significant, I wouldn’t have spent so much time studying it.”

The shape and the size, more than 50 inches at its base, are good indications that the Lake Highlands tree was used by the 19th-century Indians, Houser says.

It won’t be official until the tribal elders make it so (there are 50 of them, and they

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The Dallas Arboretum is a non profit organization that is supported, in part, by funds from the Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.

Don’t miss the hottest ticket in town. Enjoy great music while strolling through

NATIVE AMERICAN, NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN OR INDIAN?

There is not a complete consensus about preferred terminology. However, the national museum of the tribes is called the National Museum of the American Indian. Additionally, Houser mentioned that some Indians find the term Native American too generic, due to the fact that many groups can be “native” and prefer the term American Indian. Pelon added that many of her acquaintances are most likely confident they will not be confused with people from India and, therefore, use the term Indian. For these reasons, Indian and American Indian were used in this article. According to the Museum of the American Indian, however, there is one consensus: It is always best to use specific tribal names.

are based in Oklahoma, so traveling to Dallas is expensive and complicated). Houser has another presentation scheduled in Oklahoma, and he hopes the council will make it to Moss within the year. If not, the tree could be gone when they arrive, Houser says.

“Unfortunately, the tree is 80 percent dead already, and the Park Department eventually will have no choice but to cut it down.”

If the tree does get whacked, Houser plans to be there to collect “cookies” or samples of the tree to determine its age. It is still important to designate marker trees, even if those trees are on their last limb, Houser says. He, along with cultural experts, anthropologists and historians, are working on a map that will show marker trees, known Indian trails and found Indian artifacts in an effort to develop a big-picture look at Indian history in our part of the world.

It is important to continue to identify and investigate potential marker trees with some sort of urgency, Houser says, because they will not be around forever.

Take the aforementioned Indian marker tree in southeast Dallas, for example.

In April 1997, people gathered together to commemorate the Gateway Park Indian marker tree. Picnic lunches spotted the ground. Children played rambunctiously, and Indian music and storytelling filled the air.

Throughout the following year, the tree called to its people. A constant stream of Indian families would visit the old tree to spend time with it, with their history. For many, this was the first connection to one of their culture’s sacred sites since their ancestors were exiled from Texas. They had claimed the tree and, in doing so, became its guardians.

“In the Comanche language, there is not a word that exactly translates love. About the closest thing we have is a word that translates, ‘I would die for it.’ It applies to the land as well as family and friends,” Pelon says.

The ownership turned out to be shortlived. The Gateway Park marker tree had flourished for more than a century, and in recent decades had survived a park clearing, a neighborhood being built next to it and a major utility line. However, on Memorial Day 1998 — roughly a year after its dedication — a storm toppled the Gateway Park marker tree. The Comanche people grieved the loss of their tree, the loss of their ancestral connection.

Houser and Pelon also mourned the loss of that marker tree, but they plow forward in search of others.

Houser has never forgotten the way he felt nearly 15 years ago when the Comanche tribal elders first claimed the Gateway Park marker tree. That day in 1997 changed his life, and the memory of being so strongly connected to nature propels him forward in his current preservation efforts.

“People don’t understand, maybe, what we’re doing. They might not agree. They might not care,” Houser says. “But I think, 200 years from now, people are going to look at our research and say, ‘I’m glad somebody took the time to find these things.’ ”

Houser knows the average Dallasite might never appreciate his efforts. In his mind, however, the most important audience — the tribal elders — already understand the significance, the connection between people and the marker trees.

“The Indians had the pulse of nature at any time,” Houser says.

On his own, he has never been able to tap into that elusive heartbeat. But once upon a time, he felt it. For a moment. For a dance.

Visit dhtc.org for more information or send an email to info@dhtc.org.

WAYS TO SPOT A PIECE OF HISTREE

The next time you notice a bent tree, take a closer look. If it falls within Houser’s general guidelines, you might be rediscovering a piece of history.

1. Indian marker trees are generally species that are known to have lengthy life spans, such as pecan, red oak, bur oak, post oak and eastern red cedar. However, the Cottonwood species — while not especially known for longevity — is a sacred species, which could easily have been used for marker trees.

2. The Comanche tribe’s marker tree trunks were usually fashioned in a rainbow or half-moon shape, such as the Gateway Park marker tree, and touched the ground before growing upward. Another style, more often associated with the Cherokee tribe, is a trunk that grows upward in a 90-degree bend.

3. The basic assumption is that the tree needs to be at least 150 years old in order to have been in the area the same time the Indians were. It should be noted that, because of varying types of soil, bigger does not always equal older.

4. Occasionally, the tree will bear scars from being tied down as a sapling.

5. If the tree has a mound of soil or exposed roots opposite the bend, then it is most likely not a marker tree. Weather tends to account for trees with these features, such as the trees in Tietze Park on Skillman south of Mockingbird.

Steve Houser explains why he thinks the Moss Park tree is an Indian Marker Tree. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com/video.

Assessing the needs of a person during the early stages of Alzheimer’s can be difficult. We’re here to help. Villages of Lake Highlands offers Alzheimer’s Support Groups and family nights where you can learn from other families coping with the effects of memory loss. We also offer several educational programs for family members as well as complimentary sitter service for your loved one while you are here.

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BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

Send business news tips to LIVELOCAL@ADVOCATEMAG.COM

LHHS grads open store on Henderson

Lake Highlands High School graduates and sisters Kristen Adams Scott (’98) and Meghan Adams (’00) have opened a storefront for their boutique catering company, The Hospitality Sweet Located in London Cafe inside Timothy Oulton at Potter Square, the company specializes in sweets and “shower” foods, plus wedding cakes, full catering and boxed lunches for meetings.

Trader Joe’s to anchor development at Walnut and Central

Provident Realty’s President Leon Backes has confirmed that coveted grocer Trader Joe’s will anchor a mixed-use development, Preston Hollow Village, at the northwest corner of Central Expressway and Walnut Hill. Backes told us they were looking for a “relatively small” anchor and retailers not yet seen in the Dallas market. Provident is a partner with Missouri-based KroenkeHoldings, which bought the land in November 2010. This will be the second Trader Joe’s in Dallas; the first was announced for Lower Greenville. Preston Hollow Village is considered one of the most valuable pieces of real estate in Dallas right now. The entire development will take several years to complete.

Total Wine & More now open on

Central

Total Wine & More is now open in the former Office Max spot on Central in Best Buy Plaza. The superstore features a temperature-controlled fine wine cellar, walk-in humidor, classroom for educational or group

More business bits

events, and serving area for wine-tastings. Courtney Linsenbard, a certified sommelier, oversees the store’s wine program. Linsenbard is a California native and trained at the French Culinary Institute. Matt Galligan is the new store manager, helming the chain’s first entry into Texas. He last managed Total Wine’s Charlotte, N.C., store and hasvisited prestigious wineries around the world. Total Wine’s biggest attraction is its selection, with more than 350 Texas wines, beers and spirits, and offerings from every wine-growing region around the globe.

1 Lowe’s recently donated $5,000 to The Farm at Moss Haven Elementary, an outdoor learning garden brought to the school by its PTA. Moss Haven plans to use the funds for a split-rail fence, chicken wire and other necessary equipment needed to keep animals from eating the vegetables and herbs. 2 Husband-wife owners Masoom and Suraiya Khan recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of their coffeehouse Café Silva, located at Greenville and Royal. 3 The Bicycle Café at West Lawther and Northwest Highway, which opened only a few months ago, is up for sale. 4 TacoJoint has opened its second location at Mockingbird and Abrams. 5 The new pub ParkTavern is set to open in early July at the Shops at Park Lane, featuring more than 40 craft beers along with sandwiches, sushi rolls and tacos.

ST. CHRISTOPHER’S MONTESSORISCHOOL

7900LoversLn. / 214.363.9391 stchristophersmontessori.com

ZIONLUTHERANSCHOOL

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

ST.JOHN’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL

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

WHITE ROCK NORTH SCHOOL

9727WhiteRock TrailDallas / 214.348.7410.

BAPTIST

ForeST Me Adow / 9150 Church Rd. / Welcoming the mosaic of cultures living in our neighborhoods / www.fmbcdallas.org

Worship 10:50 / Bible Study 9:30 / Tim Ahlen, Pastor / 214.341.9555

LAKeSIde BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Pastor Jeff Donnell / Worship 10:30 am & 10:31 am 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 & 11:00 am

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

BIBL e CHU r CH eS

NorTH HIGHLANdS BIBLe CHUrCH / www.nhbc.net

Sunday: Lifequest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Wed: Student Ministry 7:00 pm / 9626 Church Road / 214.348.9697

dISCIPL eS oF C Hr IST

eAST 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

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 Ln.

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

ZIoN LUTHerAN CHUrCH & SCHooL / 6121 E Lovers Ln.

Sunday: Sunday School 9:15 am, Worship 8:00 am, 10:30 am, & 6:00 pm / 214.363.1639 / www.ziondallas.org

Me THodIST

L AKe HIGHLANdS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

9:30 – Sunday School / 10:30 – Fellowship Time

10:50 – Traditional & Contemporary Worship

NoN- de NoMINATIoNAL

L AKe HIGHLANdS CHUrCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sun: Assemblies 8:45 & 11:30, Classes 10:10, Coffee 11:10

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

SHoreLINe dALLAS CHUrCH / 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane

ShorelineDallas.com / 469.227.0471 / Pastor Earl McClellan

Everyone’s Welcome at 9:15am / Children’s & Youth Ministry

PreSB yT erIAN

KING’S PArISH A SSoCIATe reForMed PreSByTerIAN CHUrCH

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

Meets at Ridgewood Park Rec Center / 469.600.3303

L AKe HIGHLANdS PreSByTerIAN CHUrCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NorTHPArK PreSByTerIAN CHUrCH / 214.363.5457

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

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

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

The church on

The church is changing.

We all know it and it shouldn’t alarm us. The church has changed in every age since its birth at Pentecost. Every 500 years or so, though, hinges of history have produced large-scale changes. We’re hinging now, it seems, and no one is any more certain of the shape the church will emerge with after this reshaping than we were at other key moments.

People of faith should take to heart that God is at work in the world and in us in mysterious ways that aren’t all bad. They should also take to mind that all change isn’t necessary or necessarily good. Wisdom knows the difference, and it makes all the difference to know the difference.

Young adults today embody many of these challenges to the church. Traditional churches generally bemoan their absence in our pews. What’s become of our kids? We reared them in the faith. We taught them the Bible. We showed them the way. Doesn’t the proverb say, “Train up children in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it”? Do we have to wait for them to get old to see them return?

Many young adults have left the church altogether because they deem it either too judgmental or not firm enough, too political or not socially relevant, too uptight or too laidback. Others who share these contradictory concerns have found new church expressions that reinforce their spiritual values. These new churches look and feel quite different from the churches they knew as children. This concerns their parents and the preachers who preside over traditional churches.

Again, this shouldn’t surprise us. We are trying to find our way in a new day. Allow me to speak to each in turn.

To faith-weathered Christians first I would say, keep your heart open to what God might be up to with young adults. See

if there is something to learn from those who are trying to hold the faith as surely as you but differently. Some are discouraged by our slow pace of change in addressing issues of the day they find compelling. They have seen the destructive power of a spiritual life that divides institutional religion and the unchecked pursuit of wealth. They believe the church should say something to the way the world is organized. They don’t understand why we tolerate the gap between rich and poor, why hungry children go unfed in a world of plenty, and why their gay friends are ostracized from the church. More conservative young adults are seeking answers to the moral breakdown they see in their own broken families, in a fragmented society, and in the churches they grew up in. They want a more secure world that keeps chaos at bay. They are seeking churches that take their concerns seriously—one way or another.

To faith-fledging Christians I would say, the church wasn’t invented yesterday. Everything that has been passed down isn’t wrong, worn, or needing to be shorn. Every age needs to rethink the faith, but the church doesn’t need reinventing as we do. The church isn’t a current clique; it’s the body of Christ extending across time. Those who came before you bear wisdom worth listening to. If you only worship with those of your generation or your opinion, you will stunt your spiritual growth. The church needs you, and you need the church. Older Christians need you, and you need them. Critics sit on the sidelines and never get hurt; players may get bruised in the contest but have the thrill of being in the game.

To both groups this: Truth is stubborn. Sometimes it’s more black and white than you want it to be; sometimes it’s grayer. In each case, it is what it is. You can’t bend it the way you want it. You have to bend to it.

May God keep us in one peace as we discover the path forward together.

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.

a hinge No doubt things are changing, but not everything

city hall

City Manager Mary Suhm’s recommendations for a $600 million bond package include constructing 47 miles of bike lanes. Suhm also recommends upgrading six miles of roadway to make “complete streets” to serve pedestrians, cyclists and motorists equally. Almost $334 million of the package would be spent on flood control improvements, most of that in the Baylor hospital area, which is plagued with flooding problems. About $55 million would go to economic development. City council is expected to vote on the bond package in August. If approved, Dallas residents would vote on the bond package in November’s general election.

community

White Rock Paddle is open now through October, offering paddling lessons on the lake. Rentals of single and tandem kayaks run $15 an hour or $55-$65 a day. For information, visit whiterockpaddle.com.

people

Ally Collier, a Lake Highlands High School alumna, was featured in Style Archive online magazine in May, described as “the perfect mix of Kate-Bosworth-hip meets old-schoolLynn-Wyatt-chic.” Collier is a University of Oklahoma graduate working at Verdura, a jewelry boutique in New York City.

Lake Highlands resident Scott Dahlberg recently joined the staff at Preservation Tree Services, a professional tree care company serving the Dallas-Forth Worth area for the past 17 years. Dahlberg graduated from Southern Methodist University and is a certified arborist. He spent eight years in Vail, Colo., managing a resort before returning to Dallas.

schools

Adam Meierhofer replaced Luke Davis in May on the Richardson ISD Board of Trustees, representing Lake Highlands. After 12 years of serving on the board, Davis decided not to run for re-election this year, and Meierhofer ran unopposed. The new board has elected this year’s officers: KimQuirk, president; KarenHolburn, vice president; KrisOliver, secretary; Kim Caston, treasurer; and LanetGreenhaw, Texas Association of School Boards delegate.

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area home values

Seats in genuine colors & special shapes to match your toilet.

The Big Idea: How local women turned passions into professions

Very few can say they are passionate about their work, which is why the stories featured in these pages are so inspirindividual passions and transformed them into successful careers.

Johnette Taylor of Roundtree Landscaping is every bit as passionate, but she always knew she’d rather work outside of four walls. “I looked at forestry and some different options, and had never really heard of landscape architecture, until a friend of mine in high school said, ‘I think this is something you would enjoy. Look into it.’” Initially Taylor’s mother was

skeptical. “She said, ‘Wow, there’s a lot of math and science in there, I’m not sure that’s for you, honey.’ ” Undaunted, Taylor explored the program at LSU, and plunged ahead. “I was fascinated by all the things landscape architecture encompassed,” she says.

founded her company, Roundtree Landscaping. Today she manages a busy staff and a full agenda, serving commercial and residential properties.

Local dentist Dr. Kelli Slate turned her passion into a reality by returning to school to become a dentist. Now an established professional, Dr. Slate advises, “Don’t be

THE BIG IDEA 47 · SHIFTING GEARS 50 · SUCCESS STORIES 53

“It was the perfect – JOHNETTE TAYLOR ROUNDTREE LANDSCAPING

Dr. Kelli Slate turned her passion into a reality by returning to school to become a dentist.

afraid to advertise. It’s critical to get your name out there.” Dr. Slate says she was grateful to have solid family support when she returned to school, which is one path to success, but not the only path.

Dr. Debbie Shirico of Total Hearing Care found her life’s work during a summer gig at Lion’s Camp for Crippled Children. “I fell in love with some of the deaf children there,” she says. “I decided I wanted to work with deaf kids, so I went in sign language and enjoyed working with deaf kids and understanding deaf culture. “It’s like a whole world of its own. Learning how the deaf think and interact is like landing on a new island in another country.” Her career path took her through diagnostic testing and ultimately led her to hearing aids.

“I love helping people hear and putting a smile on their

With her passion for East Dallas, Elizabeth gives you solutions to all of your real estate needs

Extensive knowledge of market trends and broad-based marketing strategies coupled with a designer’s eye, gives her the ability to recognize the potential in every house. Buying

you with more.

“I love helping people hear and putting a smile on their face.”

– DR. DEBBIE SHIRICO, OWNER TOTAL HEARING CARE

to take a chance on acquiring an existing hearing aid business

Ashley CoxDani

HannaEdie GreenBess DicksonBrenda Williams

Martha VeraLori VanMeter

Natalie AlfreyJane Ann NelsonRita Davis

Veronica Boxley

Vicki White

Juliette Bouchard

Kathy Harris

Julia Bristow

Britt Lopez

Shifting Gears: How to change careers

There was a time when a career change seemed like a radical decision, but over the past decade changes in technology and economics have transformed the landscape. Whether by choice or necessity, career changes are more common — and more desirable — than they used to be.

Lake Highlands High School graduate Meghan Adams trained to be a broadcast journalist, lived in Washington, D.C., worked on “Nightline,” and even interned at the White House. It was an exciting beginning, but soon family pressures and several relocations took their toll. When she found herself back in Texas and closer to her family, she brainstormed with her sister (another LHHS graduate), and soon the two opened a business: The Hospitality Sweet.

so we could stay home with them and still do something creative,” says Adams, who has always enjoyed cooking. She thought there the business gravitated toward sweets. “Cakes, cookies, cupcakes, cake balls — and we also do hors d’oeuvres and box lunches.”

erly Hills to make a special delivery. “We did a thousand cake balls for him,” Adams says.

Meghan Adams, owner of The Hospitality Sweet, baking with her daughters.

Until recently, customers have picked up orders from Adams’ home, but this year the business has set up shop in London Café inside Timothy Oulton at Potter Square. Although they still take special orders, Adams says, “Now people will be able to come into the store and buy our sweets, rather than having to order a day ahead.”

Another local businesswoman who adjusted her work for her family life, Stacy Huston worked for 16 years in banking before she found her career of choice. When her daughter was born, she decided to try her own business, although the business she chose surprised her friends. She opened a Handyman Matters franchise. “People who know me know I’m not handy,” Huston

been working on our home. It might sound crazy, but I thought I could be the one to change that for East Dallas.” You might

M EGHAN A DAMS OWNER OF T HE H OSPITALITY S WEET

expect Huston’s customers to be surprised that the business is owned by a woman, but she says that rarely happens. “The majority of people that hire us are women,” she says. “It makes logical sense. When something’s broken, they’re the ones who take care of it.”

Local Realtor Marissa Fontanez worked in corporate America for 10 years before finding her passion. “I got tired of sitting in a cube,” she says. “Now, I absolutely love real estate. I would never do anything different.” Fontanez has been a Realtor for seven years, and her favorite part of the job is the people connection. “I love seeing excitement on their faces, either when they first get their keys after a purchase, or that look of relief when they can say ‘Sold!’ and move on.”

For those who are interested in a career change, Realtor Scott Carlson suggests real estate. “Real estate is a great opportunity for someone who wants a career that revolves around their family, but also supports their need and their desire to work and bring home an income,” Carlson says. He also points out that the work can be satisfying for someone who wants to help others. “You have birth, marriage, death, divorce — all these life challenges or transformations — and you help people move to the next phase of their life.”

Even someone who does not change fields can migrate to a

different area. “I did pediatric training before I did dermatology, and discovered I had an interest in rashes and birthmarks,” says Dr. Lynne Roberts, who went on to develop a pediatric dermatology program at UT Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center. “My interest in birthmarks got me interested in the laser field. Lasers for birthmarks didn’t come out until the ‘80s.” Once Dr. Roberts found lasers, she started on another new path. “Now we have seven lasers in the office,” she says. “As the field evolved, I was able to expand my practice. Now I do all laser and cosmetic dermatology.”

Sometimes a career change comes after a woman has been successful in one field, but due to her own growth and changes in her industry, she finds she has morphed into a whole new butterfly. Take B.J. Ellis for example: Ellis had a successful, award-winning career as a journalist before becoming a health and wellness coach, as well as a business owner. “I worked for 20 years in journalism. I’m a very hard-charging person,” Ellis says. However, her drive for success had some drawbacks, mostly related to her health. “We live in an age of acceleration, in a culture of expectation, based on achievement and acquisition. It’s no wonder that we’re so stressed out and exhausted. My business, Planet Vitality, is about making a few simple changes that will simply change your life. Choices we make today will affect us years from now, so let’s get started.”

“Choices

we make today will affect us years from now, so

let’s

get

started.”

– B.J. E llis , P lan Et V itality

Ebby WhitE Rock/LakE highLands | 214.341.0330 10233 E. noRthWEst hWy. #438 daLLas, tX 75238

the Women of Ebby halliday’s White Rock/Lake highlands office serve one of the city’s most beautiful areas – the White Rock Lake, Lake highlands, Lochwood and Lakewood neighborhoods. call us today for a great Real Estate experience!

Success Stories: Tips for women in business

Many women have toyed with the idea of starting their own businesses, but how do you know when the time is right? And once established, how do you ensure triumph? These local businesswomen have paved the way and share their secrets to success.

Established dentist Dr. Kelli Slate says she knew it was time to open her own practice when she realized she wanted more stability in the workplace. Slate, who was a hygienist at the time, found herself thinking she could do her boss’s job as well or better than he did. “That light bulb went off in my head,” Slate says. “So at age 32, I went back to four more years of college and furthered -

age women to do that, if you reach that point in your career.” After dental school, she bought an existing practice and made her dreams come true.

Maintaining an appropriate work/life balance has played an important part in the success of Dr. Ashly Cothern, DDS. As a dentist and business owner, she says, “If I’m not here then the wife and I’m a mom, and after that I’m blessed to be a dentist.”stantly needs to tweak her approach, because as the kids change, so do priorities. “I certainly know if something gets out of bal-

Lynne J. Roberts, M.D.

Internationally Known Laser Surgeon

ance — If I’m working more than I’m home with my family then I feel out of whack. That’s when I know that something needs to change.”

For several local businesswomen, community involvement has played an important role in their success. Community service is an excellent way to be visible to prospective clients and also make a positive impact. Mary Pat Coco of Ebby Halliday says this philosophy is handed down from the founder of the company. “Sosored two free community events: a free paper-shredding event

Dr. Roberts offers a fullyequipped IN-OFFICE LASER SUITE , with all lasers on site, where she performs laser surgery daily. In addition to laser surgery for adults and children, she also specializes in COSMETIC DERMATOLOGY, including skin rejuvenation, Botox, and “fillers”.

PIXEL FRACTIONAL RESURFACING provides firming of the skin and improves skin texture and tone, sun damage, wrinkles and acne scars with minimal downtime.

We are excited to introduce our new HIGHSPEEDLIGHTSHEER DUET LASER HAIR REMOVAL SYSTEM! This advanced technology with a new vacuum assisted, high speed handpiece eliminates the need for topical anesthetics and provides improved comfort, treatment speed and effectiveness. Treatment times for large areas such as legs, back or chest are reduced up to 75%. It is now possible to treat several different areas of the body in one session.

Lynne J. Roberts, M.D.

8144 Walnut Hill Lane, Suite 360 Dallas, TX 75231

Clearly there’s a demand for this service in the community. The team will also be visible at the Fourth of July celebration at the Lake Highlands Rec Center, after the traditional neighborhood parade. “We’re planning pony rides, a rock-climbing wall, and some booth games geared toward the young children.”

Johnette Taylor of Roundtree Landscaping operates by the Golden Rule of business. “I treat people the way I want to be treated, and I expect the same in return,” she says. In the early days of her business she took her husband along to help her make a decision about a truck purchase, but was dismayed when the salesman repeatedly spoke to her husband instead of to her. “My husband kept saying, ‘Talk to her, she’s the one buying the truck.’ The salesman said ‘Yeah, yeah’ and then turned back to my husband.” When somebody treats her that way, Taylor says, she doesn’t do business with them, and she is mindful of the lesson when she interacts with her clients and associates.

For Dr. Nirmala Marneni of Oak Heights Dental, education is the key to success. She advocates that women take continuinging a dentist,” says Marneni, who credits her success to diligent planning, discipline and dedication to her dream. “As a result, today I own a business,” she says, and her pride of ownership is evident.

What if you happened to start your business on September 10, 2001, one day before 9/11? Kelly Harris, who owns her Farm-other areas to focus on,” she says. “A lot of agents didn’t make it through that time. But we looked beyond that.”

“I used to think the true meaning of a leader was that I, as a dentist and business owner, had all the answers and could do it all. But I’ve learned that a true leader is one who equips the team that surrounds them.

D R . A SHLY C OTHERN , DDS

to advertise call 214.560.4203

Golfing for a cause

Dallas Lutheran School executive director Dave Bangert (right) stands with teammates (right to left) director of development Jim Rader, head football coach John Bronkhorst and board member Don McAleenan at Dallas Lutheran’s 20th annual golf benefit held June 4 at Twin Creeks Golf Club in Allen. The event featured a foursome scramble, silent auction, lunch and prizes. More than 60 golfers participated, and proceeds aid the Dallas Lutheran athletics department.

BULLETIN BOARD B

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. All Ages/All Styles. UNT Grads. Betty & Bill 972-203-1573 • 469-831-7012

LEARN GUITAR OR PIANO Beginner Drums. Fun/Easy. Your Home. UNT Music Grad. Larry 469-358-8784

TUTORING All Subjects. Elem-middle School. Algebra 1, Dmath. Your Home. 25 + Yrs. Dr. J. 214-535-6594. vsjams@att.net

TUTORING Reading/Writing. All Grades. Master’s/10 Yrs Exp. Your Home. 214-515-5502. lissastewartjobs@hotmail.com

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

PART-TIME TEACHER Toddlers–3 years. Park Cities Baptist Mother’s Day Out. Early childhood degree or certification preferred. Shannon McGee 214-860-1520 or skmcgee@pcbc.org

WANTED: FREELANCE BOOKKEEPER

Preferably someone living in the Lakewood neighborhood to work on business & personal. Knowledge of Advertising/Graphic Design business a plus. Must know MYOB/Account Edge. Call Tom Zielinski -214-460-1667

Business opporTuniTies

$5,000 SIGNING BONUS. Frac Sand Owner Operators. More Texas Work Than Trucks. Must Have Tractor, Blower & Pneumatic Trailer. 817-926-3535

I’M LOOKING FOR A BILINGUAL BUSINESS PARTNER for expansion of 55-yr.-old start-up co. 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

DINO LIMO Yours For All Special Occasions,Casino Trips. 40 Yrs Exp. dino-avantilimousines.com. 214-682-9100

serviCes for you

DIRECTV 285 + Channels from $29.99/month. Free HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz. 3 Months. Free HD/DVR. Free Installation. Local Installers. Call Now 800-230-7774

PRO DJ SERVICE & SOUND Corporate Events & Weddings. 20 + Years Experience. 469-236-8490

SIGNS: Nameplates, Badges, Office, Braille. A&G Engraving. 214-324-1992. getasign@att.net agengraving.vpweb.com

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 Accounting Solutions. Cindy 214-821-6903

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

HOME ORGANIZING & Senior Moving Plans/Solutions. Refs avail. Donna 860-710-3323 DHJ0807@aol.com. $30 hr.

TRANSLATIONS English, Spanish, & French at affordable rates. LenguaTutoringAndTranslation@yahoo.com or 214-331-7200.

Website Design

Flash Demos

Graphic Design

RibbitMultimedia .com 214.560.4207

Photo by Kathy Koeneman

Three’s company

Ruby Elizabeth, William Lee and Savannah Grace Kneggs are the triplets born at Doctors Hospital recently. They are the first triplets born at the hospital in its 53-year history. Parents are Neely and Trey Kneggs, and the babies also have a 20-month-old brother, Bryan. The babies weighed 4 pounds 12 ounces, 4 pounds 6 ounces and 5 pounds 1 ounce, respectively, and were released from the hospital 11 days after they were born.

Meet the senator

The Exchange Club of Lake Highlands hosted State Senator John Carona at a breakfast meeting in May. Carona has represented Texas Senate District 16 since 1996. Pictured from left to right are Exchange Club director of programs Ronda Moreland, Carona and Exchange Club president Bryan McCrory.

BBULLETIN BOARD

Mind, Body & sPirit

DeANNA SKuPIeN/AVA PRO Specializing In Cut & Color styleseat.com/deannaskupien 469-644-2554

lyONS FITNeSS & STReNgTH 469-744-3214

Personal Training at a Private Studio in East Dallas.

mASSAge Specializing In Oncology, Swedish & Deep Tissue. ProgressiveMassageTherapy.com 214-773-2837

Pets

FeeDmyCANINe.COm | Premium Dog Food, Value Price Free Delivery | Call Isaac Hernandez | Owner | 469-735-5686

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

TROPICAl FISH & AQuARIumS Sales & Service. Fresh, Salt, & Pond. TheAquariumBoutique.com 214-660-0537

to advertise call 214.560.4203

Buy/sell/trade

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

We Pay $$$ for Kids Stuff!

Children’s Clothing – Youth Size 16

Furniture, Equipment, Toys, Books and More!

Payment on the spot for all items accepted

6300 Skillman St @ Abrams Rd, 214.503.6010

estate/GaraGe sales

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

CluTTeRBlASTeRS.COm Estate / Moving Sales, De-Cluttering, Organizing. 972-679-3100

eSTATe SAleS & lIQuIDATION SeRVICeS

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

real estate

FOR leASe 1 bedroom/1 bath Duplex. 5424 Alton Ave. Remodeled. 1913 Prairie Style Home, hardwoods,tile, large windows, Frig, W/D. Nice Backyard-backs up to the Santa Fe Trail. Ride your bike from your backyard. Large Attic for Storage. $820/month + Utilities (Avail 7/15)

AIR Sales, Service, Repair

TACLA26823E Mr. Vargas 214-460-3239

aC & Heat

FOR QUAlITY, QUAlIFIED SERVICE CAll 214-350-0800 ABS AC & Heat TACLA28514E

lAKEWOOD HEAT & AIR Servicing Dallas 20+ years. 214-682-3822 TACLA28061E

QUAlITY 1 ENERGY SYSTEMS

A/C & Heat Sales & Service since 1989.

TACLA010760E Q1es.com 214-348-9588

S&E A/C & HEATING, llC 214.912.7900

Half off svc fee w/repair. 10% off repair w/ maintenance pkg. Res/Com. #TACLA00029455E se-ac-heat.com BBB approved CCs Accepted

WINDOW AC TUNE UP Repair, Cleaning, Etc. Buy/Sell 214-321-5943

CarpeNtry & remodeliNg

THE ClIENT’S CONTRACTOR www.CuttingEdgeRenovationsLLC.com

TRY A CRESTVIEW DOOR for a modern entry. crestviewdoors.com 214-727-8495

Building Services

TACLA28514E American GENERAL CONTRACTOR Air Conditioning & Heating Sales, Service, All Brands. ONE SOURCE — ALL YOUR NEEDS 214-350-0800

BLUE RIBBON

CarpeNtry & remodeliNg

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 Kitchens, baths, doors, cabinets, custom carpentry, drywall & painting 214-437-9730

CARPENTER Custom Cabinets, & Trim, Reorganize Closets, Repair Rotten Wood, Set Doors, Kitchen & Baths, Refs. Return Calls By End Of Business Day. Dave. 214-684-4800

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

KEN’S RESIDENTIAl REMODElING 214-886-8927. kenscontracting.com

KITCHEN AND BATHROOM SPECIAlISTS

JCI Remodeling: From Simple Updates to Full Remodeling Services. Competitive Pricing! JCIRemodeling.com 972-948-5361

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

PREVIEW CONSTRUCTION INC.

HardiPlank 50 Yr. Cement Siding, Energy Star Windows. Kitchens-Baths-Additions & More. 214-348-3836. See Photo Gallery at: www.previewconstruction.com

SQUARE NAIl WOODWORKING

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

Carpentry & remodeling

New Creation GROUP

Remodel Design Renovation

214-766-2677

www.newcreationgroup.com

•

Bathrooms

mcprofessionalcleaning.com 469-951-2948

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

CLEAN FREAKS Since 2005. Free Estimates. DallasCleanFreaks.com Call Today! 214-821-8888

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

SUNSHINE HOUSE CLEANING

Cleaning To Perfection. Reasonable Rates. Insured/ Bonded. 214-490-6659

THE MAIDS Angie’s List Service Award! Discounts at www.maids.com Free Quotes. 972-278-2551

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

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

Hardware/Software. Network. 20 yrs exp. 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

CAZARES CONCRETE Concrete retaining walls, Patios, Driveways, Removal, Sidewalks. 214-202-8958 Free estimates.

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

Prompt, Quality Services. Days, Evenings & Weekends. 34 Yrs Exp. TECL 24668

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 Homes Safer One Call at a Time

FenCing

& deCkS

ARTdECk-O.COm 20 Year Warranty! Decks, Fences, Pergolas 214-435-9574

CREATIVE METAL SOLUTIONS LLC

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

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.

STEEL SALVATION Metal Art, Unique Crosses, Funky Fire Pits. steelsalvation.com

Local Resident 40+Yrs. 214-283-4673

Residential Commercial Construction Remodel Cleans make-readys windows carpet

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

Deckoart.com

eleCtriCal ServiCeS

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

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

DIRECT ELECTRIC Inc. New, remodel, res/com. Insured. Call 214-566-8888. Lic # TECL27551

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

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

214.750.4888 20 years in business!

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

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

972-926-7007 arrowelectric.net

Phones Answered 24/7

TECL20502 972.877.4183

M C C ARTER ELECTRICAL SERVICE, INC

Your Safety is Our #1 Concern... 24/7

mccarterelectricaltx.com

TECL #19147

Mention Advocate for $55 OFF

LIC#17141 PC ELECTRIC 214.533.5949 call.text.email

thepcelectric.com

exterior Cleaning

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

PARKCITIESRESIDENTIALSERVICES.COM

Power Washing-All Yard & Home. 214-335-5443

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.

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

stay connected all month Sign up for our neighborhood e-newsletters and get the neighborhood dish all month long advocatemag.com/newsletter

★

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

cowboyfenceandiron.com

"You Know Us"

www.northlakefence.com

214-349-9132

ServiCeS

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

Flooring

& Carpeting

CUTTING EDGE FLOORING Hardwoods, Carpet, Tile. New/Repair. 972-822-7501

dALLAS HARdWOOdS 214-724-0936

Installation, Repair, Refinish, Wax, Hand Scrape. Residential, Commercial. Sports Floors. 25 Yrs.

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

SUPER QUALITY WOOD FLOORS

Jim Crittendon, 214-821-6593

WILLEFORD HARDWOOD FLOORS

214-824-1166 • WillefordHardwoodFloors.com

WORLEY TILE & FLOORING

Foundation

RepaiR

• Slabs • Pier & Beam

• Mud Jacking • Drainage

• Free Estimates

• Over 20 Years Exp. 972-288-3797

We Answer Our Phones

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

LANDMARK ENERGY SOLUTIONS

214-395-9148. Specializing In Replacement Windows/Doors. Member BBB

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

Energy-Efficient Windows Quality Workmanship, Quality Materials, Reasonable Prices, since 1987. 214.319.8400 fosterexteriors.com

1350 N. Buckner Suite 216

HOURS:

M-F 8:30a-5p

Handyman seRvices

BO HANDYMAN Kitchens, baths, doors, cabinets, custom carpentry, drywall & painting 214-437-9730

FRAME RIGHT All Honey-Dos/Jobs. 10+Yrs licensed neighborhood bus. Matt 469-867-9029

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

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

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

A QUALITY PAINTING SERVICE

Interior & exterior plus small repairs. First two gallons free! 214-824-6112

A TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Interior & Exterior 972-234-0770 mobile 214-755-2700

ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts

House paintinG

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

NAT-90143-1

BRIAN GREAM

PAINTING & RENOVATIONS LLC

• Interior/Exterior • Drywall

• Rotten Wood • Gutters

All General Contracting Needs

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214.542.6214

WWW.BGRONTHEWEB.COM

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insulation/ Radiant BaRRieR

LANDMARK ENERGY SOLUTIONS

214-395-9148. Radiant Barrier, Insulation. Free Quotes. Member BBB

inteRioR desiGn

BORED WITH DECOR? UPDATE COLORS! Exp’d. Design Pro. Call Carolyn 214-363-0747

ROB’S HOME STAGING.COM 214-507-5688

Changing Rooms For All Reasons and Seasons

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

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels Tile, Granite, Marble, Travertine, Slate Bonded And Insured. 214-563-5035 www.blake-construction.com

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 including Tree & Landscape Lighting! Call Mark 214-332-3444

A&B LANDSCAPING Full Lawn Care, Landscaping, Tree Trimming, Fireplaces & Stonework. Lic #0283917- Degreed Horticulturist 214-534-3816

ADVANCED TREE SERVICE

Quality Tree Trimming & Removal. 214-455-2095

ALTON MARTIN LANDSCAPING Spectacular

Curbside Appeal! Excellent refs. 214-760-0825

ARBOR WIZARDS Professionals, Experts, Artists. Trim Rmv Cable Repair Cavity-Fill Stump Grind Emergency Hazards . Insd. Free Est. 972-803-6313

AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE

Call the Land Expert Today! Insured. 214-773-4781

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

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

CHUPIK TREE SERVICE

Trim, Remove, Stump Grind. Free Est. Insured. 214-823-6463

COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923 Quality Service with a Personal Touch.

DALLAS K.D.R.SERVICES • 214-349-0914

Lawn Service & Landscape Installation

premium quality custom shower doors & enclosures 214-530-5483 showerdoordallas.com

Handyman seRvices

A HELPING HAND No Job Too Small. We do it all. Repairs /Redos. Chris. 214-693-0678

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

A+ HANDYMAN KARL Home Repairs, Remodels & Restoration. 214-699-8093

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

On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541

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

BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality

Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS, LLC

Complete Painting Interior/Exterior, Stain Etc. Custom Finishes, Custom Texture, Custom Trim www.blake-construction.com

Fully Bonded & Insured. 214-563-5035

RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT

Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513

SARATOGA INTERIOR PAINTING & REPAIR

Affordable. Free Estimates. Reed. 214-577-0622

TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863

BRIAN WARD STONE & TILE 972-989-9899

LH Dad & Firefighter. 12 years of Tile Experience.

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

GIANT PLANT SALE JULY 1ST-JULY 15TH Walton’s Garden Center. 8652 Garland Rd. GREENSKEEPER Fall Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846

HOLMAN IRRIGATION

Sprinkler & Valve Repair/ Rebuild Older Systems. Lic. #1742. 214-398-8061

MOW YOUR YARD $27

White Rock Landscaping 214-415-8434

MOWPROS Most Houses $25 Weekly. Reliable and Convenient. 214-669-7767

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

PARADISELANDSCAPES.NET · 214-328-9955

Installations of Fine Gardens, Patios, Paths & more!

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

TREE WIZARDS Trim Surgery. Removal. 15 Yrs Exp. Insured. Free Est. 214-680-5885

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Your Personal Yard Service by Uwe Reisch uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

WATER-WISE URBAN LANDSCAPES www.TexasXeriscapes.com

PesT conTroL

A BETTER EARTH PEST CONTROL Keeping the environment, kids, pets in mind. Organic products avail. 972-564-2495

McDANIEL PEST CONTROL

Prices Start at $75 +Tax for General Treatment

Average Home, Interior, Exterior & Attached Garage Quotes for Other Services 214-328-2847

Lakewood Resident

PLumbinG

ANDREWS PLUMBING • 214-354-8521 # M37740 Insured. Any plumbing issues. 24 Hours/7 Days. plumberiffic@yahoo.com

Sewers • Drains • Bonded

*Joe Faz 214-794-7566 - Se Habla Español*

ARRIAGA PLUMBING: Repairs, Remodels, Faucet Repair. Lic 20754 214-321-0589

BLOUNTS PLUMBING REPAIR Rebuild or Replace. 45 yrs exp. Insured. 214-275-5727

JUSTIN’S PLUMBING SERVICE

For All Your Plumbing Needs. ml#M38121 972-523-1336. www.justinsplumbing.com

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

Slab Leak Specialists – inquire about reroute instead of jackhammering

• All Plumbing Repairs • Licensed/Insured 214-727-4040

ML-M36843

PooLs

ADAIR POOL & SPA SERVICE

1 month free service for new customers. Call for details. 469-358-0665.

LOCK’S POOL SERVICE - 469-235-2072

Dependable repairs. Pool Electrical TICL #550

MICHAEL’S POOL SERVICE

Maintenance & Repair 214-727-7650

LEAFCHASER’S POOL SERVICE

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

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 214-560-4203. 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.

Roofing & gutteRs

A&B GUTTER 972-530-5699

Clean Out, Repair/Replace. Leaf Guard. Free Estimates. Lifetime Warranty

A+ BBB RATED ROOFING CO. Ehlers Roofing. New/Repairs. 214-699-8093. Est. 1960

GUARANTY ROOFING 214-760-3666

Re-Roofing/Repairs/Green Options. Free Estimates. www.guarantyroof.com

NATIONWIDE ROOFING,FENCING,GUTTERS

BBB member. 214-882-8719

Roofing & gutteRs

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Dr. Cothern is one of a small distinguished percentage of dentists who have invested in postgraduate training at one of the world’s premiere continuing education institutes, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. We care about you as a unique individual and examine you in a way that together we can understand every aspect of your oral health. In our office we love what we do. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!

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HE PEELED AWAY IN THELEXUS.

The Barrows had left early on a Sunday morning for church, as they do each week. Sunday school and the pastor’s sermon beckoned just like every other Sunday. But this would be no regular Sunday morning.

The Victim: Jeff and Carol Barrows

The Crime: Burglary

Date: Sunday, May 20

Time: Between 9:10 a.m. and 12:05 p.m.

Location: 9200 block of Clearhurst

haul of more than $7,000. And that’s not all. The thief made his way to the garage and used the Barrows’ 2002 Lexus as a getaway car. Neither the car nor any of the property have been recovered, but police are still investigating, she says.

Police also told Barrows that neighbors witnessed someone driving away in the car around 10:45 a.m.

“It’s a pain, but it could have been a lot worse,” she says.

Burglars are often known to scout out a location before choosing to enter and steal, says Neighborhood Police Officer Mitchell Gatson of the Dallas Police Northeast Patrol Division.

“While we were gone, someone broke in through the window above the kitchen sink,” Carol Barrows says.

The thief ransacked the family’s White Rock Valley house and emptied it of a large amount of electronics, including two flat-screen TVs, three laptops, an Xbox, Nintendo Wii, iPod and more. It was a

“It is possible that a suspect could watch them leave for church,” he says of this case. “Church time is a good time for a criminal to see an opportunity and break into the home.”

A good neighborhood watch and getting to know neighbors can help to prevent these types of burglaries, Gatson says. Neighbors are always asked to report anyone suspicious or something that seems out of place.

CRIME NUMBERS

8700 2 7:33 am

Block of Park Lane where the dead body of a black male was found in a wooden area off White Rock Trail on June 12; the man had been shot, and a murder investigation is underway

Number of sexual assaults on women that occurred at a bus stop near Richland College, one on May 29 and another on June 5; police have arrested 21-year-old Marquis White in connection with the crimes

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department

Time of day on June 6 when a naked man was found walking in the 8200 block of Skillman between Royal and Church; he was arrested without incident

Sean Chaffin is a freelance writer and editor of pokertraditions.com. If you have been a recent crime victim, email crime@advocatemag.com.

Seeing green

In defense of letting land be land

Comment. Visit lakehighlands.advocatemag.com and search green space to tell us what you think.

Can we really afford the luxury of public green space?

Plants don’t earn their keep. Grass needs mowing. Landscapes need water.

I frame the question in financial terms because that’s the way we’re used to thinking about land. Every square foot must account for itself or be accounted for — either by private interests, who hope for a profit; or by government bureaucrats, who hope for tax revenue.

If you remember Lake Highlands before 2008, you probably remember a lot of development for development’s sake despite an alarming vacancy rate in so much of our commercial real estate. In the past decade, developers brought us an unnecessary (and problematic) Walmart on Forest Lane, and also set the stage for a mixed-use project called the Lake Highlands Town Center.

Then, suddenly, the economy slowed. Instead of a Town Center, we ended up with — Watercrest Park! Pardon my glee, but for once a developer has built something that I really, truly love.

Although I hope Town Center developer Prescott Realty will eventually achieve commercial success

at the site, it’s great to see that Lake Highlands is already reaping benefits from our new community gathering spot. Last fall Watercrest Park was the scene of our first-ever, highly successful Oktoberfest. And just a few weeks ago Lake Highlands volunteer groups collaborated to organize LHstrEATS, a food truck fundraiser, with the specific goal of bringing neighbors together while raising awareness of our new town center (small t, small c, big difference).

How valuable is green space in urban environments? Myriad studies over the past few decades have shown that green space has a positive financial impact on a community, because:

• parks and open spaces attract tax-paying businesses and residents;

• city greenery cleans and cools the air;

• vegetated areas provide relief from the “heat island effect” caused by the heat-trapping qualities of asphalt and concrete; and

• ball fields and hike/bike trails promote physical activity and health.

Those are a few positive impacts that can reasonably be connected to a financial benefit, but dollars and cents don’t tell the whole story. The list of intangible benefits is even longer.

Studies also show that people who live near green spaces:

• feel a stronger sense of community;

• perform better on tests of concentration;

• cope better with everyday stress and hardship;

• are less aggressive and less violent (including evidence of reduced road rage on streets that are landscaped);

• experience reduced crime, because when people use the green space, more eyes are on watch to prevent crime;

• exhibit lower blood pressure and anxiety levels;

• experience lower mortality rates; and

• heal more quickly. (A Texas A&M study even showed that hospital patients undergoing similar surgeries recovered faster in rooms with a view of trees vs. rooms without the view.)

Despite the cumulative evidence, it’s still hard for people to believe in the positive effects of green space. Some researchers even think we are suffering from a kind of “plant blindness.” It’s not that we don’t see the plants, it’s just that we don’t give them the credit they deserve.

In 2006 Project EverGreen interviewed people to learn whether they agreed with the following statements, both of which are true:

“When landscaping is developed in a neighborhood, there is a decrease in vandalism.” Thirty percent agreed, 70 percent disagreed.

“Improving landscaping can reduce energy costs.” Thirty percent agreed, 70 percent disagreed.

The lesson for Lake Highlands? Preserve the greenery we have, and stop settling for the sun-baked concrete look we’ve been dealt by former developers at our strip malls and shopping centers.

If you feel powerless, think about the recent success of our neighbors to the south who committed themselves to protecting every blade of grass at Winfrey Point. We can do this.

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

For once a developer has built something that I really, truly love.