2012 September Oak Cliff

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ON THE COVER: Photo of Monkey the catby Danny Fulgencio.

Photo by Danny Fulgencio

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Stuck in a rut

My wife was silhouetted in the doorway, late afternoon sunlight streaming from behind, arms on hips, head cocked slightly to the right, voice smooth as silk, looking on as I sat in a recliner, feet up and head back, angling the remote control toward the television.

“Honey,” she purred, “we have to get you out of your rut.”

I nodded, because statements like that call for agreement, if not always action. Besides, any time she uses the word “honey” in a sentence referring to me, she doesn’t mean “honey” in its sweetest sense.

Anyway, I knew what she was talking about. Our lives are changing, and now our weekdays are filled with work, dinner and TV, and our weekends are filled with other work, dinner and TV. You could call it repetitive, but to identify it as a “rut” seemed harsh.

But I did what any good husband would do. I promised to do better, beginning in the morning, because now it was time for the Rangers on TV.

So the following morning, I started out simply. My morning routine is typically exercise, shower, brush teeth and go to work. It didn’t seem prudent to eliminate exercising or showering, but what if I shook things up by starting my brushing regimen on the lower right instead of the upper left? That would be a significant step in de-ruttifying my life.

So I started brushing on the lower right, and I sawed the brush back and forth and up and down for what seemed like the normal period of time, and then I switched to the lower left. But as I slid the toothbrush back and forth, I had this nagging feeling something was wrong.

I stopped brushing and concentrated my

mental energy on what to do next: Was I done on the lower left, or did I still have brushing left to do there? Or should I be working on the upper left, or had I already done that? (I know all of this sounds implausible, but try it before you condemn me.)

Toothpaste leaked from my mouth as I pondered the alternatives. By deviating from my regular routine, whatever that routine was since now I was having trouble recreating it, I’d pulled myself from a rut, but I’d created an entirely new problem. With my newly enhanced lifestyle, I couldn’t even figure out how to end my tooth-brushing session.

So I just quit brushing and headed out the door, my wife having left long before, unaware of the turmoil her request had caused.

My conclusion: Ruts may not be exciting, but some of them serve the purpose of con-

serving mental energy while helping slide through the day.

That night, just about the time the Rangers’ game was scheduled to start, my wife was there again in the doorway, sunlight streaming from behind her, arms on hips, head cocked slightly to the right, voice smooth as silk.

“So did you do anything differently?” she asked.

I noticed that her voice sounded the same as before, and her positioning in the doorway was identical. Even the exact time of day, following on the heels of finishing her standard dinner and her nightly glance at People magazine, was identical.

In fact, one could argue that her own actions indicated perhaps she was in a rut. I chose not to bring up that point. though: That is one rut I’ll just keep to myself.

And that’s the way I like it

Any time she uses the word “honey” in a sentence referring to me, she doesn’t mean “honey” in its sweetest sense.

BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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Two new women’s fashion boutiques in Bishop Arts

Laughing Willow, a new women’s clothing store, is now open in the retail space next door to Eno’s in the Bishop Arts District. Owner Melody Ginn also owns Emma’s Bridal in Red Oak. Emma’s Bridal has been open for three years, and Ginn decided it was time to branch out into trendy women’s clothes. The shop opened temporarily for Bastille on Bishop before its official opening. Strut, an Austin-based women’s clothing store, also recently opened in Bishop Arts, in the former Soda Gallery space, which closed in May. Strut will be open weekends only at first, says manager Mercedes Perez. There are three Strut shops in Austin, one in San Marcos and one on Lovers near the Dallas North Tollway. Perez says the company chose Bishop Arts for expansion because it is similar in atmosphere to its locations in Austin, which include South Congress, South Lamar and Guadalupe.

Longtime Bishop Arts taco stand to close

El Padrino, the 20-year-old taco stand in the Bishop Arts District, will close in November to make way for a new restaurant from Sarah Lombardi. Juan Contreras, managing partner of El Padrino, says he hopes to find a new location in Bishop Arts. “We’ve been there for so long that we would like to stay there, obviously, and hopefully we’ll find something,” he says. Sarah Lombardi, daughter of restaurateur Alberto Lombardi, is opening a new restaurant in the Oak Cliff Mercantile building. The El Padrino building will anchor a beer garden for that restaurant. Contreras’s father opened El Padrino

More business bits

on Jefferson 22 years ago and expanded with the Bishop Arts taco stand a couple of years later. The original El Padrino enjoys a loyal following of generational customers, Contreras says.

Asian restaurant and yoga studio announced for Sylvan Thirty

Chef Teiichi “Teach” Sakurai will open a fish market at the planned Sylvan Thirty development on Fort Worth Avenue. Sakurai owns Tei An in the Dallas Arts District, Tei Tei Robata Bar on North Henderson and Teppo on Lower Greenville. The fish market, which hasn’t been named yet, will share a “direct connection to the building with organic grocer Cox Farms Market and Matador Meat & Wine.” Sync Yoga has leased a 2,000-square-foot space in a two-story building at the planned development. Husband-and-wife owners Jennifer Lawson and Charles Gaby, whose current studio is in the Bishop Arts District, also are planning a roof deck for sunrise and sunset yoga classes, with views of Downtown.

1 Repotted, the gardening store on West Davis at Van Buren, has closed. Lake Highlands-based Brumley Gardens is moving in next month. 2 Four Corners Brewing Co., a brewery planned for Singleton Boulevard, near the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, is set to open Monday, Sept. 3. The venture, from Greg Leftwich, Steve Porcari, George Esquivel and brewmaster John M. Sims, was announced in January. 3 Zen Sushi recently celebrated its five-year anniversary.

Strut opened in the former Soda Gallery.

GET IN CONTACT

Laughing Willow 405 N. BISHOP 972.515.8800 FACEBOOK.COM/ THELAUGHINGWILLOW

Strut SHOPSTRUT.COM

El Padrino 408W. JEFFERSON ELPADRINOMEXICANGRILL.COM

Sync Yoga SYNCDALLAS.COM

Brumley Gardens BRUMLEYGARDENS.COM

Four Corners Brewing Co. 423SINGLETON FCBREWING.COM

Zen Sushi 380W. 7TH 214.946.9699 ZENSUSHIDALLAS.COM

more

Launch

community | events | food

Q&A: Bart Weiss

twenty-five years ago, the Dallas m useum of Art invited Bart Weiss to present a program of video art. It was called “Video as a Creative m edium,” and it ran for two nights in 1986. “It went way better than expected,” Weiss says. He was known for running videos at Lower Greenville’s On t he Air and later, Video b ar in Deep e llum, as well as for his reviews of music and home videos in the

local papers. Weiss, John Held and m elissa b arry decided to turn the thing into a video festival the following year, and the Dallas Video Fest was born. “I never thought I wanted to do this, it just seemed like a good idea, and I had the opportunity,” says Weiss, who has lived in Kessler p ark for 15 years. t he festival turns 25 this year and goes home to the D m A, Sept. 27-30.

What is different about the festival now as opposed to 25 years ago?

In those days, it was complicated to project video. If you turned off the projector, it took two hours to get it going again. So if you turned it off, the show was over. Film festivals didn’t know how to show video. Sundance, for example, would not show video. There was all this work out there that I thought was very interesting. So we found a way to project it and project it well. For the first two years, there was no organization. We just did this festival. I would go to the museum and send a fax to Europe about the program, and I would come back the next day to see if there was any response.

Can Türkyilmaz

What’s the difference between a video festival and a film festival?

That’s an evolving target. In the early years, it was very clear. There was stuff being done all over the world, using handheld cameras. People talking about stuff in their community that was very important, social issues, social justice and things like this. It was also on us to show African American titles, Latino titles, gay and lesbian titles, women’s titles. We showed the depth and breadth of everything that was out there. Now all those groups have their own film festivals, and we don’t have to cover those bases as much. Now we don’t have to do all the anime titles because those get shown at the Asian Film Festival, for example. So we showed things you might not see at a film festival. But the New York Underground Film Festival, and some others, those are kind of similar to what we do now. It’s all in the way that we look at the medium, how technology impacts us and how we do our business.

Technology has always been an important factor?

The first year, we thought, “There’s this new thing out there called desktop publishing.” So we created the program books ourselves. And it was painful. It was horrible. But we kind of paved the way for people to do it. Later, we said, “What if we had this thing on our website, where you can put in all your information to sign up for the festival, and you won’t have to send in a form. And we can create a backend database.” Now, of course, that’s what everyone does. This year, we’re going to have an iBook and an eBook, along with paper, as our program book. It will have clips you can watch of the filmmakers and festival programmers saying why you should see this film.

How did you get involved with video?

I’m a filmmaker as well, and I’m a film teacher at UT Arlington. My love of film started through experimental films. Back in the ’70s, experimental film was really cool. There were a lot of people interested in it. My early films were all experimental films. Then went to film school and studied

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documentary film. Then in grad school, at NYU, I learned about dramatic films. I was a music-video critic, and I was even syndicated for a year and a half. I would call up video stores to find out what are the top five home videos in rentals and sales, and I would have these top-five lists.

You must have watched a lot of bad music videos.

Style was so important. Haircuts were so critical. The way they looked was so important. One thing MTV did, which we don’t even think about now, is that it was national. So if you lived in Charleston, W.V., and they didn’t play Devo on the radio there, you could hear it on MTV, and that was really important to culture. You could also see what these people were wearing and emulate that.

It seems like there are lots of talented video artists in Dallas, right?

There are all kinds of people who do video art in Dallas. There are people who get shown around the world who make videos here. UNT teaches it, UTA, TCU and then Centraltrak, the UTD program in Expo Park. So there are schools teaching it.

Why is the festival still relevant after 25 years?

The basic point of why there should be a festival about video is that we all spend too much time in front of screens. We’re obsessed with digital images. Ninety percent of those experiences are less than fulfilling. When was the last time you turned off a TV and said, “Wow, that was really great”? Usually, you say, “Wow, I just wasted an hour of my life.” The problem is we settle for mediocrity. Video has a way to make our lives better. That’s why our tagline is “Better living through video.” Video can be inspiring, and it is clearly the medium of our generation. My hope is you come and get excited about the possibilities. Then you go home Monday, and you sit down at your computer, and you don’t settle. You realize there is work out there that can make your life better.

LEARN MORE at videofest.org

—Rachel Stone

what gives?

Small ways that you can make a big difference for nonprofits

Say happy birthday … to the North Texas Food Bank. The food bank celebrates its 30th anniversary this month. The food bank’s website, ntfb.org, offers several ways for anyone to raise money for food to support the 48 million households estimated to be living with food insecurity in North Texas. The website allows users to hold virtual food drives and offers “Thirty ways to $30,” ideas for saving enough to donate the equivalent of 90 meals to the food bank.

Buy tickets for Cirque du Soleil Kooza … through Promise House, and 100 percent of the $125 ticket price goes to the nonprofit, which supports homeless and at-risk teens. The show is at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21 at 500 Memorial in downtown. Tickets are available at promisehouse.org.

Party at Four Corners Brewery … and support public art projects in West Dallas. The brewery opens on Singleton this month, and it is the site of a Sept. 22 fundraiser for Spare Parts, the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group’s public art project. Tickets cost $35. fortworthavenue.org

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.

let another day go by without taking this important step in restoring your confidence and your smile.

Out & About

September 2012

Sept. 22 2012 Spare pARTS fundraiser

Benefiting the Fort Worth Avenue Development Group’s mission to bring new residents and businesses to the West Commerce/Fort Worth Avenue corridor, the Spare pARTS fundraiser features food, drinks, music and more. The money collected from last year’s event afforded a public art installation, “Mobius Bench,” at the intersection of Commerce and Pittman. The group is looking for local artists to contribute art of a recycled or repurposed nature; deadline is Sept. 15.

Four Corners Brewery, 423 Singleton, fortworthavenue.org, $35

THROUGH SEPT. 29

‘Best Friends’

Davis Foundry Gallery presents the work of artist Linda Helton in “Best Friends.”

The exhibit celebrates how people interact through their pets. A reception for the artist is from 6–10 p.m. Sept. 8. Davis Foundry Gallery, 509 W. Davis, 214.948.6969

SEPT. 14

Triple play

The $40-million Dallas City Performance Hall opens this month with a show from The Relatives, Pleasant Grove and Seryn. Kessler Entertainment Group programmed this show and is working to book more artists at the hall. Dallas City Performance Hall, Routh at Flora, 214.272.8346, thekessler. org, $17.50 to $27.50

SEPT. 14

Asleep at the Wheel & Mandy Barnett: ‘Bob Wills Meets Patsy’

The Kessler welcomes Western swing legends Asleep at the Wheel and vocalist Mandy Barnett for a unique musical experience. Barnett has starred as Patsy Cline in “Always Patsy Cline” in Nashville since 1994.

The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis, 214.272.8346, thekessler.org, $30–$45

SEPT. 15

Kings Highway tag sale

From 7 a.m.–2 p.m., Kings Highway neighbors are holding a tag sale to benefit their community projects, which have included bike infrastructure and beautification.

Turner and N. Polk, kingshwy.org

Sept. 17

Bookplates with Allison Vieger

From 6–8:30 p.m., local artist Allison Vieger will teach eager bibliophiles how to make a personalized stamp and bookplate. The class will include a history of bookplate design, and everyone will take home a personalized rubber stamp.

Oil and Cotton, 837 W. 7th, 214.988.9189, oilandcotton.com, $45

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS

more local events or submit your own

SEPT.19

Art With a View: Tamara White

An opening reception for the Tamara White exhibit will be held from 6–9 p.m. White is a local artist who creates multilayered oil paintings.

Belmont Hotel, 901 Fort Worth, 214.393.2300, belmontdallas.com, free

SEPT. 21-22

Turner House birthday

The Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts is celebrating the 100th birthday of Turner House this month with a two-day celebration that includes a juried art show, children’s art activities, art classes, a sale and food trucks.

Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont, 214.946.1670, turnerhouse.org

SEPT. 22

DADA bike swarm

As part of its fall gallery walk, the Dallas Art Dealers Association has teamed with Bike Friendly Oak Cliff for a bike swarm at 1:30 p.m. Cyclists will leave the Oak Cliff Cultural Center at 2 p.m. to visit galleries in the Design District, then meet up at 5 p.m. at Peticolas Brewing Co. for the ride home. Cyclists are advised to bring locks.

Oak Cliff Cultural Center, 223 W. Jefferson; Peticolas Brewing Co., 2026 Farrington, 214.914.1099, dallasartdealers.org, free

SEPT. 22

PhotoSafari

At 8 a.m., the Dallas Zoo will offer a guided tour with staff photographer Cathy Burkey. A continental breakfast is included.

Dallas Zoo, 650 S. R.L. Thornton, 469.554.7423, dallaszoo.com, $45–$55

13th Annual Celebrating Women Luncheon

When: October 11, 2012

Where: Hilton Anatole Hotel, Dallas

Keynote Speaker: Rob Lowe Call 1.800.4BAYLOR www.baylorhealth.com/celebratingwomen

Delicious

Pub grub

Thevacant, run-down house at 303 W. Davis transformed into a vibrant, neighborhood hangout known as 303 Bar and Grill, and the place serves more than bar food. Three executive chefs have come and gone, creating a basic menu of burgers, wings and sandwiches with an upscale twist. The craw daddy mac and cheese has quite a kick to it, loaded with crawfish, cheese, bacon and chipotle sauce. For something different from the typical cheeseburger, the huge Texas smoked cheddar burger has pickled red onions, a fried egg, arugula, bacon and chipotle mayo. The tap features seasonal beers from every category and always includes a Texas brew. You can get one of the best drink specials in town any time of day — the 303 beer and tequila shot for $3.75. —

Emily Toman

303 Bar & Grill

303 W. Davis

214.942.3030

303barandgrill.com

AmBiAncE: EcLEcTic

PricE rAngE: $8-$12

DiD you know?

ThE rEsTAurAnT offErs

Brunch on ThE wEEkEnDs.

Buffalo shrimp Photo. by Lori Bandi

1 Bar Belmont

While enjoying drinks with a view, order some grub prepared by the folks at Smoke next door. Ask about the side dishes, which change daily.

901 Fort Worth Avenue

214.393.2300 belmontdallas.com

2 Tradewinds Social Club

Don’t be fooled by the sketchy atmosphere.This well-known dive bar serves gourmet pizza with fresh, organic vegetables.

2843 W. Davis

214.337.9075

3 Ten Bells Tavern

Inspired by a nearly 300-year-old East London pub, this new Oak Cliff spot serves up fish and chips, salads, sandwiches and a slew of interesting desserts.

232 W. Seventh

214.943.2677

tenbellstavern.com

FOOD AND WINE ONLINE

Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/dining

“I’ve been working with Carlos and EKC for almost four years. As a result of his Kettlebell Strength Conditioning Solutions, I am leaner and stronger, eat better and sleep better, and have more energy to enjoy life. Thanks, Carlos!”

Texas smoked cheddar burger. Photo by Lori Bandi

Worth a splurge

King Estate Acrobat Pinot Gris ($15) Oregon

Sometimes, whether for a special occasion or just because, it’s nice to buy a more expensive bottle of wine. But that can be even more complicated than the complications involved in buying an ordinary bottle of wine. How much should you spend? How do you tell the difference between one expensive bottle and another? Is a $40 bottle that much better than a $20 bottle?

So four tips to help when it’s time to go up market: of a brand that you already like. Oregon’s King Estate makes Acrobat, which is very nice red, white and pink wine for $15 or so. Its more expensive namesake label, like the pinot noir ($30), offers value, even for expensive wine.

This is easier said than done, but it’s also much easier than it used to be. Our neighborhoods have attracted small, local wine shops like never before, where customer service is their reason for being. These are the places where you should be able to walk in, explain what you’re looking for, and get several solid options.

Every person’s palate is different, so wine critics (even the best intentioned ones) can give you only a general idea about what’s what. Case in point: I really like the Pio Cesare Barbaresco ($65), a dry, acidic and tannic wine. But if you don’t like what tannins do (that bitter, astringent taste), it’s probably not worth your $65.

This is the easiest way to make a safe splurge, and Champagne

Delamotte ($45) is not only very well made, but a steal given how silly Champagne prices are. —Jeff

JEFF SIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every

Wednesday on oakcliff.advocatemag.com.

Siegel

Go online for this month’s delicious recipe and ask the wine guy. oakcliff.advocatemag.com/dining

monkey

Ifmonkey the cat is a little neurotic, give the guy a break. He had a rough start in life. Ownerrachael Scott’s mom found little monkey in the middle of the road, amid his siblings and the mama cat, who were the victims of someone’s car tires. “I went to see him, and I was like, ‘OK, this is my cat,’” Scott says. As a kitten,monkey used to climb Scott’s clothes hanging in the closet, and he earned his name in the “jungle.”the 2-year-old cat is still a climber, and he has a woobie. “When he was little, I would roll him up in this blanket, and he would lie there for hours, content,” she says. “He still drags that blanket around the house.” He’s a cool cat, even if he is slightly off. “He’ll bite out of nowhere,” Scott says. “my mom said, ‘He’s a little crazy in the head,’ and he is.”

beautiful

Lose your job? break up with the boyfriend? blubbering over a sappy movie? Funny how that ever-present furry family member can fix the world with a big sloppy kiss some days. the Advocate this year received an unprecedented amount of entries into the annual best pet contest. each submission, accompanied by photos and amusing anecdotes, confirmed the power of a pet’s unconditional love. though we could only highlight a few in this magazine, the whole collection, which you can see on oakcliff.advocatemag.com, had us oohing and ahhing, laughing and crying for days.

Story by rachel Stone | Photos by Danny Fulgencio

J.R. Slider & Associates is a proud sponsor of the Advocate’s “beautiful beasts” feature.

osito

A few months after 18-year-old Christina DeLeon’s dog disappeared about five years ago, her brother bought her another pet to cheer her up. It was a Yorkshire terrier, and DeLeon thought he looked like a teddy bear, so she named him “Osito,” Spanish for “little bear.” Osito is a hyper little guy with tons of energy. “He loves to be outside,” DeLeon says. “every time he comes inside, he jumps from the back of one couch to the other like he’s playing hot lava.” Osito also likes to take naps in the backyard hammock and bark at DeLeon’s pet hamster. recently she discovered that Osito loves watermelon.

jenny

tawana Couch calls herself a “fulltime dog rescuer.”the Oak Cliff resident founded the Society for Companion Animals, which this year has rescued about 150 dogs from the city pound and off the streets. One of those was Jenny, a border collie/Australian shepherd mix. Another volunteer had adopted Jenny, who had a mean case of kennel cough, and she asked Couch to care for the dog while she went on vacation. “In the meantime, Jenny gets worse, and it turns out she has distemper,” Couch says. “most of the time, that’s fatal in dogs, but we pulled her through.” After that, Jenny came down with mange and lost all the hair around her face. Later, a cut on Jenny’s leg became seriously infected. “So it was like nonstop, ‘Is she going to make it?’ ” Considering all of the dog’s medical complications, and Couch’s experience with sick dogs, the volunteer asked Couch if she would take Jenny. Once the dog’s health problems cleared up, Couch started taking Jenny to one-on-one and group training, in which she has excelled. “She’s a sweet, special dog, and she got to my heart,” Couch says. Find more information about the Society for Companion Animals at theanimalrescuer.com.

gus

Gus is a giant mutt who thinks he’s a pomeranian, owner mariel Street of Winnetka Heights says. “Little kids are scared of him; littler dogs are afraid of him,” Street says. “His paws can cover your whole face, but he thinks he’s a lap dog.” Aside from his size, his signature characteristic is his eyebrows. Last year Street rescued Gus from town Lake Animal rescue in Austin, where she was living. “He was in the kennel with a really rambunctious, adorable dog, and he was just lying there, and he had this goofy look on his face and these expressive eyebrows,” she says. “And he had paws the size of IHOp pancakes when he was a puppy, so it was adorable.” When Street takes the more than 100-pound Gus to the dog park, he is often afraid of big dogs, but he falls right in with the little dogs and romps around with them. “He thinks he’s one of them,” she says.

allas (of dallas)

One morning when Steve porter of elmwood went out to get his newspaper, a 3-month-old bull terrier wandered up to him. porter was preoccupied over some basal-cell carcinomas his doctor had diagnosed the day before. that turned out to be no big deal, but he was in a strange mood, he says. “this little tubby dog came running up to me like a little sister of mercy,” he says. “She’s my little angel.” Despite her mysterious origins, Allas never had any health problems. porter and wife Jeanne walk her twice a day, at 6 a.m. and in the evening, and Allas loves visiting with neighbors. “She’ll run right into their house if I don’t watch her,” porter says.

maxmax is the size of a Great Dane, but she’s covered in curly hair. She’s bill martin and Clay Chancey’s giant schnauzer, and she receives a lot of attention. “A lot of people have seen the mini schnauzers,” martin says. “but you don’t see giant schnauzers very often.” He chose the breed because a friend had one, and martin always liked the friend’s dog. For one thing, schnauzers don’t shed. So he bought max from a reputable breeder when she was 8 weeks old. “max is very calm,” martin says. “She has an old soul. She likes to lie down and watch.” max prefers people to dogs and often makes human friends at the dog park, he says. “She’s a great companion.”

readers’ choice: bella

popular pets

Thanks, Advocate readers, for sharing pictures and stories of your amazing animals — if only we could print ‘em all! Bella received the most “likes” during the Facebook readers’ choice contest. You can see the rest of her competition at facebook.com/oakcliffadvocate. Advocate editors will continue to consider new and existing entries for our monthly “Pet Pause” section.

The Big Fix for Big D

Black-and-white cats with kittens and packs of stray dogs are common sights in Oak Cliff. “People in Oak Cliff joke, ‘You buy a house, you buy a cat,’ ” says Chris Watts, district 3 commissioner for Dallas Animal Services. Fido Oak Cliff and Big Fix for Big D are making efforts to lower the number of strays in our neighborhood. Robbie Good of Fido Oak Cliff says population control is key, and neighbors can help by “not promoting breeders or puppy mills” but adopting animals from shelters instead. “I always thought there could be a little more outreach from the city,” Good says. That is where Watts and Big Fix for Big D come in. The Big Fix is a combined effort of four community organizations to promote spaying and neutering in Dallas neighborhoods by making spay/neuter surgeries available and affordable. Owners in 18 Dallas zip codes, including 75203, 75208, 75211 and 75224, can purchase an dog or cat’s surgeries, as well as vaccinations and city registration, for only $20. This offer is available to all animals, not just rescue pets. Owners often put spay/neuter surgeries on the back burner because they can’t afford it, don’t believe in it or are too busy, Watts says. He emphasizes that spaying and neutering does more than help control the animal population — it can prevent testicular cancer in male animals and reduce the likelihood of breast cancer up to 80 percent in females. —Tally McCormack

FIND

FIDOOAK CLIFF has a new Facebook page highlighting lost and found pets in our neighborhood. Find out more at fidooakcliff.org.

MORE information at bigfixforbigd.com.

FALL Home Improvement

KITCHEN AND BATH TRANSFORMATIONS

Making the right choices for your home

Water quenches and cleans. Just as it takes care of us, we take care of it. In looking for ways to make your house more livable and sellable, go straight to the water sources: sinks and showers. Before making kitchen and sink updates, first look within.

“Think about how your kitchen functions, how you work in the space and what works for you, but what doesn’t work is important, too,” says Kim Armstrong, local lead designer and owner of Kim Armstrong Interior Design. “Start pulling visuals of the kitchens that appeal to you.”

A professional can then help you find patterns, she says. Consider your preferences before renovation, like double ovens or an extra sink, and ways in which you function, such as cooking habits

and the number of family members.

“A deep sink can hide the coffee pot in the morning that doesn’t quite make it into the dishwasher,” says Armstrong. “If there are existing countertops, you need to make sure the sink fits the space. You want a good, functioning faucet, one that’s not going to drip over time. Invest more money in the faucet than in the sink.”

One option is a motion sensor faucet, which can save money and help your house be more resourceful. Sharon Flatley, owner of Flatley & Associates, says this is great for “people with limited mobility or people who are cooking and maybe their hands are covered in flour.” They can usually be found at home improvement stores, she says.

In choosing sinks, double-bowls used to be more popular but Flatley says they might not be as relevant today. Whatever you choose, it should be right for you. “If you have a great kitchen, it makes you happy,” says Flatley.

Like kitchens, bathrooms are more than just a key area to reselling; they are a part of daily life. One way to make your bathroom seem larger and showcase the tile work is to add glass shower doors.

“You’re in your shower once or twice a day,” says Jason Gantenbein, owner of Shower Doors of Dallas. “Older framed showers can break down, they’re difficult to clean and they can be outdated. With a frameless shower you still have to maintain the glass, but if you do, the shower is going to last a lifetime.”

Depending on the shower, bathroom walls or tile might need to be renovated before one can be installed. In hiring someone to renovate or install, Gantenbein advises finding out whether the company personally hires, background-checks and trains

the employees. “It’s uncomfortable to let people inside your home, so it’s important that the company you are working with is actually performing the install,” says Gantenbein.

There are many “ingredients” in thinking about changes, Gantenbein says. “Look at the drainage and basic layout. When thinking about purchasing a frameless shower, it is important to have a professional look at the opening, tile and wall conditions to ensure proper fit and stability of the glass enclosure.

In regards to choosing a shower door style, glass options include frosted, embossed, clear, tinted and etched. Almost any design can be etched into the glass but remember this might be a lifelong decision.

“For resale value of the home, stay elegant and simple,” says Gantenbein. “If you ever decide to sell the home, it will be more appealing to people who might want to buy the home. To keep things simple, many people stick to the basic clear frameless shower.”

FREE surface applied GLASS PROTECTANT with any order placed in September!

Think about how your kitchen functions, how you work in the space and what works for you, but what doesn’t work is important, too.

OC

Pitch perfect

Ilyan Perez of Oak Cliff, 5, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ outing against the White Sox July 29. Perez is a client of Easter Seals North Texas, and he arrived for his first speech therapy lesson wearing a Texas Rangers T-shirt. Since then, he has proven himself a hard worker at weekly sessions, therapist Nadia Costa says.

Mountain high

Smitty and Bridget Smith of Winnetka Heights climbed Machu Picchu in Peru with their Advocate in tow.

BBULLETIN BOARD

Classes/TuToring/ lessons

THE WHOLE TRUTH & Nothing But The Truth. Everything You Want To Know About The Bible But Are Afraid To Ask. Join Us For A Chronological Study. Wednesdays @ 7pm in 2012. Jefferson Blvd Church Of Christ. 214-339-3191 Or Church@jeffersonblvd.org

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

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

Business opporTuniTies

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

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

professional serviCes

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

peTs

Metro Paws Animal Hospital is NOW OPEN! 1021 Ft. Worth Avenue (next door to the Belmont Hotel) 214.939.1600 Pre-Register Your Pet Today. dallasmetropaws.com

Oct. DEADLINE SEpt. 12

tO ADVERtISE cALL 214.560.4203

peTs

In-Home Professional Care Customized to maintain your pet’s routine In-Home Pet Visits & Daily Walks

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

Granny is the answer A: Q:

Who do you want to care for your pets when you can’t?

PET SITTING SERVICE - THE PET GRANNY Dallas pet sitting at its finest. thepetgranny.com 214.458.1611

Buy/sell/Trade

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

esTaTe/garage sales

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

CARPENTRY & REMODELING

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

THE CLIENT’S CONTRACTOR www.CuttingEdgeRenovationsLLC.com

New Creation GROUP

Remodel Design Renovation

214-766-2677

www.newcreationgroup.com

CLEANING SERVICES

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

WINDOW MAN WINDOW CLEANING.COM

Residential Specialists. BBB. 214-718-3134

COMPUTERS & ELECTRONICS

IQUEUE MEDIA COMPANY 214-478-8644

TV Installation, Computer Repair, Security.

214.526.8533

#TACLA23686E

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

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

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

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

CONCRETE/ MASONRY/PAVING

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.)

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

ANNA’S ELECTRIC Your Oak Cliff Electrician Since 1978. tecl25513. 214-943-4890

ANTHONY’S ELECTRIC Master Electrician. TECL24948 anthonyselectricofdallas.com

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

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

ELECTRICAL SERVICES

’07, ’08, ’09, ’10, ’11 CONSUMERS CHOICE AWARDS Making Homes Safer

GLASS, WINDOWS & DOORS

PELLA WINDOWS & DOORS

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

es

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

TECL20502

972-926-7007

arrowelectric.net

Phones Answered 24/7

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.

CREATIVE METAL SOLUTIONS LLC

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

EST. 1991 #1

COWBOY

FENCE & IRON CO.

214.692.1991

SPECIALIZING IN Wood Fences &Auto Gates

cowboyfenceandiron.com

FLOORING & CARPETING

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

STAINED & SCORED CONCRETE FLOORS

New/Remodel. Res/Com. Int/Ext. Refin. 15 Yrs. TheConcreteStudio.com 214-321-1575

WORLEY TILE & FLOORING

Custom Marble Install. 214-779-3842

Taking pride in our work

since 1975

WHITE ROCK FLOORS Hardwoods New/Refurbished Ceramic Tile

wrfloors@sbcglobal.net

Old fashioned work ethic.

HANDYMAN SERVICES

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

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

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

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

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

INTERIOR DESIGN

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

FURNITURE PAINTIING Classes & More. Learn Chalk, Milk ,Mercury Glass Basics. Our House Or Yours. Call Jamie Or Kay 214-773-7221

214-293-7039

GARAGE DOORS

GARAGE DOOR & SPRING REPAIR

972-672-0848 TexasGaragePros.com

20% off with “Advocate Magazine”

KITCHEN/BATH/ TILE/GROUT

BLAKE CONSTRUCTION CONCEPTS LLC

Complete Kitchen And Bath Remodels

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

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

WE REFINISH!

• Tubs, Tiles or Sinks

• Cultured Marble

• Kitchen Countertops

214-631-8719

www.allsurfacerefinishing.com

lawns, Gardens & trees

ADVANCED TREE SERVICE

Quality Tree Trimming & Removal. 214-455-2095

IRISH RAIN SPRINKLER SYSTEMS

Installation & Repair. TXL#2738 214-827-7446

JD’S TREE SERVICE Mantels, Headboards, Kitchen Islands, Dining tables.Made from Local Trees.www.jdtreeservice.com 214-946-7138

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

U R LAWN CARE Maintenance. Landscaping. Oak Cliff resident for over 15 years. uwereisch@yahoo.com 214-886-9202

Castro’s Tree Service

Jeff Castro 214-337-7097

214-725-1171

jridefree@aol.com

Tree Shaping, Cutting and Removal

JD’s Tree Service

RESPONSIBLE TREE CARE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Firewood/Cooking Wood

Pest control

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

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*

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

Pools

LEAFCHASER’S POOL SERVICE

Parts and Service. Chemicals and Repairs. Jonathan Mossman FREE ESTIMATES

214-729-3311

roofinG & Gutters

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

NATIONWIDE ROOFING,FENCING,GUTTERS

BBB member. 214-882-8719

Allstate Homecraft Roofing

• Roofing & Remodel

• Additions

• Licensed/Insured

Over 1,000 Satisfied Customers in the Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Park Cities Areas – M ETAL S PECIALIST –

• Free Estimates 214-824-0767 allstatehomecraft.com

sKyliGhts

Installing Since 1995

community

Dallas Junior Police Academy accepts applications for its Nov. 3 session through Sep. 20. The training session is for students in grades 4-7 who want to learn what it’s like to be a DPD recruit. The event takes place at the department’s Basic Training Academy. Applications are available at dallaspolice.net. For more information, call Sgt. Cheryl Cornish at 214.671.4406.

It’s My Park Day is a one-day event for residents, families, and community groups to pitch in and clean their neighborhood parks 8 a.m. – noon Sept. 8. Help beautify our neighborhood parks by removing graffiti, picking up litter, weeding and participating in other activities. To volunteer, call Dallas Park and Recreation at 214.670.8400. Sign up by Aug. 31 at itsmyparkdaydallas.eventbrite.com.

AIDS Arms Inc., a service organization combating AIDS in North Texas, was well-represented at the International AIDS conference in Washington, D.C., in July. The neighborhood-based nonprofit sent 15 representatives to the conference that includes training, research, marches and networking opportunities with professionals in the HIV field of study. The goal for these delegates was to learn about new practices within the field and bring them back to Dallas, as well as share their own research and challenges with the world.

Children from the Trinity River Mission community learning center took advantage of the Dallas Arboretum’s Cool Science Investigations program, made possible by a $15,000 grant from Comerica Bank. All programs focus on hands-on discovery and experimentation activities for children, utilizing real tools, models, interactive exhibits and materials. The curriculum aligns with TEKS tests and prepares the children for successful testing and performance in fall classes. Trinity River Mission serves students predominately from the East Dallas, West Dallas and Oak Cliff areas who are from low-income families.

people

Locally harvested wood!

Full service trimming & planting of native trees.

214.946.7138

locKsmiths & security

CHIEF SECURITY & SAFE Expert & Quality

Locksmith & Safe Service. 10% Off. 214-827-7535

Commercial & Residential Replacement, Repair & New Installation

Glass – Acrylic – Tubular Skylights

972-263-6033

www.skylightsolutions.com

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.

Alan Elliott, who is sometimes called “the mayor of Oak Cliff,” sold his domain name, oakcliff.com, to Dallas real estate agent David Myre. Elliott has moved to oakcliff. org and plans to focus on history, happenings and links to neighborhood organizations, including neighborhood associations, schools, churches and art galleries.

Oak Cliff’s own Jason Roberts was honored as a “Champion of Change” at the White House in July for his work on the Better Block. When Roberts and business partner Andrew Howard return from exhibiting at the Venice Bienniale of Architecture this month, they plan to use $500,000 they found in the city budget to make certain aspects of the original Better Block a reality at Tyler and Seventh streets.

HAVE AN ITEM TO BE fEATurEd?

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

They broke The lock T wice in a row.

Teddie Cundiff has been holding on to her deceased husband’s power tools. While nothing of too much value, for some reason she just hasn’t gotten rid of them. He was woodworker, and after he retired from sales, the couple traveled to various arts and crafts fairs selling hat racks, planters and other items he had made by hand.

“We traveled all over the state,” Cundiff says.

Now those tools are gone. Someone broke into her shed by cutting a lock and then broke in again the next day by cutting another lock. The thief made off with about $500 worth of Cundiff’s husband’s power tools.

Cundiff’s neighbor also reported someone entering his backyard the same night and stealing a container of detergent, which was visible on the ground leading to the alley of her own Hampton Hills home, Cundiff says.

The Victim: Teddie Cundiff

The Crime: Theft

Date: Saturday, July 21

Time: Between 8:15 p.m. and 7 a.m. Location: 1500 block of Montreal

“I wasn’t hurt,” she says of the break-in. “But I’ve been violated.”

She says police have continued to investigate the crime and hopes a thief so brazen will be caught.

Dallas Police Lt. Gil Garza of the Southwest Patrol Division says it’s rare that a thief will return to the scene of a crime two nights in a row. Beyond using a sturdy lock, providing some added light to the shed area might be an added security measure for residents concerned with this type of crime.

“She might consider installing lights or motion sensor lights pointing toward her shed or attached to her shed. Burglars work at night or when they know someone is not home because they don’t want to be seen. The lights can deter some crimes.”

crime numbers

08.02 6:05 a.m. $409

Time on Aug. 5 when a woman hid in her bedroom as an unknown suspect kicked in the door of her apartment in the 3000 block of North Hampton; he then fled the location, and nothing was stolen

Date when a man threatened a woman and her dog at gunpoint while they were sitting in front of the North Oak Cliff library; when the woman did not respond to his romantic advances, he brandished the weapon and said, “I’ll shoot your dog!”; she called the police, and he fled the scene

Estimated value of the power tools stolen from Oak Cliff United Methodist Church Aug. 6 in the 500 block of East Jefferson

Source Dallas Police Department

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

The ‘Chinese house’ of oak Cliff

It’s gone now, but is vivid in many Cliffites’ memories

Comment. Visit oakcliff.advocatemag.com/backstory to tell us what you think.

My stories normally have an accompanying photo or two, or three, or four. However, this month it’s not possible. Not only is my subject no longer around, but, to my knowledge (and I’ve turned over quite a few stones on this one), there appear to be no photos.

The subject in question was anchored on the south side of Twelfth Street, east of Beckley and across the street from the old courthouse. Its composition was like none other, at least none other than we mid-century Cliffites had ever viewed. And it certainly didn’t match anything else around. To all the locals, the structure was known simply as the “Chinese House,” because it was, well, Chinese! No kidding.

Glenn Straus’s (Adamson ’59) boyhood paper route took him past the house regularly, and he remembers the place quite well. It took up two lots, he says, and was “remarkable, ornate and overdone, but still tasteful.” The house’s exterior had “multiple colors of tiles, sculptured concrete, varied stones and petrified wood,” he explains. “These architectural details were also included in the concrete wall around the property and extended over the rather large eastern side yard. I also remember a large fountain in that side yard that I never saw working.”

“[I] think it was originally a prairie/foursquare that someone started revamping with rocks and upturned roof supports a real Chinese look,” answered Cliffite Carla Boss when responding to my email query. “I remember seeing it as a young girl. It was definitely unique.”

The heavily tree-shaded house showcased a front exterior that included an ornate concrete stairway to a tiny second-floor apartment. The stairway’s railing was composed of concrete sculpted to look like a 3-inch-diameter tree trunk

that reflected sawed-off branch stumps.

Straus reports that the renters in the upstairs apartment were subscribers for the five years he carried the Dallas Morning News, but he doesn’t remember ever talking to them about the owner, “although I must have,” he adds.

Straus saw whom he assumed to be the owner only twice in the five years, both times when Straus rode by on his bike. “I caught about a 3-second glimpse of him,” says Straus, who says the owner was of Anglo, not Asian, descent. “He was unloading groceries from his car in the driveway next to a side door” the former paperboy continues. “I got the impression that he did not want to talk, so I never tried.”

Glenn Straus’s boyhood paper route took him past the Chinese House regularly, and he remembers the place quite well. It took up two lots, he says, and was “remarkable, ornate and overdone, but still tasteful.”

During my growing-up years and those of others, this Oak Cliff house provided the community with not only a true oddity to view, but with an assortment of stories to kick around as well — the most infamous reported by Boss: “There were lots of spooky stories about it, [the] best one being that the man had buried his wife there.” (I’m only a columnist, folks. I just report what I hear.)

Neighborhood newbies may believe

the memories of this house to be a bit “out there” and not that relevant to Oak Cliff history. However … one only needs to ask any old-timer if they remember this one-of-a-kind place and the answer will most likely be: “The Chinese House? Sure! Everyone knew where it was. Is it still there?”

In a recent inquiry to Alan Elliott (the self-proclaimed “mayor” of oakcliff.org), Regina Kinney left the following message:

“I grew up in Oak Cliff in the 1950s and ’60s and remember that there was a house of Chinese architecture in Oak Cliff. It was so unusual that my parents would take my brother and me by there periodically so we could look at it. I think it was close to the zoo, somewhere off of East Clarendon Road, but I can’t remember where it was. Do you have any information on this house? Where was it? Is it still there? I would love to drive by and see it the next time I’m in Dallas. Thanks for any information you can give me on ‘the Chinese house’ of Oak Cliff.”

See what I mean, people? I don’t make up this stuff. The “Chinese House of Oak Cliff” even has a thread on the Dallas Historical Society’s community forum, where the demolished place is described as “magical” and “legendary” and offers more inquiries about whether or not the house still exists.

“Seems like there were pieces of tile or china or glass or something embedded in the masonry wall that surrounded the house,” posted Vivian Yates Skinner (Carter ’72), who also states that two of her now adult sons remember the place.

Another poster remembers the “heavily beveled leaded glass front door” and adds that “to an Oak Cliff kid in the ’50s, this always seemed to be a magical place.”

make your comments on this column

YOUR STORIES

Longtime Cliffites recount memories and reconnect on oakcliff.advocatemag.com/ backstory. Last month...

Another statement on the board reads: “I thought sometimes it looked kind of spooky, but I always loved it.”

Where the house once stood now is the site of a Wendy’s fast food restaurant. The eerie stone structure is now only a ghost, brought down by an extensive fire that required the place to be demolished. But some ghosts endear themselves to us.

The old shadowy “Chinese House of Oak Cliff” is definitely one.

Gayla Brooks can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called Eagle Ford. She was born at Methodist Hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Brooks is one of three co-authors of the recently published book, “Images of America: Oak Cliff”, and writes a monthly history column for the Oak Cliff Advocate Send her feedback and ideas to gbrooks@advocatemag.com.

My father’s office supply store and my grandmother’s china shop were right next door to the West Davis Penguin hamburger place. In the summer when my brother and I would work at the office supply, my grandmother would get one of us boys to go next door and get “a bag of burgers.” Boy, were they good. On the other side of our building was the old Albin’s watermelon stand. Under the Christmas lights strung over the picnic tables, we ate the huge slices of red and sometimes yellow watermelon. On each table was a large salt shaker for those who ate their watermelon with salt. Albin’s expanded one summer to the northwest corner of Hampton and 67 where that office building sits right now. It was there only that one summer, in the field by Red Bird Airport.

—Ron Brannon

When you mentioned Skillern’s, I was reminded of the many, many times I went to the Skillern’s in Wynnewood Village to get my school supplies.Do you remember getting a coupon for a free milkshake with the purchase of a specified amount?It almost made goingback to school worthwhile!

—Frances Phillips

For those of us who have lived in Oak Cliff for decades, we have a lot of good memories, and a few where improvements made a difference. Remember Cardiac Hill to the original entrance of Methodist Central where the auditorium is now located — at ground level? My husband has a lot of great memories of going places in Oak Cliff on a bike as a kid, like to the “Dallas Zoo” in the ’50s to hunt arrowheads. Our grandkids were in awe when we took them on a tour one day where we would walk or ride a bike that far. A classic icon seldom given time would be the Dallas Public Library when located on the back of the lot at Marsalis and Jefferson.Modern and updated, what we got when it was torn down was less than 1/2 the sizeand character of the original.

—Donna Lackey

OAKCLIFF.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/BACKSTORY

“I grew up in Oak Cliff in the 1950s and ’60s and remember that there was a house of Chinese architecture in Oak Cliff.  It was so unusual that my parents would take my brother and me by there periodically, so we could look at it.”