OCTOBER 2016
Gr apevi ne’ sGayl or dTexan: Somet hi ngf orEver yone
TheBr avest Texan: TheLi f e andLegacyofAudi eMur phy
Cust om Homes ofTexas
Ker beyLane Caf e
CONTENTS 5
features
Grapevine’s Gaylord Texan: Something for Everyone Located in Grapevine, the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center offers amenities as big as the Lone Star State. With fine dining, sports bars, waterpark fun, and a relaxing spa, guests can find everything they need under one huge roof.
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The Bravest Texan: The Life and Legacy of Audie Murphy Texas has been the birthplace of many heroes, but perhaps none are considered braver than Audie Murphy. His life was characterized by steadfastness and a desire to serve his country.
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Custom Homes of Texas The Griffins carefully selected their Bellville home for its location; with a small town feel, and access to Houston amenities. This custom home boasts high ceilings, bold design elements, and plenty of Southern charm.
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An Austin Favorite: Kerbey Lane Cafe What began as a humble eatery has blossomed into one of Austin’s most well-known restaurants. Kerbey Lane Cafe offers unique and delicious food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
articles
LIFESTYLES
9 From Cotton Fields to Airfields: How Bessie Coleman Changed America by Soaring Above Adversity 12
Unusual Animals of Texas
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Christmas Trees and Mud
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Finding Autumn at Lost Maples
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A Dallas Hotel Unlike Any Other: The Stoneleigh Hotel HOME
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Getting Ready for Guests
35 Custom Wood Furniture Makers of Texas 39
A Beacon of Light: Decorating with Lanterns FOOD & DRINK
41
Step Aside, Coffee. There is a New Drink in Town
44 Terlingua Chili Cook-off Celebrating 50 Years of Good Chili 48
A Passion for Pumpkin October 2016 | 3
TEXAS IS FAMOUS FOR
SO MUCH:
The Alamo, NASA, Buddy Holly, and Dallas (the TV show) to list a few. Our great state is still associated with the cowboy, the open range, campfires, The Texas Rangers, and cattle drives. Our state is rich in history and has a unique identity, with a “Larger than Life” personality. At TexasLiving, we take great pride in showcasing the history, culture, and style of Texas. We trust that you’ll find this magazine reflects the unique identity that makes Texas great!
Publisher Michael Padgett Editor-in-Chief Ashley Sullivan
Executive Editor Megan McLawhon
Managing Editor Graeme Bloodworth
Production Director Rebecca Neighbors
Production Managers Amanda Sisson Mariann Gaston Kendall Browning Cara Dyer
Custom Homes Editor Bobbi Padgett
Custom Homes Photographer Butch Ireland Graphic Design Liz Acosta Matthew Raggo Sonny Santellan Chrissy White
Writers Marye Audet
S. Worthington Campbell Rebecca Canfield Rita Cook Erin Ferris C. Jackson Lattimer Jodie Michalak Jessica Moreau Simmie Myers Megan Ann Oswald Meddie Stewart Kimberly A. Suta Mark Taylor
Advertising | Business Office 1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 750, Bryan, Texas 77802 1-888-887-2450 | info@rgpmarketing.com © 2016 TexasLiving. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of TexasLiving.
Written By: Kimberly A. Suta Photos Courtesy Of: Gaylord Texan Resort
There is a special place in Texas where many travelers experience some of the Lone Star State’s most popular regions and attractions, and can do so all at once: the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. Located in Grapevine, this enormous hotel may be well-known, but it still holds many surprises within!
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LIFESTYLES “We say it's everything under one roof,” explained Martha Neibling, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, who has been with the resort since the beginning, before there was even a permanent office for her. Martha is not exaggerating; the Gaylord sits on 150 acres next to Lake Grapevine and features a waterpark, nightclub, and atrium with a delightful, four-and-a-half-acre garden, and that is just a small sampling of what the Gaylord Texan has to offer.
GL ASS - COVERED BE AUT Y “It's beautiful: the amount of lush gardens, waterfalls, and little pathways that twist around the property. There are so many places to explore,” Martha said. She explained that people do not realize that every single plant, flower, and tree in the atrium is real (except for one). The Gaylord Texan has a team of horticulturists on staff that maintain the grounds year-round, both inside and out. Martha said that the building’s architecture and design were inspired by Texas and the surrounding region. The atriums are enormous, and there are three of them. “They are fun and impressive because it feels like you're in each of the most famous places in Texas!” explained Martha. When visitors first walk into the Lone Star Atrium, they are greeted by a replica of the Alamo. Here guests will also find a miniature version of Palo Duro Canyon. The real canyon, of course, is in the Panhandle near Amarillo and considered the second-largest canyon in the U.S. The Hill Country Atrium is home to the Gaylord Texan’s only fake tree, but it is an impressive one nonetheless. The hotel spent a quarter of a million dollars to put in a replica of a Texas Hill Country Oak Tree, which was assembled when they opened. Evidently, a real one would not survive relocation. In this atrium, guests will also find a windmill and one of the resort's fine dining restaurants, Zeppole Coastal Italian. Lastly, the Riverwalk Atrium, themed after San Antonio's festive downtown attraction, even features its own river along with a beautiful brick archway. Unlike the actual river, this one is filled with koi. As San Antonio is considered a hub of the best Tex-Mex cuisine in the state, it is no surprise that the hotel's Tex-Mex restaurant, Riverwalk Cantina, is located in this region of the atrium.
H O L I D AY & S U M M E R F U N The Gaylord Resorts, a brand which can also be found in Washington D.C., Tennessee, Florida, and Colorado, are geared towards large convention groups. With everything attendees could ever want or need located on-site, it is the perfect destination for any convention type and size. However, tailoring the center towards the corporate demographic could have meant a great lull during holidays and summertime. To counteract the potential downtime, the brand is determined to be the “it” spot for summer and winter vacations. As Martha explained it, their fourth quarter, which is typically the worst in the hotel industry, is now their best because of all they have to offer locals looking for an ideal staycation, as well guests from around Texas and nearby states.
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LIFESTYLES
L O N E S TA R C H R I S T M A S
PA R A D I S E S P R I N G S WAT E R PA R K
Christmas at the Gaylord Texan is truly a winter wonderland! With two million lights, 15,000 ornaments, giant toy soldiers, and 250 Christmas trees (the largest of which is 54 feet tall), it may seem that Santa relocated his workshop to Texas. The Gaylord Texan's special events and production team work all year long to create the handmade holiday decorations that adorn the hotel. “People ask us ‘Where did you find that?’ It's not something we purchased. You can't see it anywhere else in the world,” said Martha, proudly. The decorations are made in a building off-site, a large area where items are stacked floor to ceiling.
The waterpark which opened three summers ago, was the Gaylord Texan's answer to slow summers. It did not take long before people realized this 10-acre oasis was the answer to surviving the sweltering Texas heat. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, couples and families can enjoy this western-themed resort pool, complete with a lazy river, lagoon, toddler pools, zip-lines, and other fun and adventures. For those who prefer pampering over adventure, private cabanas come with their own televisions and stocked refrigerators. Guests must “stay to play” at the waterpark, so booking a room is required.
Although there are a myriad of activities that happen throughout the month of December, including photos with Santa, character breakfasts, gingerbread decorating, and a cookies-and-milk story time with Mrs. Claus, the biggest attraction, which brings in 300,000 people each year, is the ice sculpture event. The Gaylord Texan flies in 40 professional ice carvers who whittle down two million pounds of ice into frozen masterpieces.
DINING OPTIONS
“At first, it looks like a construction zone in the tents, with a lot of chainsaws and hardhats, but then it transforms,” said Martha. Clear ice is used for the ice angels and nativity scenes, white ice for Santa's beard and the like, while other blocks of ice are colored red and green, to make up the other sculptures. Each year's sculptures are patterned after a different theme, such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch That Stole Christmas, and Frosty the Snowman. The ice sculpture event opens mid-November and lasts until early January. Next to the ice sculpture tent, the Gaylord Texan does its best to bring winter to Grapevine in the form of a two-story tall hill of snow for tubing. It takes two million pounds of snow throughout the season to keep the powder fresh and tube-worthy. “It's so cool because we never get to go tubing in this part of the country,” said Martha. “We put a lot of effort into brainstorming all these activities and events and put so much passion into it.” She recommends buying the combo ticket, and making reservations early, as these events are packed from the day they open.
At the Gaylord Texan, guests will be astonished to find four high-quality restaurants, and that number does not include the bars and coffee shops peppered throughout the property. Like all things Gaylord, quality and consistency are important aspects of each of the restaurants. “Gaylord puts a lot of emphasis on really good culinary talent. They find the best in the country, and they love using fresh, local ingredients,” explained Martha. They recently hired Executive Resort Chef, Juan Martinez, to oversee all of the restaurants. Additionally, they employ a Director of Food and Beverage, Mark Beaupre, who said, “We invest a great deal into our resort restaurants and team of talented executive chefs in order to provide unique, high-quality, and creative culinary experiences for our guests. Whether it is a pulled pork sandwich on a homemade bun in our casual sports bar or a bone-in filet with seared scallops in our fine dining steakhouse, we use fresh, local ingredients to create the extraordinary.” Zeppole Coastal Italian is an upscale restaurant set in a festive courtyard. The menu of traditional Italian and seafood dishes are only outmatched by Chef Sascia Marchesi, who hails from Milan and grew up cooking at home and in his family's restaurant. The Old Hickory Steakhouse is the other fine dining restaurant on property and considered one of the best steakhouses in Grapevine. For guests who crave a good filet, a side of habanero creamed corn, with lobster bisque, Old Hickory is a perfect choice.
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LIFESTYLES The hotel offers more casual restaurants, like the Riverwalk Cantina and the Texan Station Sports Bar and Grill, which is perhaps better known for their 52foot television screen. It was one of the biggest in Dallas, at least until the AT&T Stadium was built. They also showcase several other flat screens in the restaurant as well as a tailgate patio with even more. “It's kind of a ‘sports central’ for enthusiasts,” Martha said.
FOOTBALL FRENZ Y For sports lovers, one of the best features at the Gaylord Texan is the likelihood of spotting a Dallas Cowboy football player or one of the cheerleaders, at least during football season. The Gaylord Texan is the official hotel of the Dallas Cowboys and therefore, besides calendar release parties and special meet and greet events, the team actually stays at the resort the night before every game. “We love having them here,” Martha said. The hotel is also home to the post-game radio show, Cowboy’s Hour, where various players come on after their games to talk. For guests, spotting a Cowboy is always very exciting.
A C C O M M O D AT I O N S With 1,511 guest rooms on property, 127 suites, and 400,000 square feet of meeting space, the Gaylord Texan is on par with many Las Vegas hotels for size and accommodations. They even have a dozen presidential suites that each come with a full-service kitchen, living room, study, workout equipment, and a roomy bathroom area with a soaking tub and a steam shower. “It's where I want to live, but they won't let me,” Martha joked. All of the rooms were fully renovated in 2015. Where once the rooms were themed after each of the Texas regions represented in the atriums, visitors can now expect the same level of quality and modern décor in each room. But at the Gaylord Texan, even the standard rooms are a luxury.
R E L AC H E S PA & S A LO N What resort would be complete without a spa? The Gaylord Texan’s full-service spa boasts 12 treatment rooms, a salon, steam and sauna rooms, retail space, and Martha's favorite: the slumber room. “It's like a napping room. Visitors can lay on the beds; there are water fountains, beautiful smells... it really is the most relaxing part of going to the spa,” she said. Whether guests choose the Gaylord Texan for a couples’ staycation, girls’ getaway, or honeymoon, the Relache is a great way to unwind while on the property. Their services include massages, body scrubs, eye treatments, facials, foot baths, nail services, fitness counseling, and makeup services. The truth is, if you want it, you can get it at the Gaylord. Fitness enthusiasts will also appreciate the on-site gym, which comes with stateof-the-art cardio equipment, free weights, an indoor pool, and a private trainer if they so choose. For Allen Biloff, Resident Manager, what makes the Gaylord Texan special is not the club, the restaurants, or even the atriums. “From our award-winning restaurants and spa to the newly renovated luxury rooms and unique shopping experiences, we provide unique and memorable experiences for our guests. But what sets us apart from other resorts is our amazing STARS (employees), who are passionate about caring for the needs of each and every guest they have the pleasure of assisting.”
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Written By: Rebecca Canfield
It is widely believed that bravery is the absence of fear, that those who conquer against all odds have a super-human ability to stand where others have fallen, and to triumph where others have failed. George Patton once said, “Courage is fear holding on a minute longer.” Those who are labeled as brave are not unafraid. They simply know that bravery is not found, but won. It is not something you are born with but is the direct result of choices made in the face of adversity. Bessie Coleman, the world’s first black female aviator, did not get the name “Brave Bess” because she was never afraid. She got the name because she did not let fear choose what she could or could not accomplish in life.
YO U N G D E T E R M I N AT I O N Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas. Her parents, George and Susan Coleman, were sharecroppers, and their lives had not been easy. Susan Coleman, who was believed to have been born into slavery, was illiterate as was her husband. George Coleman, who was three-quarters Native American and one-quarter black, might have actually been born a free man. Because educating blacks was a relatively new concept in America, neither of Bessie’s parents had the opportunity to go to school, so they earned money the best way they could. Through hard work and will power, George Coleman was able to save enough money while working as a day laborer, to buy a quarter of an acre of
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F LY I N G F R E E What many people thought to be a joke was no joke to Bessie. From the moment she decided to become a pilot, like everything Bessie did, she went for it full force. She applied to every flight school in the area and was turned down by all of them. Undeterred, Bessie kept trying. A lucky break finally came her way when Robert Abbott, Editor and Publisher of the Chicago Defender, decided to help. After doing some fact checking, Abbott suggested that Bessie attend flight school in France. Unlike home, in France, race was not an issue. Additionally, the French were considered world leaders in the field of aviation. Taking Abbott’s advice, Bessie enrolled in night courses to learn French in preparation for her journey. She found a better paying job as the manager of a chili parlor and began saving her money for the trip. After receiving financial assistance from Abbott, and possibly several others, Bessie applied for her passport to France on November 4. 1920. Bessie studied Aviation in Le Crotoy, France where she completed a seven-month course including training on performing tailspins and looping the loop. During her training at Le Crotoy, Bessie witnessed an accident where another pilot was killed. land in Waxahachie, Texas along Mustang Creek. The couple had 13 children, only nine of them surviving. When Bessie was six, she began making the four-mile walk to school so she could learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Intelligent and eager, Bessie was an outstanding student, especially in math, and she often helped her parents by doing the family accounting. Her life was a relatively happy one until 1901 when her father George, tired of the racial inequality he faced both as a black man and as an Indian, decided to move back to Indian Territory in Oklahoma, where he felt he would have more rights. Refusing to move back to Oklahoma with George, Susan and the children stayed behind in Waxahachie alone. However, in 1910, 18-year-old Bessie graduated from eighth grade, albeit slowly due to the many breaks she took to help the family with the cotton harvest. She took her savings and left for Langston, Oklahoma to attend the Colored Agricultural and Normal University. Once in Langston, Bessie, whose rural education had been somewhat lacking, was placed in the sixth grade. She completed only one term; then her money ran out, and she was forced to return to Waxahachie working as a laundress for wealthy families. Finally, in 1915, Bessie decided to leave Waxahachie for Chicago and moved in with her brother Walter. She was intent on making something of herself and felt like that would not be possible in such a small town. Her mother agreed. “You can’t make a racehorse out of a mule,” Bessie’s mother Susan would tell her. “If you stay a mule, you’ll never win the race.” Once in Chicago, Bessie began looking for work. She enrolled in Burnham School of Beauty Culture and took a class in manicuring. She began working as a manicurist at the White Sox Barber Shop where she made many important friends. On January 30, 1917, Bessie married a friend of Walter’s named Claude Glenn. The marriage was kept secret, and even after her death, many of Bessie’s family members still believed she was single. At age 27, Bessie was still in Chicago and still striving to amount to something. After five years, she found her answer. While working in Duncan’s Barber Shop, Bessie’s brother John stopped in, and while intoxicated, began teasing Bessie about the superiority of French women, who he said could fly airplanes. Bessie, spurred on by the comments, decided then and there that she would become a pilot.
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“It was a terrible shock to my nerves,” she said. “But I never lost them. I kept going.” Her room, Bessie said, was nine miles from the airfield, and each day she made the long walk. She had learned to fly in a French Nieuport Type 82 plane, a 27-foot biplane which was a favorite plane for training in France. It was a fragile machine made of wood, wire, steel, aluminum, and cloth. Structural failure was a common problem, and flying was very dangerous. In June of 1921, Bessie Coleman received her international pilot’s license from the Fédration Aéronautique Internationale. After spending some time in Paris, where Bessie stated she took additional flying lessons, she returned to the U.S. in September.
LIFESTYLES
On September 3, 1922, at Curtiss Airfield near New York City, Bessie was featured in an air show sponsored by Robert Abbott and the Chicago Defender, which billed Bessie as “the world’s greatest woman flyer.” Six weeks later, she returned to Chicago to perform at Checkerboard Airdrome (Now Midway Airport) where she did figure eights, loops, and near-ground dips. The crowd went wild. Bessie went on to tour the country, doing exhibitions and lecturing on flying opportunities for blacks. In 1923, Bessie had finally raised enough money to buy her own plane, an old Curtis JN-4 priced at $400. Yet just days after purchasing the plane, it stalled at 300 feet and crashed. Bessie spent the next several months in the hospital with a broken leg and several broken ribs but returned to flying eighteen months later. She made her first exhibition flight after the accident in Houston, Texas. She decided, at this point, that it was time to help other blacks who wanted to fly as well. She flew and lectured and even opened up a beauty parlor in Orlando, Florida in an effort to raise money to begin the first colored flight school in the United States. Again, Bessie had raised enough money to buy her own plane, a move that would make scheduling exhibitions much easier. The plane, an army surplus plane from World War I, was flown from Dallas to Jacksonville, Florida. The old plane was said to have stalled twice on the trip to Florida. One day before Bessie had scheduled her exhibition performance; she took the plane out for a practice run alongside her mechanic William Wills, who was in the cockpit. Bessie was riding with her seatbelt unfastened, many thought, in an attempt to study the contours of the field below. She was to end her performance with a parachute jump at 2,500 feet the next day. The plane had only been in the air for a short time when it suddenly accelerated into a tailspin and flipped upside down. Bessie fell more than 500 feet to her death. Wills, who stayed with the plane, crashed and died as well. To make matters worse, someone on the ground inspecting the wreckage disposed of a cigarette causing the entire plane to be engulfed in flames, making it difficult to inspect the plane for the possible reasons for the malfunction. However, a wrench was found jammed into the gearbox, the only explanation that could be found for the accident.
A HERO’S HOMECOMING When she returned to New York, reporters were waiting to interview Bessie, now practically a celebrity. Upon returning home, however, Bessie soon learned that pilot jobs were hard to come by. Most aviators were barnstormers or exhibitionists, performing daring stunts for a crowd. To do this, Bessie knew that she would need more training, so she returned to France to learn how to do stunt flying in February of 1922. She spent the next two months taking an advanced aviation course in France, then traveled to Holland and Germany to receive additional training. Now Bessie had both talent and daring, but she was still missing the one ingredient needed to be successful ... publicity. In order to attract crowds at air shows, Bessie knew that she needed to have both an exciting story and an exciting image. Bessie, as did many other
Bessie Coleman died on May 2, 1926. Thousands attended a memorial service held for her in Jacksonville, Florida. Although her death was tragic, her life was inspirational. After her death, the Bessie Coleman Club was formed by Curtis J. Powell, who in addition to honoring Bessie, saw to it that in 1932 her dream of having a flight school for black students came true. “Because of Bessie Coleman...we have overcome the barriers within ourselves and have dared to dream,” said Powell. “Today there are many black aviators, men and women, and there are schools to teach them how to fly.” In April of 1995, thanks to the family members of Bessie Coleman, the United States Post Office issued a thirty-two cent stamp portraying her image.
aviators at the time, embellished stories about her life and her training to
Although Bessie Coleman’s life was cut short, her legacy lives on today.
attract media attention. She also dressed in a military-style uniform to look
Every year, flowers are dropped on her grave from the air as a memorial to
more official.
the woman who taught people how to soar above adversity.
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Written By: S. Worthington Campbell
Texas has an amazingly diverse mix of native animals that make their home in its woods, plains, and coasts. Did you know that one common Texas animal resident always gives birth to four identical babies, while another squirts blood from its eyes when alarmed, and yet another is the second fastest animal in the world? Take a look at ten of the most unusual Texas animals.
2. JAVELINA Javelina, or “skunk pigs,” garnered their unflattering nickname due to scent glands below each eye and on their backs, which they use to mark their territory and other members of their herd. This identification system is necessary because of the animals’ poor vision. They are medium-sized, hoofed mammals resembling a pig with small eyes, a snout, and straight tusks. The homely creatures are not actually pigs, but members of the peccary family, and are found in Texas deserts and grasslands. Javelinas are social creatures and live in small family groups. They are omnivores and prefer to eat cacti and insects, though they can often make a pest of themselves if dog or cat food is left outside for them to find. The animals have a largely undeserved reputation as ferocious and aggressive beasts, as they generally only defend themselves when attacked. However, if provoked, they can definitely be a threat by using their long sharp canines to fend off dogs or other predators. Javelinas are a game animal and may be legally hunted while in season in Texas.
1. AR MADILLO One of the strangest, yet most familiar, animals in Texas is the North American nine-banded Armadillo, the official mascot of the state. Protected by a layer of armored plates on the top and sides of its body, the ‘dillo’s underbelly is simply covered with soft skin and fur. Although the cat-sized animals have very short legs, they are surprisingly fast runners. So why then do so many “armadillo casualties” occur on the sides of Texas highways? This is likely because armadillos have the unfortunate habit of jumping straight up in the air when surprised, which means they often collide with the undercarriage or fenders of passing cars. These timid, solitary creatures build burrows in moist soil and eat mainly insects and spiders. Armadillo females produce one egg at a time, which then splits into four parts so that there are always four identical, babies. The animals became synonymous with Texas in the 1970s when armadillo racing became a brief fad, and Austin’s famous Armadillo World Headquarters dancehall was in its heyday.
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LIFESTYLES
3. TEX AS HORNED LIZARD The Texas Horned Lizard is a scary looking light-brown reptile about two-to-four-inches long that nests and hibernates underground. “Horny toads” sport two large spines on their heads and two rows of fringed spines along their backs. When frightened, the usually flattish lizards will puff themselves up with air to look larger and their spines more prominent. The animal’s best defensive trick is its ability to squirt blood from the corners of its eyes into the face of a predator. The blood is mixed with a foul-tasting chemical that makes the idea of a lizard dinner less attractive to a hawk, dog, or snake. The lizards resemble a miniature dinosaur and have evolved throughout millions of years of environmental upheaval. Sadly, Texas horned lizards have not been able to cope with the drastic changes in the modern landscape, as well as people’s fascination with them, and are now listed as threatened by the State of Texas. Their numbers seem to be stabilizing as it is now “illegal to disturb or keep a horned lizard without a state permit.”
4. OPOSSUM The common opossum (or commonly just “possum”) is the only marsupial (pouched mammal) in the United States and is found throughout Texas. The mama possum gives birth to as many as 20 honeybee-sized babies each spring, but usually fewer than half survive. The babies crawl into the pouch immediately after birth and when large enough, begin to crawl in and out of the pouch for the next few months. They also sometimes hitch a ride on the mother’s back as she scavenges for food. If a possum is cornered and frightened, it will often “play possum,” though the reflex is involuntary. The Oscarworthy actors flop onto their sides, close their eyes, and stick out their tongues to look good and dead. Their musk glands are also activated, and drool will even drip from their mouths. This condition can last over an hour and makes predators lose interest, allowing the possum a chance to escape. While not particularly attractive, the possum serves a vital role in the urban environment: garbage collector. They are the only mammals in Texas that routinely eat poisonous snakes and will also chow down on insects, some plants, small rodents, and fresh carrion.
5. BIGHORN SHEEP Bighorn sheep are named for their large curved horns that weigh up to 30 pounds. The large sheep themselves can weigh up to 300 pounds and are known for their ability to climb extremely rocky and steep mountain slopes. It is thought that the animals originally crossed to North America via the Bering Land Bridge from Siberia, and the population in North America was once as in the millions. By 1900, the population of the bighorn sheep in the U.S. had diminished to just a few thousand because of overhunting, disease, and predators. Conservation efforts by a number of individuals, governments, and organizations – notably the Boy Scouts – have saved the animals from extinction. Texas bighorn sheep are indigenous to desert ecosystems as well as grassy meadows and foothills near rocky cliffs and bluffs. Cave and rock paintings of bighorns have been found in the Texas Trans-Pecos Region, which demonstrates their history in the area since prehistoric times. The last of the native bighorns were gone in Texas by the 1960s, but pen-raised animals have been reintroduced with some success. There are currently seven herds of free-ranging bighorn sheep in Texas, and a dozen or so hunting permits are issued each year.
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Written By: Mark Taylor Photos Courtesy Of: Audie Murphy Research Foundation
The title of his famous autobiography, To Hell and Back, referred to his experiences in World War II, but it could just as easily have been about his childhood. When Audie Leon Murphy was born in the cotton fields of Kingston, Texas in 1925, the small town was already on the decline. By age five, the town’s post office had closed, and his sharecropping family was moving around Hunt County in search of work. Murphy was the seventh of twelve children, and even at a young age, he was already picking cotton and hoeing beside his parents. According to his later accounts of this time in his life, “it was a full-time job just existing.” The Murphy family was not alone in their suffering. His youth was spent in the throes of the Great Depression, followed by the harshness of the Dust Bowl, known colloquially as the “Dirty Thirties.” His father, Pat Murphy, was in and out of the family’s life, and permanently deserted the family when Murphy was just fifteen. This devastated his mother, and within the year, Josie Murphy died of endocarditis and pneumonia in 1941. Murphy dropped out of school shortly before his father left, to help support the family. By the time his mother passed away, he was working at a radio repair shop as well as a combination general store, garage, and gas station in Greenville. Murphy’s resentment for his father ran deep, but he soon realized that his life’s path was already proving similar to his father’s. However, a surprise attack by the Japanese on the U.S. fleet stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, would change his life forever.
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PERSIST TO ENLIST Like so many other eager young Americans, Murphy tried to enlist. But even with the need for soldiers, the military still was not accepting under-aged, underweight volunteers. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps all turned him down for his youth and stature. Nothing could be done about his Irish baby face, but after changing his diet to bulk up as much as possible, one of his sisters swore out an affidavit that falsified Murphy’s birth date. Taking his word that he was actually eighteen instead of seventeen, the U.S. Army accepted him on the last day of June 1942 and shipped him out for basic training at Camp Wolters.
T H E M E D I T E R R A N E A N T H E AT E R French Morocco and Algiers were Murphy’s first assignments, where he was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division. In Algiers, Murphy’s division trained for an amphibious landing on the island of Sicily. During this campaign, he began to compile his impressive service record. Murphy’s ancestry, personality, and life experiences seemingly combined to give him the precise mix of both derring-do and caution he would need to survive and excel as a soldier. Like most young men in war, it did not take long for Murphy to figure out that the war did not live up to the hype of the posters and propaganda films. According to Murphy’s autobiography, To Hell and Back, "ten seconds after the first shot was fired at me by an enemy soldier, combat was no longer glamorous." He would later recall, "but it was important because all of a sudden I wanted very much to stay alive…sometimes it takes more courage to get up and run than to stay. You either just do it, or you don't. I got so scared the first day in combat I just decided to go along with it." Near Anzio, Italy, Staff Sergeant Murphy and his men occupied a damaged farmhouse that allowed them to observe an enemy approach from the road. From the edifice, the Americans were able to observe, the only real means of approach for any of the Axis forces’ heavy equipment because of the muddy conditions of the area. On March 1, 1943, Murphy and his men observed 20 German tanks lumbering toward them, searching for weak spots in the American defenses. Murphy used an Army landline to call for artillery support, repeatedly giving revised coordinates until the lead tank was taken out, thus barricading the road. The remaining tanks were unable to move off-road and circumnavigate the damaged tank, so they retreated. Murphy and his men were tasked with destroying the tank before a returning German crew could repair or remove it. That night, Murphy handselected a few soldiers and cautiously approached the tank in the dark. He ordered the men to stay in place, about 200 yards from the vehicle while he crawled closer to the tank and threw a grenade into its open hatch. As the Germans heard the explosion and began attacking, Murphy fired six grenades from his grenade launcher, destroying both treads on the tank. He then retreated posthaste by sprinting down the muddy ditch as the Germans unloaded on him.
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LIFESTYLES
For his efforts, Murphy earned the first of two Bronze Stars he would
Despite the accolades, Murphy was not immune to setbacks. After a
receive during the war. These medals were just the tip of the iceberg for
sniper shot struck him in October 1944, Murphy was pinned down for three
the young Texan, who was at that time completely absorbed with carrying
days before he could be evacuated to the hospital. When he finally made it
out his mission, protecting his men, and coming home alive. He received
out, gangrene had set into the wound, and he spent the next two months
two more awards in May upon completion of additional combat training
recuperating. By mid-January of 1945, he was back with his company,
at Torre Asturia: the Combat Infantryman Badge, which distinguished him
slugging it out with the Germans in the midst of a bitter winter. As if war were
from soldiers who had not been under fire; and the 1st Oak Leaf Cluster to
not harsh enough, the conditions provided the harshest of settings for Audie
the Bronze Star Medal, which is awarded for "exemplary conduct in ground
Murphy’s most courageous act of war.
combat against an armed enemy."
The Colmar Offensive was designed to dislodge the Germans from their last foothold on French soil. The task of the 3rd Division was to advance near the Bois de Riedwihr, a large forest that stretched between two heavily fortified villages. The division’s 30th Regiment had taken the woods on January 23rd, only to be cut to shreds and forced to withdraw due to lack of ground cover. Murphy’s 15th Regiment was ordered in the following day. To reclaim their lost ground, the Germans advanced toward the wood line, which was defended by Murphy, who had assumed command earlier in the day. He had only eighteen men left from his B Company. At their disposal were two poorly armed tanks, no match for vastly superior enemy armor. Each tank had only a 3-inch M7 anti-armor gun tube and a single .50 caliber machine gun. No other fire support except artillery was available to assist them. Almost instantly, an 88-millimeter German gun scored a direct hit on one of the tanks, the other was soon taken out, and the enemy began to overtake the Americans’ position. Murphy ordered his protesting men to withdraw while he stayed behind to direct artillery fire using an army landline. Murphy later recalled in his autobiography, “It was not a heroic act. I figured if one man could do the job, why risk the lives of others.” Murphy left his position, took the portable wire-connected telephone
T H E E U R O P E A N T H E AT E R Murphy further distinguished himself on the front lines as the 3rd Division landed on the coast of southern France to begin pushing north along the country’s eastern border. On this French battlefield, Audie Murphy’s story begins to read like the script of an action movie. On August 15, 1944, Murphy encountered a hill dotted with German machine-gun nests that were protecting a big gun aimed at the coast. He singlehandedly forged up the hill, systematically destroying the nests along the way. Murphy’s best friend in the unit joined him, and the two engaged enemy troops in a heated shootout. In a sad instance of battlefield trickery, the Germans signaled a fake surrender. Murphy’s friend rose to accept the surrender and was immediately gunned down. This was a fatal mistake for
with him, and climbed on one of the burning tank destroyers. The flames and smoke created a ticking time bomb, but they also provided camouflage for Murphy, allowing him to access its machine gun. On the phone, Murphy began calling in the positions of the Germans, and the American artillery rained fire directly on top of their advance. The Germans eventually advanced to within 50 yards of Murphy’s position on the tank when battalion headquarters asked him about the enemy’s position. Murphy reportedly replied, “If you just hold the phone a minute, I’ll let you talk to one of the bastards.” The field telephone stopped working, most likely because the line was cut or destroyed. Nearing the point of exhaustion, Murphy unloaded on the unsuspecting enemy, who could not even tell who was firing on them, or from which direction the fire was coming.
the Germans, as Murphy instantly exterminated the enemy, charged up the
While atop the burning tank, the vehicle took two direct hits from the
hill, and took out another machine-gun nest, clearing the area for the Allies.
88-millimeter German shells. The explosions briefly stunned Murphy and
His heroism earned him the Distinguished Service Cross, the second-highest
reopened his previous shrapnel wound, but that was the extent of their
U.S. Army medal for valor. By this point, Murphy was a seasoned veteran,
damage. He maintained his position for nearly an hour of extreme battle.
despite his young age, and often volunteered for dangerous assignments.
When the German tanks began to withdraw, Murphy had killed about 50
As the 3rd Division moved into eastern France during the fall of 1944, Murphy’s decoration increased, as he twice earned Silver Stars, one for
German infantrymen and destroyed several enemy tanks. He had almost singlehandedly defeated the German advance.
saving his commanding officer and another for extinguishing a machine-gun
A few months later, just shy of his 20th birthday, Audie Murphy received
and sniper nest. These heroics earned him a promotion to second lieutenant,
the nation’s highest military recognition, the Medal of Honor. Additionally,
a promotion he had previously turned down, but eventually accepted on the
along with the Bronze and Silver Stars, he also earned three Purple Hears, the
condition that he could remain with his men.
Distinguished Service Cross, and the Legion of Merit. In all, the young soldier
16 | October 2016
LIFESTYLES
had earned 37 medals, 11 of which were awards for valor, making him the most decorated American soldier during World War II. He arrived back home to parades, speeches, banquets, and his face on the cover of magazines, including the July 15, 1945, cover of Life Magazine. He was discharged with the rank of first lieutenant, at a 50 percent disability classification, and transferred to the Officers' Reserve Corps.
POS T WAR LIFE Murphy’s enormous popularity with the American public was matched by the vicious onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While the term PTSD was not officially used until much more recently, at that time, the symptoms were commonly referred to as Combat Stress Reaction or Combat Exhaustion. For years, he struggled to find his place in the new post-war era. Decades later, during a 1963 Veteran’s Day interview, Murphy recalled his most memorable moment of the war: “I was only in service for about three years, but I can assure you, it felt much longer…I think I’d have to say the greatest thing that ever happened to me was not as a sergeant, but as a second lieutenant…or was it first lieutenant? I’ve tried to forget all these things, you see….I heard that the war in Europe was over. There’s nothing that could top that for me….I started thinking about home again, which we didn’t dare think of before…suddenly I was a little frightened, strange as it may seem, and I didn’t know what I would do when I got home, and I suddenly felt just a little empty inside, and a little lonely about the whole thing. Although I was very happy that the war was over, I suddenly didn’t feel that I had a home.” His search for his new place in the world was not easy. His PTSD led to insomnia and bouts of depression, and he slept with a loaded pistol under his pillow. A 1947 doctor’s examination noted Murphy’s headaches, vomiting, and nightmares about war. His medical records indicated that he took sleeping pills to help prevent nightmares, and he became dependent on Placidyl. To Murphy’s credit, he recognized his own addiction, and in the mid-1960s, locked himself alone in a hotel room for a week to break his need for the medication successfully. The PTSD spurred on his melancholy attitude and moodiness, worrying his friends and family. Reports from his first wife during these dark days revealed the depths of Murphy’s struggle. Actions that were uncharacteristic and erratic intermixed with bouts of grief and guilt when war memories overcame him. Perhaps his bravest season of life was this postwar era in which he daily dealt with his own PTSD.
H O L LY W O O D F A M E After seeing Murphy on the cover of Life Magazine, actor and producer James Cagney actively recruited him. Cagney paid Murphy’s way to Hollywood and took the fragile young man into his own home, and even provided him with acting and dance lessons. However, Murphy never appeared in a Cagney production. His first lead role was in the 1949 film Bad Boy, financed by Texas theater owners who insisted on starring Murphy. Universal Studios signed him, and he starred in a number of westerns, playing lead roles that included Billy the Kid, Jesse James, and The Cimmaron Kid. On loan to MGM, Murphy starred as “The Youth” in John Huston’s film adaptation of The Red Badge of Courage. Murphy took his film career seriously; he honed his ability to “fast draw” a gun, took additional acting lessons, and rehearsed his diction by reciting Shakespeare.
October 2016 | 17
LIFESTYLES
His biggest role came with the 1955 film, To Hell and Back, an adaptation of Murphy’s own best-selling autobiography, ghost written by McClure. Under protest, Murphy played himself in the film. At the age of 31, he was able to convincingly portray himself as a teenager. The film was immensely successful, both critically and financially, earning Murphy a $1 million dollar payout. He instantly became highly sought-after and made some 49 films in an acting career that lasted until his final film, A Time For Dying, in 1969.
M U R P H Y ’ S U N T I M E L E Y D E AT H Amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the story of Audie Murphy’s untimely death at the young age of 45 received relatively little coverage, especially in comparison to the previous media accolades lavished on Murphy at the end of World War II. On May 28, 1971, Murphy and a group of associates boarded a plane he co-owned, headed from Georgia to Virginia. The pilot was not rated for instrument flight, and conditions were poor. The plane crashed in the mountains near Catawba, Virginia, killing all five passengers and the pilot. Walter Cronkite reported the death on the evening news, saying: “America’s
Today, Audie Murphy is remembered across the country, but Texans remain especially fond of their homegrown hero.
most decorated soldier of World War II, Audie Murphy, used to refer modestly to himself as a fugitive from the law of averages. Now it appears the law of averages has caught up with Audie Murphy.” Murphy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. It is customary for Medal of Honor recipients to have their
A D I F F E R E N T R O L E : F A M I LY M A N Even as he established his post-military career in Hollywood, Murphy began to think, as young men do, about getting married. While he married actress Wanda Hendrix during a stressful period in 1949, the marriage did not last. After the couple’s divorce in 1951, he married Pamela Archer, with whom he had two sons. His boys, Terry and Skipper Murphy, played small roles in some of Murphy’s films.
headstones adorned with gold leaf; however, Murphy had previously requested that his headstone remain unadorned, like those of the men with whom he served. Today, Audie Murphy is remembered across the country, but Texans remain especially fond of their homegrown hero. A painting of a beribboned Audie Murphy hangs proudly in the House Chamber of the Texas State Capitol. Numerous facilities are named for him, including The Audie Murphy American Cotton Museum (Hunt County, TX), Audie Murphy Middle School
He also began breeding quarter horses at the Audie Murphy Ranch in
(Killeen, TX), the Audie Murphy Memorial (Brush County, VA), the Audie
California and at the Murphy Ranch in Arizona. But his penchant for gambling
Murphy Inn (Bosnia), and the Audie L. Murphy Veterans Administration
on horse races set him down a path of bad business decisions that occurred
Hospital (San Antonio, TX). A commemorative Audie Murphy stamp was
over the span of several years.
issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2000, and in 2012, former Texas Governor
Despite his financial woes, Murphy was resolute in his refusal to appear in commercials for alcohol and cigarettes. An act of remarkable character, he
Rick Perry, traveled to Hunt County to posthumously present the state’s highest award: the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor.
would not accept these endorsements because he felt his image associated
Many details, historical documents, and photographs pertaining to Audie
with liquor and tobacco might have a negative influence on America’s
Murphy’s life are available at audiemurphy.com, the official website of the
vulnerable youth.
Audie Murphy Foundation. The foundation is dedicated to keeping the memory of one the bravest Texans alive forfuture generations.
18 | October 2016
LIFESTYLES
Written By: C. Jackson Latimer Photos Courtesy Of: Troy Gray, Director Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum, Lamar University
Spindletop. Texas natives may well recognize the name, though perhaps only as a dim vestige from their junior high school Texas History course. Many would recognize the picture of the famous Lucas Gusher, a tower of crude oil reaching twice the height of its derrick. But few appreciate the impact this site had on the tides of the industry. The discovery of oil at Spindletop in 1901 marked a shift, not only in the history of Texas but the history of an emerging global oil industry.
BEFOR E TEX AS OIL It may be difficult to imagine, but there was once a time when Texas was not the hub of American oil. At the turn of the 20th century, Pennsylvania was by far the most oil-producing state. Industry in Texas was predominately driven by cattle ranching in the west and timber in the east. Galveston had been a thriving coastal city but was devastated by the notorious hurricane that struck in September of 1900. Texas, like many of the other 45 states then in the union, was relying on the railway to breathe life into its economy. It had long been speculated that there resided oil in a hill just south of Beaumont. Native American tribes, and later Spanish explorers, found various uses for surface deposits of crude oil. But many failed attempts at extraction throughout the 19th century left folks divided in their views. Not even the most optimistic speculators could have foreseen the fortune that was to come.
October 2016 | 19
LIFESTYLES
T H E G L A DY S C I T Y OI L C O M PA N Y In the years following the Civil War, a man named George Washington O’Brien quietly purchased the land where Spindletop Hill resides. O’Brien was a soldier, editor, lawyer, and public officer. And he was a man of industry. He was involved in plans to construct a deep water port in Beaumont, where he saw the potential for Texas oil. In 1892, O’Brien formed the Gladys City Oil Gas and Manufacturing Company, a partnership with two men named Patillo Higgins and George Carroll. Higgins was a man with a checkered past. In his younger years, he had been known for his volatility that lead to bar fights and his propensity to commit arson. It was during a shootout with sheriff deputies that Higgins lost his arm. But after finding the Lord at a southern Baptist revival, Higgins reformed. Resolved to turn his life around, Higgins went to Pennsylvania in order to teach himself geology. It was the prospect of untapped oil that brought him back to Texas. Carroll was born into the lumber industry; timber is what brought Carroll his first fortune. Subsequently, it was also what afforded him the ability to invest in Gladys City Oil Company. Carroll was a known philanthropist and conservationist, and had given away the majority of his fortune to various altruistic organizations. Among his beneficiaries was First Baptist Church of Beaumont, of which he was a member. It was here, after Sunday school, that Carroll was approached by Higgins with a new business prospect. The Gladys City Oil Company, however, was never able to harvest the oil at Spindletop. Several drilling attempts over the years were thwarted. Quicksand caused well walls to collapse at the depths required for meaningful extraction.
THE LUCAS GUSHER By 1900, the partners resigned their efforts to extract the oil themselves and agreed to lease the land to Anthony Lucas. Lucas was a world renowned expert in salt dome formations. Partnering with Higgins, he was able to drill to a depth of 575 feet before running out of funding. Lucas then secured financing from Pennsylvanian investors, John Galey and James Guffey. The terms of the new financing precluded Higgins from any interest in production and left Lucas only a miniscule share. But without other options, Lucas agreed to the terms and proceeded to drill. The investors, in turn, brought Al and Kurt Hamill from Corsicana to assist in drilling. The Hamill brothers were reputed for their experience in making difficult drills. Kurt Hamill had the idea to use mud, as opposed to water, for the drilling fluid. The higher viscosity fluid helped stabilize well walls and prevent them from collapsing. It was a simple idea that made a substantial difference. Today, modern drilling operations use various types of fluid to remove cuttings and keep the drill bit cool. But the fluids are generally referred to as mud, an homage to Hamill’s innovation. On the morning of January 10, from a depth of approximately 1,100 feet, several tons of pipe was unexpectedly shot out of the well. For several minutes, water and mud seeped up, followed by bubbles of natural gas. Startled and perplexed, the men thought they had finally hit an impasse in their drilling. They thought theirs was another failed attempt to summit the mountain of crude oil beneath their feet. And then, eruption. The well blew in. For nine days, crude oil was hurled over 100 feet into the air. Approximately 100,000 barrels were lost each day from the uncapped well. Nothing like it had been seen before in the world. Nine days was how long it took the team to devise the first Christmas tree, common jargon today in the petroleum industry. The term Christmas tree refers to a valve which sits on top of a well head to control the rate of flow, so called for its appearance. Spindletop is where it was born.
FOR NINE DAYS, WAS HURLED OVER 100 FEET INTO THE AIR 20 | October 2016
FORTUNES M A DE A ND LOST Almost overnight, the population of Beaumont swelled from roughly 9,000 to 50,000. People from all backgrounds came to see and capitalize on the newly arrived industry. Prices of everyday goods inflated astronomically. Fortunes were made and lost by the trading of land. Barbers began renting their chairs at night to roughnecks for a place to sleep. Atop the hill, a new kind of forest sprung. It was a forest of derricks. Crowded and disheveled, their roots reached deep into the earth to draw out that black gold. With the hundreds of corporations fighting to stake their claim at Spindletop, it is not surprising that many of the modern giants can trace their lineage to this site. Texaco, Gulf Oil Corporation, and Exxon Corporation are among those born there. Texas quickly became the nation’s leading oil producer. In its first year of production, Spindletop yielded 3.5 million barrels of oil. In its second year, 17.5 million barrels. It was not until 1927 that Spindletop reached its peak annual production, yielding 21 million barrels that year. Despite not having brought in the first well, the partners of Gladys City Oil Company did just fine for themselves. Lucas went on to drill various wells and became an engineering consultant abroad. Higgins, having been left out by the Pennsylvanian investors, settled outside of court with Lucas for an undisclosed amount. Carroll had a second fortune to give away. Although his fortune was gone by the time of his death, his beneficiaries never allowed him to be destitute. And O’Brien, with his interest from the lease, was able to retire after the 1901 discovery.
GLA DYS CIT Y BOOMTOW N Today, Gladys City Boomtown is located on the campus of Lamar University. In 1976, the 75th anniversary of the Lucas Gusher, a replication boomtown was erected to commemorate the site and memorialize the era. The Gladys City Boomtown Museum shows visitors a window into another world. Director of the Museum, Troy Gray, shares stories and insights about the period in history. Among his favorites is the barber shop. It was a time when barbers would do more than just cut hair; they would singe hair, according to the fashion. And, of course, they could also extract a sore tooth if needed. But perhaps most notable is the reenactment of the Lucas Gusher. Once a day, water is launched into the air to give visitors a feel for the 1901 discovery. However, spectators beware of the crosswinds. More than a few unsuspecting visitors have been caught in the falling spray. Houston residents heading east on I-10 will pass through Beaumont. Spindletop is one of the more prominent gems hidden behind the piney curtain. On the next pass through, it is worth the time to stop and see the birthplace of Texas oil.
October 2016 | 21
Written By: S. Worthington Campbell | Photos Courtesy Of: Lost Maples State Natural Area
When many Texans think of fall color, many
continent’s ice sheets retreated northward,
The Maple Trail follows one bank of the
imagine the burnt orange, deep maroon, yellow,
the climate warmed and dried up. Scattered
Sabinal River and the East Trail, the other. At
and green associated with their favorite college
strands of the maples were left in the cool,
the head of the Maple Trail is the “champion”
football teams! But for others, fall colors bring
moist, sheltered canyons of the Sabinal and Frio
bigtooth maple measuring 7 feet 4 inches in
to mind a wistful image of the brightly colored
Rivers in Bandera, Real, and Uvalde Counties, in
circumference. The Maple Trail also features
foliage that has been a harbinger of autumn
the mountains of West Texas and in a few other
hand-hewn rustic stairs and well-placed railings
since childhood and almost non-existent in the
scattered locations around the state.
while cutting through thick stands of maples in
Lone Star State.
Given Texas’s notoriously fickle weather, the
a varied terrain studded with large boulders. Wooden benches placed along the trail are
What many Texans do not know, is that it
timing and brilliance of each year’s color show
is not necessary to travel north or east to view
varies greatly. However, a crisp cold snap or
Mother Nature’s colorful magic act. Spectacular
two is the best insurance for a blazing foliage
fall color can be found at many Texas state parks,
display! Autumn’s shorter days and cooler
contemplate the sounds of birds, insects, and
but most reliably and dramatically at the Lost
temperatures spur the manufacture of sugar
the burbling of the adjacent river.
Maples State Natural Area (SNA) that annually
in maples and a movement of the chlorophyll
The East Trail has some of the most dramatic
draws tens of thousands of “leaf peepers.”
from the tree’s leaves to its branches, trunk,
views in the park with several scenic overlooks
Located about an hour north of San Antonio on
and roots. “Depending on the weather, the
into the canyons. Both trails are fairly rugged
Ranch Road 187 near Vanderpool, the nearly
maples usually begin to color in late October
with some steep inclines, so good hiking shoes
3,000-acre park opened to the public in 1979.
and peak in mid to late November,” according
and a hearty constitution are recommended.
Over a span of about six weeks, each October
to Lost Maples SNA Park Ranger Richard Treece.
(There are no ADA accommodations on these trails.)
and November, the park’s Uvalde bigtooth
Beginning in about mid-October, the Texas
maples burst into vivid reds, golds and oranges
Department of Parks and Wildlife publishes an
as they prepare to make their final journey to the
online Lost Maples foliage page with photos as
ground. Lost Maples was the first park in Texas
well as a hotline where people can check to see
dubbed a “state natural area,” which designates
how the tree colors are progressing at the park.
state-owned lands open to the public where
TAKING IN THE FALL COLOR
there is a concerted effort to preserve the unique resources and to minimize the impact on the pristine setting.
THE MAPLE TREES
One of the best ways to view the colorful trees and other spectacular scenery at Lost Maples is to
perfect to take a break from the hike in the secluded, quiet setting, and allow hikers to
Park Ranger Treece offers two personal recommendations to fall visitors to. The first is “don’t forget to look down!” Many visitors are so intent on looking at the colorful trees that they miss one of the most beautiful sights in the park. He explains that over the weeks the leaves fall from the trees, and an amazing quilt of color emerges from the forest floor that dazzles the senses and warms the soul.
take a hike on some of the park’s eleven and a half
Treece also cites a second, lesser known
“Lost Maples” refers to the bigtooth maples
miles of trails which feature diverse ecosystems
“color event” that occurs each year at Lost
(Acer grandidentatum), Descendants whose
ranging from sheltered forest settings to steep
Maples. “In late November or early December,
ancestors thrived in the area as far back as
canyon cuts and dramatic overlooks. The Maple
after the maple leaves have fallen, the Texas
the last ice age, about 10,000 years ago. At
Trail and a portion of the East Trail are both
red oaks in the park take on a deep red, almost
the end of the Pleistocene Epoch, when the
popular choices for viewing the foliage.
maroon hue. When viewed along the canyon
22 | October 2016
AT OTHER TIMES OF THE YEAR
walls mixed in with the deep green ash junipers (what most Texans called cedars), the red oaks look like bright red ornaments in a huge Christmas wreath. It is breathtakingly beautiful.”
PLANNING AHEAD Autumn is unquestionably the most popular season to visit Lost Maples State Natural Area, and consequently, the park is very crowded at this time of year, especially on weekends and holidays. It is
Kerrville. There is a motorcycle museum near Vanderpool, staged gunfights and wagon rides each Saturday at Bandera, and many picturesque
Fall, however, is not the only good time to
shops and good cafes around almost every bend
visit Lost Maples. More than 200,000 people
in the road. One popular attraction in Medina,
annually visit the park due to its abundant year-
off Highway 16, is The Apple Store, It doesn’t
round
including
sell iPads, but rather huge apple pies, apple ice
birding, camping, fishing, hiking, nature study,
cream with hot cider sauce and a mean jalapeño
paddle sports, photography, picnicking, rock
hamburger at its adjacent cafe!
recreational
opportunities
climbing, and swimming.
strongly recommended that visits be made during
Wildlife is everywhere with a plethora of small
the week if possible, or if visiting on weekends
mammals and birds. Birding tours are featured
arrive by 8 a.m. Although the designated parking
each spring with nearly a hundred documented
lot only has room for 250 cars, the park staff and
species such as the Carolina chickadee, western
volunteers work very hard to accommodate
scrub-jay,
the crowds during the peak season, sometimes
green kingfisher, and two endangered species:
parking as many as 500 cars. Visitors also have the
the golden-cheeked warbler and the black–
option to drive their vehicles about a mile into the
capped vireo.
park to view the foliage.
hummingbirds,
red-tailed
hawk,
Fishing is popular at Lost Maples, especially in
Location & Contact Information LOST MAPLES STATE NATURAL AREA 37221 FM 187 Vanderpool, TX 78885 Park Telephone (830) 966-3413
Many visitors try to get a jump on the fall
“The Pond,” which is stocked each January with
crowds by staying at the park or nearby. There
rainbow trout. Anglers can also hook catfish,
are 30 developed and eight primitive campsites
bluegill, and small bass, though the better are
at Lost Maples SNA. The developed sites are
catch-and-release only). One unique amphibian
usually reserved a year in advance, but, the
in the park is the “barking frog.” Ranger Treece
primitive sites occasionally have openings in the
says he has been informed more than once by
TRAVEL TIMES
fall. The primitive sites are “walk-in” only so all
campers that they heard a pack of wild dogs
AMARILLO – 7 hours
supplies must be carried to the camp location
barking in the night, only to be informed to their
deep in the park. There are also a number of
chagrin that it was the local frogs at play.
lodging opportunities near Lost Maples and in neighboring small towns including bed and breakfast homes, campgrounds, and cabins. Guests can also reserve a campsite at nearby Garner State Park (30 miles away), which has about 500 developed sites and then come by Lost Maples SNA for a visit.
If you plan to visit Lost Maples SNA this autumn, be sure to take your time and enjoy the spectacular Hill Country scenery along the way! Also, take advantage of all the fun and interesting things to do in the neighboring small towns such as Utopia, Medina, Bandera, and
TPWD Park Info (Foliage Report) 1-800-792-1112 Campsite Reservations (512) 389-8900
AUSTIN – 2 hours CORPUS CHRISTI – 3.5 hours DALLAS – 6 hours EL PASO – 7 hours HOUSTON – 5 hours LUBBOCK – 5 hours MIDLAND – 4 hours SAN ANTONIO – 2 hour
Written By: Jessica Moreau Photos Courtesy Of: Stoneleigh Hotel
While Dallas is not the largest city in Texas, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in sophistication and history. Just about every Texan has paid the Cowboys’ hometown a visit, but can they claim to have stayed in a historical, haunted hotel? Classic and modern elegance are juxtaposed at Uptown’s Le Méridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh. This historic 1923 building is steps from Fortune 500 businesses, world-class museums, luxury shopping, cutting-edge cuisine, and chic nightlife. In addition to all-out luxurious accommodations, this is a hotel with rich history. The Stoneleigh is one of the most storied hotels in Dallas.
HISTORY Constructed for just over $1 million in 1923 (a staggering amount in those days), The Stoneleigh was showcased as the tallest building in Dallas, and tallest hotel west of the Mississippi River, at the time with 11 towering stories. At the time of its construction, the hotel featured 135 apartment suites with two to five rooms each. Designed by architect Frank J. Woerner in the architectural styles of Beaux Arts and Art Deco, The Stoneleigh has quite the dazzling history, having hosted successful businessmen and women, as well as several movie stars, such as Judy Garland, Jack Benny, Carol Burnett, Robert Duvall, Katherine Hepburn, and more. These glitterati would almost always stay in the penthouse suite, the first of its kind in Texas.
LIFESTYLES MYSTERY A variety of secret passageways, trap doors, hidden rooms, and sliding mirrors contributed to the legendary mystery of this hotel. A $36 million renovation in 2008 beautifully preserved this historic hotel and it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. But that is not all; like many historical places, there is a historical “presence” there as well. The hotel is allegedly haunted by Miss Margaret “Margo” Jones, also known as “Sweet Tornado.” Margo ran an amateur theater company in Houston in the 1930s and taught briefly at the University of Texas at Austin. Then, in 1945, she hit the big-time on Broadway when she became the co-director of Tennessee Williams’ breakthrough drama The Glass Menagerie. As a result, she was offered the chance to start her own theater in Dallas. With a deep passion for American theater, Margo found that professional theaters outside of Broadway, in New York City, were practically non-existent. She envisioned the future of the American theater extending across the country, and as a result, Texas theater prospered. In Dallas, she founded the innovative Theatre ’47, the prototype for resident theaters, a movement that swept through the nation over the next few decades, permanently changing professional theater in the country, and arguably the world. A resident theater allowed for actors to perform their craft for a living outside of the Broadway show scene; they also served as a resource for hopeful actors and directors to gain experience, education, and training. Margo proceeded to produce new plays and classics with such success that she startled the theater world. She directed other plays on Broadway, including Williams’ Summer and Smoke. In addition to her influence upon Tennessee Williams, she is also credited with “discovering” William Inge, another famed playwright. When Lawrence and Lee’s Inherit the World, faced eight rejections by
Broadway producers, she brought the show to Dallas, orchestrating its world premiere in 1955; she saved what has since become a major American play. How does this all relate to The Stoneleigh? At the time of her death, she lived on the fifth floor of the hotel. She was known to have wonderful parties, and after one such soiree, she had her carpets cleaned with carbon tetrachloride, a toxic chemical. Inhalation of the fumes caused poisoning which led to her untimely death in 1955; Margo was only 44. She was such a Texas treasure that the Texas Historical Commission declared her birthplace a state landmark. Fortunately, Margaret is a friendly apparition. The hotel’s staff is not afraid of her. In fact, anytime something unusual happens in the building, they will remark, “Margaret must be playing again.”
THE STONELEIGH, 2016 The Stoneleigh is currently undergoing yet another multi-milliondollar renovation of the entire property. The newest addition, The Stoneleigh Court Pool and Terrace, opened in the summer of 2016. It is set to be the largest outdoor pool and event space in Uptown Dallas. The name comes from the original name of the hotel in 1923, the Stoneleigh Court. The hotel will play host to weddings and private events in its new air-conditioned custom tent for up to 150 guests. The lobby, meeting space, bar, and restaurant have all been carefully renovated to the highest Starwood standards for the new Le Méridien hotels. In late 2015, the hotel completed its transformation with a head-to-toe renovation of guest sleeping rooms. The bones of the building and the famous lions guarding the hotel will be the same, but the look will be all new. Yes, while many have visited Dallas before, they have likely never seen it in this light. Next time, consider a stay at The Stoneleigh. There is something for ghost hunters and luxury seekers alike…and that is a rare combination.
COOL FACTS ABOUT VISITING DALLAS Just in case you think there is not anything new or interesting about Dallas, here are a few lesser known tidbits about Texas’s third largest city: • I n 1944, Mexican-American restauranteur Mariano Martinez, made an adaptation of a soft-serve ice cream machine, which resulted in what he called “The World’s First Frozen Margarita Machine.” While Texans may not be familiar with the man, they likely have eaten at one of his La Hacienda Ranch restaurants. • D uring the holiday season, the Galleria Dallas houses the largest indoor Christmas tree in the nation. At 95 feet tall, the tree holds 1,700 branches, 450,000 LED lights, and 10,000 ornaments. It weighs about 5 tons, and dozens of people work diligently to set it up each year, including a team of engineers. • O n July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 25 extant broadside copies were made of the Declaration of Independence, printed in John Dunlap’s print shop. The Dallas Public Library, home to quite the collection of fine rare books, keeps one of these copies on permanent display. There is a vault that holds many more treasures, including a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio, printed in 1623. • Th ere is no doubt that Texas is football country. Visible from downtown Dallas, AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington, home to the Dallas Cowboys, is the largest NFL stadium. The two steel arches that support the unique roof, are the longest single-span arches in the world, at 1,225 feet. In the Statue of Liberty were to be placed in the center of the field, the highest point of the roof (320 feet) would still clear her height (305 feet) by 15 feet. It is no wonder that the term “Super Bowl” was coined in Dallas! If those facts have your interest piqued, consider choosing elegant accommodations that come complete with rumors of hauntings. While there are not actually any goblins, the hotel might be able to deliver some ghosts!
October 2016 | 25
Square Footage 3,300 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2.5 Designer Brittany Griffin Gracious Roots Design Republic Custom Builders, Jessica Belcher Bonus Space Home Office Photos Courtesy Of: Butch Ireland Written By: Megan Ann Oswald
HOME
NEW ORLEANS STYLE BROUGHT HOME TO TEXAS Oversized columns frame a large covered porch, a perfect place for relaxing on the swing of this plantation inspired home in Bellville, Texas. The southern style continues past the stylish veranda and into the 3,300 square foot home, complete with three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a two and a half car garage, and a home office. The ample space provides the Griffin family and their guests with plenty of places to spread out. One particular reason that the Griffins chose their neighborhood was the close connection with other community members along with the small town environment. Although they decided to downsize the amount of acreage that they previously owned, retaining at least one acre of land was a must-have for the homeowners. Their neighborhood, in addition to the land and small town ambiance, still affords them the comforts and amenities of the Houston metro-area.
DESIGNING & BUILDING Word of mouth was one of the driving forces which helped the Griffins choose to collaborate with Jessica Belcher of Republic Custom Builders. Because the Griffins already had a house plan in mind, they wanted a builder that would work with their existing ideas as well as one that possessed a reputation for beautifully crafted homes. The homeowners also liked Belcher’s structured work ethic that helped keep everything on task and within budget while never losing the unique touches they loved. Intricate molding along the windows and doors was just one of the distinctive features that the homeowners requested, as well as the large unobstructed wooden beams on the ceiling in the kitchen. The high ceilings continue to flow throughout and bring an open airiness to each living space. One of the extra details of the home that Mrs. Griffin loves are the small touches of black throughout each room that may not immediately standout. Because the rooms in the house are done in monochromatic palettes, the pops of black draw the eye to the design element, such as the staircase baluster next to the dining room or the kitchen island that makes a big statement against white cabinets.
October 2016 | 27
HOME As well as handling the finances for her family’s busy construction business, Mrs. Griffin also began work as a design consultant for her homebuilder, RCB. She “feels very blessed to have made such a great connection with her builder” which enables her to put her passion for decorating to work in other people’s homes. Being involved with the building and design process of her own home, Mrs. Griffin has since developed a showcase house to serve as an example for clients. What she loves adding are the special seasonal touches to each room. Frequent trips to New Orleans served as inspiration for the style of the Griffins’ home. The exterior pays homage to the plantations of the old south with the towering white columns and gray shutters, while the mixed brick brings color to the wide front façade that shows off the long expanse of herringbone pattern brick on the porch. The French doors that lead out to the backyard promote an open air lifestyle that was popular in the old south.
COOKING & DINING WITH THE GRIFFINS Making interior design decisions proved a bit difficult at times, as Mr. and Mrs. Griffin have very different aesthetical tastes. With the help of Belcher and her personal experience as a design consultant, the varying style preferences were expertly blended to create a soothing environment that made both homeowners happy. Another design choice was to forgo a formal dining room in favor of an oversized kitchen island, letting that become the main hub for everyone in the house. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin can prepare a meal while their daughter snacks and chats with friends on bar stools at the island. Along with the Louisiana flare that the homeowners love, their home also needed to function under the stress of a busy family. The dual-purpose island in the kitchen was just one area where it made more sense to set up seating on the bar end of the island while maintaining a large workspace on the prep and cook side. Despite the lack of a formal dining room, the farmhouse table is anything but simple. Set in a corner of the open concept area, the table beckons to friends and family to take a seat. With traditional wood seating on one side and upholstered chairs at each end, what sets this area apart is the use of a high-backed sofa down the length of the table on the other side. While guests may be accustomed to finding a farm bench, or eclectically chosen chairs, the comfortable couch is a fun and pleasant surprise. Mrs. Griffin wanted each room to have a friendly farmhouse feeling that contained plentiful natural light that would feel inviting to guests, a goal she certainly achieved.
28 | October 2016
PRIVATE ROOMS OF THE HOME While other areas of the house were challenging, Mrs. Griffin was pleasantly surprised by how well the master bedroom and bathroom came together. With a nice neutral color scheme in both areas, builtin cabinets in the bathroom create a much needed space for linens and storage. The shelving dominates one end of the bathroom while the claw foot bathtub and viewing window anchor the other side, providing more of the natural light of which Mrs. Griffin desires. Because the bedroom is an important space, the homeowners wanted to make sure that everything came together to create a quieting retreat. The bed features a cloth headboard with a modest hewn wooden bench acting as a footboard,and an elegant mirror leans against the wall, placed in order to catch sunlight from the large windows. Mrs. Griffin is so very glad that “everything came together, layer by layer.” A key feature in the design of the home was a dedicated office space for Mrs. Griffin. In the office, the bookcase takes advantage of the height and reaches up toward the recessed ceiling.
ENTERTAINING FRIENDS & FAMILY OUTDOORS Entertaining is the most important event on the family activity list, with everything from large dinner parties to intimate family gatherings around the back porch. The Griffins’ calendar stays packed with gatherings of family and friends just to watch their favorite football team on their large outdoor television. Also on the back porch, Mr. Griffin’s favorite pastime is to man the large smoker so that he can keep tabs on the game and chat with guests, all while cooking up a tailgate-ready spread. When the weather turns and the autumn breeze begins to blow, lounging around the porch is one of their favorite places to gather together. Inspired by a plantation lifestyle and spiced with a bit of creole flavor, the Griffins wanted to plant their love for old southern living into their custom Texas home. Gather around the table or pull up a bar stool; there will always be plenty to go around in this amily home.
1
Invest in luxurious linens. When looking to make some upgrades to the spare bedroom, quality sheets are the perfect place to start. Linens can make a huge impact when it comes to a house guest getting a peaceful night’s rest. High quality bedding can turn an ordinary stay into an extraordinary experience. Sheets come in a variety of fibers and feels. While flannels may be warm, jerseys may be soft, and satins may be glamorously smooth, upscale looks Written By: Meddie Stewart
are easily achieved with more practical materials. Cotton is a wise choice for guest bedrooms in Texas; it is durable, comfortable, breathable, easy to
Whether visitors come for a night or stay for several weeks, providing guests with their own comfortable and private place to rest their weary
launder, and does not wrinkle easily. Egyptian, Pima, and Sea Island cotton all have reputations as finer options.
heads is the ultimate gesture in hospitality. For many who do not often
Other options include cotton blends, for a flat, crisp look. A polyester
receive visitors, the extra bedroom often becomes a place for storage,
blend will provide a nice look for years, and washes well. To ensure the guest
hobbies, or workout equipment. With the winter holidays quickly
remains cool, a 90/10 cotton to polyester ratio is preferable. Environmentally
approaching, now is the perfect time to give some extra attention to this
sustainable, naturally antimicrobial, and excellent at wicking away body heat,
“home away from home.” Since guest spaces are not used daily, some
bamboo blends have become very popular in the past few years. Linen is
planning can help provide guests with a luxurious area, the comforts of
always an option for hot Texas summers, but can be difficult to maintain since
home, and an experience to remember.
ironing will be necessary.
32 | October 2016
HOME
Add an alarm clock to the room, which can aid in overcoming jetlag or waking up guests who are working while in town.
2
Anticipate ways to make guests feel comfortable. When getting a room ready for guests, try to anticipate their needs, as many visitors may be hesitant to ask for additional items. Adding throws in various weights and textures helps avoid having to adjust the thermostat. Pillows should be replaced every two years, and consider providing multiple varieties, some soft some firm. For a hotel-like feel, consider embroidering the firmness on the edge of each pillowcase. A small television in the room is an added bonus for any overnight visitors. Perhaps lodgers are used to falling asleep to the sound of their favorite show, or maybe they are traveling with young kids who may need a time away to rest and decompress. Add an alarm clock to the room, which can aid in overcoming jetlag or waking up guests who are working while in town. For modern technologies and cell phones, an available USB charging dock will eliminate the need for guests to move furniture, looking for the nearest electrical outlet. As for lighting, make sure to add a lamp or two in addition to overhead lighting. If a couple is staying over, a lamp on each bedside table allows for one to read, while the other falls asleep. If visitors are traveling across time zones, or if the morning sun floods the guest bedroom with light, opt for black-out window treatments. Guests can often feel “in the way,� especially if visiting during the work week or staying for an extended period of time. Making the extra room feel like a retreat, an oasis from the rest of the house, will go a long way. Adding a coffee or tea pot, with sugar, creamer, and cups is a wonderful way to help guests maintain their own morning routine or an afternoon escape. A basket or cabinet of sweet and salty snacks, a bowl of a favorite candy, or water bottles can create the illusion of a relaxing vacation, instead of just bunking up with friends and family.
HOME
Go the extra mile to make visitors feel welcome. 3 Provide bathroom essentials. If the guest bedroom has an attached bathroom, give that space as much consideration as the room. An easy and practical way to update the loo is to purchase and designate a set of plush and elegant guest towels. These should be washed several times before first used, to ensure they are absorbent without leaving lint behind. Beautiful hand towels can add beauty to even the dullest bathroom. While most guests do not expect hygiene items to be readily available, as they are in hotels, it is a good idea to keep a basket of such items under the sink, just in case someone forgets to pack something. Items like soaps, shampoos, tooth brushes, tooth paste, a small hair dryer, cotton swabs, and cotton balls are greatly appreciated in a bind. Also keep a basket or tub stocked with plenty of toilet paper and tissues. If the guest room does not attach to its own bathroom, stock a shelf in the bathroom cabinet for this purpose, or provide these items in the guestroom dresser or closet. For female visitors, consider where they may prefer to fix their hair or apply their makeup. If counter space is limited, be sure to hang a mirror in the room near an electrical outlet, or perhaps purchase a vanity if space allows.
4
Create a memorable experience with personalized touches. Finally, to create a welcome environment and show well-
planned hospitality, consider leaving a small gift for the visitor. This may depend on familiarity, distance traveled, or how often they stay over. Local items are always a hit, whether it is honey, coffee, a book, or jam. Homemade cards or treats can be cherished and displayed back home, remembering the wonderful time that was had by all. Even something as simple as a stack of favorite magazines can make an impact on a visit. While color schemes, furniture styles and arrangement, and trends in design can all be incorporated in a guest room update, at the end of the stay, the most important aspect of the extra room is the comfort of the guest using it. Focus on the comforts of home and go the extra mile to make visitors feel welcome, and these guest spaces may see more visitors than ever before!
34 | October 2016
Photo On This Page Courtesy Of: Deep Fried Design
One Texas craftsman, Robert Pool from Kingsland, who recently turned his custom furniture shop into a custom car shop, laments the diminishing market. “It’s a run and gun fight with this industry, to stay ahead of the competition that’s coming from factories offshore in Malaysia, Vietnam, Mexico... we’re outmatched,” explained Pool. “It’s a time-consuming labor of love [making custom made furniture]. Most shops who do this kind of work are working on a limited budget and capacity. The benefit is you get to meet the person, watch them do it, see the wood before it’s transformed. It wasn’t picked out of a catalog and made by a machine.”
Written By: Kimberly A. Suta
Modern technology has made the design and production of high-end furniture more and more affordable. In Texas, the number of true craftsmen left who produce highquality custom-made wood furniture is dwindling. The upside is because the market is so narrow, the professionals who do this for a living are at the top of their game, and their work is purchased and showcased in homes all around America, not just in the Lone Star state.
Custom-made furniture is now more like fine art than anything else. It takes so much time and money to produce that most woodworkers only create commissioned pieces. Even finding a good piece of raw wood can be difficult and certainly far from cheap. Still, the challenges, effort, and dedication make the final product so rewarding for both the creator and the owner. When commissioning a piece of custom made furniture, it is about so much more than buying a chair, bed, or cabinet; it is about designing one’s life the way they want it, telling a story, and creating a legacy.
October 2016 | 35
Photos Courtesy Of: Michael Colca
Michael Colca Furniture
| michaelcolca.com
According to Michael Colca, a furniture maker in Driftwood, Texas, “I think fine work brings out the best in us. As a species, we’re drawn to fine work. It elevates us all, makes us strive to be better. People respond to heirloom pieces because they want to pass something on that has value, and I’m not just talking about monetary value, but a sort of value where we believe we should all do things well.” Colca, who teaches advanced woodworking at Austin Community College, started making furniture in the late 1970s when there was a whole movement towards craftsmanship. In Colca’s opinion, there is a resurgence of energy and appreciation for custom made products such as furniture. “The thing I’ve noticed is young people are very much interested in learning the trade.” No doubt it helps to have a teacher as talented as Colca, whose own personal inspirations
36 | October 2016
include Sam Maloof, James Krenov, and Art Carpenter. As a child, he watched his neighbor, who was a petroleum engineer, build furniture as a hobby. “He’d go into the garage and be whistling away while he was working. So I always had a passion to do more,” said Colca. It was not until he started working for a cabinet maker that he realized he was quite good at it. He rented an old dairy farm that was just shutting down and dedicated himself to the work. Except for his newer pieces, his typical style is known as the arts and crafts tradition. This style was very popular at the beginning of the 20th century, made popular by designers such as Frank Lloyd Wright. Colca has made furniture for many churches around the U.S. He loves the work because it is very sculptural. Lately, though, he has been creating more modern pieces, such as his Poulin chairs, using a process called Computer Numerical Control (CNC), which involves laminating different types of wood to create a design; in this case, the wood is cut to resemble the shape of a tree.
Photos Courtesy Of: Louis Fry
Louis Fry Furniture
| louisfryfurniture.com
Not surprisingly, with custom furniture being such a niche market, Louis Fry is a long-time friend and business associate of Michael Colca; the two speak very highly of each other. Fry, who has been making furniture for over 35 years, first earned a degree in philosophy before realizing it was not very marketable. “I wanted some form of creative expression,” Fry explained. “One day it came to me to start working in wood and build furniture. I can’t say where it came from – I just got this wild notion that this is what I wanted to do.” Back before the information age of the internet, Fry had to rely on books and magazines and his own experimentation to learn his craft. He studied the history of design, started drawing, and continued making furniture, slowly increasing his skill level and his clientele along with it. “I created a niche for myself by making people something nobody else has, something that’s special to them. I feel quite comfortable designing pieces that are specific to individuals,” Fry added. His work really runs the gamut in style and function. He designed an incredible globe for a woman who graduated from Yale, and recently, a magnificent conference table with a live edge top made of Texas pecan that came from a rare tree, found only about once a decade. According to Fry, rustic furniture with a “live edge,” utilizes the natural shape of the wood, is currently all the rage. Fry’s influences are equally varied. His work is inspired by art nouveau, arts and crafts, art deco, and neo-classical styles of furniture. He enjoys presenting native Texas woods to his clients as options. “People like the idea of working with indigenous woods, but because of our wet and dry seasons and poor soil, Texas is not great for growing big straight trees,” said Fry. Acquiring the right lumber for a particular piece of furniture is often difficult for these pieces of custom furniture and can be one of the most agonizing parts of the process for these artists, but when they do find the piece, they know it in an instant.
October 2016 | 37
Deep Fried Design
| deepfried-design.com
Andrew McGuire, who hails from the Austin area, is one of the youngest of the local furniture makers, which affords him a fresh take on furniture design. Besides furniture, he builds houses and works on custom projects. He recently built a wine rack system for a buyer in Austin that could hold up to 450 bottles. Because his background involved working for his Dad in an oilfield machine shop, McGuire also likes to incorporate elements of metal into his wood furniture.
Photo Courtesy Of: Texas Mesquite Company
His style could be described as avant-garde and artistic, a style he considers “warm contemporary.” He thinks outside the box, occasionally works with reclaimed wood, and likes building pieces that are not hard and cold, in the aesthetic sense. “I love just being hands on, truly having to create something. I have to constantly be making something,” McGuire explained.
Texas Mesquite Company
| texmes.com
Craig Lagerstrom of Texas Mesquite Company has found his inspiration from Mesquite, a very popular and well-known tree indigenous to Texas. Lagerstrom has been building furniture since 1989. “I got started because we were buying furniture for our home and for our kids, but once we brought it home, I realized it wasn’t that great, and I paid quite a bit of money for it.” As someone who had worked in construction and built cabinets, it was a natural transition for him to start building custom furniture.
McGuire sees the world differently. “There’s this whole ‘makers’ movement in America right, concentrating more on hand made. We’ve forgotten about it for the last 50 years because it was easier to go to the store and buy it,” he said, but now the pendulum is swinging. “It’s kind of a trend. We owe a lot to the farmers markets. I think that’s where the whole locavore concept started. We can get local produce from around the corner. I wonder if we can get our furniture from around the corner too.” While they may not technically be right around the corner, Texans are fortunate to have at least a handful of skilled artisan furniture makers who, across the board, can create just about anything they can dream up. To join this movement, support local craftsmen and own a beautiful piece of furniture for the whole family to cherish for generations to come.
He called it the Texana look, a style which stemmed from the furniture builders that emigrated from Germany in the mid-1800s combined with Spanish design. Today, Lagerstrom’s focus is on building clean, straightforward lines that showcase the beauty of the wood. He acquires his wood from various loggers in South Texas who are cutting good size mesquite trees off of ranch land. For him, it all starts with the mesquite. “I’ll see a really neat piece of wood and figure out a base or put a piece of turquoise in it,” Langerstrom said. One of the best parts of his job these days is working with his son, whose getting more and more involved in the various aspects of the company.
38 | October 2016
Photo Courtesy Of: Deep Fried Design
Although he was originally interested in the Santa Fe, or Southwest, style, once he was introduced to mesquite, there was no need to look elsewhere. “It kind of consumed me after that, just the beauty and character of the wood itself, and being in this area with the hill country. All that stuff was taking off: the limestone, mesquite, and old antique yellow pine,” described Lagerstrom.
Written By: Simmie Myers
"Everything old is new again.” This tried and true phrase could not
IF YOU ARE CREATING A CLEAN LOOK IN
be more on point these days in the world of home decor. One pass down
YOUR HOME WITH SOFT SHADES OF WHITE
an aisle at an antique store and you are sure to find countless treasures to
THROUGHOUT, DO NOT PASS UP THAT
make your home an even better reflection of yourself and your style. One
BEAUTIFUL , DEEP BRONZE L ANTERN
such vintage item that many find difficult to pass up is the lantern. An actual “beacon of light,” lanterns are both functional and beautiful. Traditionally used on mantles, consoles, or side tables, lanterns are the perfect accent piece to create both height and drama. They can help to balance out a taller piece, such as a table lamp or large vase. But they can also do so much more.
• Another classic approach is to focus on the lantern itself. If you are creating a clean look in your home with soft shades of white throughout,opt for a deep bronze lantern. Find the styles and sizes you need and create the cohesion by simply painting them the same shade. This creates a bold yet clean style that elevates the accessories in your home while staying within
LANTERN BASICS
your desired color palette. On the opposite end of the spectrum, do not
• When it comes to lanterns, you can never go wrong using candles. It might
a dark or less interesting spot in your home. Large floor lanterns look great
seem obvious, but often, people are not sure if they should go this route when inside. Candles will never seem out of place, and it is a quick way to create soft and subtle lighting while also drawing attention to your
be afraid to paint a grouping of lanterns fun color combinations to liven up in corners of hallways or landings on staircases. It is a quick way, without adding anything inside or around the lantern itself, to add interest to your previously empty space.
decorative piece. The opportunities for variation come in the choice
• Lanterns are also a great place to showcase flowers. You can place the
of candle. The height of the lantern will dictate the size and number of
lantern in the middle of a wreath or greenery on a table or tie flower stems
candles on display; smaller lanterns will require a single smaller candle
around the lantern handle. Magnolia or Hibiscus blooms, arranged inside
while larger styles of lanterns provide space to bring in three to four
the lantern, add a pop of color and texture. Consider the color and style
candles of varying heights and widths. You can layer complementing
of your lantern prior to picking your favorite stems. Make sure that your
fragrances and colors and making a truly beautiful design statement.
colors coordinate so that you do not end up with something distracting.
For outside designs, consider the wear that will naturally happen to your lanterns. If you like the rustic look of age showing on a piece, move forward with your plans. For a more polished look long term, paint your lanterns with an exterior grade paint and plan on doing touchups once a year. Citronella candles or battery operated LED lights are the perfect choices to make your lanterns glow long after the sun goes down. • If you have porch steps, place lanterns on the ends to liven up your entry to welcome guests with the soft glow of candles or lighting. Depending on the width of your steps, consider placing a grouping of lanterns mixed with pumpkins, flower pots, or your favorite outdoor decor. If you have a large front porch, utilize lanterns to make the space feel cozy and inviting and create focal points at your entry. • Use paper lanterns and orb lanterns to hang from trees for parties, family gatherings, and intimate dinner parties.
These are lightweight and
inexpensive so you can easily use several to create a truly breathtaking display with dozens hanging around your property. • Make your guests feel extra special by using a lantern in the guest bathroom for function and beauty. Add stacks of decorative soaps or rolled hand towels inside a larger lantern to keep the counter area clean without sacrificing style and design. Or add a simple candle in a relaxing
Armed with countless possibilities, enjoy looking for lanterns everywhere you find yourself shopping for your home. Knowing you will be able to find a home for it no matter its size or color, let yourself fall in love with this accent piece over and over again.
fragrance. • Lanterns are meant to help give light that is long lasting and safe. If there is an area of your home you would love to have sconces but want something different, head out to pick up some lanterns! You can hang metal or wood corbels on your wall (make sure you use the proper hardware that can support both a corbel and a lantern) and hang your favorites. Consider replacing traditional lighting fixtures with lanterns; an electrician can run the necessary wiring in your wall, so your lantern works with the flip of a switch!
HOLIDAY DECORATING TIPS • Holiday decor and lanterns go hand in hand! Think centerpieces, tablescapes, mantles, fireplace hearths, and the list goes on and on. You can even use small lanterns as place card holders on your dining table. • I n the fall, load your lantern up with your favorite pumpkins and gourds. Whether you place a couple or fill the lantern to the top, you will enjoy the seasonal colors and style. Favorite Halloween candy or black and orange beads look great poured around an unlit candle • For Christmas, switch out the gourds for glittery ornaments or pinecones. Small lanterns can be used outdoors, hanging from heavier tree branches, or in the center of your holiday wreath. After swagging your staircase railing with greenery, hang unlit lanterns every few feet off of the banister. This will add depth and color to your decor and set the staircase apart from the expected holiday set up.
OUTDOOR DECOR • From a more basic plastic design to very heavy metals and irons, shepherds hooks are great to line your existing landscapes, pools, and decks, hung with signs, string lights, and showcase lanterns. Illuminate paths and highlight your exterior designs using your favorite pieces.
40 | October 2016
AN ACTUAL
“Beacon of Light" L ANTERNS ARE BOTH FUNCTIONAL AND BE AUTIFUL
STERLING TEA
// R O CK WALL
As a child growing up in Michigan, Brenda Sterling Meyers was introduced to the “finer things in life,” including sweet Ceylon black tea with a dollop of milk, by her Auntie Rene. The experience instilled a fondness for tea in Sterling Meyers and became the foundation on which she would one day build her tea business. In the mid-2000s, Sterling Meyers brewed her first six blends to sell at a local bazaar. After discovering that few people in her area had ever heard of loose-leaf tea, she spent the next five years educating herself and growing her customer base out of a quaint teashop in historic downtown Rockwell. When approached about selling her tea wholesale, Sterling Meyers began blending, manufacturing, and distributing private label teas in addition to her own blends. To accommodate this growth, Sterling Tea now Written By: Erin Ferris
operates out of a Rockwell manufacturing facility. However, customers are still welcome to smell, sample, and perhaps most importantly, learn how
Unbeknownst to many, after water, tea is the most widely consumed drink in the world; an astounding three billion cups are savored daily. Though two varieties and many different strains exist, orthodox tea –
to brew all of her artfully crafted teas and tisanes in the on-site tea gallery. “Once people are comfortable brewing their own loose-leaf tea, they fall in love with the product because it’s made right.”
from luscious greens to robust blacks, and the flavorful oolongs in between
Sterling Tea’s most popular blends include their award-winning
– comes from just one plant: the Camellia sinensis. Herbal teas, or tisanes,
Strawberry Hibiscus herbal, Mango Peach black, and Apricot Peach oolong.
are made by infusing herbs, spices, and other plant components in hot water.
Sterling Meyers’ go to, however, is Jasmine Pearls, which are green and white
Compared to the rest of the world, the tea movement in the United States remains in its infancy. That does not mean, however, that purists and
jasmine-infused tea leaves, hand-rolled into pearls that unfurl with flavor as they steep.
novices alike are not able to find a delicious blend to sip. Many reputable tea
Sterling Meyers hopes customers will taste her passion for and love of
blenders and brewers have sprung up across Texas throughout the last 20
tea infused in every cup, whether it be their first or their 100th. “Until visiting
years, and all are committed to and passionate about helping tea enthusiasts
us, most people don’t understand that tea, like coffee, wine, or chocolate, is
find their perfect cup.
an experience…tea is a culinary delight.”
October 2016 | 41
FOOD & DRINK
TEAZZERS RED RI V ER T E A COM PA N Y
// DALL A S
Nearly 20 years ago, Jeff Farris, who worked with a frozen fruit-juice company selling beverage equipment and products to convenience stores, recognized a need for fresh-brewed iced tea in the stores he visited. He connected with long-time friend Rick Scheer, and together they set out to revolutionize the tea industry by designing and patenting the T-100 one-cup brewing system. Though Teazzers earned its stripes selling one cup at a time of its basic iced tea blend, throughout two decades in business, the company has become a complete tea-solution provider. Sweet and unsweet tea were followed by flavored teas, including the best-selling mango and raspberry teas, as well as tea brewed in a traditional urn, concentrated tea from a soda fountain, a hot tea solution, chai tea, and the frozen, tea-based Teazzers
Photo Courtesy Of: Teazzers
enjoying tea has never been easier or more convenient. “Tea is our primary business, which means our focus and energy are dedicated to producing the highest quality tea beverages and innovative tea brewing equipment for the industry,” explains Scheer. “Teazzers iced teas
Photo Courtesy Of: Teazzers
can be found in hundreds of convenience stores across the United States,
Photo Courtesy Of: Fusion Teas
Freezzers. And because Teazzers’ wide variety of exceptional tea products
are created with our unique tea blends to deliver a premium taste.”
FUSION TEAS
// M CK I N N E Y
Photo Courtesy Of: Teasters
Fusion Teas grew out of Thomas and Theann Egbert’s shared passion for tea, but also out of their shared commitment to one another and their family. “While awake in the middle of the night to feed our newborn, Thomas suggested we open a tea business. Exhausted, I agreed without thinking it through,” Theann laughs. “It wasn’t until two weeks later that I realized he was serious. There comes a point in every marriage when you either grow
And so it began: a passion for tea, a commitment to growth, and a goal of helping people in their community live healthier, more balanced lives.
T E A S T ER S T E A COM PA N Y
// LU B B O CK
Based in Lubbock, Teasters is a one-of-a-kind tea boutique offering iced, hot, and loose-leaf tea to customers on the go. Teasters begins with
Initially, Fusion Teas specialized in premium tisanes, but the Egberts’
the freshest and healthiest hand-picked, full flush, loose-leaf teas and
love for variety led them to expand their collection to include loose-leaf
brews them to perfection using a reverse osmosis system. This two-step
orthodox tea blends. The Egberts work closely with six master distributors
purification process, along with dedicated brewers specifically calibrated
and import tea and herbs from all over the world, which means that
for each tea variety, allows Teasters to produce quality tea every time. The
across Fusion Teas’ 100 flavor blends, tea drinkers have the privilege of experiencing the many different styles and profiles unique to each distributor. The Egberts enjoy helping customers find their favorite teas, both online
Teasters’ unique brewing system also allows them to produce premium ice… which happens to go wonderfully with tea. Customers are welcome and encouraged to sample all of Teasters’ brewed iced teas before making a purchase, and if feeling adventurous, customers can mix and match teas to create their own flavor combinations.
and in their physical showroom in McKinney. “We get lots of questions
Favorites include pineapple coconut, Red Raider raspberry, quince green,
about which tea is the healthiest, which tea will cure certain ailments, which
and blueberry hibiscus. The Arnold Palmer blend– sweet tea, lemonade, and
tea will reduce stress,” says Theann. “My answer is almost always the same:
coconut pineapple tea – is as popular as the golfer himself!
‘the one you’ll actually drink.'” Tea is healthier than soda or coffee, so the
Those for whom pre-brewed is not their “cup of tea”, Teasters’ “Tea
key when guiding customers is to find teas that appeal to their palates so
Wall”, offers more than 50 different varieties of loose-leaf teas and tisanes
they’ll actually drink them.”
from around the world.
42 | October 2016
Photo Courtesy Of: Teazzers
together, or you grow apart. We wanted to grow together.”
FOOD & DRINK
T HE PAT H OF T E A
L O S T PI NE S YAU P O N T E A
// H OUS TO N
// AUS TI N
Founded in 2006 by Chris and Thia McCann, The Path of Tea is known as
On a quest to find useful and self-sustaining local, native plants, Jason
a place where “all people are welcome, and community is celebrated.” While
Ellis discovered the yaupon holly. After learning that Native Americans had
Houston’s only completely organic tea house grew out of an affection for tea,
once brewed a stimulating drink from this caffeine-rich evergreen shrub, Ellis
it flourished, at least in part, as a result of its broader focus on relationships,
began a years-long experimentation process that eventually resulted in Lost
civility, acceptance, and tolerance.
Pines Yaupon Tea.
Though used medicinally elsewhere in the world for thousands of years, the health benefits of tea are only now making headlines in the United States. Prior to her passing in 2012, Thia, the first certified Tea Master in Texas, considered tea education a priority. In addition to teaching Path of Tea customers about the history and production of tea, she taught medical students, patients, and caregivers at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital about the impact it can have on health and wellness. Perhaps someday Thia’s dream of teashops in hospitals will come to fruition. Path of Tea offers more than 150 premium certified organic and fair trade teas, favorites of which include white peach, jasmine dragon pearl, and
After the 2011 Lost Pines Forest fire, the survival of the forest, also the habitat of the endangered Houston Toad, came into question. Tall, unchecked yaupon had contributed to flames spreading into the canopy during the fire, and after the fire, aggressive yaupon shielded the slowly growing pines from the sunlight. Now, when Ellis and his team harvest yaupon from Lost Pines Forest, they restore the Houston Toad’s habitat, make room for saplings to grow, and stimulate the natural fire cycles, thus reducing the impact of future forest fires. “We help the forest, and the forest helps us,” explains Ellis.
coconut oolong. After shopping in the tea house or purchasing tea online,
Lost Pines offers two yaupon teas: a bright light roast with a hint of
customers can visit Path of Tea’s website to find a variety of tea-inspired
caramel and a rich, nutty dark roast. Yaupon is laden with antioxidants, and
recipes like oolong scones, tea-marinated chicken, and crème caramel and
because it is void of tannins, it has a natural sweetness.
sweet tea soaked plums.
“Most people haven’t heard of yaupon before, but the familiarity is growing. Yerba Mate, a South American relative of yaupon, has become widespread, and we don’t see why our own native yaupon couldn’t have the
Photo Courtesy Of: Path Of Tea
same success.”
TEA EMBASSY
// AUS TI N
The roots of Tea Embassy, a family-run tea shop based in Austin, trace back to one woman’s beloved collection of Chatsford bone china teapots and her son’s affection for the culinary arts. Carol Sims, along with her husband, Bob, and their son, Jonathan, combined interests and strengths as they crafted a simple vision for their business: provide premium teas from around the world and encourage all generations, genders, and cultures to experience the wonders of tea together. “One learns to enjoy tea by experiencing it,” explains Jonathan Sims, who took over the business in 2010 when Carol retired. “You can learn by reading, research, and instruction, but more so by seeing, touching, and tasting.” It was this approach, as well as a commitment to hospitality, customer service, and selling the highest quality teas, that made every customer feel at home in Tea Embassy’s shop. Though Tea Embassy became an exclusively online business in 2013, customers still feel welcomed and informed when they shop Tea Embassy’s 120 teas and tisanes. Favorites include the C.S. Lewis Irish breakfast blend, almond cookies green, and lemon chiffon rooibos while Sims’ favorite is the
Within a few years, a new source will contribute to Tea Embassy’s supply. Photo Courtesy Of: Tea Embassy
Photo Courtesy Of: Lost Pines Yaupon Tea
monkey-picked oolong.
Bob Sims has planted his own tea garden, and the Sims family eagerly awaits the day Tea Embassy can sell tea grown under their family name. At Tea Embassy, tea is not just a beverage, but also a doorway to connection and a slower-paced life. Simply put by Sims, “tea is a neverending world of discovery”.
October 2016 | 43
Written By: Rita Cook
It is known as the Great Chili Confrontation. Beans or no beans was the question and back in October of 1967 Texas took on the world for the final answer. This competition is now known as the Terlingua International Chili Championship (TICC), and this year, the TICC folks are celebrating its 50th anniversary. While no winner was named in that first cook-off years ago, beans are still considered off-limits in Terlingua, Texas, just like they were in 1967 when the argument that spawned the cookoff began. As former Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) president and selfproclaimed chili head Jim Ezell says “Chili has no beans, at least not in Texas, or so the argument has gone for years and years, and so you won’t find a bean anywhere around Terlingua, Texas come November.”
COMPETITION HISTORY The chili cook-off began as a publicity stunt in 1967 to settle an argument between Texas journalist Frank X. Tolbert and New Yorker H. Allen Smith. The Texan said “no beans” while folks like Smith from the East thought beans in chili were a suitable ingredient. Terlingua,
44 | October 2016
a mining ghost town, was selected due to its proximity to a large real estate holding promoted by race car icon Carroll Shelby. It was taken seriously by the chili cooks and eventually spawned three chili organizations that share the common birth. Every year, in the first week of November, folks from around the state and beyond converge in Terlingua to celebrate a good bowl of red and compete to decide who has the best one. No matter what preference one has towards chili preparation, there is a very good chance that at the Original Terlingua International Chili Championship, one of the qualifying cooks is making a chili that anyone would love. That is partly what makes it worth the trip to this little West Texas town. “Chili is the state food of Texas and evolved historically from the feeding of cowboys on the trail in Texas and Mexico. It is a spicy mixture of beef and chiles,” says Ezell, who explains that he got involved with CASI in 1992. Ever since the chili fever consumed him, he has served five terms as a director of CASI, including two stints as CASI’s president, and he now serves as the head judge and referee at events around the nation.
FOOD & DRINK
COOK-OFF CRITERIA
ABOUT TERLINGUA Even for folks who are chili-shy, Terlingua is still a Texas town that does not disappoint. The sky is an interesting combination of pinks, oranges, and reds as the sun goes down and many folks who come for the Chili Cook-off also enjoy the history that this old mining town has to offer. Terlingua is also in perfect proximity for a day trip to Big Bend National Park, just 12 miles down the road.
The Original Terlingua International Championship Chili CookOff is held in a wild part of the state, where tumbleweeds are as likely as cars, and mountains reach out to visitors, beckoning from just across the border. In all, it makes for the perfect backdrop to a good bowl of red. Robert Alvarez, Executive Director for the Brewster County Tourism Council & Visit Big Bend, where Terlingua is located, says it is going to be a bigger than usual celebration planned this year since it is the 50th anniversary of the event. “Thousands of spectators and cooks flock to Terlingua each year on the first Saturday in November to crown the CASI Terlingua International Chili Champion,” Ezell explains. “The championship is the ultimate victory in the chili world, and CASI owns a 320-acre site in Terlingua for its event.”
While visitors will not find a large number of restaurants, bars, and art galleries in Terlingua, what they will find is the real thing. The Starlight Theatre Restaurant and Saloon is not only where the locals hang out in the evening, but it is also the perfect place for visitors who want to try authentic Tex-Mex cuisine. To get a good idea of the history of this once abandoned mining town, the ruins of the Chisos Mining Company are nearby. Right in town, the Terlingua Cemetery offers a thorough glance at the area's history, particularly during the Day of the Dead celebration held around the same time as the Annual Terlingua International Chili Cook-off each year.
That is 320 acres where you will find recreational vehicles rolling in from all around, their passengers setting up mini-kitchens and tents as the cook-off gets underway. In order to participate, the cook must first qualify. There are 550 qualifiers held annually to accomplish this in cities as diverse as Fort Worth, Lockhart, Glen Rose, Weatherford, and Corsicana, with even a few qualifiers taking place outside of the state as well. “All these cook-offs must benefit a charity, so the bottom line is a lot of good causes are helped by the chili world,” says Ezell, adding that “the CASI chili is red chili and must be meat and gravy with no fillers like beans. It must be cooked on site that day and is judged on five criteria: color, aroma, gravy consistency, taste, and aftertaste.”
On some years, the Day of the Dead celebration on November 1 and the Terlingua Chili Championship fall the same weekend. In this case, visitors can enjoy both of these classic West Texas experiences at the same time. “Day of the Dead is a wonderful community celebration honoring family and friends who have passed on, typically with a potluck type meal,” says Alvarez. “The entire town, plus many from out of the area, attend Day of the Dead at the Terlingua Ghost Town Cemetery.” As the sun sets, the local cemetery is full of families remembering those who have passed on and candles are lit in the local graveyard on all of the graves. There are also musicians playing around a campfire. The Day of the Dead or Dia De Los Muertos, celebration always draws a crowd in Terlingua, and folks young and old paint their faces and dress in festive costumes in reverence to the dead.
Winning the Terlingua challenge is the ultimate prize for chili bragging rights and winners over the past decade have included folks from not only Terlingua, but also Killeen, Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo. This year’s schedule of events begins on Thursday, November 3 with a 2nd Annual Cowboy Camp Croquet Challenge along with live bands, a salsa competition, a World’s Championship Margarita Mix-off, and even an art show. The culmination of all the year’s effort takes place on November 5, during the officially titled “50th Annual Original Terlingua International Frank X. Tolbert - Wick Fowler Memorial Championship Chili Cook-off.”
GETTING THERE
Photos On This Page Courtesy Of: Brewster County Tourism Council
While many folks drive to Terlingua, it is also possible to fly into Midland/Odessa Airport, then take about a four-hour drive. There is also a limited flight schedule into nearby Lajitas International Airport from Dallas Love Field, by way of a charter flight that flies to the resort on most Fridays, then returns on Sundays. At certain times of the year, visitors can also fly directly into Lajitas from Houston Hobby and Midland/Odessa Airports.
FOOD & DRINK
Written By: Jodie Michalak Photos Courtesy Of: Kerbey Lane Cafe
Nestled inside a warm and quaint vintage home, Austin’s original Kerbey Lane Cafe is still booming with business, despite its six other locations. Since opening on May 5th, 1980, Kerbey Lane takes the cake for the most laid-back and consistently good breakfast restaurant, even when breakfast happens at 3:00 a.m.
The Beginning of Kerbey Lane Cafe Before it became Austin’s favorite diner for late night nourishment, Kerbey Lane was nothing more than an old home that sat on the road by the same name, adjacent to 35th Street. When the owners opened the restaurant, they had one mission in mind: to serve food that was fresh, healthy, delicious, and affordable. Today their vision has carried on and expanded all the way north to the city of Round Rock, where Austin travelers and locals alike are busy ordering right off the menu. While locals have their favorite locations, most people agree that visiting the original Kerbey Lane house at least once is mandatory to get the feel and experience that made this diner famous.
Kerbey Lane Favorites No matter the time of the day, Kerbey Lane Cafe is always cooking up breakfast. Besides the popular staples like its in-house salad dressing, queso, and black beans and salsa, regular menu favorites also include their creative varieties of fluffy pancakes. For those looking for the best pancake house in town, Kerbey Lane is sometimes called the “Domestic House of Pancakes,” and for good reason. Piled high, the stack flavors include house favorites and seasonal items like blueberry, cinnamon roll, gingerbread, and lemon poppy seed. These are just a few of the pancake offerings for those looking forward to a carb-friendly fix. For a fun souvenir, or to recreate the menu item at home, Kerbey Lane Cafe pancake mixes are available at local grocers throughout town. While breakfast is served all day long, what would Kerbey Lane Cafe be without their own spin on Tex-Mex dishes? Touted as having the absolute best queso in town, the migas and enchiladas are served with fresh sides, pico de gallo, and a variety of international cheeses sure to please even the most discriminating palette. Just as customers are likely to discover their favorite dish from ordering all sorts of menu items, they are also likely to find the location that feels like home by trying them all.
In addition to its seven convenient locations, the best part about Kerbey Lane Cafe is that they are truly adaptable to any diet and any lifestyle. Vegan and gluten-free menu options are available and equally as delicious as their meatier counterparts. While there are a large variety of food options, regulars all seem to come for the same thing: a good cup of coffee, a $2.00 mimosa, or that world-famous queso.
The People of Kerbey Lane Cafe What makes this restaurant so unique and quite addictive is not just the menu, but the people as well. While it certainly holds its appeal amongst the college crowd, Kerbey began as a small neighborhood Cafe that welcomed everybody, part of the original Austin culture. They keep it weird, make it differently, and remain casual all at the same time. The original Kerbey Lane Cafe offers a warm, inviting, and artistic environment for families of all sizes
Diners look forward to the periodically changing menu that highlights their
and types to enjoy affordable and fresh menu items. While Austin continues
commitment to using local produce. In the fall, diners can look forward to
to grow and change, this cafe remains a constant and nostalgic reminder of
the gingerbread pancakes, and one must never miss the tomato pie or fried
simpler times in the Lone Star capital.
green tomatoes. For customers coming from out of town, it is worth the trip
Kerbey Lane’s attitude towards people and community is best summed up with these few lines from their new Vision Statement, “We are a company dedicated to delivering exceptional service to each other, to our guests, to our community. Everyone owns their individual role in a way that makes everyone feel that we are in this together.” They seem to feel a sort of symbiosis with the community, which is a great sort of business sense.
and the scenery to travel to the state capital and check out Kerbey’s latest offerings. The creative and inspired chefs are always busy crafting the next best menu item using an eccentric spoon.
The Future of Kerbey Lane Cafe Manager Zechariah Giberson knows the secret to Kerbey Lane’s success: their small company feel. According to Giberson, “management really cares
Kerbey hires employees that they believe will fit into their exciting and
about us as employees. They are not just focused on the business end of
busy establishment, and also celebrates their own unique individuality
things. They are connected with each and every employee.” Giberson says
by selecting stand-out employees every month on their blog. Proud of
that Kerbey Lane management has remained in tune with their workforce
their diverse and interesting team, it seems that it is not only food that the
even through the expansion they have experienced. That is quite a large
owners of the restaurant know how to prepare. They know how to cultivate
undertaking with a workforce of around 530 employees.
relationships as well. Repeat customers often praise the service at any given location. Despite any long waits, once the food is served, it is always worth it.
And they are not done expanding. There are plans to open 20 stores in the next five years, with locations in Dallas and Houston in the works. With mouth-watering pancakes and eggs Benedict with hollandaise
‘i love your queso!’ Director of Marketing Amanda Kuda explains her love for Kerbey Lane Cafe. “I loved telling people where I worked and seeing their reaction – it’s usually something like, ‘Oh my gosh…your pancakes!’ or ‘I love your queso!’ Kerbey Lane has been around for over 35 years, so it makes sense that everyone has a special Kerbey memory or a menu item that gets their taste buds going.” She continues, “Through the years, we’ve prided ourselves on making tasty food at an affordable price all while sourcing as many ingredients locally as possible and having something on the menu for everyone. We have such a big menu; it’s hard to pick a ‘favorite.’ Of course, we have an amazing breakfast; you can never go wrong ordering a pancake with a cinnamon swirl!” Kerbey Lane partners directly with local farmers to offer the freshest selections for each season.
sauce, there is always room for an Austin favorite right around the corner. And that is a very good thing.
FOOD & DRINK
A PA S S I O N for P U M P K I N Written & Photographed By: Marye Audet
Every Texan knows that the first day of fall is not a date on the calendar. It is not the first blush of color on the leaves nor the scent of fresh apples. In Texas, autumn begins when the entire landscape is bathed in a golden glow and the breeze that ruffles your hair in the morning could be described as not scorching hot. Some years this happens in October and some years it may occur in November, but anyone that has lived in the Lone Star State for even one year understands. Just when Texans think that they may be getting tired of yet another watermelon, farmer’s markets, grocery stores, and roadside stands are suddenly full of pumpkins. Local coffee shops begin offering pumpkin flavored coffee, the ice cream freezer at the store is full of pumpkin ice cream, and pumpkin pies are everywhere. For those who have always thought of this beloved harbinger of fall as a dessert or muffin ingredient, it is time to take another look at this versatile (and healthy) fruit. These recipes call for the solid pack pumpkin, readily available in a can at the store. If you do not mind the extra work, it is possible to buy the small pie pumpkins and make pumpkin puree at home. Just cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and strings, and bake (cut sides down) until tender. Then remove the flesh from the shell and blend it until smooth.
P U M P K I N
S A L S A
M AK ES 1 QUART
The addition of pumpkin is an unusual twist on a Texas classic. Pumpkin salsa is rich and smoky with a spicy bite from the chipotle. It is perfect for dipping chips or spooning over a grilled chicken breast.
I NGR E DI E N TS • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 cup chopped, fresh tomatoes • 3/4 cup chopped onion • 2 minced garlic cloves • 2 14.5-ounce cans RoTel fire roasted tomatoes and chilies • 1 15-ounce can solid pack pumpkin • 2 tablespoons mashed chipotle in adobo • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 2 teaspoons cinnamon • 1 teaspoon cumin • 1 teaspoon cloves • 1 to 2 teaspoons brown sugar, or to taste • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/4 teaspoon ginger • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro I NST RUCT IONS 1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauté pan. 2. Add the tomatoes, onions, and garlic. 3. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent. 4. Stir in the RoTel tomatoes (do not drain), pumpkin, mashed chipotle, lime juice, cinnamon, cumin, cloves, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, and ginger. 5. Remove from heat. 6. Allow to cool to room temperature and stir in the cilantro. 7. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving for the flavors to blend. 8. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
48 | October 2016
C R E A M Y P U M P K I N A N C H O R I S O T T O SERVES 6
Risotto is an elegant side dish that is relatively easy to make. In order to produce the creamy texture for which this dish is known, use a specific type of rice, Arborio. Pumpkin and Ancho peppers give it a fall flavor, the dish pairs perfectly with roast pork or chicken. I NGR E DI E N TS • 4 to 5 cups no-salt-added chicken or vegetable stock or broth • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg • 1 teaspoon olive oil • 2 cups chopped onion • 1 dried Ancho pepper, seeded, stemmed, and chopped into small pieces • 1 tablespoon minced garlic • 1 cup Arborio rice • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1 cup solid-pack canned pumpkin puree • 6 tablespoons coarsely grated Parmigiano Reggiano • 1/8 teaspoon salt • Freshly ground black pepper to taste I NST RUCT IONS 1. Heat the stock and the nutmeg to a simmer. 2. Maintain it at a simmer while preparing the risotto. 3. Heat a heavy pan until very hot. 4. Add the oil and reduce the heat to medium high. 5. Sauté the onion, Ancho pepper, and garlic until the onion begins to be translucent. 6. Stir in the rice and coat it well with the oil. 7. Add the wine and stir until the wine evaporates. 8. Add 1 cup of the hot stock and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. 9. Repeat with another cup of the stock. 10. Continue to add the stock, stirring until the rice has absorbed most of it before adding the next batch of stock until the rice is tender but not mushy. 11. Stir in the pumpkin, cheese, salt, and pepper and stir until mixture is warmed through.
P U M P K I N
A L F R E D O
SERVES 4
Pumpkin gives creamy Alfredo sauce a beautiful color and a delicate, nutty flavor. Fettuccine is traditional to this dish, but the shape of Gemelli pasta holds more of the delicious sauce! I NGR E DI E N TS • 8 ounces pasta of choice • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter • 4 minced garlic cloves • 1/2 cup heavy cream • 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus some for sprinkling on top of the finished dish • 1 cup solid pack pumpkin • 1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage • A pinch of nutmeg • About 1 cup pasta water • Salt and pepper to taste I NST RUCT IONS 1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. 2. Drain, reserving 1-2 cups of the water. 3. Melt the butter in a large pan. 4. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, do not brown. 5. Add the cream, cheese, pumpkin, sage, and nutmeg. 6. Stir until smooth. 7. Add enough of the hot pasta water to get a smooth, creamy sauce. 8. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. 9. Add the pasta to the pan and heat for a minute or two. 10. Serve garnished with more grated cheese.