Rao’s Bakery. The Voodoo That You Do So Well.

January 30, 2012

Sweets, like silent soldiers, stood at attention awaiting my attack. At Rao’s Bakery, in Beaumont, this morning I couldn’t help but wax poetic about the magnificent pastries on display. Because I was killing time waiting to teach a writing workshop, I was overcome with simile and alliteration … sorry about that. But, I’m not apologetic [...]

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You’d Be Crazy Not To Try This Cafe

January 7, 2012

Does a sack of flour make a big biscuit? I don’t know for sure because I haven’t tested that theory. I’m told that you really don’t want me to make biscuits for you — biscuits I have made are as hard as rocks and have been termed “lethal weapons.”I can say for sure that Loco [...]

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Denton’s Day of the Dead Festival

October 24, 2011

Día de los Muertos is a ritual holiday (November 2nd) that was observed in Mexico by the indigenous people for over 3,000 years before the Spanish Conquistadors came to the land. It is a celebration of the memory of those who have died. In San Antonio, where I will be on that date, the altars [...]

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Denton Haunts Tour Offers Mystery AND History

October 23, 2011

I had no clue that the courthouse in my hometown had a resident ghost (or two, or three). I just thought that Denton had one of the most lovely courthouses in Texas. I didn’t know it had a ghost story! Sure, I knew there was a tiny cemetery-for-one on the lawn of the building. I [...]

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An Adventure in Wonderland at Rose Costumes

October 10, 2011

Do you have your Halloween costume yet? No, not the children’s costume … yours! Oh, c’mon. Surely you are going to play dress-up, aren’t you? Halloween is the one time of year when it’s acceptable for grownups to indulge their imaginations. You have to take advantage of it! There isn’t a better place to do [...]

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Donuts With The Right Angle

September 21, 2011

These donuts have four right angles, to be exact. They aren’t round, they are square, and they are delicious! Friends, I was in Hog Heaven when I discovered Bacon Maple Donuts at Denton Square Donuts last week. It does not get any better than this: Y’all do know that I love bacon, don’t you? Of [...]

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Butterflies Aren’t Free, But You Can See Them For $7

September 10, 2011

Have you ever stood in a field of migrating butterflies watching thousands of delicate, colorful creatures flit around you? I haven’t either. It’s on my bucket list, but it isn’t in my budget to travel to an exotic locale. Maybe I can do the next best thing. Residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth area are in [...]

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An Enchanted Evening At Ancient Ovens

September 7, 2011

I almost didn’t tell y’all about my new discovery, because I’m selfish and wanted it to be my secret. However, you deserve to know about Ancient Ovens; which offers fine dining in Saint Jo, Texas. “Do whut?” you ask. It’s true, although I know you don’t believe that if you have driven through the town [...]

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Artful Chocolates in Granbury

August 31, 2011

If you go to Granbury, Texas you must take a cooler with ice! I’m telling you this as your friend, because you are going to see The Art of Chocolate Shoppe and want to bring home some of their delightful specialties! In this Texas heat, it won’t go far. Have you ever tried to suck [...]

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Arché Winery. A Good Beginning.

August 22, 2011

When one thinks of regions that produce “fine wine,” I don’t think that North Texas is the first place to pop into one’s head. Pity the unenlightened! You who scoff, put a cork in it! I heard it through the grapevine that there are a number of good wineries in my “stomping ground;” Arché Winery [...]

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Apron Strings

August 17, 2011

I learned a long time ago that you don’t fry bacon nekkid! I’m a quick study like that … my mind just sizzles. So will your skin, if you decide you have to learn that truth for yourself. I suppose that’s why my grandmother always wore an apron when she cooked. Do any of y’all [...]

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Spirited Away To Ghost Tours Of Galveston

July 31, 2011

I’ve always been fascinated by ghost stories, especially when they are purported to be true. Here in Texas, some of the best ghost stories can be found on Galveston Island. Right now I’m as tickled as a possum in a plum tree, because my husband is going to “spirit” me away to Galveston for a [...]

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Kolache Heaven Or Kolache Haven

July 29, 2011

I fumbled my way to the kitchen feeling “old, tired, and full of no coffee (thank you, Raymond Chandler).” My sweet tooth began to whisper. Does that ever happen to you? Well, maybe it was just the voices in my head. I thought I heard that sweet tooth murmur, “…heaven … kolache … heaven.” Feeling [...]

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Whee, Whee, Whee! All The Way Home.

July 16, 2011

While driving along Texas Highway 64, near Ben Wheeler in East Texas, I saw a sight that first made me snort with laughter, then made me shout to my husband, “Stop! It’s a photo-op!” You never know what you will find on those country back roads in my neck of the woods. We were on [...]

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My New Favorite Restaurant

March 19, 2011

When I was growing up, in Grapevine, we didn’t have a “delicatessen.” If we wanted food in a hurry, we went to the Royal Dairy, which was our version of the Dairy Queen. That’s about as “fine” as food got for us. I know, I know … it’s a sad story. Even as a grownup, [...]

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Window Shopping in Uptown

March 2, 2011

We had an interesting window shopping excursion in the uppity part of Dallas last weekend. It was only because I got a last minute call from my friend Len Barnett, whose group (Percussion Things) was performing at Bookmarks. Because it’s a library, they wanted a storyteller to tell tales as they drummed. I’m well aware [...]

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Not A Kernel Of Truth

January 9, 2011

This fried corn from Clark’s Outpost should have been delicious. At least, that’s what my television said, and y’all know that the television never lies. The reporter didn’t even get the name of the town right — they pronounced it “Teeoga,” when everyone in these parts knows that Tioga is pronounced with a long “i.” [...]

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Taco-Tex Is As Authentic As It Gets

October 28, 2010

I don’t like trying to find a place to eat lunch early in the day, but sometimes a school schedule doesn’t give much choice. By early, I’m talking 10:30 in the morning … and people, there aren’t many restaurant selections at that time of day. My librarian friend and I agonized over the possibilities. We [...]

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No Parking In Gruene

October 25, 2010

We had planned to meet each other in Gruene. My friend, Judy, had told me that there was “some kind of pottery thing” going on, and we thought we would wander around and enjoy the work of the artisans. Actually it was the Texas Clay Festival, which I understand happens every October in that tiny [...]

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Penn Farm In Black And White

October 21, 2010

As I wandered around Penn Farm last weekend with my camera in hand, I tried to imagine life there in the 1800s, but that wasn’t easy with blue striped tents and families wandering everywhere. As I looked at the pictures I took, I decided to try a different point of view: black and white. I [...]

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