theStearns

Celebrating Memorial Day at the Sutton’s spread east of Lake Houston with two excellent examples of Texas Longhorn with burnt orange coloring, descendants of the first domestic cattle to reach the Americas from Spain in the late 1400s. Texas Longhorn calves are tough – they can stand up sooner after birth than other breeds. This breed of cattle is distinguished by their innate gentle disposition and intelligence.

Lake Travis winds 65 miles through the central Texas hill country. The reservoir on the Colorado River was formed in 1942 by the construction of the Mansfield Dam (formerly Marshall Ford Dam) three miles northwest of Austin.

The 22-acre Home Sweet Farm near Brenham, TX grows more than 100 vegetables using natural techniques. Farmer Brad has been a professional organic horticulturist since 1991.

It was news to me that live oak has more to do with a tree staying green through the winter (hey look, I’m alive!) than a specific type of oak. But there is a Southern live oak that’s an actual species. Ever heard of a mott? In Texas, a mott is a small grove of live oaks. If you wanna see a mott in Britain you may meet a prostitute. A mott in Dublin is a girlfriend. Who woulda known?

The formula for Dr Pepper was created in Waco, Texas by Charles Alderton in 1885, but it took four decades before the first Dr Pepper franchise agreement was issued to Sam Houston Prim. The franchise area chosen for Dublin Bottling Works was a 44-mile radius surrounding Dublin, Texas, a small community about 90 miles northwest of Waco. The formula for making Dr Pepper included real sugar.

Due to price supports and import quotas for sugar, most soft drinks started using high fructose corn syrup in the late ’70s. But in the ’80s, Dublin Bottling Works plant owner W.P. “Bill” Kloster refused to convert the oldest bottling plant in the world and continued to use sugar. The plant manager also preferred to use six-and-a-half-ounce glass bottles. Today fans of Dublin Dr Pepper swear it has a more authentic taste that is better than Dr Pepper produced elsewhere. I believe them.

Life in Texas makes it difficult to avoid jalapeños. Known by various names such as huachinango, chile gordo, and chipotle (a smoked ripe jalapeño), the heat level of the popular pepper varies from mild to hot. At a young age I quickly learned not to rub my eyes with fingers that had recently touched a jalapeño. As a teenager I learned removing the seeds could make a hot jalapeño mild and that small fresh light green jalapeños were much hotter than larger dark green peppers marinated with carrots. Over the years I’ve savored Jalapeño Poppers, Armadillo Eggs, Dragon Turds, and Texas Torpedoes. To impress special guests my mom loved to serve a clump of Jalapeño Jelly dumped over a brick of cream cheese served with crackers. And now thanks to Lisa and Kenna I have a Texas-shaped appliance for roasting and serving jalapeños, along with a clever tool for removing the veins and seeds. Cold beverage anyone?

Hurricane Ike was the largest hurricane ever in the Atlantic basin and the third most destructive U.S. hurricane (#1 was Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 followed by #2 Hurricane Andrew in August 1992). Measuring 900 miles in diameter, the storm made final landfall over Galveston, TX with a Category 5 equivalent storm surge and 110 mph winds in the early morning hours of Saturday September 13, 2008.

President George W. Bush made an emergency declaration on September 10. Power began failing in regional Texas towns on September 12 leaving millions without electricity. The price of gas increased due to speculation over damage to oil refineries. Residents began evacuating – those electing to stay were admonished by authorities to get out or “face certain death.”

Most homes and businesses along the shoreline of Galveston Bay were left in ruins. In the photo above, lightning accompanying Hurricane Ike struck a propane cylinder at one home in San Leon, TX. The resulting explosion and fire destroyed a garage but the adjoining home was spared only to fall victim to the ensuing flood surge.

For weeks the nation’s fourth-largest city, Houston, lay paralyzed and virtually blacked out. Gasoline was difficult to find and expensive when found. Grocery store shelves were left empty for weeks. Some residents were without power for more than a month. Most Americans quickly turned their interest to the presidential campaign. Hurricane Ike damages in the U.S. are estimated at $24 billion. More than 300 people are still missing.

Texas has more white-tailed deer than any other state. It is almost impossible to accurately determine the age of deer by the number of points on their antlers. Older bucks tend to have heavier antlers, but development is closely associated with nutrition and there are geographic variations.

We have been connected to Kickapoo Kamp for decades. And so this idyllic summer camp in the Texas Hill Country is woven through our lives from childhood in Houston (see photo from ’60s below) through this summer, and future summers. My son, nephew, sister, niece, and countless friends have been ‘kampers,’ pawnees, work boys, counselors, nurses, and directors. Choctaw or Cherokee, young or old, male or female, somehow our family has been part of the Ford/Findlay family for decades.

Note: That strikingly handsome kid on the left is me holding a portable reel-to-reel tape recorder/player, the iPod of the ’60s.