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BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE EDITION MAY 2015 Breakfast Landmarks Pizza Your Way McAllen’s Quinta Mazatlan
JUMPINTO SUMMER Cool Ways To Travel Through Texas
SEE PAGE 18 BLUEBONNET NEWS RNMENT OVE GO G LD L O IA F C F E E P R S ONLY: S R P
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The FRPSDQ\LVQRWDI¿OLDWHGZLWKWKH86*RYHUQPHQWRUWKH860LQW3DVWSHUIRUPDQFHRIWKH 0M`V\»]LILLU^HP[PUN[VTV]L`V\YOHYKLHYULK FRLQRUWKHPDUNHWFDQQRWSUHGLFWIXWXUHSHUIRUPDQFH6SHFLDORIIHULVVWULFWO\OLPLWHGWRRQO\ one lifetime purchase of 10 coins (regardless of price paid) per household, plus shipping and TVUL` PU[V WYLJPV\Z TL[HSZ [OL [PTL PZ UV^ [V LQVXUDQFH &RLQVHQODUJHGWRVKRZGHWDLO3ULFHQRWYDOLGIRUSUHFLRXVPHWDOVGHDOHUV JVUZPKLY[YHUZMLYYPUN`V\Y<:KVSSHYZPU[V `LHYZ·Z\YWHZZPUN [OL +6> 5(:+(8 PERSONAL BANK CHECK WIRE HUK : 7 *HSSPTTLKPH[LS`[VVYKLY`V\Y ;633-9,,/6<9:(+(@! © 2015 U.S. Money Reserve Since 1944 May 2015 FAVORITES 18 Local Co-op News Get the latest information plus energy and safety tips from your cooperative. 29 Texas History “Journey to Texas, 1833” excerpt By Detlef Dunt 31 Recipes Beyond Pepperoni: Pizza Your Way 35 Focus on Texas Photo contest: Heroes 36 Around Texas List of Local Events 38 Hit the Road McAllen’s Quinta Mazatlan By Eileen Mattei ONLINE Blue Bonnet Cafe serves breakfast, TexasCoopPower.com as it has in Marble Falls since 1929. Find these stories online if they don’t appear in your edition of the magazine. FEATURES Texas USA The Road to Summer We steer you toward getaways Cruel Blow: Boxer Lost in Plane Crash By E.R. Bills 8 that offer nature, history, culture and a refreshing dip By E. Dan Klepper Observations Remembering Mom Breakfast in Texas These landmark eateries start the By Laurie Greenwell 12 day right by satisfying body and soul By Jeff Siegel NEXT MONTH American Wind Power Center Lubbock museum hails the mighty windmill, which helped quench the thirst of an arid frontier. 29 35 31 38 BLUEBONNET CAFE: KENNY BRAUN. WINDLMILL: © VLUE | DREAMSTIME.COM ON THE COVER Last one in is … missing out on all the fun at Fort Clark Springs in Bracketville. Photo by Kenny Braun TEXAS ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Jerry B. Boze, Chair, Kaufman; David Marricle, Vice Chair, Muleshoe; Mark Tamplin, Secretary-Treasurer, Kirbyville; Debra A. Cole, Itasca; Mike R. Hagy, Tipton, Oklahoma; Robert A. Loth III, Fredericksburg; Mark Rollans, Hondo • PRESIDENT/CEO: Mike Williams, Austin • COMMUNICATIONS & MEMBER SERVICES COMMITTEE: Greg Henley, Tahoka; Bryan Lightfoot, Bartlett; Billy Marricle, Bellville; Mark McClain, Roby; Blaine Warzecha, Victoria; Jerry Williams, Paris; Kathy Wood, Marshall MAGAZINE STAFF: Martin Bevins, Vice President, Communications & Member Services; Charles J. Lohrmann, Editor; Tom Widlowski, Associate Editor; Karen Nejtek, Production Manager; Andy Doughty, Creative Manager; Grace Arsiaga, Print Production Specialist; Chris Carlson, Communications & Member Services Assistant; Anna Ginsberg, Food Editor; Suzanne Halko, Copy Editor; Randall Maxwell, Videographer/Photographer; Jane Sharpe, Graphic Designer; Ellen Stader, Copy Editor; Shannon Oelrich, Proofreader TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 3 We are the neighborhood standard. We are moved by perfection and equipped to achieve it. Our inspiration knows no bounds. We are set on creating the most beautiful space of all – one we call our very own. kubota.com © Kubota Tractor Corporation, 2015 CURRENTS Letters, emails and posts from our readers Doc Crumley’s Legacy Window to the Landscape Another interesting article by Gene E. Dan Klepper has missed one of life’s little experi- Fowler [“The Old Indian Doctor,” ences by not traveling [in Big Bend National Park] March 2015]. The madstone that through the dry creek bed that once led to the Doc Crumley carried in his saddle- bag might have been the same one Window, a total pleasure [“Lay of the Landscape,” author and San Saba area resident February 2015]. It took us through places where the Sarah Harkey Hall used after a rabid water was running, and we stepped into holes knee skunk attacked her while she was deep, which filled our brand-new hiking boots. In asleep on her front porch on a places, we guessed where the trail led while we scorching summer day. She said it climbed up and down rocks. Then suddenly, we took her husband until the next day arrived, and there before us was the breathtaking to return with the stone, which she beauty of the desert floor below. also said saved her life. Hall’s book is “Surviving on the JOANNE CHESHIER | FREDERICKSBURG | CENTRAL TEXAS EC Texas Frontier: The Journal of a Frontier Orphan Girl in San Saba County, 1852–1907.” VARDY VINCENT | KINGSBURY Hays County near Dripping Springs. It is more than 400 years into the canyon. We found a place BLUEBONNET EC She first married a member of the since the mistake, and it is time to way back where there was a narrow Knox family and then may have had move on and correct the historical path, similar to a cave, with water Gene Fowler replies: Dr. Crumley’s another marriage before marrying mistake. It is up to academia and running through it. Over the years, madstone could very well have John Alexander. the media to work toward correct- we visited Palo Duro Canyon many been the one applied to Sarah They lived and died at Evant ing this mistake and not cause times just to explore and wade the Harkey Hall. I have another article and are buried at Knox cemetery, confusion. clear, cool water. that documents his stone being where Doc Crumley is buried. We NED LAKHANIGAM | DENTON COUNTY Once we saw a centipede that used in Hamilton County. believe he is an uncle. If any of the COSERV ELECTRIC was about 12 inches long, the family is interested or has more largest I have ever seen. My late husband’s grandmother information about her, we would Feed Sack Fondness CLEO ADAMS | HAMILTON told the story of how, as a small love to communicate with them. I wore many pretty feed sack HAMILTON COUNTY EC child, she saw Doc Crumley in the NELL CLOVER | CHAPPEL HILL dresses [“Feeding Their Fashion 1890s riding around the Buttercup CHEROKEE COUNTY EC Sense,” February 2015] when I was community in a donkey-pulled cart, a child, even after I started school. and he scared her to tears. I am saddened by the fact that I loved them. GET MORE TCP AT KAREN R. THOMPSON | LEANDER everyone in America seems to NANCY COAKLEY | VIA FACEBOOK TexasCoopPower.com PEDERNALES EC want to perpetrate the mistake of Sign up for our E-Newsletter for Christopher Columbus, who called Caprock Memories monthly updates, prize drawings the Native Americans or First I really enjoyed the article by E. and more! Nations Peoples as “Indians” Dan Klepper on Caprock Canyon because he was actually looking and Turkey [“Turkey Trottin’,” for a route to India. January 2015]. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! Being an Indian from India, My family lived about three- ONLINE: TexasCoopPower.com/share I feel sad that the ethnic identity quarters of a mile from the EMAIL: [email protected] of more than a billion is being entrance to the canyon for several MAIL: Editor, Texas Co-op Power, hijacked by a few hundred thou- years in the 1940s. My brother 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, sand people living in America, and and I would ask our mom if we Austin, TX 78701 We believe our great-great-grand- the rest of the country, including could go to the canyon. The answer Please include your town and electric co-op. Letters may be edited for clarity and length. mother was a Crumley. Her daugh- educated people, are not doing was always the same: “No, you ter’s name was Cassie Parthinea anything to stop the spreading will get lost.” Echols. Cassie’s family lived in of this lie. Several years later, we did go Texas Co-op Power Magazine TEXAS CO-OP POWER VOLUME 71, NUMBER 11 (USPS 540-560). Texas Co-op Power is published monthly by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, TX, and at additional offices. TEC is the statewide association representing 76 electric cooperatives. Texas Co-op Power’s website is TexasCoopPower.com. Call (512) 454-0311 or email [email protected]. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE is $4.08 per year for individual members of subscribing cooperatives. If you are not a member of a subscribing cooperative, you can purchase an annual subscription at the nonmember rate of $7.50. Individual copies and back issues are available for $3 each. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Texas Co-op Power (USPS 540-560), 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. Please enclose label from this copy of Texas Co-op Power showing old address and key numbers. ADVERTISING: Advertisers interested in buying display ad space in Texas Co-op Power and/or in our 30 sister publications in other states, contact Martin Bevins at (512) 486-6249. Advertisements in Texas Co-op Power are paid solicitations. The publisher neither endorses nor guarantees in any manner any product or company included in this publication. Product satisfaction and delivery responsibility lie solely with the advertiser. © Copyright 2015 Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. Reproduction of this issue or any portion of it is expressly prohibited without written permission. LANDSCAPE: E. DAN KLEPPER. CRUMLEY: ORIGINAL PHOTO COURTESY JANE MCMILLIN. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: RANDALL MAXWELL RANDALL ILLUSTRATION: MCMILLIN. PHOTO JANE COURTESY ORIGINAL PHOTO KLEPPER. CRUMLEY: E. DAN LANDSCAPE: Willie Wiredhand © Copyright 2015 National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 5 CURRENTS Energy, innovation, people, places and events in Texas CO-OP PEOPLE A Pinch of TV Time Coco Welch, a home-schooler in Aquilla and budding cook who aspires to be an actor, got a taste of show business in November as a contestant on Fox’s “MasterChef Junior.” And it tasted salty. She was preparing a bacon- wrapped pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes when she burst into tears. “My mashed potatoes,” she sobbed. “They’re too salty.” That sent rushing to her aid HAPPENINGS none other than Gordon Ram- say, the show’s host and kitchen critic known for mincing egos as Rounding Up Cowboys deftly as he minces shallots. “Oh, my gosh, Gordon Ram- say is coming over, and he’s in Abilene gonna taste them,” Coco, 11, remembers thinking. “And he’s The 31st annual Western Heritage Classic gallops into Abilene May 7–10, taking over gonna spit them out.” the Taylor County Expo Center to showcase the cowboy lifestyle. Instead, he soothed her— tasted her potatoes and assured The weekend’s highlight is the Ranch Rodeo, in which some of the largest and her they were fine. most historic ranches in the country compete in various skills. Other events include Her pork and potatoes live music, poetry readings, a chuck wagon cook-off and more. earned her a spot in the second “I think people come back year after year because it is a unique event that high- half of the show, but her chicken lights the talent and drive that built Abilene and is the foundation of the Texas Milanese with fingerling pota- spirit,” says Elizabeth McVey, director of communications at Taylor Electric toes and wilted greens didn’t make the cut, so Coco and her Cooperative. Taylor EC, headquartered in nearby Merkel, serves many of mom, Lorie Welch, headed back the ranches in the Abilene area. to Aquilla, where the family is a Find more member of HILCO EC. Coco INFO: westernheritageclassic.com, (325) 677-4376 happenings all has been auditioning for other across the state at TV shows and movies, more TexasCoopPower seasoned than she was before .com her unforgettable TV debut. COMMUNITY Grants for Rural Libraries June 1 is the next deadline for grants to rural libraries from the Austin-based Tocker Foundation. All public libraries in towns of 12,000 or fewer are eligible, and grants can cover a range of needs, from furniture and shelving to technology equipment or digitizing newspapers. For information, go to tocker.org or contact Karin Gerstenhaber, director of grants management, at (512) 452-1044. LANGHAM III. TREMONT HOUSE: JOHN KACHIK ROBERT MURPHY: KATHY BROADCASTING. FOX WELCH: JOHN KACHIK. COWBOY: 6 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com SAFETY UPDATE May Is Electrical Next Chapter: The Big Screen Safety Month You might remember Kathy Murphy, the East Texas woman whose saga reads like a Holly- wood script: Woman loses lucrative dream job, becomes hairdresser and opens combina- tion beauty parlor and bookstore. Woman starts book club that grows to hundreds of Make safety a priority around chapters around the country and overseas. Woman’s marriage falls apart. Woman packs electricity and remind friends and up and moves from one small town to another and carries on. Woman finds out in January that Dreamworks Entertainment plans to make a feature family to do the same this month. film about her life and the hugely successful Pulpwood Queens Book Club. Texas Co-op Power regularly fea- The club, which Murphy manages from her Hawkins salon, Beauty tures warnings about the hazards and the Book, is some 650 chapters strong (Read “Bound & Deter- of electricity and advice about the mined,” March 2014). “When I heard the news, I buckled to my knees,” safe use of this valuable resource. says Murphy, a member of Upshur Rural Electric Cooperative. Visit TexasCoopPower.com and “Still hard to believe that a small-town-born and -raised Kansas kid could have a movie based on her life in the test your knowledge of electrical wonderful world of books.” safety with a quick quiz from The movie will be largely based on Murphy’s book, Electrical Safety Foundation “The Pulpwood Queens’ Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing International. Guide to Life.” LANDMARKS Tremont House, Anchor of Galveston’s Strand, Turns 30 The latest incarnation of Tremont House, which triggered the rebirth of Galveston’s Strand Historic District, turns 30 this year. Tremont House occupies the restored Leon and H. Blum Building, built in 1879. The 119-room boutique-style hotel was resurrected by George Mitchell, the Galveston native considered the “father of fracking,” and his wife, Cynthia, in 1985. The original Tremont House, built in 1839, hosted such digni- taries as Gen. Sam Houston, Ulysses S. Grant and Buffalo Bill. For years, the hotel was the largest and finest in the Republic of Texas. Fire consumed the building in 1865. A new Tremont was built, opening in 1872, but it succumbed after the historic hurricane of 1900. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Tremont House revives its periodic “afternoon teas,” including one June 14. Before that, the Strand will be bustling during Artwalk, May 30, at the nearby Galveston Arts Center, and for Craft Beer 101 Weekend, June 5–7, at the hotel. Visit TexasCoopPower.com and enter to win a Galveston Getaway. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 7 The search for cool water often defines a summer getaway By E. Dan Klepper ROAD Want to make a splash this summer? Skip the swimming pool and dive into something a little more wild. The state offers dozens of options for cool dipping to relieve a hot afternoon, from spring-fed swimming holes to sun-drenched surf. Everyone has their favorite, but the following five idyllic locations may help narrow your choice down to one of the more surprising summer travel spots for you and your family. for spotting woodland birds. You might share a campsite with red-bellied woodpeckers or hear the song of the eastern bluebird, pleasant morning company before an afternoon of paddling a canoe (rentals are available at the park’s headquarters) or floating on your favorite inflatable. The park’s swim beach slopes gently into the waters of Wright Patman Lake alongside a forest of woodland shade and makes for an easy, sand-bottom retreat on a warm afternoon. Orange buoys keep the swimming area free of motorboats and jet skis. Mustang Island arther south, along the state’s coastline, Texas beaches offer more than 300 miles of sand and surf, providing hundreds of opportunities to dip your toes in the waves. But Mustang Island is one location that keeps many Texans coming back Atlanta State Park to the coast every year. The island and its only town, laid-back n far northeastern Texas, you’ll find Atlanta State Park, a week- Port Aransas, feature fun and affordable restaurants and taverns; end destination only 30 miles south of Texarkana. Atlanta reasonably priced campgrounds and rental cottages; and fishing, State Park occupies the shoreline along a small corner of paddling and plenty of birding. Wright Patman Lake, a 20,000-acre reservoir built along the Beach access along the northern end of the island includes Sulphur River. Park visitors enjoy campgrounds high above the the I.B. Magee Beach Park, a five-minute drive from the Port waterline that feature recreational vehicle and tent sites, rest- Aransas ferry landing. This county park offers essentials such as rooms with showers, picnic areas and hiking trails. A mix of hard- RV hookups, a bathhouse and primitive camping. wood and pine forests make camping comfortable and cozy as On the southern end of the island, Mustang Island State Park soaring trees create a rooftop canopy far above your tent. Green glens abound, and hiking trails are layered in soft pine This page: Campgrounds at Atlanta State Park sit high above the duff. The undulating park road, hilly and winding, makes for waterline. Opposite: Mustang Island features a state park with 5 miles great bicycling. The park’s forestry also provides an ideal location of beaches and its lone town of Port Aransas, a top coastal attraction. KENNY BRAUN BEACH: ARANSAS PORT | TPWD. EARL NOTTINGHAM PARK: STATE ATLANTA 8 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com includes 5 miles of traffic-free sand on the Gulf side and a small state, replenished constantly with fresh, underground spring channel, called Fish Pass, for easy, kayak-friendly bay access. But water. Today’s concrete pool measures 100 by 300 feet and, due the cheapest island overnight stay requires nothing more than a to a perpetual flow from the nearby Las Moras Springs, maintains beach parking permit (available at convenience stores and beach- a constant temperature of 68 degrees. The pool is large enough side vendors). Public restrooms, cold-water showers and trash- to accommodate a host of noisy splashers as well as napping sun- cans are stationed at various mile markers along the shoreline. bathers and, along with the resort’s amenities, makes an ideal family summer getaway. Fort Clark Springs Fort Clark began a transformation into a residential resort estward and in the southwestern quadrant of the state, after military closure in 1946, eventually offering motel-style you’ll find Fort Clark Springs, established as a U.S. Army rooms, RV hookups and a golf course. The surviving structures base in 1852 alongside Las Moras Creek. Fort Clark is of the original military post include officers quarters (many of located across U.S. 90 from the community of Brackettville. them private residences now), a guardhouse, barracks (now the Now a family-style resort and retirement community, Fort Clark motel), headquarters, a hospital, mess halls and a museum. Springs offers visitors the third-largest spring-fed pool in the Brackettville provides several good restaurants, a small gro- cery store, convenience stores, a hardware store and, because it’s the Kinney County seat, a 100-plus-year-old courthouse. Eisenhower State Park f you’re headed to far north Texas, enjoy a retreat at Eisenhower State Park along the banks of Lake Texoma, one of the largest reservoirs in the state. The park offers campsites with water; electricity; restrooms and showers; and dense stands of oak, elm, cedar and dogwood along picturesque bluffs above the lake. The park’s swim beach, located in a secluded cove below a rugged cliff known as Elm Point, may be the park’s finest amenity. This Top: Fort Clark Springs, near the Kinney County town of Brackettville, features a 100-by-300-foot pool fed by Las Moras Springs, which rise under artesian pressure. Left: Eisenhower State Park is on the southern shore of Lake Texoma, which sits on the Texas-Oklahoma border. 10 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com sandy, soft-bottomed spot features a graduated water depth, a project was once the largest rolled earth-fill dam in the world, pebble beach perfect for sunbathing, cozy bluffs sheltering each holding back nearly 4.5 million acre-feet of water and producing side, and markers across the cove’s deep-water entrance to dis- around 250,000 megawatts of electricity each year. Admire the courage motorized vessels from coming near shore. Plan an all- dam’s architecture from viewing points above the riprap abut- day visit and bring a picnic, towels, inflatables and water-resistant ments and from a concrete overlook above the sluiceway. sunscreen. The cove’s calm waters will occupy your entire day. Then, spend at least one afternoon taking in the Denison Dam, Davis Mountains State Park the 15,350-foot-long earth embankment that makes Lake Texoma f your travels take you to far West Texas, add Davis Mountains possible. Completed in 1944, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers State Park to your itinerary. Make reservations at Indian Lodge, the historic inn tucked into the park’s mountainside, The pool at Indian Lodge is a mile-high oasis in the Davis Mountains. where you can take a midsummer dip in the mile-high swim- The lodge was built in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. ming pool. The pool, located on a sun-bleached patio, provides a perfect way to relax after a day of sightseeing or hiking the sur- rounding mountain trails. Whether you stay at Indian Lodge or not, it’s worth a visit. The lodge is an architectural icon of the state park system, designed in the Pueblo Revival style of the early 20th century and built in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps workers. Its hand-hewn woodwork, native rock accents, whitewashed stucco and adobe walls were constructed com- pletely from local materials. You’ll find hand-assembled stone chim- neys, parapets and terraced wall foundations as well as roof timber beams (called vigas) harvested from the surrounding higher ele- vations and featured in the lodge’s lobby ceiling. Stalks of river cane from the Rio Grande (called latil- las) are laid diagonally to fill the spaces between the vigas. The adobe bricks that form the major- ity of the original lodge construc- tion were made and cured on-site. Plan a weekend getaway in one of the lodge’s comfortable 39 rooms and enjoy the benefits of the mountain air while swimming lazy laps in the pool. With so many great summer swim vacations to choose from in Texas, the hard part is making a choice. But once you get there, the next step is easy: Just hold your breath and jump in! Photographer, author and artist E. Dan Klepper lives in Marathon. SHARE your favorite getaways on our FORT CLARK SPRINGS: KENNY BRAUN. EISENHOWER STATE PARK: BRYAN FRAZIER | TPWD. DAVIS MOUNTAINS STATE PARK: E. DAN KLEPPER E. DAN PARK: STATE MOUNTAINS DAVIS | TPWD. FRAZIER BRYAN PARK: STATE EISENHOWER CLARK SPRINGS: KENNY BRAUN. FORT Facebook page. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 11 Breakfast IN TEXAS THESE LANDMARK op’s Place in Denison has been open for only 15 minutes on this cold and gray EATERIES winter morning, but a third of the tables are occupied. Waitress April Arrington fills coffee cups, takes orders and scoots from table to table. “The usual?” she SERVE asks a customer. “Hi, sweet pea,” she says to another. BOTH In the next half hour, most of the dozen or so red-checked oilcloth-covered tables in the A-frame building off Texas Highway 91 are full. A man in a camouflage BODY Pjacket drinks coffee and checks his phone messages. Two other customers talk AND about families and plans for the weekend as they walk to the cash register. Two women dig into omelets, each with pancakes on the side. SOUL The world may be increasingly impersonal and our lives more frenzied, but there are places left where that doesn’t matter. Stop into any one of the breakfast joints scattered around Texas, from Van to Lubbock and from Wichita Falls to the Hill Country, and you’ll soon understand why they have stubbornly survived despite the 21st-century odds against them. “We need more places like this,” says Jan Rush of Tom Bean, eating a ham and cheese omelet with her sister, Anita Hudson of Denison. “It’s just more homey, more cozy and more comfortable.” Adds Hudson: “It doesn’t matter what kind of mood you’re in when you get here, you leave happy. They really work at it here.” If this seems too romantic for places that just serve bacon and eggs, remember By Jeff Siegel what was lost in communities when the local drugstore vanished and the corner gas station disappeared. “It seems like the mom-and-pop business is always overshadowed by the chains,” says Zavonna Lowery, who owns Pop’s with her husband, not surprisingly known TRIBUNE-HERALD | WACO ROD AYDELOTTE LOLITA’S: GRAVES. HOUSE: RUSSELL RANCH KENNY BRAUN. & HILDA’S: PANCAKES 12 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com Opposite page: A stack of hotcakes at Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls as Pop. “But we know the way we run our business means more for the community than a chain. Our customers give to us, and we give back to the community.” You’ll encounter this common refrain from the people who own these restaurants: Neighborhood places offer a community spirit that isn’t easy to explain. Experts such as the author Jane Jacobs, who wrote extensively about the importance of neighborhood preservation in communities, would argue that places like the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls, the Ranch House in down- town Lubbock or the Dinner Bell in the East Texas town of Van are much more important than they might seem at first glance. First, they really do know you. Each day of the week brings its particular customers, and it’s a rare day in many places when someone comes in whom the people who work there—or other customers—don’t know. And if a regular doesn’t show up on his or her appointed day, they know that, too. “We have watched so many of our customers grow up,” says Andrea Bergstad, whose parents, Jerry and Lolita, opened Lolita’s in Waco in 1983. HILDA’S | Fredericksburg “First, they came in by themselves; then they got married and came in with their spouses; Above: Hilda Bopp has been in the restau- and then they came in with their kids. It just rant business for more than 30 years. keeps on going.” At the Ranch House, owner Ralph Left: Owner Ralph Musselman says some Musselman says it’s not unusual for some customers are almost like family. older customers to leave their money at home when they come in for breakfast. So tomer’s family to straighten every- his employees call someone in the cus- thing out. “It’s almost like we’re part of their family,” Musselman says, “so we’re going to take care of them.” And the employees are more likely RANCH HOUSE | Lubbock to be regulars as well. The typical U.S. restaurant turns over almost two-thirds of its employees a year, according to the National Restaurant Association, but it’s not unusual for employees at these breakfast landmarks to stay for years. And years. Rhonda Shelly has worked off and on at the Dinner Bell since 1977, and owner Debbie Stone’s family has had the business since the 1960s. The average tenure at the Blue Bonnet is eight years, and 30-year employees are not unusual there or at the Ranch House. “These restaurants are anchors in their community,” says longtime Texas food writer and author Amy Culbertson, who grew up in Lampasas. “Before McDonald’s and before Dairy Queen, these were often the only restaurant in town. They pro- vided jobs for women who had to work outside of the home when there weren’t many places for them to work, and they fed the men who didn’t have a home to eat in.” It’s not surprising, then, that chains are the enemy for these places. Chains can out-price, out-locate and out-market even the best-run mom-and-pop shop. The Blue Bonnet, founded in 1929, LOLITA’S | Waco has a couple of billboards on Texas Highway 281 outside of Marble Falls, and that’s about as marketing-intense as these places “We have watched so many of our customers get. They can only fantasize about IHOP’s multimillion-dollar grow up,” says Andrea Bergstad, right, with advertising budget or Starbuck’s worldwide name recognition. mother Lolita Bergstad. “When the economy struggles, we struggle,” says Pop’s Lowery. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 13 “These restaurants ARE SMALL AND PERSONAL, AND THEY CARRY VESTIGES FROM A COUNTRY LIFE AND AN EARLIER DAY.” —TEXAS FOOD WRITER AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR DOTTY GRIFFITH top of each other, eggs on the bottom; or to Pop’s for cinnamon- laced French toast; or Hilda’s Tortillas Restaurant & Bar in Freder- icksburg, where they line up in the morning for breakfast burritos; or to the Blue Bonnet for chicken-fried steak and eggs. That’s probably why so many of these places appeal to Texas sensibilities. It’s one thing to get a breakfast burrito at a ham- burger chain; it’s something else entirely to get the Elephante at Lolita’s, a burrito as gigantic as its name, stuffed with sausage, eggs, cheese, potatoes, bacon and beans. Besides, word-of-mouth promotion based on quality food is the best marketing a local breakfast joint can do. It gives them something unique to offer customers and helps them carve out a niche. Watch a chain restaurant commercial, and it’s about food piled high on a plate to look good. But waffles smothered in whipped cream and canned fruit doesn’t feel as much Breakfast, including homemade donuts, like home as biscuits is served all day at the Blue Bonnet Cafe. BLUE BONNET CAFE | Marble Falls DINNER BELL | Van “The first thing people Carrie Blackmon pours another cup of cut out is restaurant coffee for regular customer Johnny K. meals, and we don’t Thomas. Both are lifelong Van residents. have corporate sup- port to help when business is bad. And we can’t run specials like the chains do, where they price things at cost.” Another hurdle? Industry surveys point out that fewer Amer- icans eat a traditional breakfast now, down from 90 percent in the 1970s to about 75 percent now. It’s no coincidence that the heyday of the breakfast place started to slide when McDonald’s began serving breakfast nationally in the U.S. in 1977. Few people take time to wait for table service, drink multiple cups of coffee and mop up the last bit of egg yolk with a corner of toast. “You really have to love what you do,” says Dave Plante, who manages the Blue Bonnet for John and Belinda Kemper and is married to their daughter, Lindsay. “You have to feel really strongly that you want to share what you’ve got with other people. and gravy at the Ranch House or pork chops and eggs at the Pioneer Because if it’s Thanksgiving week, and you haven’t been home in Wichita Falls. because you’re working, you’re going to start to wonder why “These restaurants are small and personal, and they carry you’re doing this.” vestiges from a country life and an earlier day,” says Texas food Hence the importance of regulars, who can account for 50 to writer and cookbook author Dotty Griffith. 90 percent of a restaurant’s customers for breakfast. It’s much Which is what breakfast should be about: It’s about starting easier to do without marketing when you know exactly who is the day, and what better way to do that than with food you can’t going to be there every morning, and that those customers talk get anywhere else, served by people who are glad to see you? you up every chance they get. Good beats fast any day. The most popular breakfast restaurant meal, experts say, is bacon See more about food and wine writer Jeff Siegel at winecurmudgeon.com. and eggs. But don’t tell that to the customers who go to the Dinner Bell for the Jason Hash, an omelet with the ingredients layered on SHARE your favorite breakfast spots on our Facebook page. BONNET CAFE: KENNY BRAUN BLUE MAXWELL. 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The mash will be put into a fermenter that uses yeast to turn the corn’s natural sugar into alcohol. Then stills will vaporize and condense that alcohol into drinkable, legal liquors. There’s a booze boom across Texas, and Bone Spirits Distillery, which began operations in 2011, is one of a handful of distilleries in or near the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative service area. Nearly 70 liquor makers are licensed in Texas today. Only eight of them were operating before 2008. Unlike the Smithville distillery that welcomes visitors with billboards, other area distilleries sit unassumingly off rural roads. A startup still doesn’t take up a lot of space and new distillers often begin in tight quarters. In southeastern Travis County off Texas 130, the oldest Texas distillery has grown into a large complex of buildings that produces Tito’s Handmade Vodka. The company, Fifth Generation Inc., is a Bluebonnet member and was founded by Tito Beveridge. Beveridge, originally from San Antonio, graduated from the University of Texas with degrees in geology and geophysics. After working for a decade in the oil industry and in the mortgage business, he yearned to expand on a hobby of fl avoring vodka for friends. To distill and sell his own vodka, Beveridge needed the approval of state and federal regulators. Persuading them to give him Texas’ fi rst distiller’s license was no easy task, but he succeeded in 1995. Beveridge bootstrapped his startup expenses on credit cards, bought acreage outside of Austin and built a 16-gallon pot still. Only eight He started selling the vodka in 1997 and struggled until he struck liquor makers gold in 2001 at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. were licensed Tito’s Handmade Vodka won the double gold medal, with judges in Texas in unanimously declaring his product superior to dozens of well-known 2008, but today major brands in the competition. there are nearly 70. University Sales soared after that as Beveridge worked the cache of the little of Texas Texas distillery that could play in the big leagues. His vodka now is graduate Tito sold nationwide in numbers far surpassing every other Texas distiller. Beveridge, left, “I think I proved up the model,” Beveridge said. “Now fi nanciers bootstrapped his and distributors don’t want to turn down what could be the next company after Tito’s. Maybe they’ll get lucky and invest in something that hits.” getting a license The story of Tito’s vodka has inspired other Texans who wanted to in 1995. At right, build their own distilleries. Mike Jakle shows Mike Jakle taught himself how to distill years after enjoying a his White Hat drink with Beveridge at a friend’s party in the late 1990s. “I thought rum that is aged up to six months it was the coolest thing to be sitting around drinking the vodka that in oak barrels at he actually made,” said Jakle, co-owner of White Hat Rum. his distillery near Continued on page 20 Photo courtesy Tito’s Handmade Vodka Manor. 18 Texas Co-op Power BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE May 2015 bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 16 4/8/15 2:53 PM Inside FEATURES ANNUAL MEETING Agenda, FAQs, incumbents re-elected, prizes & more Pages 20C, 20D, 21, 23 SAFETY FIRST Co-op employees train for emergencies 22 HAPPY TRAILS Horse B&B an equestrian hit 25 MEETINGS Bluebonnet’s Annual Meeting is May 12 at Sons of Hermann Hall, 1031 CR 223 in Giddings. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. For more information, visit bluebonnet.coop/annualmeeting. Bluebonnet’s Board of Directors will meet at 9 a.m. May 19, at Bluebonnet’s Headquarters, 155 Electric Ave., (formerly 650 Texas Hwy. 21 East), Bastrop. Find the agenda and last-minute updates May 15 at bluebonnet.coop. Hover your cursor over ‘next board meeting’ on our home page. HOW TO REPORT OUTAGES Call 800-949-4414 if you have a power outage. Keep Only eight liquor makers up with outages 24/7 at bluebonnet.coop. Hover were licensed your cursor over ‘outage report’ on our home page. in Texas in You can also send us a text message: to get started, 2008, but today text BBOUTAGE to 85700 and follow the prompts. Save there are nearly that number in your contacts, perhaps as “Bluebonnet 70. University Outages.” If your power goes out, text OUT to that of Texas number. If you have our free mobile app for Android or graduate Tito iPhone, you can report an outage on your smartphone. Beveridge, left, bootstrapped his CONTACT US company after getting a license Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative produced the blue- in 1995. At right, bordered pages 18-25 in this issue of the magazine Mike Jakle shows with content that is of specifi c interest or relevance his White Hat to Bluebonnet members. The rest of the magazine’s rum that is aged content is distributed statewide to any member of an up to six months in oak barrels at electric cooperative in Texas. For information about the his distillery near magazine, contact Janet Wilson at 512-750-5483 or email Manor. Jay Godwin photo [email protected]. bluebonnet.coop May 2015 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Texas Co-op Power 19 BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 17 4/8/15 2:53 PM Continued from page 18 produce the corn stretch from Taylor to In 2012, the Texas Distilled Spirits Gonzales. After the distillation process, the Association was formed (Beveridge high-protein, spent mash is sent to cattle was one of the fi rst members) to further ranches as a feed supplement. the interests of the industry. The group Corn is the source of all four of Bone persuaded the 2013 Texas Legislature to Spirits’ liquors, but different stills produce pass laws allowing limited bottle sales and the fi nished products. A 1,200-gallon pot tastings at distilleries and the lifting of some still from the century-old Vendome Brass other trade restrictions. and Copper Works of Louisville, Ky., yields “Distilleries now can see themselves two whiskies. Skinny steel-column stills soar to the roof, producing gin and vodka. as tourism and tasting sites, not just as Valley-raised Peace went to work for manufacturers,” said Scott Stewart, the It takes roughly a month for the distillery Sidney Frank Importing Co. of New York. to make each batch of its products, not association’s executive director. That veteran importer of Jägermeister Stewart said the boom in recent years is a counting barrel time for the aged corn and other spirits had created Grey Goose whiskey that can add another two years or refl ection of “a wave of locally made craft Vodka, which proved a phenomenal high- everything — from food trucks to brewers more before bottling. end success. The amber (aged) and clear (moonshine) and distillers making great Texas products. Peace said he was hired as assistant to These are exciting times.” whiskies are labeled Fitch’s Goat. The the chairman, Sidney Frank, “because I Moody June gin is fl avored with botanicals He said distillers often learn the craft golfed and he needed someone to play golf from each other and then work together to including local juniper berries and with the distributors and bar owners.” After coriander. The vodka is named Smiths. reach more consumers. “Tito’s is a pioneer learning the business, he helped Frank fi nd and has great team members who attend Peace said he intends to keep production a buyer for Grey Goose in 2005. Bacardi near its current level of about 10,000 cases our quarterly meetings and offer help with Limited paid more than $2 billion. their valued experience,” Stewart said. a year. “We’re a very small, craft distillery Frank died in 2006 and Peace eventually making everything from scratch and we “Unbenownst to me, the whole craft returned to Texas. movement started with us,” said Beveridge. want to stay that way,” he said. “He taught me how important “Making a high-quality spirit is not “There’s a need for variety. The big liquor relationships and marketing are in the companies have consolidated in recent easy,” said Peace, whose company has business, but a regret for him was that 16 employees. “We start at 5:30 in the years and it’s a cycle in the industry now he never actually ran a distillery. When I for diversifi cation.” morning and the distillations continue had the opportunity, I decided I wanted round the clock. It’s very important to Bone Spirits to control every step of the process from me that we’re committed to our farm-to- Distillery farms to our bottling,” Peace said. bottle concept.” When the Smithville building was The distillery, unlike others around At Bone Spirits in Smithville, owner Jeff advertised for sale, Peace jumped at it since the Bluebonnet service area, created a Peace began with considerable knowledge it was within easy reach of corn growers. comfortable upstairs tasting and sales room of the sales and distribution end of the Through Coyote Creek Farm’s organic that is open every day but Sunday. liquor business. feed mill in Elgin and another near Dominica McGinnis, who lives between While fi nishing Vanderbilt University Gonzales, Bone Spirits buys about 35 tons Smithville and Bastrop, knew nothing Law School in 1999, the Rio Grande of ground corn a month. The farms that about Bone Spirits before she stopped by 20 Texas Co-op Power BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE May 2015 bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 18 4/8/15 2:54 PM Jay Godwin photos on a Saturday afternoon to pick up a bottle as a gift for a co-worker. “I thought this was going to FIVE DISTILLERIES be more like a liquor store,” she said. Instead, she got a quick lesson from Joe IN BLUEBONNET’S Alecci, director of operations, about the taste SERVICE AREA characteristics of each bottle’s contents. She Banner Distilling pronounced the tasting room as “cool and cute” bannerdistilling.com as she left with her purchase (limited by state law Manor to two bottles a month per customer on site) and a 512-815-2326 promise to return for a tour. (Call ahead for Saturday White Hat Rum tours) Bone Spirits Distilling Mike Jakle’s one-man operation is in a former bonespirits.com horse barn near Manor. Smithville On this day he had a volunteer helping him 512-237-5000 fi nish hosing out a 2,000-gallon fermentation (Tasting room open daily tank. It was nearly spotless, he confi rmed, after except Sundays) crawling inside the tank that previously had held a “wash” of unrefi ned sugar cane molasses from Bone Spirits owner Jeff Peace M. Wells Distilling South Texas. Yeast had done its part in the wash mwellsdistilling.com to start the process toward Jakle’s one product – Engineering energy management company in Cedar Creek White Hat Rum. Austin, have been selling their clear rum in 512-522-9554 Since March of 2012, Jakle and business a sleek bottle with a stylish black and white partner Miles Ponder, vice president of ACR label. Tito’s Handmade Vodka Before Jakle got into distilling, the Houston titosvodka.com native had gone from playing in Austin bands Travis County At left, Bone Spirits distiller Joe Alecci offers to a salesman on the road for a furniture 512-389-9011 samples of spirits and information about the maker to a circulation manager for the Austin distilling process to tasting room customers Ron American-Statesman newspaper. White Hat Rum and Barbara Knaack from Bastrop. Above left, “I got real lucky,” he said in describing the whitehatrum.com Alecci shows a handful of juniper berries gathered new business he’s in. “I’m a sales guy and this Manor in Red Rock that will be used to flavor the gin 512-276-7562 made at the Smithville distillery. Above, Alecci is the most fun to be making something and looks over a bottle of Moody June gin. Continued on next page bluebonnet.coop May 2015 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Texas Co-op Power 20A BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 19 4/8/15 2:54 PM process varies widely depending on the whiskies) and two steel column stills (for its DISTILLING 101 volume to be produced and the preferred vodka and gin). Distilling is the general term for making “recipe” applied to di erent liquors. Distillation is a multi-tiered process of liquors (just as brewing is the term for Joe Alecci, who distills at Bone Spirits purifying the liquor by heating it into a what beer makers do). The distillation Distillery in Smithville, outlined the steps vapor and then cooling it to condense it process done by professionals is anything and equipment involved in the process: back into a liquid. Undesirable components but simple, however. The ground corn bought by the distillery are removed and alcohol levels are set. The essential raw materials generally is fi rst boiled with water in a large kettle. Many distillations sometimes are done on are grains, water and yeast. When yeast Alleci said he is usually cooking four days the same batch of liquor. consumes the sugar in grains, alcohol is the a week. The resulting mash then is cooled Bone Spirits typically does a fi rst run result. slowly and put into a fermenter. distillation with 1,000 gallons of fermented It is the job of skilled distillers to turn that Yeast is added to the mash during the mash. This amount yields about 150 alcohol (technically ethanol) into something fermentation step to yield alcohol at gallons of 80-proof alcohol. that tastes good and meets all the legal percentages too high to drink safely or During the fi nal step, called fi nishing, requirements. The percentage of alcohol is bottle legally. The product at this point is fl avors, such as botanicals and citrus for regulated for each type of liquor, as well as called a wash. Bone Spirits’ gin, are added. other factors that determine the di erences The wash is what goes into a still, a The fi nished product then is put directly between whiskies, bourbons, gins, vodkas rounded pot or a tall column, to undergo into bottles or, in the case of the distillery’s and rums. the refi nement called distillation. Bone whiskies, into oak barrels for aging and The time it takes for each phase of the Spirits has both a copper pot still (for its additional fl avoring before bottling. Continued from previous page then going out to sell it.” Every Thursday through Saturday, Jakle stands behind a wooden barrel at liquor stores from Austin to Houston and talks up his rum. Acknowledging chemistry wasn’t his strong suit in college, Jakle spent three years learning the craft of distillation after investing in the expensive equipment that’s necessary (including a $97,000 Vendome pot still that’s smaller but similar to Bone Spirits’). “This is not a get-rich-quick business. It is a long-term business,” he said. Jakle said he’s now selling about 150 cases of White Hat Rum a month, but notes he’s only using 20 percent of his equipment’s capacity. He’s got reason to be optimistic. Jay Godwin photo A representative from the Austin offi ce Mike Jakle next to his 500-gallon copper still at his distillery in a barn near Manor. of Glazer’s, one of the nation’s biggest wholesale distribution companies that place chemistry, sought advice from other area M. Wells alcoholic beverages in stores and bars, distillers, then taught himself how to make Distilling visited Jakle’s distillery barn early on. He vodka and, recently, wheat whisky. Co- was complimentary about the White Hat founder Tony Jimenez had the expertise to In a rented building in Cedar Creek off bottle and label. He quickly signed up the build the stills and other equipment. Texas 21, Matthew Wells is the young sole rum company as a client with the admonition Both “are working diligently not to proprietor of M. Wells Distilling, which soon to Jakle that he needed to be doing in-store have day jobs,” said Simpson, who met will release its fi rst bottles. tastings and “selling his story” of learning to Jimenez at a small high-tech company in The Dallas-born chemistry graduate make rum. Austin. They are at the distillery odd hours apprenticed at Balcones Distilling in Waco At one of those tastings a shopper told and weekends and hope to soon hire an and worked a year at Treaty Oak Distilling Jakle he hated rum. “But he tried it and employee or two. in Austin. He learned enough there to weld loved it,” Jakle recounted. “Turns out he The business boasts that the corn, wheat, together his own 100-gallon copper still. was in charge of beverage sales at Austin- barley and sugar cane distilled into its liquors The fi rst product for M. Wells will be Bergstrom International Airport — and now are all organic. The company’s new wheat Austin Shine, a “four-grain pecan-smoked I’m there!” whisky, planned for wide release this month white lightning.” Wells describes his or June, will include wheat grown on a farm 92-proof whiskey as the result of a “delicious Banner Distilling just across the road. mash that is not just straight corn. We smoke Not far away at Banner Distilling in About 100 cases of vodka are sold a month the grains fi rst with pecan wood, and use Manor, two high-tech guys built their and it’s available at 80 liquor stores and bars corn, barley, wheat and rye.” distillery in 2013 literally by hand on a in the Austin area. Next up is bourbon, Wells said. His 12.5-acre fi eld. A 1,200-square-foot building On Saturdays, Banner Distilling goal: “Small-batch, top-shelf whiskies is fi lled with equipment, including two steel welcomes visitors — but they should that exemplify the fl avors and terroir — pot stills. call or email in advance so Simpson and properties that refl ect the region — of Logan Simpson, with a doctorate in Jimenez can plan a tour. Central Texas.” ■ 20B Texas Co-op Power BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE May 2015 bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 20 4/8/15 2:55 PM whiskies) and two steel column stills (for its BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING vodka and gin). Distillation is a multi-tiered process of purifying the liquor by heating it into a vapor and then cooling it to condense it ANNUAL MEETING NOTICE back into a liquid. Undesirable components are removed and alcohol levels are set. Many distillations sometimes are done on the same batch of liquor. Bone Spirits typically does a fi rst run distillation with 1,000 gallons of fermented mash. This amount yields about 150 gallons of 80-proof alcohol. During the fi nal step, called fi nishing, fl avors, such as botanicals and citrus for Dear Member: Bone Spirits’ gin, are added. The fi nished product then is put directly You are invited to the Annual Membership Meeting of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, Inc., which will be held on May 12, 2015, into bottles or, in the case of the distillery’s at 2:30 p.m. at the Sons of Hermann Hall, 1031 CR 223, Giddings, Texas. Registration will begin at 1:30 p.m. and close at 2:30 p.m. whiskies, into oak barrels for aging and additional fl avoring before bottling. Three incumbent directors sought re-election — Richard Schmidt, District 1; Suanna Tumlinson, District 2; and James Kershaw, District 3. All were in uncontested races and therefore have been elected by general consent. Other business that may come before the meeting will also be addressed. Sincerely yours, Roderick L. Emanuel Secretary/Treasurer 2015 ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. — Registration General Manager’s Report 2:30 p.m. — Safety/Housekeeping — Mark Rose, General Manager/CEO Jay Godwin photo — Robert Thompson, Manager of Safety Service and Compliance Mike Jakle next to his 500-gallon copper still at his distillery in a barn near Manor. Deputy General Manager’s Report Door Prize Drawings — Round 1 — Matt Bentke, Deputy General Manager M. Wells Call to Order ● Financials/Operations Highlights Distilling — Ben Flencher, Board Chair Unfi nished Business In a rented building in Cedar Creek off Introduce Guests — Mark Rose, General Manager/CEO Texas 21, Matthew Wells is the young sole — Ben Flencher, Board Chair proprietor of M. Wells Distilling, which soon New Business will release its fi rst bottles. Invocation and Pledges of Allegiance — Mark Rose, General Manager/CEO The Dallas-born chemistry graduate — Roderick L. Emanuel, Board Secretary/Treasurer apprenticed at Balcones Distilling in Waco Report on Election and Proxies Chairman/President’s Report and worked a year at Treaty Oak Distilling — Mark Rose, General Manager/CEO in Austin. He learned enough there to weld — Ben Flencher, Board Chair together his own 100-gallon copper still. Secretary/Treasurer’s Report Door Prize Drawings — Round 2 The fi rst product for M. Wells will be — Roderick L. Emanuel, Board Secretary-Treasurer Austin Shine, a “four-grain pecan-smoked Adjourn white lightning.” Wells describes his ● Read Notice of Annual Meeting 92-proof whiskey as the result of a “delicious ● Read A davit of Proof of Mailing mash that is not just straight corn. We smoke ● Read Certifi cation of Number of Members Receiving Service the grains fi rst with pecan wood, and use ● Read Certifi cation of Number of Members in Attendance corn, barley, wheat and rye.” ● Read 2014 Annual Meeting Minutes (or ask for a motion to Next up is bourbon, Wells said. His waive reading of minutes and ratify Board’s approval) goal: “Small-batch, top-shelf whiskies that exemplify the fl avors and terroir — properties that refl ect the region — of Central Texas.” ■ bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop May 2015 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Texas Co-op Power 20C BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 21 4/8/15 2:55 PM BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s Annual Meeting is Tuesday, May 12, 2015, at Sons of Hermann Hall, 1031 CR 223 in Giddings. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. BLUEBONNET'S SEVEN DISTRICTS and ends at 2:30 p.m. The meeting starts at 2:30 p.m. If you need more information after reading the MILAM questions and answers below, call 800-842-7708 COUNTY WILLIAMSON BURLESON Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or COUNTY COUNTY email [email protected]. DISTRICT 5 LEE Q: What are members voting on this year during COUNTY ONE DIRECTOR the Annual Meeting? DISTRICT 2 WASHINGTON COUNTY ONE DIRECTOR DISTRICT 4 A: There are currently no ballot items to be voted on TRAVIS ONE DIRECTOR this year. COUNTY BASTROP DISTRICT 7 COUNTY TWO DIRECTORS Q: Why are members not voting for seats on the DISTRICT 3 Board of Directors this year? HAYS DISTRICT 6 THREE DIRECTORS A: The three incumbent directors up for election this COUNTY ONE DIRECTOR CALDWELL year — Richard Schmidt (District 1), Suanna Tumlinson COUNTY AUSTIN (District 2) and James Kershaw (District 3) — were COUNTY DISTRICT 1 FAYETTE unopposed. Therefore, they were elected by general COUNTY TWO DIRECTORS COLORADO consent in accordance with Bluebonnet’s bylaws. COUNTY GUADALUPE GONZALES Q: Then why did I get a proxy voting form in the COUNTY COUNTY mail? A: It’s important for you to complete and return your proxy voting form regardless of whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting. Items could be added to the Annual Meeting agenda that would require a vote by members. Those items would have to be added no later than 10 days before the Annual Meeting. Your proxy could be used in that vote, which [email protected]. information do I need to bring with me in is why your proxy selection is essential. order to participate? Q: How does proxy voting work? A: Member service representatives at the Q: What is proxy voting? A: On the form, members can assign their vote registration table will ask you to verbally verify to either Bluebonnet’s Proxy Committee or to a account and personal identifi cation. This account A: Proxy voting is a method that allows a member person of their choice. who cannot attend the meeting to designate another verifi cation process is identical to the one to vote in his or her place. performed when members transact business on Q: Who serves on Bluebonnet’s Proxy their account. Committee? Q: How do I vote by proxy? A: The Proxy Committee is composed of all Q: Who has oversight of the election process? A: Complete the proxy form that was mailed to Bluebonnet board members whose terms are A: Election Services Corp., which is a third members in March and return it by mail or drop it not currently up for election. This year’s Proxy o at any of Bluebonnet’s member service centers party, independent vendor that specializes in Committee members are Byron Balke, Roderick administering corporate elections nationwide. It in Bastrop, Brenham, Giddings, Lockhart or Manor. If L. Emanuel, Ben Flencher, Kathleen Handy, Russell you have not received or have misplaced your proxy has the expertise, experience and equipment to Jurk, Robert Mikeska, Kenneth Mutscher and e£ ciently and accurately tally proxies and votes form, you can pick one up at any member service Milton Shaw. center or call 800-842-7708 and have a member while adhering to the Federal Trade Commission’s service representative mail one to you. Proxies must Red Flag requirements that protect members’ Q: What if I send in my proxy form but then confi dential account information. be hand-delivered to a member service center by decide to attend the meeting? 5:30 p.m. May 5, 2015, or mailed to: This is the sixth year that Election Services has A: When you register at the meeting, your proxy administered Bluebonnet’s election process. Bluebonnet Elections Processing will automatically be revoked. If a vote is required, you can vote in person. Q: Can I change my address on my account or c/o Election Services Corp. do other business at the Annual Meeting? P.O. Box 9020 Q: Can this proxy be used again at future A: Bluebonnet’s member service representatives meetings? Ronkonkoma, NY 11779-9822 at the information booth will be able to help A: No, the proxy is only for the meeting specifi ed members with most of their co-op business Mailed proxies must be postmarked by May 5, 2015. on the proxy form. and answer any questions they would normally If you need assistance, call toll-free 866-720-4357 handle at any of the member service centers or Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or email Q: If I attend the Annual Meeting, what by phone. 20D Texas Co-op Power BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE May 2015 bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 22 4/8/15 2:55 PM BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE 2015 ANNUAL MEETING INCUMBENT DIRECTORS RE-ELECTED TO BOARD modernization and innovation that turned the co-op into one RICHARD SCHMIDT of the most progressive electric cooperatives in the country. Richard Schmidt was a Texas barbecue business legend He serves on two Bluebonnet board committees: Audit & when he joined Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative’s Board of Finance and Energy Services. He represents Bluebonnet’s Directors in 1994. He still is. District 1, which includes all or portions of Caldwell, Schmidt owned and operated the renowned Kreuz Market Guadalupe, Gonzales and Hays counties. in Lockhart from 1984 to 2010. His father owned the market A Lockhart native, Schmidt earned a degree in business before him, and now Schmidt’s son, Keith, owns Kreuz administration in 1968 from Texas Christian University, which Market. Schmidt has his own table at Kreuz’s, with a slogan he attended on a baseball scholarship. He worked in the frozen Richard Schmidt emblazoned on top: “There are three kinds of people: People food industry before joining his brother in 1984 to buy Kreuz who make things happen, people who watch things happen, Market from their father. Schmidt’s brother retired in 1997. District 1 people who ask ‘What happened?’.” Schmidt and his wife, Evelyn, live in Lockhart and enjoy Schmidt makes things happen. He was chairman of country music, traveling in their RV, fi shing and bird hunting. Bluebonnet’s board from 2001-2014, a time of comprehensive Their other son, Leeman, works in technology in Austin. from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. She SUANNA TUMLINSON is Bluebonnet’s director for District 2, which includes parts of Suanna Tumlinson and her husband, Kenneth, started an Travis County. electrical contracting company in their basement in Dripping She was born in Germany and grew up in an Air Force Springs in 1994. Through their hard work, the company, family, moving every two years until arriving in Austin KST Electric, grew to a 650-employee fi rm based in Manor, and graduating from Westlake High School. She earned with o ces in fi ve other Texas cities. Tumlinson managed a teaching degree at Southwest Texas State University the company’s operations, contracts, fi nancial obligations, — now Texas State University — and taught special insurance and corporate marketing for 16 years. education in the Eanes ISD for almost 10 years. She is a In 2010, they sold the company to California-based Rosendin member and a past president of the Manor Chamber of Suanna Tumlinson Electric, the largest 100 percent employee-owned electrical Commerce and is vice president of the Manor Education District 2 contracting business in the United States. They retired from Foundation. She also was the Travis County Youth Show Rosendin at the end of 2013. superintendent for five years and has been an officer Tumlinson has served on the Bluebonnet Board of Directors for various youth organizations. Tumlinson attends since 2011. She serves on two Bluebonnet board committees: numerous University of Texas Longhorn sporting events Technology (chair) and Member Experience. She earned and enjoys needlework and crafts. Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) status in her fi rst The Tumlinsons have a son, Justin, and daughter-in-law, year on the board and the Board Leadership Certifi cate (BLC) Kristen, and are grandparents of twins. He served as Bastrop’s county attorney before being JAMES KERSHAW elected district attorney for Bastrop, Burleson, Lee and James Kershaw never takes electricity for granted. He Washington counties, a job he held from 1956 until 1972. remembers when electricity didn’t reach into the country. His law practice focuses on estate planning, real estate law, Growing up in Brenham, his rural friends and relatives banking and utilities. used kerosene lamps because power didn’t arrive until the 1940s. He was chairman of the Salvation Army Unit in Bastrop and Kershaw, a Bastrop lawyer, has been on the Bluebonnet a bell ringer for 25 years. He was the fi rst lawyer for, and board since 1982, serving as secretary/treasurer from 1987- helped organize, the Aqua Water Supply Corp., served on the 2012. He serves on two Bluebonnet board committees: Audit board of Bastrop County FEMA, and is chairman of the board James Kershaw & Finance and Technology. He is a director of the co-op’s of the First National Bank of Bastrop. District 3 District 3, which is Bastrop County. Kershaw and his wife, Doris, have three children and three His undergraduate studies at Texas A&M University were grandchildren. (His fi rst wife and two sons are deceased.) interrupted by World War II. He served in the Navy on a ship The couple is active in the Calvary Episcopal Church, where in the Pacifi c. Later, he graduated from the University of he is a chalice bearer. Kershaw enjoys yard work in his Texas School of Law. leisure time. bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop May 2015 BLUEBONNETBLUEBONNET ELECTRICELECTRIC COOPERATIVECOOPERATIVE Texas Co-op Power 21 BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 23 4/8/15 2:55 PM Knowing Bluebonnet members get money back what to do luebonnet members will see a credit cuts through on their bill this month. It’s called the stress of “capital credits” and is one of the Bbenefi ts of buying electricity from an electric the situation. At cooperative. Bluebonnet’s members are also owners. Bluebonnet, we The co-op shares its excess revenue – money have the equipment it collects above what is required to run the business – with its members. Similar to stock and training, and dividends paid to a company’s shareholders, we aren’t capital credits represent Bluebonnet’s mem- bers’ share of ownership in the co-op. afraid to use it. In April, Bluebonnet’s Board of Direc- tors decided how much to pay, taking into — NICK BARTA, consideration such factors as the impact the Bluebonnet’s safety amount returned to members would have compliance coordinator on electric rates and the fi nancial strength of the co-op. The amount that members receive de- Bluebonnet’s Nick Barta pends on how much electricity they used in recently put his emergency the previous years and how long they have skills to use when he found been Bluebonnet members. Current members will an unresponsive man receive a credit on their May electric bill. Former slumped in a scooter at a members who are still owed a capital credit will local discount department receive a check in May or June. Sarah Beal photo store. Since 2009, Bluebonnet has returned $28.6 mil- Safety training benefi ts employees, community lion to its members. MEMBER SERVICES have had otherwise. his fi rst aid training to use in June Real-life situations demonstrate value of “It’s all about training,” Barta 2013. He was working in the Red emergency preparedness, quick thinking said. “Knowing what to do cuts Rock area when he found a man through the stress of the situation. At and a woman in trouble by the side Bluebonnet, we have the equipment of a road. The couple had been By Will Holford AED. All Bluebonnet buildings have and training, and we aren’t afraid to working on a section of fence when Q at least one AED on site, and every use it.” they were overcome with heat ccidents and emergencies vehicle that is in the fi eld daily has Robert Thompson, Bluebonnet’s exhaustion. Meinke immediately can happen in the blink of an AED on board. manager of safety services, said called 911, started their car’s air Q: I am planning to attend an eye. Remaining calm, “This is a great benefi t we Bluebonnet is unique among electric conditioner, placed the man inside Bluebonnet’s Annual Meeting Aknowing what to do and having provide to our employees,” said utilities. the car, provided shade for the in Giddings on May 12. Are you the right equipment can make the Matt Bentke, Bluebonnet’s deputy “The difference between woman, who had fallen and wasn’t giving out door prizes this year? difference between a close call and a general manager. “But we also stress Bluebonnet and other utilities is able to get up, and stayed with her A: Indeed, we are! Here’s what serious, maybe even fatal, situation. safety training as a benefi t to the night and day,” said Thompson, until the ambulance arrived. you can win and how: Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative community.” who has 43 years of experience in Training is just as important to Register at the Annual Meeting has more than 280 employees, Nick Barta knows that as well the electric utility industry and has Bluebonnet nonfi eld employees who and be entered in a drawing to win about half with jobs requiring as anyone. Barta, coordinator taught at Texas A&M University’s work in the co-op’s fi ve member one of dozens of door prizes ranging them to work in the fi eld, often of Bluebonnet’s safety services, engineering extension service. service centers and other offi ces. from gift cards to a computer to a around energized power lines with recently used an AED on a customer “Most utilities still don’t have “Emergencies don’t just happen riding lawn mower. These prizes will potentially dangerous equipment. at a discount department store in AEDs in their vehicles. Bluebonnet in the fi eld,” Thompson said. “You be given away in drawings at the Bluebonnet is serious about Bastrop. He found the unresponsive provided AEDs for each crew a few never know when and where you meeting. Vendors who do business safety. So serious, in fact, that man slumped over in a scooter. years ago. Now we have them in will need to provide aid to someone. with Bluebonnet have graciously the co-op made safety one of the Barta calmly relied on his training. each vehicle that goes out on a daily Any number of accidents or medical donated money to purchase all the six Foundation Values that shape He checked for breathing and a basis, primarily for the community.” emergencies could happen in our door prizes. Bluebonnet’s culture. pulse, determined the man was In addition to CPR and AED member service centers or offi ces, In addition to door prizes, we are Safety is the bedrock on which in cardiac arrest and instructed a training, every Bluebonnet either to a fellow employee or one of giving away a chance to win a $100 the other fi ve Foundation Values store employee to call 911 while employee is educated in fi rst aid our members.” gift card to a home improvement — courage, respect, reliability, Barta retrieved the AED from his procedures, including what to do “Safety is an expectation, but it’s store. All you have to do to be community and love — rest. truck. After connecting the AED, it for snake bites and deep cuts, how also an obligation we have to the entered in the drawing is attend a That is why every Bluebonnet indicated no shock was advised, so to control bleeding, what to look community,” said Deputy General short presentation about our new employee receives continual training he resumed performing CPR until for during cardiac emergencies and Manager Bentke. website features, including the in fi rst aid, CPR and other important EMS arrived. strokes, seizures, allergic reactions, “Our members are the reason we benefi ts of switching to paperless safety procedures. Each Bluebonnet Though the man died later at the broken bones and more. are here. Without them, we wouldn’t billing. Going paperless is simple, employee knows how to use an hospital, Barta’s efforts and the AED Dean Meinke, an assistant have the resources to provide this safe and effi cient and could save automatic external defi brillator, or gave the man a chance he would not construction superintendent, put training and equipment.” ■ co-op members tens of thousands 2422 Texas Co-op Power BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE AprilMay 2015 2015 bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 24 4/8/15 2:55 PM Knowing Bluebonnet members get money back what to do luebonnet members will see a credit cuts through on their bill this month. It’s called the stress of “capital credits” and is one of the Bbenefi ts of buying electricity from an electric the situation. At cooperative. Bluebonnet’s members are also owners. Bluebonnet, we The co-op shares its excess revenue – money have the equipment it collects above what is required to run the business – with its members. Similar to stock and training, and dividends paid to a company’s shareholders, we aren’t capital credits represent Bluebonnet’s mem- bers’ share of ownership in the co-op. afraid to use it. In April, Bluebonnet’s Board of Direc- tors decided how much to pay, taking into — NICK BARTA, consideration such factors as the impact the Bluebonnet’s safety amount returned to members would have compliance coordinator on electric rates and the fi nancial strength of the co-op. The amount that members receive de- Bluebonnet’s Nick Barta pends on how much electricity they used in recently put his emergency the previous years and how long they have Look for the words ‘Capital Credits’ in blue skills to use when he found If you have any questions about your capital been Bluebonnet members. Current members will on your May electric bill and you’ll see a an unresponsive man credits, drop by one of our member service centers receive a credit on their May electric bill. Former credit to your account. Bluebonnet shares slumped in a scooter at a in Bastrop, Brenham, Giddings, Lockhart or members who are still owed a capital credit will revenue (above what it takes to run the local discount department Manor and speak to a member service representa- receive a check in May or June. business) with its members. store. tive. You also can call 800-842-7708 from 7 a.m. Since 2009, Bluebonnet has returned $28.6 mil- to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or you can Safety training benefi ts employees, community lion to its members. email [email protected]. MEMBER SERVICES his fi rst aid training to use in June Find out more about the Annual Meeting 2013. He was working in the Red on pages 20C, 20D and 21. Rock area when he found a man and a woman in trouble by the side & of a road. The couple had been 233,000 miles. You do not have stop by any of our fi ve member working on a section of fence when to attend the meeting to win. The service centers in Bastrop, Brenham, Q drawing will be May 13. Giddings, Lockhart and Manor and they were overcome with heat A exhaustion. Meinke immediately Proxy voting is a method that pick one up. called 911, started their car’s air Q: I am planning to attend of dollars required to produce and allows a member who cannot attend Even if you don’t win a prize conditioner, placed the man inside Bluebonnet’s Annual Meeting mail paper bills each month. Visit the the meeting to designate another at the Annual Meeting, there are the car, provided shade for the in Giddings on May 12. Are you bluebonnet.coop display area at the to vote in his or her place. (Find still chances to win. All members woman, who had fallen and wasn’t giving out door prizes this year? Annual Meeting for details. information about proxy voting who have signed up for paperless able to get up, and stayed with her A: Indeed, we are! Here’s what Also, any member who registers on page 20D.) Proxy forms were billing before June 1, 2015, will until the ambulance arrived. you can win and how: at the meeting or sends in a mailed to members in March. If you be entered in a drawing for one Training is just as important to Register at the Annual Meeting completed proxy voting form by have not received a proxy form, of three $250 gift certifi cates for Bluebonnet nonfi eld employees who and be entered in a drawing to win May 5, 2015, will be eligible to win or misplaced yours, call 800-842- a tree of your choice and a $100 work in the co-op’s fi ve member one of dozens of door prizes ranging a 2002 Ford F-250 that is being 7708 or email memberservices@ gift card to a home improvement service centers and other offi ces. from gift cards to a computer to a retired from Bluebonnet’s fl eet. The bluebonnet.coop, and a new one store. If you have not signed up yet, “Emergencies don’t just happen riding lawn mower. These prizes will regular cab 4x4 pickup has about will be mailed to you. You can also visit bluebonnet.coop/paperless for in the fi eld,” Thompson said. “You be given away in drawings at the information. never know when and where you meeting. Vendors who do business Questions? Contact a member will need to provide aid to someone. with Bluebonnet have graciously service representative by emailing Any number of accidents or medical donated money to purchase all the [email protected] emergencies could happen in our door prizes. or calling 800-842-7708 during member service centers or offi ces, In addition to door prizes, we are business hours. either to a fellow employee or one of giving away a chance to win a $100 — Guadalupe Nava, our members.” gift card to a home improvement member service representative “Safety is an expectation, but it’s store. All you have to do to be also an obligation we have to the entered in the drawing is attend a community,” said Deputy General short presentation about our new This 2002 Ford F-250 is being Manager Bentke. website features, including the retired from Bluebonnet’s fleet, “Our members are the reason we benefi ts of switching to paperless and any member who registers at are here. Without them, we wouldn’t billing. Going paperless is simple, the Annual Meeting or sends in a have the resources to provide this safe and effi cient and could save completed proxy voting form by training and equipment.” ■ co-op members tens of thousands Sarah Beal photo May 5 will be entered to win it. bluebonnet.coop bluebonnet.coop AprilMay 2015 BLUEBONNET ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE Texas Co-op Power 2523 BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 25 4/8/15 2:55 PM Horse lovers create peaceful B&B experience for fellow equestrians By Denise Gamino ou can really hit the hay at the B&B run by YHollis Wayne and Beaux Graham near the Colorado River. The married couple doesn’t run a typical bed-and-breakfast. Instead, they offer a bed-and- bales experience so horse lovers and their animals can sleep within neighing distance. Bed- Bluebonnet mails almost 63,000 paper bills a month. time often comes only after a concert under the stars by Wayne Each one costs 55 cents to produce and mail. (always in tie-dyed T-shirt), Graham and their Happy Horse That’s $415,800 of co-op members’ money annually. Band. The unusual Happy Horse It’s 2.29 million pieces of paper that weigh about 11½ tons Hotel is popular with equestri- ans who ride the nearby trails and consume nearly 300 mature trees. at McKinney Roughs Nature Park on Texas 71 about 20 miles east of Austin. The park offers 12 miles of riding trails, with a Paperless billing is simple, fast, convenient and secure. trailhead just two miles from the Happy Horse Hotel. Wayne and Graham opened Any Bluebonnet member who goes paperless before June 1, 2015, the horse-centric B&B in 2002 is entered to win one of three $250 gift certifi cates for a tree after decades of living mostly on the road to sell Wayne’s plus a $100 gift card from a home improvement store. handmade art at Renaissance Faires around the country. She Get details at bluebonnet.coop/paperless. sold fantasy art, painted tiles and airbrushed T-shirts. Their peaceful 21-acre Cedar Creek property near the river’s Pope Bend has nine acres de- voted to trails, horse pens and overnight accommodations for guests. Some visitors sleep in their campers or horse trailers, but they can camp or rent a cab- in. Hot showers and composting toilets are close by. The Happy Horse Hotel can serve 25 horses and 25 human guests. “Making a safe and inspiring place for the trail horses and their people to camp while they Questions? Email us at [email protected] experience the glory of McKin- or call a member service representative at 800-842-7708. bluebonnet.coop BLUEBONNET MAG MAY 2015.indd 26 4/8/15 2:55 PM BLUEBONNET MEMBER PROFILE HAPPY HORSE HOTEL Horse lovers create peaceful B&B experience for fellow equestrians By Denise Gamino IF YOU GO ou can really What: Happy Horse Hotel hit the hay Where: 860 Pope Bend North at the B&B Cedar Creek, TX 78612 run by Phone: 512-303-0589 Hollis Wayne and Online: happyhorsehotel.com Y YouTube channel: Happy Beaux Graham near the Horse Band Colorado River. The married couple doesn’t run a typical bed-and-breakfast. Hollis Wayne, left, and Beaux Instead, they offer a bed-and- Graham pamper their four- bales experience so horse lovers legged guests as much as their and their animals can sleep horse-loving visitors at their within neighing distance. Bed- Happy Horse Hotel in Cedar time often comes only after a Creek. concert under the stars by Wayne (always in tie-dyed T-shirt), Graham and their Happy Horse Band. las and soon was sewing pillows The unusual Happy Horse for Neiman-Marcus. Austin’s Hotel is popular with equestri- creative scene lured her in 1975. ans who ride the nearby trails She sold handmade clothing at McKinney Roughs Nature at the large crafts market on the Park on Texas 71 about 20 miles Drag, the busy shopping and east of Austin. The park offers pedestrian area along Guadalupe 12 miles of riding trails, with a Street across from the University trailhead just two miles from the of Texas, popular with students, Happy Horse Hotel. hippies and musicians. She also Wayne and Graham opened became part of Austin’s annual the horse-centric B&B in 2002 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar and after decades of living mostly the Renaissance Faire circuit, gigs on the road to sell Wayne’s that in 1981 allowed her to buy her handmade art at Renaissance fi rst acreage in Cedar Creek and Faires around the country. She get some horses again. Her banker sold fantasy art, painted tiles and called her “a capitalist hippie airbrushed T-shirts. entrepreneur success story.” Their peaceful 21-acre Cedar Graham, who has a photo- Creek property near the river’s journalism degree from UT- Pope Bend has nine acres de- Arlington, was a steady customer voted to trails, horse pens and of Wayne’s T-shirts before they overnight accommodations for married in 1987 (with Wayne’s guests. Some visitors sleep in horses looking on). He took to their campers or horse trailers, the horse lifestyle immediately, but they can camp or rent a cab- learning to ride, weld, play music in. Hot showers and composting Jay Godwin photo and everything else that keeps toilets are close by. the Happy Horse Hotel and The Happy Horse Hotel can ney Roughs is a huge happiness in my during childhood and drew horses, house band (two CDs and one in serve 25 horses and 25 human life,” Wayne said. read horse books and sang horse the works) up and running. guests. Wayne’s life path is paved with songs. Wayne and Graham offer “Making a safe and inspiring horseshoes. At age 5, she had a pony But she was without a horse while happy trails to you. ■ place for the trail horses and named Gypsy and rode bareback in earning a degree in history and theater is is one in a series of pro- their people to camp while they red cowboy boots in her rural Wiscon- from the University of Wisconsin at les of Bluebonnet commercial experience the glory of McKin- sin hometown. She had many horses LaCrosse in 1973. 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(Including the option of Credit Cards) Low deductibles Marble size AquaClearTM Pellets clear your lake or pond bottom. Free & easy online Beneficial microorganisms. Restore balance in natural quotes and man made surface waters. Increase water clarity. Improve water quality. Eliminate black organic muck. A 10 lb. bag treats 0.50 to 1.00 acres $88.00 wwww.stdins.comww.stdins.com A 50 lb. bag treats 2.50 t0 5.00 acres $339.00 CCallall FForor A CCustomustom QQuoteuote Apply weekly for 4 weeks, then monthly to maintain. No water use restrictions! FREE SHIPPING! 80052201468005220146 800-328-9350 KillLakeWeeds.com Order online today, or request free information. Start Saving g Mobillee Our AQUACIDEAQUACIDE CO. wwnnerrss 60th year PO Box 10748, DEPT 50HX 961 White Bear Lake, MN 55110-0748 The Original Trimmer-on-Wheels Just Got BETTER! NEW LOW PRICE! The NEW DR® TRIMMER/MOWER TRIMS, MOWS waist-high grass and weeds. CUTS BRUSH, SAPLINGS up to 3" thick with exclusive accessories. 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A league of land comprises 4,444 acres consisting of hilly areas and valleys, woods and meadows cut through by small creeks, and when there are several settlements in one location the value of land is such that acreage has already been sold at one dollar. As in the United States the constitution of this country is free, and political quarrels are unknown to us here; still, by way of a news- Mine was built—with the assistance of my mosquitoes here just as in all warmer paper regularly published at San Antonio son Fritz, who can already cut down tree regions. Those who have been bitten by on the Rio del Norte, we are informed of trunks two feet thick—on the order of my gnats on the German moors will consider every world event. former garden house in Oldenburg, but on this American nuisance worse over there The English language is quickly learned; a larger scale. than here. They are more frequent on the my wife and I, and my children in par- Working regularly in the open has coast, but since we are living more than ticular, can already manage fairly well, made me healthier and stronger than I one hundred miles inland, where it is and I read the newspaper as well as I do a ever was in Germany, and my wife is hillier and airier, we have little of this. German one. Although the introduction blooming like a rose, as are the children. In general I have no feeling of disad- of slaves is prohibited, keeping them is My son Hermann is growing exceptionally vantage except the great distance from tacitly tolerated since there would other- and turning into a genuine Mexican. They my friends; if I could conjure them up, I wise be a shortage of laborers, because of all have their rustic chores: Lina already would have heaven on earth. From the it being so easy to earn a living. Working- milks her three cows, Fritz and Louis help faithful description above, you will real- men earn seventy-five cents to a dollar a me with farming, and the younger ones ize what advantages the farmer here has day with board. have various jobs such as planting and over the farmer over there; a free consti- All items of clothing and footwear are picking cotton, which is exceedingly easy tution and, for the time being, no local expensive, so almost everyone makes his since it grows like weeds. Every day fresh taxes whatever and later only slight ones; own. In general, everybody lives in the cornbread is made in an iron pot with a easy cattle raising, hardly three months open and by himself, so there is little need fireproof lid, and it tastes like the finest of real work, no fertilizing of the acreage, for cash money; thus I am quite happy rice cakes. Our corn is of far better quality no gathering of winter feed, no need for finally to have my wishes fulfilled and find than in Germany; I grind it in a very simple money, easy construction of houses and myself in a position where I can do every- manner and it yields not only meal but making of clothes, etc.; free hunting and thing according to my preferences. Every- also shelled groats, like rice. game aplenty; everywhere free exercise body builds his own house, either by Meat, which, from every kind of animal, of religion, etc.; all of this—with the best himself or with help from his neighbors; is much tastier than in Germany, is eaten market for his products—combines to not much is spent on its beauty, rather it fried in the morning at breakfast, as well make the farmer happy and, in a few IMAGE COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS OF TEXAS UNIVERSITY COURTESY IMAGE is only constructed of hewn wooden logs. as at noon and in the evening. There are years, affluent. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 29 11TH ANNUAL HOLIDAY RECIPE CONTEST Send us your best original recipe! $5,000 in PRIZES $3,000 Grand Two $500 Best Savory Dish Winners Prizewinner Two $500 Best Sweet Dish Winners The versatile, tasty pecan lends itself to every course, flavoring every part of a meal from savory beginnings to sweet endings. Send us your best ORIGINAL Texas pecan recipes. (These are recipes you develop, not ones copied from a friend or found in a book or magazine.) Show us how you use Texas pecans to create a Savory Dish or a Sweet Dish. All recipes must include pecans (Texas pecans are our favorite). Winners will be featured in our December 2015 issue. Enter by August 10 at TexasCoopPower.com. Go to TexasCoopPower.com for details and official rules. SPONSORED BY TEXAS PECAN BOARD Order your Texas Pecans today at TexasPecans.org. Enter online at TexasCoopPower.com. Each entry MUST include your name, address and phone number, plus the name of your Texas electric cooperative, or it will be disqualified. Specify which category you are entering, Sweet or Savory, on each recipe. 2014 Holiday Recipe Contest $2,500 Grand Prizewinner Mail entries to: Texas Co-op Power/Holiday Recipe Contest, 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. You can also fax entries to (512) 763-3401. Up to three total entries are allowed per co-op membership. Each should be submitted on a separate Ultimate Chocolate Pecan Pie by Griffin Clarke | Heart of Texas EC piece of paper if mailed or faxed. Mailed entries can all be sent in one envelope. No email entries will be accepted. For official Get the recipe at TexasCoopPower.com. rules, visit TexasCoopPower.com. Entry deadline: August 10, 2015. The National Grass of Texas ww ww ww .. TT UU RR FF FF AA LL OO .. cc oo mm or 800-872-0522 Bred in Texas to help save one of our most precious resources - water! Order from your nursery or direct from Turffalo online. Your lawn will be shipped to you in plugs that are easy to install at one per square foot. Then get ready for a green lawn - in sun or in shade! 30 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com Recipes Beyond Pepperoni: Pizza Your Way When it comes to popular pizza flavors, pepperoni is the hands-down winner. Surveys taken over the years show that 36 percent of Americans choose pepperoni over other popular toppings, including sausage, mushrooms, cheese and anchovies. It’s hard to argue against pepper- oni, given its salty, smoky deliciousness, but some- times it’s nice to get a little imaginative, so this month we asked readers to submit pizza recipes that go beyond pepperoni. This Naan Vegetable Pizza from “The Modern Kosher Kitchen” by Ronnie Fein fits that description. ANNA GINSBERG, FOOD EDITOR Naan Vegetable Pizza 2 cups cauliflower pieces, broken very small 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 naan breads or pita rounds ¼ cup mango chutney, or more to taste 2 large carrots, lightly steamed and chopped ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese ¼ cup grated Gouda cheese ¼ cup chopped red pepper (optional) 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. 2. Place cauliflower pieces on the cookie sheet, pour the olive oil on top and toss the pieces to coat. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and curry powder. Roast about 20 minutes, turning once or twice or until the cauliflower is softened and just begin- ning to brown. Remove the cauliflower from the cookie sheet and set aside. 3. Place naan breads on the cookie sheet. Spread a thin layer of chutney on each slice of naan. 4. Scatter the cauliflower and carrots on top. Scat- ter the mozzarella and Gouda cheeses over the vegetables and top with red pepper (if using). 5. Bake about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are hot, the cheese has melted and the pizzas look toasty. Makes 16 appetizer-size slices or two per- sonal pizzas. Servings: 8. Serving size: 2 appetizer-size slices. Per serving: 162 calories, 7.90 g protein, 6.41 g fat, 20.14 g carbohydrates, 5.52 g dietary fiber, 300 mg sodium, 11.38 g sugars, 13 mg cholesterol Reprinted from “The Modern Kosher Kitchen” (Fair Winds Press, MELISSA SKORPIL MELISSA 2014) by Ronnie Fein May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 31 Recipes Beyond Pepperoni: Pizza Your Way Pulled Pork Pizza CHUCK BURGESS | HEART OF TEXAS EC “We love and always have homemade pizza THIS MONTH’S RECIPE CONTEST WINNER at our house Friday nights. I make one CONSTANCE LYONS MARTIN | FARMERS EC standard and try different ideas on the sec- If you’re a pizza purist, pepperoni may always be your preferred ond one. The pulled pork was so delicious, pick. But with so many other toppings available, we had to ask our it has become the standard!” readers for their creative ways of putting together a pie. The win- ning variations are just as surprising as they are delicious. 1 can refrigerated pizza crust dough (13.8 ounces) 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tablespoons dried parsley Friday Night Pizza 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. ½ teaspoon salt “This is called Friday night pizza 2. Heat oil in a medium nonstick skil- ¼ teaspoon pepper because there is no meat. For Christmas, let over medium heat; add bell pepper 5 tablespoons olive oil we use red and green peppers.” and sauté 1 minute. Add half the garlic 1 tablespoon store-bought sun-dried and cook 1 additional minute. Remove tomato bruschetta topping 1 teaspoon olive oil from heat and set aside. 12 grape tomatoes, halved and seeded 2 medium bell peppers, cut into strips 3. Place remaining garlic, mayonnaise, ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled 2 cloves garlic, minced, divided use red and black pepper and artichoke 1 ½–2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves ¼ cup mayonnaise hearts in a food processor, and pulse 1 small bell pepper, diced ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or until finely chopped. 2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese more to taste 4. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. 1 pound prepared pulled pork ⅛ teaspoon black pepper Spread artichoke mixture over crust, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 package frozen artichoke hearts leaving a ½-inch border. Top with bell (9 ounces), thawed and drained, pepper mixture. Sprinkle with feta 1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cover or 1 jar canned artichoke hearts, cheese and thyme. a rimmed 11-by-17-inch metal bak- drained (12 ounces) 5. Bake 12–15 minutes (or use instruc- ing sheet with parchment paper. 1 prebaked pizza crust tions on prebaked crust) until crust is Spread pizza crust dough evenly over ½ cup crumbled feta cheese, or crisp. parchment. more to taste 2. Mix garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, olive ½ teaspoon dried thyme COOK’S TIP Do not use marinated artichoke oil and bruschetta topping in a medium hearts. bowl. Using a spatula, smear about 2 tablespoons of the mixture over the Servings: 6. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: dough until lightly oiled, leaving a half- 318 calories, 9 g protein, 15 g fat, 39 g carbohy- PIZZACRAFT.COM TESY drates, 3 g dietary fiber, 745 mg sodium, 3.45 g inch border around edge. sugars, 14 mg cholesterol 3. Add tomatoes, feta, spinach and bell pepper to the remaining bruschetta mixture and toss to coat. Set aside. 4. Evenly spread the Jack cheese across the oiled dough. Spread the pulled pork over the cheese, breaking up any larger pieces. Spread remaining bruschetta mixture evenly on top of pork layer. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. 5. Place another metal baking sheet $100 Recipe Contest upside down on the middle rack of the heated oven. Place the pizza pan on top October’s recipe contest topic is Desserts Made With Candy. After the of this pan and cook 12–15 minutes or trick-or-treating is done and the kids have had their fill, there’s still the until crust is golden-brown on edges question of what to do with the leftovers. Snickers pie? M&M cookies? Help and bottom. Let cool 1–2 minutes and us out with a sweet dessert containing candy. The deadline is May 10. cut into slices. There are three ways to enter: ONLINE at TexasCoopPower.com/contests; MAIL to 1122 Colorado St., 24th Servings: 12. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 335 Floor, Austin, TX 78701; FAX to (512) 763-3401. Include your name, address and phone number, plus your calories, 16 g protein, 21 g fat, 30.8 g carbohydrates, co-op and the name of the contest you are entering. 1.74 g dietary fiber, 855 mg sodium, 6.19 g sugars, 55 mg cholesterol COUR PIZZA PEEL IMAGE | BIGSTOCK.COM. GARLIC: LAURIA | BIGSTOCK.COM. PEPPERS: TPZIJL CLUB. | DOLLAR PHOTO MS.MOLOKO BACKGROUND: 32 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com Pesto, Shrimp and ½ cup diced red onion Bacon Pizza ½ cup thinly sliced mushrooms GAIL PATTERSON | COOKE COUNTY EC ½ cup sliced jalapeño peppers, fresh “We use ultra-thin whole wheat pizza or mild pickled, seeds removed crusts.” 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Allow 16 medium raw shrimp the pie crusts to thaw 15 minutes, then 1 teaspoon butter prick with a fork. Prebake the crusts 1 teaspoon olive oil 10 minutes and let cool. Sprinkle a thin THE PEEL DEAL Cornmeal as needed layer of mozzarella cheese over each A pizza peel is a thin board used as a 1 prebaked pizza crust, thin type cooled crust. surface for assembling pizza toppings 6 tablespoons pesto, store-bought 2. Meanwhile, mix together beef and on a prepared crust before sliding it or homemade turkey with salt and taco seasoning. onto a baking stone, pan or oven 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese Brown in a large skillet until fully rack. Some cooks prefer to use a peel ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese cooked, then drain well. during preparation; others use a piece 3 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked 3. Add ½ cup of each of the cheeses of parchment on an upside-down along with the salsa and pizza sauce baking sheet. 1. Preheat oven according to directions to the cooked meat mixture, and spread on pizza crust package. the mixture evenly across the pie crusts. 2. Peel, devein and remove tails from 4. Sprinkle bell peppers, onions, mush- shrimp. Pat dry. Melt butter and olive oil rooms and jalapeños over the meat. Top in a pan on medium-high heat. Sauté with remaining cheese. shrimp briefly until barely pink. 5. Bake the pies 25–35 minutes or until 3. Sprinkle cornmeal on pizza peel or cheese is fully melted and crust is golden. Servings: 12. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 357 calories, 21 g protein, 24 g fat, 14 g carbohy- pan, and place crust on top. Spread a drates, 0.87 g dietary fiber, 595 mg sodium, thin layer of pesto on crust to edges. Mix COOK’S TIP For a pie that holds together nicely, 2.34 g sugars, 73 mg cholesterol together mozzarella and Parmesan bake one day, cover and refrigerate overnight. cheese, and sprinkle evenly over pesto. Score pie the next day while cold and reheat at WEB EXTRAS at TexasCoopPower.com 4. Evenly space shrimp on top of cheese 350 degrees about 15 minutes or until hot Watch a video of Food Editor Anna Ginsberg layer. Roughly crumble bacon and scat- throughout. as she makes Naan Vegetable Pizza. ter pieces evenly on top. 5. Slide pizza off peel or pan and directly onto center rack of oven. Bake according to package directions. Anna’s Basic Pizza Dough water, salt and olive oil; mix well. While store-bought crusts and canned pizza Dough should be sticky at this point. Servings: 8. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 318 calories, 16 g protein, 17 g fat, 26 g carbohy- dough can be a pizza lover’s best friends, 3. Gradually add more flour, ¼ cup at drates, 0.19 g dietary fiber, 713 mg sodium, sometimes only a homemade crust will do. a time, stirring until dough is still 0.97 g sugars, 48 mg cholesterol This reliable dough recipe is my personal slightly sticky, but not too sticky to favorite. Store the dough in the refrigerator for handle. Knead by hand or using a Mexican Pizza Pie a day, or punch it down and freeze it until you standing mixer dough hook attach- PATSY KEYS | JASPER-NEWTON EC are ready to thaw and use. —AG ment until dough is firm and elastic. When I tested this one for the contest, my If using the dough hook, the dough daughter requested I make it again! What a fun 1 cup warm water, divided use should clear the side of the mixing take on pizza. —AG 1 packet yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons) bowl, but stick slightly near the bot- 1 tablespoon sugar tom center as it kneads. 2 frozen 9-inch deep-dish pie crusts 2 ½–3 cups bread flour, divided use 4. Transfer to a second bowl coated 1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon salt inside with olive oil. Cover the bowl divided use 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil, plus more with plastic wrap, set in a warm place 1 pound lean ground beef for bowl and allow the dough to rise 1 hour. 1 pound lean ground turkey Punch down the dough and prepare ½ teaspoon salt 1. In a large mixing bowl or in the your pizza using whichever method 1 tablespoon taco seasoning bowl of a stand mixer, combine ¼ cup works best with your recipe. 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, warm water, yeast and sugar. Let stand divided use about 10 minutes or until mixture Servings: 12. Serving size: 1 slice. Per serving: 144 calories, 4 g protein, 2 g fat, 26 g carbohydrates, ½ cup mild salsa begins to bubble. 0.68 g dietary fiber, 179 mg sodium, 1.61 g sugars, ½ cup pizza sauce 2. Add 2 cups flour, ¾ cup warm 0 mg cholesterol ½ cup diced bell peppers TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 33 HARBOR FREIGHT QUALITY TOOLS AT RIDICULOUSLY LOW PRICES How Does Harbor Freight SUPER COUPON SUPER COUPON Sell GREAT QUALITY Tools at the LOWEST Prices? 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V • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed • No Hassle Return Policy • 550 Stores Nationwide • Over 25 Million Satisfi ed Customers • Lifetime Warranty On All Hand Tools • HarborFreight.com 800-423-2567 Focus on Texas Heroes In big and small ways, our heroes go above and beyond the call of duty, finding an inner strength and inspiring others along the way. They put the needs of their families, communities and country ahead of their own and, though many hear the call, few answer. Here’s to those heroes who do. GRACE ARSIAGA WEB EXTRAS at TexasCoopPower.com Find more everyday heroes online. d DONALD CARPENTER, South Plains EC: “This is by far one of the most unnatural acts a human being can perform. Every ounce of your being says to run the other way, but instead these brave souls move steadily into a wall of fire.” o JENNIFER TIMMONS, Bartlett EC: Son Kyle, 6, will save the day. d BARBARA VERRETT, Jasper-Newton EC: “My dad did not have his original dress blue jacket or cover, so my son gave his pawpaw one for Christmas.” UPCOMING CONTESTS SEPTEMBER MY FAVORITE TEACHER DUE MAY 10 OCTOBER STEPPING OUT DUE JUNE 10 NOVEMBER MUSIC DUE JULY 10 g ALEJANDRO CONTRERAS: “This is All entries must include name, address, daytime phone and co-op affiliation, plus the one of the strongest women I know. contest topic and a brief description of your photo. She has helped me since I moved from Guatemala. She is my aunt, ONLINE: Submit highest-resolution digital images at Texas CoopPower.com/contests. Focus on Texas, 1122 Colorado St., 24th Floor, Austin, TX 78701. A stamped, self- my hero and my second mother.” MAIL: addressed envelope must be included if you want your entry returned (approximately six weeks). Please do not submit irreplaceable photographs—send a copy or dupli- cate. We do not accept entries via email. We regret that Texas Co-op Power cannot be responsible for photos that are lost in the mail or not received by the deadline. g KERI FISCHER, Deep East Texas EC: Kade Fischer, 10 months old, was photographed by his aunt, Chelsea Springett, for a class project. Using Photo- shop, Chelsea carefully removed the ladder, leaving this little guy “flying high.” TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 35 Around Texas Get Going > For a complete listing of the events and festivals across Giddings [14–16] Lee County Fair May & Charcoal Challenge BBQ Cook-Off, (979) 542-3455, leecountyfairtx.com 6 Lindale [14–16] I-20 Team Real Estate Ram Walburg [6–27] Songwriter Wednesdays Rodeo, (903) 882-7181, lindalechamber.org (7 p.m. weekly), (512) 430-2602 15 7 Canton [15–16] Tailwind Regional Balloon Lampasas Fort Hood Welcome Party, Fest, (903) 567-1849, facebook.com/ (512) 556-5172, lampasaschamber.org balloonfestcanton Greenville [15–16] Audie Murphy Days, 8 (903) 450-4502, amacmuseum.com Lewisville Keeping Tradition Alive Jam Session, (972) 219-3401, cityoflewisville.com 9 Canadian Canadian River Music Festival, Pick of the Month (806) 323-6234, canadianrivermusicfestival.com Comanche Pioneer Days, (325) 356-5115, Kerrville Folk Festival comanchecountytxmuseum.com Kerrville [May 21–June 7] (830) 257-3600, kerrvillefolkfestival.org 14 Lago Vista “Those Magic 50s,” May 7 Kerr County becomes a mecca for songwriters Lampasas (512) 608-4254, ltmt.org from around the world every spring. Emmylou Fort Hood Welcome Party Harris and Rodney Crowell, above, kick off the 18-day festival, in its 44th year. KERRVILLE: DAVID MCCLISTE. SOLDIER: © BURLINGHAM | DREAMSTIME.COM 35 thAnnual Look for additional content online TexasCoopPower.com WIN A GALVESTON GETAWAY AT NEXT MONTH AMERICAN WIND POWER CENTER Lubbock museum hails the mighty windmill, which helped quench the thirst of an arid • 2-night stay (Sunday–Thursday) frontier. • $200 food and beverage voucher BECOMING AN OUTDOORS WOMAN • VIP Pass for Galveston Attractions Texas Parks & Wildlife program from the Galveston Island CVB teaches kayaking, archery, • $75 gift certificate to Nonno Tony’s fishing and other skills to World Kitchen at Pier 21 sportswomen. ENTER TODAY AT Jousting, Birds of Prey, 21 Stages of Renaissance Entertainment, 200 Shoppes, Artisan Demonstrations, Exclusive Offer for Texas Co-op Power Readers: Mermaid Lagoon & so much more! Enjoy a 15% discount on the best available rate Get Your Tickets On-Line – TODAY! at The Tremont House (Sunday–Thursday, sub- ject to availability). Valid through December 31, www.SRFestival.com 2015. Enter rate code XXXLOC28. 36 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com the state, visit TexasCoopPower.com/events Mesquite [15–16] Mesquite Meander, (972) 216-6468, historicmesquite.org 29 Bluegrove [29–30] Memory Makers 16 Quilt Show, (940) 895-3579 Gainesville M-o-o-ving Thru the Mud With Landon, (940) 372-0343, mudwithlandon.com 30 Alto Foraging with Merriwether, Mansfield Wisteria Street Market, (936) 858-3218, visitcaddomounds.com (817) 453-5420, mansfieldtexas.gov McKinney “Peter Pan: The Ballet,” (214) 477-9434, youthballetoftexas.org May 16 Nocona Rotary Club BullFest, Nocona June (940) 872-0733 Rotary Club BullFest 1 Santa Anna Funtier Days & World Bison Tom Bean [1–6] Bluegrass Jamming Cook-Off, (325) 348-3232 22 Festival, (903) 546-6893, Clute [16–17] Texas Gulf Coast Arts Festival, Ennis [22–24] National Polka Festival, melodyranchbluegrassfestival.com (979) 265-7661, bcfas.org (972) 878-4748, nationalpolkafestival.com Port Aransas [16–17] ArtFest, 6 (361) 749-7334, portaransasartcenter.org 23 Waco [6–7] Heart of Texas Airshow Texarkana TRAHC Presents “Fancy Nancy,” San Marcos [16–17] Swing on the Square, (303) 862-2869, heartoftexasairshow.com (903) 792-4992, trahc.org (512) 393-8430, smtxswingfest.com Bandera [23–24] Funtier Days Arts & Crafts Show, (830) 796-4447, Submit Your Event! 21 banderacowboycapital.com Luling Field Day, (830) 875-2438, We pick events for the magazine directly from lulingfoundation.org Granbury [23–25] Kick Off to Summer, TexasCoopPower.com. Submit your event for (817) 573-5299, granburysquare.com July by May 10, and it just might be featured in this calendar! © MOKREATIONS | DREAMSTIME.COM WANTED: DEMO HOMESITES FOR 2015 SEASON Display This Maintenance-Free Pool And $AVE $$! Call TODAY to Qualify for this Limited-Time Opportunity! PRE-APPROVED FINANCING AVAILABLE! WE CONSIDER VISIT US ON THE WEB! ANYTHING WWW.SWIMTEXSUN.COM ON TRADE! STAYcation at Home in 2015! 1-800-SWIMTEX (1-800-794-6839) A family owned and operated Texas Company since 1986. TexasCoopPower.com May 2015 Texas Co-op Power 37 Hit the Road Quinta Mazatlan: Mother Nature’s Mansion This World Birding Center site in McAllen offers natural beauty in historic setting BY EILEEN MATTEI Feasting on yellow berries in an anaqua tree, bandit-masked great kisk- adees fly above me at Quinta Mazatlan, a McAllen mansion with a mission and one of the nine World Birding Center sites in the Rio Grande Valley. Quinta Mazatlan immerses visitors in lush native plants and the thrill of observing urban wildlife. Art indoors and out, historic architecture and encounters with deep South Texas’ color- ful birds inspire visitors like me. Eccentric adventurer, hydroponics re- searcher and publisher Jason Matthews, who viewed McAllen as the “crossroads of the Western Hemisphere,” built the man- sion in 1934. It is one of Texas’ largest adobe homes, using 10,000 sunbaked adobe Eccentric adventurer bricks. The Spanish Colonial Revival man- Jason Matthews built sion, with wrought iron grilles and arched the mansion in 1934. doorways, includes carved front doors by San Antonio woodworker Peter Mansben- del, who used Matthews as the model for Barr encourages us to notice that “fruit if the leaf-cutter ants are 24 inches long the goateed gargoyles. Matthews also from different plants are ready to be eaten and the Texas horned lizard is equally out- painted the adobe blocks with aluminum at different seasons.” She strokes the bark sized. Close-by is a Mexican free-tailed sulfate, believing it blocked radar waves. of an umbrella-shaped Mexican olive tree; bat sculpture along with bronzes of javeli- In 1998, the city saved Quinta Mazatlan runs her hand over the smooth, mottled nas, raccoons and a Texas indigo snake. from the wrecking ball and opened the bark of a Texas persimmon; and invites us Departing the mansion, I visit the expanded 20-acre property to the public to feel the sandpapery leaves of anaqua International Museum of Art and Science, where in 2006 as an environmentally green and the velvet lantana. A spiny hackberry the exhibit “Science on a Sphere” presents model, from its grassy parking lots to the arches its zigzag branches over our path. a three-dimensional exploration of earth cactus growing atop the red roof. Slender stalks of night-blooming cereus and sky. I wander into nearby Nuevo Santander On the tour, I discover a blue-tiled cactus drape and coil into a tangle, pro- Gallery to check out the lustrous old saddles, Roman bath 10 feet long, Talavera tiles viding both food and shelter for Texas tor- contemporary art, Mexican icons and the inset in the walls, the tropically land- toises and wood rats. We have escaped into spectacular Guerra family spur collection. scaped courtyard and the stunning new a patch of the brush country that’s been After all the activity, it’s time for a late Mexican Folk Art Room. This color- preserved right in the middle of McAllen. lunch, so I head to the nearby Republic saturated explosion of mythical, magical Flashes of green and orange draw us to of the Rio Grande Grill & Cantina for tortilla and religious figures features about 3,000 identify a buff-bellied hummingbird, a soup followed by a crushed-almond taco objects crafted of clay, tin, paper and wood. noisy resident. Birding guide Erik Bruhnke filled with white chocolate mousse, straw- Outside, garden tour guide Silvia Barr says, “This is a northern extension of true berries and pineapple. Today, I’ve truly leads the way through lavish gardens and tropical habitat,” he tells me as we watch enjoyed the beauty and bounty of the Tamaulipan thorn scrub, explaining how chachalacas nibble chile pequin and green Texas borderland. to landscape a “bird café” using native fruit parakeets nest in dead palms. Eileen Mattei, a member of Nueces and Magic and seeds. Native plants give this garden Under an ebony tree, a bronze sculp- Valley ECs, lives in Harlingen. its identity and a sense of place. ture of a great horned owl spreads its Beyond a bell-topped gate, we wander wings. Twenty-six wildlife sculptures dot WEB EXTRAS at TexasCoopPower.com tidy trails posted with interpretive signs. the grounds and seem lifelike to me, even View a slideshow with more photos. JOHN FAULK 38 Texas Co-op Power May 2015 TexasCoopPower.com Mueller steel buildings are manufactured in the USA, giving you greater peace of mind. And after the sale, we back up our products with an IronClad Guarantee. 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