Brick & Elm | May/June 2022

LOCAL HOME INVENTORY | LANDSCAPING DESIGN | KIND HOUSE UKRAINE BAKERY

AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

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The Home Issue

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Pinnacle by Rockrose is a neighborhood of open spaces and D parkways I S C Oin VanEarea R where P I Nwalkways N A C Lare E planned to D I S CforOK-4, V E5-6 R and P I9-12.

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Meet THE AMARILLO WEALTH TEAM Suzanne Wheeler, CFP®, AIF®, CeFT® Managing Director

Forbes 2022 Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State - #22 in Texas

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TOP FIVE

When you become our client, we get to know you first then create a wealth plan that meets you where you are today and where you hope to be tomorrow. Your Amarillo wealth team is committed to being here for everything life brings your way.

Contact us to learn more about how our 360° advice is designed just for you.

806-513-1120 | www.marinerwealthadvisors.com 7971 SW 45th Ave., Suite 100, Amarillo, Texas 79119

*Barron’s awarded the 2021 and 2020 #5, 2019 #4 and 2018 #3 Top RIA Firms ranking to Mariner Wealth Advisors based on data compiled for Mariner Wealth Advisors and the 2017 #2 and 2016 #1 rankings to Mariner Holdings based upon data compiled for Mariner Holdings’ registered investment adviser subsidiaries. The number of firms included in the rankings were: 20 (2016), 30 (2017), 40 (2018), 50 (2019) and 100 (2020 and 2021). Barron’s publishes rankings based upon a number of criteria and the firms’ filings with the SEC were used to cross-check the data provided. The listing includes numbers of clients, employees, advisors, offices and state locations.

The award is not indicative of future performance and there is no guarantee of future investment success. For additional information visit www.barrons.com.

The Forbes Top Women Wealth Advisors Best-In-State Wealth ranking by SHOOK Research is based on an algorithm of qualitative criteria, gained through due diligence interviews, and quantitative data. Those advisors that are considered have a minimum of seven years’ experience, and the algorithm weights factors like revenue trends, assets under management, compliance records, industry experience and those that encompass best practices in their approach to working with clients.

Portfolio performance is not a criteria due to varying client objectives and lack of audited data. Neither Forbes nor SHOOK receive a fee in exchange for rankings. Third party rankings and recognitions are no guarantee of future investment success and do not ensure that a client will experience a certain level of performance or results.

These ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of the adviser nor are they representative of client evaluations. Generally, ratings, rankings, and recognition are based on information submitted by the adviser.

Mariner Wealth Advisors (“MWA”) is an SEC registered investment adviser with its principal place of business in the State of Kansas. Registration of an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. For additional information about MWA, including fees and services, please contact MWA or refer to the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). Please read the disclosure statement carefully before you invest or send money.

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34 | cover story ECLECTIC COLLECTION

Texture, tech, and Art Deco accents in a stunning remodel

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE

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CA N’T M ISS

The top things on our radar

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SO CIA L SEEN

Who did we spot at area events?

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SPOTLIGHT

Amarillo Area CASA

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B IZ

Get up in the city’s business

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THE CHA SE

With Andy Chase Cundiff

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FO RWA R D

With Patrick Miller

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M INDSET

With Jim Womack

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SPACES

Succulent Solutions

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ELEVATE YO UR PL AT E With Ruthie Landelius

42 | INSIDE OUT

47 | TAKING

60 | TO UKRAINE,

Good and bad news about Amarillo’s low housing inventory

One woman’s inspiration becomes a lifeline to a besieged country

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INVENTORY

A former decorator takes his focus outside

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WITH LOVE

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE

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PHOTO BY JASON BOYETT

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K I TC H

IN FO CUS

Nuke City Veg

Doors of Amarillo

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F +D

B ACK WHEN

Cedars Mediterranean

Amarillo Roads

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ROA D TRI P

FINISH

Caprock Canyons State Park

Featuring Shawn Roof

PLUS: 51 | PARAD E OF HOMES 2022 71 | HOME I MP ROVEMENT SECTIO N

PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEY

hi! it’s us

AMARILLO’S PREMIER LIFEST YLE MAGAZINE EMIER AZINE

P U B L I S H ER S Michele McAffrey

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s magazine publishers, we have the privilege of meeting and spending time with some of the city’s most creative hen I look back over the past few Jason Boyett people. jb@brickandelm.com months, it feels like ages since I last It’s a major perk of my job, and one of the reasons why I love this city (even when wind wrote an editor’s note, and then gusts at other times the weeks have flown by.

In the exceed 50 mph). On the cover, you’ll see D E S I G N ER the work of one of the most talented people I’ve middle of Morris January, it seemed my days of typing Kayla ever awitnessed, designer Reese Beddingfield, km@brickandelm.com up my last-minute thoughts prior to printing with photography by the incomparable Angelina magazine were over. And then … a miracle.

Marie. In fact, this issue is full of people who are CONTRIBUTING literally changing the face of this city: designers, P HMy OTO G R A P Hwriting ER S partner Jason Boyett longtime Angelina Mariebusiness partner and craftsmen, builders, developers, gardeners and became my new ™ Venice Brick & ElmMincey was born. This “hyper-local” landscapers. As this year’s Parade of Homes approaches (see page 51), we hope this Neighborswas Creative magazine created in meetings at ourissue sparks creativity for all of your important spaces. mm@brickandelm.com

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hi! it’s us

Shannon Richardson respective homes, and it’s the compilation of everything we’ve ever hoped a Back in 2021, we spent thefor spring months scrambling and pushing toward Panhandle-focused publication could be. The community outpouring our new launching the first issue of Brick & Elm. succeeded in making our May deadline, project in the best way. My friends and local businessesWe have C O N T has R I Bbeen U T I Noverwhelming G and we’ve been and growing throughout the past year. Seven issues later, I R I T ERofSencouraging messages of sent W streams support.

Now Ichanging truly know what it means to am still both humbled and delighted when I hear praise for Brick & Elm. We pour our Beilue sayJon myMark cup overflows. heart and soul intocreated every issue wedream celebrate the best this city has to offer. We are ChipisChandler This the first of many fantastic Amarillo-centric issues by aas true so grateful for your continued support.

Andy Chase Cundiff team—Jason and the incomparable Kayla Morris. I’m thrilled beyond measure to Perla Arellano Fraire share Brick & Elm with you. Thanks for reading.

Dusty Green Ruthie Landelius Patrick Miller Wes Reeves

TO S U B S C R I B E : brickandelm.com Print subscription: $34.99/year

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e launched Brick & Elm a year ago with a May 2021 cover story about trail construction. We Department. There, in the mid-talked about moving forward. That felt like a good metaphor.

1990s, I learned to write fast. I learned to edit. I learned desktop publishing, design and photography. But what I learned most This issue is about homes, with content about housing inventory, design, landscaping of all is that I really liked magazines. I ended and the annual Parade of Homes™. That also up the editor of AC’s award-winning campus feels magazine, AC Current, and fell in love with thelike a good metaphor. Whether you’re process of creating a publication, start tobuilding finish. a house or a flower bed, you can’t skip

A DV ER T I S I N G I N Q U I R I E S: ll the best parts of my career began mm@brickandelm.com in the Amarillo College Journalism 806.414.5235

steps. Gardens need good soil. Houses need a solid foundation. You never build the roof first.later. For years, Michele and I have Here I am again, more than a quarter-century I feelAlike are still working on Brick worked together telling stories about our city. fewwe months ago we decided the& Elm’s foundation. Our magazine issues may All rights reserved.

Reproduction in whole a ornew, part sophisticated, have felt like a finished product, but Amarillo.

I view the past year as groundwork. We are still time was right to launch independent magazine about without written permission is prohibited. building, stilllike evolving, still focused on what comes next. We still have big dreams for It feels appropriate that our first issue covers topics trail-building, business BRICK & ELMreopenings, (ISSN 2770-2529), is published bi-monthly this venture and remains ongoing. As our earliest subscribers renew for creative problem-solving and breathing newconstruction life into historic structures.

by Edgebow Media LLC, 1610 S. Washington St., Amarillo, newfor subscribers come on board, we are so thankful you’re here We feelPostage like all ofatthose metaphors foranother Brick &year Elm,and andour maybe print magazines TX 79102. Periodicals paid Amarillo,are TX, and at published additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes with us. in general. dia. All rights to Edgebow Media LLC, PO Box 2104, Amarillo, TX 79105.

So here’s to fresh starts and a new way to shine a spotlight on the city we love. whole or part Thanks for reading. We’re honored that you’re here with us, at the beginning. n is prohibited.

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CHIP CHANDLER

Chip is the senior communications specialist at West Texas A&M University. A Canadian High School graduate and award-winning journalist, he has covered arts and entertainment in Amarillo since 1998, and is a member of the Amarillo Convention & Visitors Bureau Arts Committee.

He is a 2020 Golden Nail Award winner and a 2017 National Philanthropy Day award winner.

He has seen every Best Picture Oscar winner and watches way too much television.

ANGELINA MARIE

Angelina Marie has been a photographer in the Amarillo area for 11 years. She specializes in food and drink, architectural, and creative portrait photography. She has a passion to capture the true character of the Panhandle in all its beautiful and unique variety. Angelina is the founder of the Amarillo Women’s Collaborative, which promotes local, women-owned businesses. See her work at shorteareddog.com or find her on Instagram.

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Kayla has been designing professionally for local businesses and nonprofits for more than 10 years. Kayla was raised in the Panhandle and graduated with a design degree from West Texas A&M University. When not designing she loves spending time outdoors with family and friends.

BRICKANDELM.COM

10 VENICE MINCEY

Venice is a natural light photographer, specializing in senior, family and child photography. Her passion is photographing high school seniors, especially those who might not have the opportunity to have professional photos taken. Venice has been taking photos for more than 20 years. See her work at veniceminceyphotography.com.

PATRICK MILLER

Patrick is President of the Amarillo Branch NAACP and assistant principal at Eastridge Elementary. In 2021, he completed a 6-year term on the Amarillo College Board of Regents, to which he was elected at the age of 25. He has earned master’s degrees in both teaching and educational leadership from WTAMU and has served in a variety of leadership roles within the Amarillo Independent School District.

JON MARK BEILUE

Jon Mark worked at the Amarillo Globe-News from 1981 until his retirement in 2018. He spent 17 of those years as sports editor, and the last 12 as the newspaper’s general columnist. Beilue received 16 statewide and national awards for his work. He has written five books—two are collections of his columns, and the other three are on Amarillo lawyers Wales Madden and Robert Templeton, and Canyon girls basketball coach Joe Lombard. Beilue is a native of Groom and graduate of Texas Tech University. He and wife Sandy have two adult sons.

WES REEVES

Wes was raised in the Texas Panhandle and has been a resident of Amarillo for almost 30 years.

He has been active in the Amarillo Historical Preservation Foundation for the past 15 years, and works in his spare time to bring history alive through historical preservation and engaging new generations in the appreciation of the region’s colorful history.

DUSTY GREEN

Dusty is the executive producer and host, along with his wife Nikki, of the international travel series Two for the Road which airs nationally on PBS and Create TV. Born and raised in Borger, Dusty is a graduate of Amarillo College, where he studied journalism before beginning a 15-year career at local ABC television affiliate KVII-TV. He and Nikki are also the founders of the Saints Roost Expedition Company, which they started in 2022 with hopes of elevating the adventure and heritage tourism industry in the Panhandle.

RUTHIE LANDELIUS

Ruthie owns Black Fig Food catering and is proprietor of the online cooking platform Elevated Plant Plate. She has a degree in fine art but has been cooking professionally for more than two decades as a caterer, personal and private chef, college cooking instructor and certified plant-based chef. Learn more about Ruthie at blackfigfood.com and elevatedplantplate.com.

co n t r i b u t o r s

JEREMY AND LAUREN PAWLOWSKI

Jeremy and Lauren are product and food photographers who focus on bringing light, color and playfulness into every photograph.

For the past 10 years, they have lived in Austin and then Portland, Oregon, all while crisscrossing America in search of new scenery and experiences. They recently moved back to Lauren’s hometown of Canyon with their newborn son and dog. See their work at neighborscreative.com.

PERLA ARELLANO FRAIRE

Perla is a bilingual freelance journalist. She worked as a reporter and editor at the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas, and as a multimedia journalist at ¡Ahora Sí!, the former Spanish-language newspaper of the Austin American-Statesman. She earned a Mass Communications degree from Amarillo College and a Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

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ANDY CHASE CUNDIFF

Artist, singer-songwriter, music producer and humorist, Andy spent many years traveling the U.S. and abroad, but calls Amarillo his home. A longtime resident, Andy’s house is on a red brick street in Oliver-Eakle that is lined with elm trees.

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SHANNON RICHARDSON

Shannon has been a commercial/advertising photographer for almost 30 years. His work can be seen at shannonrichardson.com.

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ntertainment options have truly sprung this spring: You’ve got options, options, options every weekend (and many weeknights) for the next two months, and we’re only looking at the events that have already been announced. More events are in the works, so as always, make sure to subscribe to the Brickly newsletter for weekly updates.

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May

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SHREK: Amarillo Little Theatre closes out its season with everyone’s favorite ogre in a sensationally fun stage musical. The show will run May 5 to 22 on the Allen Shankles Mainstage, 2019 Civic Circle. Other arts highlights include Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum’s “One Enchanted Evening” gala on May 7 at the museum, 2504 Fourth Ave. in Canyon; Amarillo Symphony’s operatic Rachmaninoff, Rossini and Strauss concerts, featuring conductor candidate Conner Covington, on May 27 and 28 in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts, 500 S. Buchanan St.; and Broadway Spotlight Series’ touring production of Waitress on May 27 and 28 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St. BAD MAJIK MUSIC FESTIVAL: Nine top local bands will play this all-day festival in Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street.

After two years off because of the pandemic, I’m looking forward to catching up with some of the city’s most exciting up-and-comers.

Other parties will include Amarillo Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Cinco de Mayo Fajita Festival on May 6 at Starlight Ranch Event Center, 1415 Sunrise Drive; and Muttfest on May 15, also at Starlight Ranch.

AMARILLO SOD POODLES: The Soddies are fully back in action and chasing after that title again with a series against the Midland Rockhounds from May 3 to 8; the Tulsa Drillers from May 17 to 22 and May 31 to June 5; the Frisco RoughRiders from June 7 to 12; and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals from June 28 to July 3.

Other family activities will include Blippi the Musical, based on the popular children’s show, on May 7 in the Civic Center Auditorium; and the Lone Star Reptile Expo on May 14 and 15, also in the Civic Center Complex.

ELI YOUNG BAND: The Texas natives and Nashville stars return to town for a blowout show at Starlight Ranch Event Center. Other hot concerts on tap include Tuesday Night Jazz performances at Starlight Canyon Bed & Breakfast, 100 Brentwood Drive; Charlie Shafter and Rodney Parker on May 12 at The Golden Light Cantina, 2906 SW Sixth Ave.; Roger Creager on May 7 and the Read Southall Band on May 14, both at Starlight Ranch; country superstar Travis Tritt on May 14 in the Globe-News Center; comedian Bert Kreischer on May 14 in the Civic Center Auditorium; and Christian band For King & Country on May 20 in the Civic Center Coliseum.

DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS: The Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to blow wide open with this mind-warping extravaganza, opening May 3. Other new films hitting theaters include Downton Abbey: A New Era on May 20 and, after many delays, Top Gun: Maverick on May 27. And watch for encore screenings of Star Trek: The Motion Picture from May 22 to 25 and Smokey and the Bandit from May 29 to June 2.

June OUTDOOR CONCERTS: Amarillo Parks and Recreation’s Starlight Theatre offers a variety of acts Tuesday nights from May 31 to Aug. 2 in Sam Houston Park, Line Avenue and Western Street.

June Jazz also returns for Tuesday-night jams at the heart of Amarillo College’s Washington Street campus. Center City of Amarillo’s High Noon on the Square offers a slew of favorites (plus lunch) Visit brickandelm.com for Chip’s expanded event Wednesdays through June and July at coverage and movie reviews.

501 S. Fillmore St. Amarillo Botanical Better yet, subscribe to Gardens’ Music in the Gardens offers our newsletter, Brickly, for breaking entertainment tunes and food trucks Thursdays, news every week! from June through August at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive. Finally, Starlight Canyon Bed & Breakfast will offer a ticketed songwriters series on Wednesday nights from June through August.

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AN EVENING WITH KELLI O’HARA: Amarillo Little Theatre brings back the Tony Award-winning Broadway star (and Elk City, Oklahoma, native) for a fundraising concert. Other arts highlights will include outdoor musical Texas, opening June 2 for performances Tuesdays through Sundays through the summer in Pioneer Amphitheatre in Palo Duro Canyon State Park; Amarillo Museum of Art’s ’70s-themed Art After Dark on June 10 at the museum,

C H I P C H AN D L E R Chip is the city’s arts and entertainment expert, having covered area events since 1998. Stay up to date on local happenings with Chip’s Can’t Miss picks in every issue.

can’t miss Walker, Jack Ingram, Dirty River Boys and more on June 11 in Canadian; John Baumann on June 10 at Golden Light Cantina; and Koe Wetzel and William Clark Green on June 17 at Starlight Ranch.

COORS COWBOY CLUB RANCH RODEO: The cowboys are back in town, with top hands from working ranches around the region competing for bragging rights on June 3 and 4 in the Amarillo National Center on the Tri-State Fairgrounds, 3301 SE 10th Ave. Other activities will include 24 Hours in the Canyon bike racing fundraiser June 3 and 4 in Palo Duro Canyon; the Center City Mural Run on June 4 in downtown Amarillo; and the return of the Amarillo Community Market on Saturdays beginning June 11, also in downtown Amarillo.

JUNETEENTH: Amarillo’s Black community celebrates with activities set for June 11 to 24, mostly in Bones Hooks Park or elsewhere on the North side. Other festivals will include the Summer Melt Car Show on June 10 at Contagion Athletics, 8210 W. Amarillo Blvd.; and the Amarillo Crawfish Festival on June 18 and Panhandle Pride on June 25, both at Starlight Ranch.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL: The Texas swing icons roll back into town for a June 11 show at Starlight Ranch Event Center. Other top concert picks will include Kody West on June 4 at Hoot’s Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road; the Canadian River Music Festival with Clay

JURASSIC WORLD: DOMINION: The thunder lizards return for the long-delayed conclusion to the reboot trilogy, set to open June 10.

Also new in theaters: Lightyear, the much-demanded (?) origin story for Buzz Lightyear, on June 10; and Baz Luhrman’s biopic Elvis on June 24. Plus, don’t miss the 60th anniversary screening of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? on June 12 and 15.

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2200 S. Van Buren St.; and the Amarillo Symphony’s performance of Dvořák’s “New World” Symphony on June 24 and 25 with conductor candidate Stilian Kirov in the Globe-News Center.

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WITH CHIP CHANDLER

social seen AMARILLO ENTERPRIZE CHALLENGE 2022

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The 25th annual Enterprize Challenge awards ceremony was held on Feb. 24 at the WT Enterprise Center. Four local businesses were awarded a total of $399,000 in funding. The competition is a program of the WT Enterprise Center and is funded by the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation. (Provided Photos)

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T T U H S C M AT C H D AY Fourth-year medical students from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) School of Medicine received their residency placements on March 18 in a Match Day ceremony at the Amarillo Civic Center Complex. Match Day events have been taking place across the country since 1952. The local celebration was the first in-person Match Day gathering since 2019. (Provided Photos)

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ST I R RE D A portion of the sales of Eiffel 65 will benefit the Amarillo Little Theatre.

Add all ingredients to a shaker. Shake and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated orange.

Look for Eiffel 65 on the menu at Royal and learn how to make it on Studio 4 next month! {ADVERTISEMENT}

social seen HEROES & LEGENDS

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On March 29, The Bridge hosted its annual Heroes & Legends banquet, which featured former professional football players Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Danny White and Randy White.

This year’s Bridge Hero was Misty Campa. (Provided Photos)

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POWER OF THE PURSE The Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) hosted its Power of the Purse luncheon and purse auction on April 14. The keynote speaker at the annual fundraiser was Tim Tebow, college and professional athlete and motivational speaker. (Provided Photos)

June 11

June 13

6 p.m. Miss Juneteenth Pageant Palo Duro High School Auditorium

6:30 p.m. Health Expo Black Historical Cultural Center

June 16

June 17

6:30 p.m. Young Professionals Expo Black Historical Cultural Center

Juneteenth Talent Show Palo Duro High School Auditorium 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Wonderland Park: Kids Fun in the Sun

June 18

June 19

Juneteenth Parade 10 a.m. Park Celebration 1 p.m. Bones Hooks Park

Community Church Service Bones Hooks Park

June 20-24

6:30 p.m. Empowerment Week Warford Community Center For more information: Julian Reese 812-841-3295 | Melodie Graves 806-640-8184

spotlight

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

AMARILLO AREA CASA

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GIVING KIDS A VOICE e are looking for any kind of person who really cares about kids in our community and their futures,” says Kirk Daniels, fund development director for Amarillo Area CASA. The acronym stands for Court-Appointed Special Advocates. This national nonprofit trains and supports volunteers to be a voice for children in foster care, especially when children have been removed from homes due to abuse or neglect.

Potter County has twice the state average of confirmed cases of child abuse.

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It’s easy to get lost in the system, so judges appoint CASA volunteers to make sure children’s best interests are always represented. Since starting in 1994, Amarillo’s CASA chapter has helped hundreds of children every year. The nonprofit covers Potter, Randall, Armstrong, Briscoe, Carson, Hutchinson and Swisher counties. Right now, those seven counties have more than a thousand children in foster care.

Around 250 of them need a CASA at any one time. But that’s too many to be supported by CASA’s 60 to 65 trained, volunteer advocates.

“In a perfect world, every kiddo would be assigned a CASA immediately,” Daniels says. “Having that one constant is so important.”

Children in the foster care system face court hearings every few months. With assistance from a supervisor, CASA volunteers help

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prepare reports for a judge that are focused on the child’s wellbeing, care recommendations and other information. “If there’s no voice for the child, it’s easy to go through a whole hearing without [learning] how the kiddo is actually doing,” he says.

The children CASA serves are in foster care already—foster placements, group homes, residential treatment centers—and it’s easy to fall through the cracks or within that system. CASA volunteers make sure their assigned child’s needs are met, following them through foster placements, social work and everything else.

According to national statistics, children with a CASA volunteer are more likely to benefit from therapy and health care, tend to perform better in school, are twice as likely to be placed back with their family of origin, and half as likely to re-enter the foster care system.

Daniels says becoming a CASA requires approximately 30 hours of training, much of which takes place online. “You don’t need a social work background or any knowledge of the system,” he says. “We do extensive training and pair volunteers with kids they can be most helpful with.” For instance, a medical professional might be paired with a child who has medication needs.

CASA requires a volunteer commitment of five to 10 hours per month. “You’ll be supported the whole way and we’ll work with your schedule,” Daniels says. “We definitely don’t want CASA to become a second job.”

To learn more or volunteer, visit pleasebeacasa.org.

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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) announced that the U.S. Department of Education has recognized TTUHSC as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). HSI designation enables the university to strengthen its ongoing efforts to recruit and support underrepresented students, grow a more diversified faculty and better serve its communities as a comprehensive health care institution.

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Professor of Veterinary Microbiology Devendra Shah joined the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine. He began his duties March 1.

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Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) researchers were ranked in the top 2 percent of global researchers by a widely publicized citation database created at Stanford University.

AC Student Media brought home 24 awards, including four first-place prizes, from the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association (TIPA) convention March 23-26 in Fort Worth. The group also won Gold and a Best of Show Award in the student division at the 2022 American Advertising Awards. The annual awards, known as the ADDYs, were presented Feb. 17 at Reed Beverage in Amarillo and recognize excellence in local student and professional advertising.

AC has been recertified as an Achieving the Dream (ATD) Leader College of Distinction, a designation AC has held since ATD created the award in 2018.

Nursing Process ranked WT’s online RN-to-BSN program No. 6 in the nation in a recent report.

WT’s program is the only one in Texas to make the list. WT’s program was cited for its flexibility for working nurses and its affordability, as well as its accelerated track that allows students to earn online bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing.

The University’s master of science in finance and economics has been in the Top 10 for a total of eight consecutive years for TFE Times, an online news platform that’s considered one of the world’s foremost academia media companies.

WTAMU students won eight awards at the 2022 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association convention. Students from the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities won five live contest awards and three awards for previously published/broadcast material.

Dr. Jean Stuntz retired this spring after 21 years of service at WT. During her tenure, she helped found WT’s gender studies program.

WT’s One West campaign scored a gold, two silver and two bronze awards at the 2022 American Advertising Awards.

WT students from the Department of Communication and the Department of Art, Theatre and Dance won a total of 13 ADDY Awards at the 2022 American Advertising Awards.

Twenty WTAMU faculty members have been awarded more than $70,000 in aid for projects through the WTAMU Foundation. The spring 2022 grant cycle will help fund the ongoing Rural Mural Project from WT’s Department of Art, Theatre and Dance; research into labor market issues among rural educators; the purchase of an electric kiln for large-scale ceramic sculptures; a project that makes sharing cutting-edge information technology easier among WT students, faculty, staff and alumni; and more.

Dr. Priscella Correa, WT’s Baptist Community Services Professor of Nursing, was chosen for the 2022 cohort of Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education’s Career and Leadership Development Institute.

Kelly Preston, FirstBank Southwest’s SVP/ HR Director, received the United Way of Amarillo & Canyon “Loaned Executive of the Year” award. The Loaned Executive position is designed to assist the organization’s annual campaign, and communicate to the community and local businesses the services and needs of United Way. Amarillo South Rotary Club awarded Marshall Stallwitz the Amarillo Firefighter of the Year for 2021. Stallwitz is a firefighter assigned to Fire Station 2. He is a member of the Amarillo Fire Department’s Peer Support Team.

Kids Incorporated announced a million-dollar donation from Toot’n Totum. Phase One of the new Kids Inc. sports complex will include 60 acres of lighted synthetic turf fields for sports such as baseball, softball and soccer.

biz Paul French was honored with the REALTOR Emeritus Award for 40 years of continuous membership.

Corporal Tony Vaughn of the Amarillo Police Department was promoted to Sergeant and Officer Daniel Smith was promoted to Corporal.

Sergeant Tony Vaughn has been with APD for 15 years.

Michael Cruz has been named chief executive officer (CEO) at BSA Health System. Cruz first joined BSA as vice president of operations in 2003, later becoming chief operating officer (COO).

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The United Family and Mrs. Baird’s Bread honored three Amarillo area teachers as Teachers on the Rise. The winners are Lorena Baca of Humphrey’s Highland Elementary, Brittany Monds of Clarendon Junior High and Bruce Bryant of Canadian High School.

Peyton Bivins with the Amarillo College Foundation, Devin Savage with FirstCapital Bank of Texas, and Haley Stoddard with Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch were awarded 2021 Young Professionals of the Year by Elevate Amarillo.

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2

The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration celebrated the groundbreaking of the Pantex Plant’s Advanced Fabrication Facility. The AFF will replace structures dating back almost eight decades and support Pantex’s role as NNSA’s High Explosives Center of Excellence for Manufacturing.

BSA Health System announced the adoption of a $15.00 per hour minimum wage, benefitting current employees and new hires. Additionally, BSA updated wages with a market adjustment for other positions, such as acute care registered nurses.

David Hudson, president, Xcel Energy – New Mexico, Texas (SPS), retired on May 1 after 38 years of service to the company that included more than eight years guiding the company’s Southwest operations. Hudson became president of Xcel Energy’s Southwestern Public Service Company in January 2014.

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2

For the third year in a row, Xcel Energy has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices.

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Tiffany Sharpensteen joined Education Credit Union as the Business Development Specialist. Sharpensteen comes to ECU with 13 years of banking and Credit Union experience ranging from Financial Education to Branch Management.

Physicians Surgical Hospitals has added the da Vinci® Xi robotic system to its surgical options. The da Vinci® Xi is a state-of-the-art surgical robotics platform that can be used for gynecologic, urologic, thoracic, cardiac and general surgeries.

Southwest Airlines, in conjunction with Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, celebrated the start of Southwest Airlines’ new daily non-stop service to Austin. The new expanded service to Austin Bergstrom International Airport will operate on Sundays through Mondays.

Tim Koetting was elected President of the Amarillo Tri-State Exposition board of directors for the coming year. Koetting joined the board in 2004 and serves on the rodeo committee.

Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum won six ADDY Awards in the local Amarillo competition.

Stephanie Price, marketing director, was awarded the prestigious Silver Medal at the 2022 American Advertising Awards, hosted by AAF Amarillo.

Turn Center has named Amanda Allen as Director of Finance. Allen assumed responsibilities in February, succeeding Mary Ellen Hughes, who retired this spring after 14 years of service to Turn Center.

City of Amarillo Building Official Johnny Scholl has been reappointed to the Texas Industrialized Building Code Council (TIBCC) by Gov. Greg Abbott. The TIBCC oversees the state program regulating industrialized housing and buildings.

The Amarillo Symphony awarded the 2022 Beethoven Society Award to Jeff Booth, head of the 2022 Music Director Search Committee. This annual award is given to donors who invest in the mission of the Symphony.

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he first question, probably, should be, “What IS a riff?”

In the language of pop music, a riff is the little part that most often (but not always) repeats itself at the beginning and/or throughout a song. A riff is made up of only a few notes, not really enough to be called a theme, or a movement. Just that little eight- or 10-note ditty, often done on just one instrument, like the piano or guitar. Typically, it makes the song identifiable and adds a unique personality to that song—like when you hear the first couple of seconds of music and already know the song that is on the way. It’s one of the most delightful things in the already-rich history of pop music.

The big “riff-writers” to me, began in the jazz age. Musicians like Duke Ellington and Count Basie had a way of introducing you to a song that felt like you were meeting a new friend. If you are familiar with 1920s and ’30s American pop, you probably know the riffs to classics like “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” or “All of Me.” After they get into your heart, they sound like a family member’s knock on your front door. In my opinion, Willie Nelson did the whole generation a favor when he recorded his smash record, Stardust, which introduced a nation of young musicians, myself included, to jazz standards at a time when some of us would sooner eat a plate piled high with soggy spinach.

That impact was immediate with me. It was exactly nine years after Woodstock, and I noticed something great about these songs—these things my grandparents listened to—with those sweet riffs. Willie (and an all-star team) had managed to arrange and record these songs in a way that was so palatable to us “rock heads.” It made me want to look into what was so appealing about them.

I had begun to write music around that time. In the seventies, I had come to realize that a pop song absolutely requires a riff.

My first co-producer, engineer and recording mate, Johnny Mulhair—still a mentor and friend of decades—later showed me how to structure a song. When he did it, I was literally in the studio, getting ready, as if I WERE ready, to record my own first album. “It can’t just be a bunch of words and a guitar strum,” he told me. I took this as harsh criticism at the time, but of course, I was really green, and he was really right. Every song, like a story, should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The way a song is held together, tied up like a bow, is the riff. Johnny is an underrated but world-class riff writer. Nearly every song that comes out of his studio has some magic on the guitar tracks that came from someone who may not have even been mentioned in the credits.

Another great riff-writer Johnny and I both had the good fortune to work for was Norman Petty, of Buddy Holly fame.

Norman also produced the Fireballs, who had mega hits with

“Sugar Shack” and “Bottle of Wine.” The Fireballs, most of whom have remained friends of mine over the years, told me this story. “We were riding around in the car the first time we heard ‘Sugar Shack’ on the radio. We heard that little whistle-sounding riff and none of us had put that on the record. We didn’t like it. We agreed that there was going to be a problem with that sound. It wasn’t rock-and-roll, and none of us wrote that, and we were worked up pretty good, and Norman had a lot of nerve putting that wimpy-sounding little penny whistle thing on our song, etc. Then the DJ came on the air and said, ‘The Fireballs have broken into the American Top 10 with their new hit, “Sugar Shack.”’ And suddenly we were all just fine with that little riff!”

“That little riff” was all that was required to add the finishing touch to the song, and Norman used it to put the song over the top.

With movies like Muscle Shoals and Standing in the Shadows of Motown, It’s no longer much of a secret that the majority of hit records through the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s were played in the studios by a small and elite group of musicians.

We call them “studio cats.” A writer sends his stuff to a studio, and that studio uses its own musicians to cut the demo or the finished product.

I cut my teeth doing that, in much smaller studios. I was never the best AN DY C H A S E C U N D I F F guitar player, but I worked cheap, Andy is an artist, singerand the studio who hired me back songwriter, music producer then was desperate. The point is, and musician. In every issue, his column explores the parts of his whatever the record was, we all life that don’t always make it into knew that the final wasn’t complete his songs, accompanied by his until the “riff guy” showed up. own illustration.

So, what’s in a riff? Magic, I guess.

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H

istory is our past. We cannot change the past, but we must strive to learn from it. Holidays like Juneteenth should be recognized by all Americans. But Juneteenth didn’t become a nationally recognized holiday until June 2021—yes, only last year. This historic achievement came about because of bipartisan, bicameral efforts in Congress.

During the American Civil War, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued an executive order known historically as the Emancipation Proclamation. Though the order fell short of full emancipation for enslaved African Americans, it represented the beginning of the end of American slavery. The order freed all persons held as slaves in the Confederate-controlled states, including Texas. At the time, these states did not even recognize Lincoln as the duly elected president.

The Emancipation Proclamation was perceived among Texans as little more than a political stunt aimed to attract African Americans to enlist in the newly integrated Union Army.

The Civil War continued to cost American lives well past the Emancipation Proclamation. Though Congress courageously ratified the Thirteenth Amendment in December 1865, the war persisted and African Americans remained enslaved. Even while negotiations were occurring between Union and Confederate delegations aboard the famed SS River Queen, the Confederacy was still trying to keep African Americans enslaved. Lincoln was assassinated just days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender in April 1865, leaving Americans in doubt about whether the Union would survive. Many had no idea their lives had been changed long before evil struck our nation to its core.

Back in Texas, African Americans were still enslaved. This was due to myriad factors, including the illiteracy rates among African Americans, plantation prohibitions of communication regarding Civil War updates, and the lack of access to information. Therefore, one could only imagine the joy and relief felt among African Americans

when Union General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce General Order No. 3 on June 19, 1865. After centuries of enslavement, emancipation immediately became a reality for African Americans, once those who called Texas home received news that they were finally free. African American communities have been celebrating that day ever since.

Unfortunately, no constitutional amendment or military order has been able to eradicate racial hatred and discrimination from the earth. Courageous Americans marched in Selma, rode in buses across the south, led boycotts and sit-ins, and ultimately gave their lives to ensure a far more equal society than they had ever known.

Juneteenth was not a national holiday until 2021. Clearly, we have a long way to go. But as long as we remain resolved to create a more perfect union for ourselves and our posterity, we will bring to fruition an America that truly offers liberty and justice for all.

Amarillo proudly celebrates Juneteenth National Independence Day and will be doing so again this summer with a variety of events.

These include a Pageant ( June 11), Health Expo ( June 13), Young Professionals Expo ( June 16), Talent Show, Wonderland Park: Kids Fun in the Sun ( June 17), Park and Parade PAT R I C K M I L L E R ( June 18) and Community Church A passionate local educator and Service ( June 19).

President of the Amarillo Branch For further information, contact NAACP, Patrick writes in every issue about education, faith and Melodie Graves at (806) 640-8184 forward momentum. or Julian Reese at (812) 841-3295.

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mindset

W

5 WAYS TO B E M O R E M I S E R A B L E

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2

ould you like to add more misery to your day? Well, you are in luck! The following techniques are used by people across the world to become unhappier every day. (In case you don’t want to be more miserable, tips on avoiding misery are also included.)

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ALWAYS WAIT FOR THE PERFECT TIME When you have big dreams, it can be easy to get lost thinking about how you will accomplish them. If you want to add to your stress level, try getting stuck in your fears about failing. Wait, pause, and wait some more for just the right time to get started.

If you don’t like being stressed out about a huge leap, there are other ways to approach a goal. Not every project is something you can start right away.

But you don’t have to do everything in one giant step. Instead, take a small step forward. That’s it.

Then tomorrow you can take another step.

LET CRITICISM GET UNDER YOUR SKIN Another good way to have a bad day is to let severe critiques drag you down.

Criticism can be constructive, but if it is unjustifiably harsh or unnecessary, it can make you gloomy and doubt yourself.

If you would rather not have a bad day due to harsh criticism, try talking about it with a friend to let off stress. If your self-esteem is low, it can be easy to think that all of the negative things people tell you are your fault in some way. Sometimes, people will harshly criticize others because they themselves are having a bad day. Remember that it isn’t always about you.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH NEGATIVITY If you want to be unhappier on an ongoing basis, consider spending time with people who drag you down, always talk negatively about others, and make you feel worse overall. Also, try to spend less time with people, podcasts, books and other resources that lift you up and make you feel better about yourself and the world in general.

If you would rather not be surrounded by negativity, make a list of the people you hang out with the most and the media or social media sources you spend the most time on. Then ask yourself for each source: Is it dragging me down or lifting me up? You can then come up with ways to start spending less time with those people, media sources or situations.

NEVER TAKE A BREAK When you are busy all the time and give yourself no time to recharge, then you become exhausted. Congrats! You’re on your way

to being miserable! Everything you do starts to feel harder, and you don’t get any enjoyment out of pushing yourself through your days.

If you would rather not feel stretched to the point of breaking down completely, try taking breaks during your day. Get away from your desk. Take a walk or stretch. By taking breaks, you can be more fully focused on work, get more done, and do a better job. And you are more likely to feel positive.

SLEEP LESS Want to be a negative person? Stay up too late and get up too early. Research shows that sleep-deprived people don’t remember pleasant memories, but do recall memories that are depressing.1 In one experiment, sleepdeprived college students tried to memorize a list of words. They could remember 81 percent of the negative words (like “cancer”) but only 31 percent of positive words (“sunshine”).

Sleeping less is the key to unhappiness.

If you would rather not be sleep-deprived, the Sleep Foundation2 suggests keeping a comfortable temperature and environment for sleep, banning cellphones and other electronic devices from your bedroom, and abstaining from caffeine, alcohol and large meals in the hours leading up to bedtime.

TAKE EVERYTHING TOO SERIOUSLY If you really want to be miserable, make sure you always take everything too seriously. If you are too serious about everything, it is easy to grow afraid of making a mistake and more likely you’ll get stuck in a rut. It will become difficult to live in the moment, to let go of the past, and to laugh about life.

If you would rather not be stuck in a state of seriousness, lighten up! What and who you surround yourself with will have a big effect on how you think. Surround yourself with people with lighter attitudes, positive situations, books, websites, videos, and more to help avoid taking yourself too seriously.

You can also focus on raising your self-esteem through self-help methods or with the assistance of others. As your self-esteem improves, you may find yourself being less defensive, laughing more, and enjoying your life more than before.

1. NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children. Po Bronson & Ashley Merryman 2009 2. sleepfoundation.org

J I M W O M AC K Jim is the chief executive officer of Family Support Services of Amarillo, a local nonprofit that has been helping area residents since 1908. Jim has served as CEO of FSS since 2013, and has worked in various director positions in the nonprofit and criminal justice fields. Jim has undergraduate and graduate degrees from West Texas A&M University.

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T H E SUCCU L E NT S OLU TIO N

M

ost local residents think of succulents as cute little spots of greenery on the coffee table or a sunny shelf. Julie Fullington, owner-operator of Windswept Prairie, believes succulents should fill large container plantings on front porches and the outdoor garden.

“They are great outside because they’re colorful and super-easy to care for,” she says.

“They love the summer heat and are super-hardy.” In a climate where strong winds can leave plants bent or broken, succulents also stand up to the breeze.

Even better, they thrive in a dry climate. “You can go on vacation for a week or 10 days, water your pots really well before you leave, and they’ll still look the same as when you left them,” Fullington says.

In fact, the only threat to succulents may be the occasional hail storm.

Fullington shares with us her favorite succulents for outdoor containers.

s p a ce s

CAREX GRA S S

This perennial, evergreen grass can be yellow, white or variegated. “It stays small and won’t overpower containers,” she says. It can also be left outside to overwinter, returning in the spring as the weather warms.

Also a perennial, this lowgrowing plant can handle bright, hot sun and bitter cold.

It performs well in bad soil and drought conditions, with dark green leaves that smell a little like pine. These are great for rock gardens as well as containers.

P U R S L AN E

This flowering succulent is also drought-tolerant and produces yellow, white, pink and orange blooms, whether in a garden planting or a container. They thrive in well-drained soil but are hardy almost anywhere, and can grow fast.

S E D UM

CACTU S

This type of succulent is sometimes referred to as a “stonecrop” because it’s so tough. They can thrive in bad soil, bad weather, and drought conditions. “Sedums trail and are sun-hardy,” Fullington says.

They prefer full sun but can still grow in light shade—but the lack of direct light could cause the most vibrant colors to dim.

Fullington used Angelina Sedum in our planting (see photo at left), characterized by its yellow, needle-like foliage.

The extreme conditions of the desert make almost any variety of cactus a hardy outdoor plant.

They like full sun and can store water for long periods of time.

Just make sure the soil or pot has good drainage and six-plus hours of direct sunlight per day.

Take care not to plant where thorns could be an issue to children or pets.

EC HE V E RI A

ST I C KS OF FI RE

Slower-growing than Purslane, these grow in rosettes and prefer desert conditions.

They thrive in full sun and well-drained soil and exist in dozens and dozens of varieties, making them an excellent addition to any group planting of succulents.

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This resilient succulent likes full sun and, according to Fullington, is “one of the toughest things you can plant.”

The bright sun can scorch it initially, but don’t worry about this. It’s a “sunburn,” and the plant reacts by reddening.

“Then it kind of evens out,” she says. Plant jade in a container with other succulents or alone. Expect quick growth in a solo planting.

Also known as Red Pencil Tree, Milkbush, or Firesticks, the stems of this succulent resemble sea coral and change colors—from green to bright orange—along with fluctuating seasons and sunlight. While many succulents stay low to the ground, these can add a vertical element to a garden or planter.

T I P S & TRICKS : CO N TAI N E R CH O I CE

Most succulents are droughtresistant, but need regular, deep soakings in order to grow strong root systems. “This encourages the roots to go deep,” says Fullington. “Then you won’t have to water again for a week or two.” Smaller containers need more frequent watering.

Make sure the container has a drainage hole. Consider adding a piece of screen over the hole to keep soil from escaping.

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S E L ECT T HE RIGHT SOIL

Fullington suggests adding perlite and a bit of horticultural charcoal to succulent-specific potting mix for a well-draining soil, which is the key to growing succulents. Perlite both absorbs water and aids in drainage.

Charcoal is a soil amendment that helps hold nutrients, absorb water and repel fungus.

“Without proper soil drainage, the plants will rot,” she says.

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SWEP T AWAY ON S I XT H

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DESIGN AND A RRA N G E

Start with already damp soil— it’s challenging to soak a freshly planted succulent container— and fill it to within an inch of the rim. Arrange your plants, keeping in mind that cactuses and most echeverias can bloom, providing a pop of color to mostly green arrangements.

After planting, top the container with pebbles, sand or gravel to give it a finished look and help it retain moisture. Fullington sometimes adds decorative elements like wood or larger rocks to add interest and texture. (The plants Fullington picked for this feature are resistant to sunburn and can endure full morning sun.)

CA RE A N D WAT E RI N G

Again, make sure you soak your succulent container to the bottom when you water it.

“Avoid watering down into the centers of most succulents, because the water can pool and

make the plant rot,” Fullington says. Instead, water around the perimeter of each plant.

Fertilize once a month with half-strength, water-soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer.

S E A S ONAL T RA N S I TI ONS

Fullington typically takes containers apart as summer ends and the seasons change— especially large pots with specimens she wants to save.

“I take them out and put them in smaller containers,” she says.

“You can store them in the greenhouse, use them in the house as windowsill plants or in a sun porch.” As long as they get bright winter light from east- or south-facing windows, they will be ready to replant in outdoor containers in the spring. Over the winter, she suggests fertilizing with a topcoat of Osmocote, a slowrelease fertilizer.

PROVIDED PHOTO

riginally from Colorado, Julie Fullington and her husband lived in Dalhart, his hometown, for 15 years, where she operated a retail greenhouse selling annuals and perennials.

As demand for succulents began to grow, she began ordering those from her suppliers.

Eleven years ago, the couple moved to Amarillo and she took a job at a local greenhouse. As she began to think about working for herself, Fullington saw a 1997 Freightliner MT45 Step Van for sale in the back lot of a used car dealership. An old FedEx logo was visible beneath the white paint.

She envisioned the truck painted green. She bought it, and transformed the vehicle into the Windswept Prairie Plant Truck—slogan: “Nope, it’s not a food truck!”—and began driving the area’s first mobile plant design studio to the Amarillo Community Market and other gatherings.

She also sold plants out of The Nesting Place in Bushland. Then in August 2021, a new storefront opened on Amarillo’s most popular stretch of old Route 66, giving Fullington a way to offer plants year-round. She launched the Windswept Prairie urban plant shop last year at 3812 SW Sixth Ave., and still uses the plant truck for public and private events.

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ECLECTIC

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he general feeling is ‘eclectic collector’,” says Beddingfield. He and Rosenbach collaborated to create the Art Deco-style quartzite fireplace. “I like that super-ornate, gold-gilded mirror in conjunction with the square fireplace. It’s a pretty mix and part of a big statement.”

The starburst designs of the gold chests on either side provide additional exclamation points.

The homeowners love plants, so Beddingfield worked with Joshua Gibson-Roark of Gibson-Roark Outdoors and Installs (see page 42) to add greenery throughout the home, including this towering fiddle-leaf fig. “I told him I’d like to create something large here in the living room,” says Beddingfield. “These are all his creations and were part of the design from the beginning.”

The fiddle-leaf fig is a notoriously finicky indoor plant, but it’s thriving in the well-lit space. “It loves it there.”

A

Amarillo designer Reese Beddingfield loves developing lasting, trusted relationships with his clients. When a local couple he’d known for 25 years decided they were ready for a new home, they brought Beddingfield into the process even before they’d decided to move—or knew where they’d be moving.

“I was lucky to be part of the buying process with these clients,” he says. After electing not to build new, Beddingfield joined them as they toured existing homes on the market. They wanted to remodel, and knew he’d take the lead on that process.

They found the perfect house in a quiet, scenic neighborhood in northwest Amarillo. “It was a nice house with generous space and good bones,” says Beddingfield. The two-story home had been built in the 1980s. “But it was too closed in. It had too many little rooms. It was time for a facelift.”

Beddingfield envisioned a large, open entry and living area separated from the kitchen only by a glass wall. He consulted with Kline Rosenbach of Rosenbach Contractors and determined that the statement wall would be structurally possible.

“Once I came up with that glass wall, everything started there. We designed around the glass to make the spaces apparent to each other,” Beddingfield says.

Designing room by room with that kind of visibility can be tricky because “everything talks to each other.”

Beddingfield and Rosenbach went to work. The result is a stunning texture- and technology-rich environment the designer describes as “a warmer, traditional style” with Art Deco accents. “Their previous home was all light colors and creams and white,” he says. “This one, they wanted something a little warmer and cozier, neutrals with greens. This is a client who lets me play.”

PHOTOS BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

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he chandelier is one of the stars of the show,” the designer says. Both Beddingfield and the homeowners fell in love with the Allan Knight piece during a design trip to Dallas. “It set the course for how that dining room was ultimately going to look.”

Immediately visible from the entry, the dining room also features a commissioned triptych by a New York artist, created specifically for that wall. The centerpiece is from Reserve, an Amarillo design shop Beddingfield owns. It was designed specifically for the space by Ann Beddingfield, Reese’s mother, who created custom arrangements throughout the home.

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T

he transparency begins with the home’s entrance.

The custom door and windows are made of electro transparent glass. Also known as “smart glass,” it allows the homeowners to switch between clear glass during the day and frosted privacy glass at night, all controlled by the home’s automation system, provided by Sound Systems Ltd. “It’s on a certain schedule. The door frosts when the sun goes down and unfrosts in the morning,” Beddingfield says.

Guests are greeted by a dramatic arrangement of art pieces, including an enormous art book featuring the work of photographer Annie Liebowitz. Set on a stand, the book is filled with celebrity portraits and, when open, takes up nearly four feet of space. “The design concept is having a fantastic first impression, but also a way to live with different art pieces according to your mood, or what you want guests to experience,” says Beddingfield.

The art changes every time the homeowners turn one of the 40-inch tall pages to reveal a new portrait.

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et apart from the entrance and living area by the glass wall, the kitchen makes its own statement. “The homeowner had zero interest in upper kitchen cabinets and wanted it to be more gallery-like,” Beddingfield says. He designed the bulk of the storage to exist in a wrap-around butler’s pantry and below the quartzite countertops, which sit atop custom burlwood cabinetry, crafted by Reinbold Inc.’s cabinet shop.

The quartzite is the same style and color as the living room fireplace.

“She loves black-and-white photography and loves figural art,” he says, which led to the decision to use the dramatic faces as a backdrop. “The soft neutrals provide a pretty background so the art pops.”

The floor—which covers all of the downstairs—is an exotic, greenish-gray limestone. “It’s earthy and organic,” says Beddingfield.

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T

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he large owners’ suite provided an opportunity for Beddingfield to combine warm, neutral tones with bright pops of color, including pieces by Amarillo artist Nancy Walker.

One of the homeowners’ most beloved elements isn’t visible in our photos: a hidden, pop-up television at the foot of the bed. “I had seen something like it and had Kline build it,” explains Beddingfield. The home is fully automated, so when the homeowners turn on the TV, it rises out of the cabinet as the bedroom lights dim.

“It’s awesome. They weren’t sure about it at first, but now they say they can’t live without it.”

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ost of the furniture and decor is new in this home, but not the large-scale Nancy Walker painting, “Fair Warning,” that hangs over the free-standing tub.

“It was commissioned several years ago,” Beddingfield says. “They’ve appreciated and loved her work for a long time.”

The space is a his-and-hers split bath, with dual shower entrances and a walkthrough, wraparound closet. “It was really fun, spatially, to design,” he says.

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he over-the-top powder room was designed around the wallpaper,” Beddingfield says of this space right off the kitchen. “The homeowner fell in love with it and said, ‘This is it.’”

The colorful, Swedish-designed wallpaper provides a contrast with the eye-catching sink. This incredible piece was created by Rosenbach out of onyx, based on a photo of a similar feature but scaled to fit the room.

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eading upstairs from the kitchen, this staircase secretly includes one of the most attention-getting design pieces in the home, sourced from Scout Design Studio in Dallas. “Yeah, the monkeys are a surprise,” Beddingfield says. He and the homeowner encountered the quirky sconces and fell in love with them. “I thought, ‘How fun would it be to have all three as you head up the stairs, with all of them heading to the banana as the prize?’ It’s a real statement piece and people get a kick out of it.”

The staircase itself, which features inset lighting, is made of hand-scraped wood stained the same color as the limestone. “Kline figured out how to get them textured enough to not require a runner for non-slip purposes,” Beddingfield says. “It’s a clean, organic feel that connects to the rest of the home.”

The stairs are visible as you enter the front door. “That’s why they are lighted and a focal point. It’s like a piece of sculpture at the end of the home,” he adds.

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he study is cozier, more personal, and more colorful than most of the other rooms in the home. “She loves this room in the morning. It has beautiful light and a view of the outdoors,” Beddingfield says. Most of the design elements in this space are available at Reserve. “She’s an excellent Reserve customer,” he says, laughing.

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How a former decorator took his focus outside

BY PERLA ARELLANO FRAIRE

J

oshua Gibson-Roark’s first childhood memories involve him gardening with his grandmother. This Pampa native grew up loving the outdoors, flowers and green spaces, and found himself wanting to share that love with people in a meaningful way. Today, he’s the owner of Gibson-Roark Outdoors and Installs, an Amarillo-based landscaping company with hundreds of clients in the Amarillo/Canyon area and neighboring Panhandle towns.

“It organically grew over time,” he says about his career, and whether it’s intentional or not, the landscaping metaphor feels just right. Several years ago, Gibson-Roark was working as an assistant to local designer Reese Beddingfield (see page 34). Gibson-Roark had been immersed in the world of interior decór—the business of making indoor spaces feel just right—but also felt the pull from the living room into the front lawn.

He’d been helping to create beautiful spaces inside. He found himself wanting to “translate that [knowledge] to creating beautiful spaces outside,” he says.

Gibson-Roark began turning his attention to the lawns and gardens of his friends and colleagues. Thrilled with the results, they began recommending his work to their friends, and before long, the word of mouth had transformed into an actual job. “I was being pushed into it,” he says, “and I was happy about being pushed into it.”

Four years ago, he took the leap and launched Gibson-Roark Outdoors. Joshua’s client-specific approach is fully customized, taking into account the client’s budget, needs and wants, how the space will be used, and how much maintenance the client wants to allocate to the greenery.

Interior design is intensely personal, and Gibson-Roark believes

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PHOTO BY ANGELINA MARIE, SHORT EARED DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

that intimate approach should also apply to exterior design. He draws upon his clients’ feelings and memories when planning their outdoor spaces. Roses might make one client sad because they remind her of her late mother. A family member might have a bee sting allergy, in which case Gibson-Roark researches colors that don’t attract bees. Another client may just, well, hate the color yellow.

He takes those personal preferences seriously, using his creativity and experience to come up with landscaping solutions that work within the clients’ specific tastes.

That attention to detail has brought him a variety of opportunities extending beyond greenery, incorporating details like koi ponds, stone paths, flower and vegetable beds and much more. Generally, he says, he likes to push things toward a green look and give the space some year-round interest through color.

Gibson-Roark has young children at home, and has now reached a point in his business in which it’s more possible to balance his workload with family time. But further down the path, he dreams of someday operating a retail space for plants and outdoor furniture.

“As far as growing the business, my plan is simply to make sure that all of my clients are happy and satisfied with the end result,” says Gibson-Roark.

“That is my goal for the future—to continue with that mindset, making sure each client walks away happy from each job I take on.”

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Giving Plants a Fighting Chance Amarillo’s weather conditions and environment aren’t always conducive for flourishing outdoor spaces. Joshua Gibson-Roark offered these suggestions to give plants what he calls “a fighting chance” to survive our wind and weather.

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TIMING IS EVERYTHING According to Gibson-Roark, the general rule of thumb in the Texas Panhandle is that it’s only safe to plant after Mother’s Day. “You want to get things planted out of danger of freeze but before it gets really hot,” says Gibson-Roark. “That late spring window is the crunch time to get everything in.” There are years when this might change, which is why Gibson-Roark recommends looking at the long-term forecast prior to planting annuals.

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CHOOSE YOUR APPROACH Before gearing up with tools and plants, Gibson-Roark suggests stopping first to consider how the space will be used. For example, if someone prefers a lower-maintenance garden, Gibson-Roark suggests xeriscape might be the best option. This style of landscaping uses a variation of rocks, cactuses, grasses and other native plants that require lower water usage. Families with children should be cautious with this approach, especially when considering cactuses and plants with thorns.

FIND A FOCAL POINT When first starting out the design, Gibson-Roark suggests identifying the space’s focal point, which can be a garden bed, a pond or even a stone path.

A well-balanced space also requires thinking about the plant’s mature size, plant groupings, and the plants’ specific sunlight and water needs.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLANT “A common mistake that people make is just going into a garden center and choosing a plant because they think it’s pretty and then sticking it in the ground,” says Gibson-Roark. “It might be in full sun, but it’s something that needs to be fully shaded. And they say, ‘I keep planting things, but they keep dying.’”

He suggests going to a local garden center and, before buying anything, researching the plant’s water and sunlight needs and mature size.

PREPARE THE SOIL After plant selection is finished, it’s time to prepare the soil. Gibson-Roark says it’s important to break down the clay in Amarillo’s soil, which causes it to dry out quickly. Vegetables and herbs are usually grown in raised beds in the Amarillo area, he says, because these allow for more soil control. A good, high-quality soil can produce a better yield.

To achieve this, Gibson-Roark recommends adding enriched mulch to help retain moisture, along with cotton burr to break down the naturally occurring clay soil.

CONSIDER COMBINATIONS Finally, coordinating different textures, sizes and shades of colors can add a lot of character to an outdoor space. “Mixing those fully in sizes and textures always ends up being a really beautiful look. [Combining] dark green leaves with something that has more of a bronzy, red-colored leaf, then you get some really good visual interest going on in your garden,” says Gibson-Roark.

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Annual Honkytonk HodgePodge Music Festival Aug. 5-6 More than 30 bands - free!

“Where not much happens, but you better be there when it does!”

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BACHELOR’S

The good and bad news about Amarillo’s historically low housing inventory

BY JASON BOYETT

I

t’s hard to buy a home right now in Amarillo. New or used. Big or small. First home or investment property.

Regardless of the size or age of the house, there are hardly any homes on the market.

According to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) inventory, 271 homes were for sale in Potter and Randall counties in mid-April. “That includes anywhere from a $56,000 trailer home to a multimillion-dollar singlefamily residence,” says Realtor Leslie Cunningham of Keller Williams Amarillo.

She’s one of around a thousand Realtors in the area.

That’s nearly four real estate agents for every one home on the market.

A more normal local inventory is upwards of 2,000 homes.

“The MLS inventory is not only historically low but shockingly low,” says Matt Griffith, Vice President at Rockrose Development, the company behind the development of several Amarillo neighborhoods, including The Colonies and Westover Park. Griffith has been in the industry for nearly three decades. “I can’t put into words how it’s even possible for inventory to be as low as it is.”

In Rockrose’s new Pinnacle development, near Hollywood and Bell behind Randall High School, the home inventory is precisely zero. That includes houses built on speculation—which builders design and construct prior to having a particular buyer in place. “Everything that’s built and finished is sold,” Griffith says. “That’s a relatively

new [development] and there are not a lot of houses out there. Builders are getting full ask—in some cases, above ask. When you have inventories as low as they are, basic supply and demand suggests that prices will go up.”

The Pandemic Impact

The past two years have served as case studies on the law of supply and demand, not just in the Amarillo area but nationwide. “It’s literally coast to coast,” says Cunningham. Nationally, home builders had already slowed down in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis and were very gradually starting to catch up. Then came the pandemic.

In March 2020, when the first positive COVID-19 cases arrived in the United States and the initial shutdowns resulted, home construction stopped for a brief period.

“Everybody hit pause,” Griffith says. “Nobody was going full tilt on home construction.”

It wasn’t just builders, though. Lumber yards closed.

Brickmakers and window manufacturers suspended operations. Almost every kind of home construction material, from electronics to insulation, saw hiccups in production.

People who had been planning to sell their homes that spring changed their plans. Everyone stayed home for a few weeks. Some began working remotely. That’s when the market began to shift.

Within a couple of weeks, local builders resumed as

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TAKING INVENTORY

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PHOTO BY JASON BOYETT

much construction as possible. Most of their work took place outside anyway. “We adjusted and deviated but never really slowed down,” says custom home builder Eric White of Old World Construction. “But a lot of subcontractors lost a lot of people.” Some older craftspeople saw the pandemic as an opportunity to retire early, taking veteran carpenters and concrete layers off the market. “We lost a concrete guy who’d been working with us more than 20 years. He was 70-something years old. When the older crew retired, we didn’t have very many options to replace them,” White says.

Meanwhile, any subcontractors paying just above minimum wage found it hard to compete with the government’s stimulus money and bring workers back on site.

The lumber yards and manufacturers quickly got back online, but the Spring 2020 slowdown threw a lot of deliveries behind schedule. Home-building is a step-by-step process, and builders like Eric White found themselves waiting on parts, products and labor.

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Demand Grows

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Incredible Competition

That’s when other potential sellers began taking their homes off the market. Sure, they could sell and make a profit, but then what?

They’d be buying another property—at an inflated price—and competing with everyone else in the marketplace. “As prices go up, people realize they can’t sell their house because they’d have nowhere to go,” says broker/owner Rick Thomason of Thomason Scott. “So they end up holding onto their houses,” at least until the market calms down.

“There is no inventory under $200,000,” Cunningham explains.

Those properties are being bought up by investors, who often pay cash, rather than first-time homeowners. “If it gets out that you have [a home] under $250,000, you have people lining up to see it.”

Even higher-priced homes are seeing increased demand.

“People are walking in and paying $500,000 easily,” she adds.

Some of these new homeowners are moving to Amarillo from other parts of the country, choosing to work remotely in a city with a lower cost of living than major urban centers. Others are retiring here, having sold at an immense profit in other markets. “Sometimes it’s parents moving here, especially if they come from the West Coast and sold at an incredibly high price,” says Cunningham. “They can go out to River Falls and pay $750,000 for a house with a canyon view. It’s not a big deal for them.”

And they can definitely outbid a first-time homeowner, or a seller with a contingency loan, she says. “Nothing is lasting in town. We’re seeing homes go under contract within a week. We’ll put it out on a Thursday or Friday, show it Cunningham through the weekend, and take offers on Monday. There might be 20 offers on a property. If the house is priced correctly, buyers will be competitive.”

Thomason says he’s seen prospective out-of-town buyers make offers on a home without even seeing the property.

“

Meanwhile, local housing demand began to tick up. One reason is demographic.

The highest birth rates of the economically dominant millennial generation had occurred between 1989 and 1993. Those residents will approach their 30th birthdays between 2019 and 2023—a milestone age for buying a first home.

Mortgage rates had already been falling dramatically in recent — Realtor Leslie years, and the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage hit record lows in 2020.

In early 2021, it fell below 3 percent.

That meant America’s biggest generation reached their peak home-buying years flush with stimulus cash, while it had become cheaper than ever to get a mortgage.

At the same time, the idea of “home” became more important than ever. People were spending much more time in their house or apartment. Schoolchildren had been stuck at home. Remote-working moms and dads grew restless. They wanted more space—or, at least, better space.

Meanwhile, investors had begun taking advantage of the low rates to buy rental homes. Road travel resumed first, but hotel stays were still uncertain. In that environment, the Airbnb market zoomed, and a few local entrepreneurs decided to experiment with managing an increasingly profitable Airbnb property.

In other words, people began wanting to buy new homes at the same time fewer new homes were being finished and fewer people were ready to sell. The idea of allowing strangers into a home during a pandemic also complicated things, even though local Realtors quickly pivoted to ways to show a home safely. Others just declined to sell at all, given the ongoing market uncertainty. They decided to wait.

So for the rest of 2020 and 2021, demand dramatically outstripped supply, which sent home prices soaring. In Texas, the housing crunch boosted the average home price 33 percent above prepandemic levels.

As 2022 began, listings had dropped historically while the median home price was up 12 percent.

Our housing prices are much more fair and achievable for the average homebuyer, compared to prices in Florida or Austin.

People are wanting to be here.

”

Supply-Chain Issues

And as all that local demand played out, with used homes being snatched up incredibly fast, home builders have struggled to keep up.

“Here we come out of COVID and that’s when they got hit with the supply-chain issues,” Griffith says. It’s not just a convenient excuse, he says. The brief downtime during the early days of the pandemic set in motion a complex chain reaction involving materials, transportation, inflation, production and demand that still hasn’t yet been resolved.

“My gosh, the anecdotes you hear from builders,” says Griffith.

“A 30-week wait on windows. Twelve to 16 weeks on garage doors.

Certain bricks, maybe there’s no time frame at all. The answer is ‘We don’t know if we’ll ever get it.’ You just take what you can get and paint it.”

Consider the current lumber situation. Like other commodities, the price of lumber has been extremely volatile since the start of the pandemic. “You have a double-edged sword,” says Griffith. “Number one, the lumber yards aren’t going to give you a quote that’s good for an extended period of time. And they also can’t guarantee when you’re going to get it.”

Builders need lumber to build a house. They know how much lumber they’ll need. But right now they don’t know how much that

So how does the area’s low housing inventory resolve? How do things return to normal?

“In my business, I don’t know what normal is anymore,” says Griffith with a laugh. But he does assume that, eventually, the supply chain issues will ease and distribution and manufacturing will catch up. Mortgage interest rates are going up as well. The rising rates might reduce demand, because they limit how much house a family can afford.

Or maybe not.

“It’s all relative. If you’re making plans to buy a home and expand your family, once you’ve made a decision, will a .25 percent uptick in the mortgage rate make you change your mind?” Griffith asks.

“Maybe you’ll purchase a home that’s a little lower [price]. But for

What does “a month of inventory” mean?

R

ight now, Potter and Randall County have less than a month of housing inventory. Technically, the number is 0.8 months, or about 25 days. “What that means is that, if we sold everything on the market, it would be gone in eight-tenths of a month,” explains Realtor Leslie Cunningham.

Rather than hard numbers—like 271 houses on the market—housing is traditionally quantified by months of inventory. That number is reached by dividing the number of active MLS listings by the average number of sales per month over the past 12 months. It reveals the current available home supply in relation to the number of homes being purchased. So at the average Potter/County home sales rate, the existing number of available houses would disappear in a little over three weeks.

A balanced housing market has a 6.5-month inventory, according to the Texas A&M University Real Estate Center. Anything above that is considered a buyer’s market, and Texas hasn’t seen that kind of market since oil prices plunged, tax revenues plummeted and real estate collapsed in the mid-1980s. “I remember when we had so many houses on the market, you saw bumper stickers that said, ‘Last one out of Amarillo, turn out the lights,’” says Rick Thomason, who’s been selling homes in Amarillo for 43 years.

The city faces the opposite situation today.

One to five months of inventory indicates a seller’s market, Cunningham says. But where we are now, with less than a month of inventory? Those are uncharted waters.

“It has never been like this before,” she says.

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The Future

some people, that’s a life decision, not a money decision.”

He wonders if the increasing rates might pump the market even further. “Some would argue that, psychologically, [a rise in mortgage rates] creates more purchasing. You want to hurry up and buy before it goes up more.”

But the frustration and complexity of the past couple of years does tell him one thing: People want to live in Amarillo. “There are tremendous job opportunities here, and a good cost of living. It’s a really wonderful place to live, especially for folks coming from a high-tax environment like California or a high-stress place like Dallas,” Griffith says.

Cunningham agrees. “The builders are building as fast as they can, but not just in Amarillo. This [housing inventory problem] is nationwide. But our housing prices are much more fair and achievable for the average consumer and homebuyer, compared to prices in Florida or Austin,” she says. “People are wanting to be here.

I believe Amarillo has so many good things happening.”

According to Thomason, Amarillo may be experiencing growing pains—but growth is almost always positive. “It might get tougher before it gets better,” he says, “but I think it’ll work itself out.”

Thomason knows those pains first-hand. He and his wife sold their house in late 2019, right before the pandemic hit, so they could start the process of building a custom home in the Trails at Tascosa Golf Club, a new development immediately north of West Amarillo Boulevard. His builder has struggled with supplies and labor. The Thomasons have juggled budgeting issues and tried to manage two-plus years of delays. Only within the past few weeks has the house neared completion.

“I keep saying ‘We’ll be in it by Christmas,’” Thomason says. “I’m just not going to say which Christmas.”

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lumber will cost, or when they’re going to get it. So they order it and pray.

The same applies to almost every other material used in homebuilding, from flooring to shingles.

That complexity has made it challenging for builders to give customers a closing date or even a price, which frustrates builders like White. He’s been constructing houses in Amarillo for 20 years and, until the past year, has never had to put customers on a waiting list.

“I’ve always managed to handle anything that walks in the door, but right now we’re booked up until April of next year. I can’t touch another job,” he admits. And he still gets calls every week from people wanting a custom home from Old World Construction, even though some of their desires are pushing $300 a square foot. “I’m seeing a big rush of people coming in and just wanting everything.”

He’s adding those customers to his waiting list.

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Showcase Home

PHOTOS BY CAMILLE DAVIS PHOTOGRAPHY

Cornerstone Fine Homes, LLC

PARADE ROUTE Amarillo’s Parade of Homes Returns for 2022

W

hen Chance Beasley was in junior high, he always loved the Parade of Homes™ in Amarillo. “My family looked forward to it every year,” he says. “I thought it was so much fun.”

Today, he’s the owner of Cornerstone Fine Homes and the president of the Board of Directors of the Texas Panhandle Builders Association (TPBA), the group that represents members of the building industry and organizes the annual Parade of Homes. This event showcases builders, new construction, and some of the newest neighborhoods being developed in and around the city.

According to J.T. Laramore, TPBA Executive Officer, this year’s Parade features 16 homes across a variety of price levels, from entrylevel homes to million-dollar residences, from traditional construction to innovative barndominiums. Tickets for the two-weekend event—homes are available to tour May 12-15 and May 19-22—are $12 a person, and children younger than 12 are free. Tickets can be purchased at United Supermarkets and Pak-A-Sak locations, as well as online at amarilloparadeofhomes.com.

A Taste of What’s New

While the local real estate market has been booming in recent months, Laramore knows most Parade attendees won’t necessarily be in the market for a new home. They just want to get a taste of what’s

new in home construction. “On the consumer side, most just want to see the modern trends, the new color schemes for the year, or what flooring options or roofing materials are out there,” he says. “It’s one thing to go to a trade show and see a sample board. To see it in a 3,000-square-foot home is something else entirely.”

Many of this year’s homes will be staged with artwork and other decór. A few others will just barely have been completed in time for the tour. The relatively low number of homes in this year’s Connally Construction, Inc. Parade results from several factors, including supply-chain troubles that have plagued the construction industry. Delays in materials like windows and garage doors prevented some builders from participating in 2022.

But there’s a bright side for the thousands of ticket-holders who’ll attend: This year’s event is streamlined. “You’ll definitely be able to see all the participating homes,” says Laramore. “That’s a good thing. By visiting all of them you’ll be entered to win our Gold Prize.”

Attending all 16 homes qualifies ticket-holders for a chance to win the event’s Gold Prize, which includes a $3,000 shopping spree from Casey Carpet One and a $3,000 shopping spree from Marble Depot.

“Each ticket will have a unique QR code. When you scan it at each house in the Parade, it allows us to see which homes you’ve visited,” Laramore says. “That’s how you’ll qualify for the prizes.”

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Everyone who attends at least one home will be entered to win the Silver Prize: a $3,000 entertainment and security system from Sound

by Design.

The Amarillo Parade of Homes app, available for iPhone and Android users, acts as a digital guide for the event, offering directions to each home—some streets are so new they don’t appear yet on Google Maps—and letting users even take notes about what they see.

“If you see wood flooring you like in a certain house, you can make a note to remember it for when you go shopping,” Laramore says.

Up-and-Coming Neighborhoods

Homes in this year’s parade are clustered in Rockrose’s new

Pinnacle neighborhood, as well as several more developments in and around Amarillo. “Our developers definitely like this event,” says Whitni Bonner, TPBA Executive Assistant. “It gets people out to see the new neighborhoods.”

In the earliest days of Amarillo’s Parade of Homes, all participating homes would be on a single, walkable block in a new neighborhood (see below). Geography soon took over, with Parade homes popping up in every quadrant of Amarillo, and even toward Canyon and Bushland.

The 2022 Parade offers the best of both worlds. Several of this year’s homes are located on Hollow Landing in the brand-new Pinnacle neighborhood, near Hollywood and Bell behind Randall

1966 Parade of Homes on Gainsborough Road

MAKING HISTORY By clustering four homes on a block of Hollow Landing in the Pinnacle neighborhood, this year’s Parade of Homes echoes some of the first such events in Amarillo. Past TPBA President Bob Fenley began building houses in the area in 1972. He’s now 85 years old, and after 50 years of building houses, still remembers the first Parades in the city.

Featured Parade homes would all be located on a single city block—like Pinehurst Drive in Puckett Place or Gainsborough in the Belmar neighborhood. The street would be closed to traffic and families would literally parade, on foot, from one home to the next.

“The developer would offer a discount on the lots for everyone who built in the parade,” Fenley says. A developer might also offer to lay sod or install the fencing in order to attract participating builders. “The homes were all in one location and all within a comparable price range. You parked your car and walked down the street to look at them.”

Confined to a single street, the free event was designed to be an afternoon family outing, including activities for children.

Fenley specialized in moderate-income housing for first-time homebuyers, focusing on neighborhoods like Eastridge and Sunrise. Back then, builders like him depended on the Parade for the same reasons they do today. “It would give us an opportunity to show our wares to more people. We wanted to sell our Parade houses, of course, but you’re also looking for prospects,” he says.

Beyond the sales element, innovative builders offered a service

to the public. “We used a lot of new things people hadn’t seen.

People could come through and see a brick fireplace or an airconditioning system that had just come out,” he remembers.

“They wouldn’t see those things otherwise.”

That purpose hasn’t changed, but the home construction world has—and not just because today’s Parades feature homes of every size and price range, spread throughout the community.

“All the home builders back then were individual guys like me,” says Fenley, who is still a TPBA member. “They were former truck drivers or ex-framers. I’d come from the banking business. We weren’t college-educated. Nowadays it’s a completely different ball game.”

High School. Attendees can easily tour that cluster of homes, before driving to see the rest.

One of those Pinnacle houses was built by Cornerstone Fine Homes. “For builders, this event is huge,” says Chance Beasley of Cornerstone. “It’s my No. 1 marketing tool, apart from word of mouth. It gives people the opportunity to see your work up close.

Getting a few thousand people inside your doors is a pretty powerful marketing tool.”

After the 2020 Parade was forced to go virtual and the 2021 Parade dealt with COVID-safe capacity restrictions, all of this year’s planners and builders are excited for a return to normal. “Last year we had to be very cautious with any public events, but this year those protocols

have been lifted. The city has been very supportive and excited to help us,” Laramore says.

Beasley and the TPBA team expect to see upwards of 2,000 people attending this year. “It’s just something that’s a lot of fun for families,” he says. “We’ll have such a wide variety of styles. Not every builder has the same design taste, so it’s fun to go from house to house to get different ideas.”

He hopes this year’s attendees have as much fun touring the homes as he did when he was young. “It’s fun to see it come full circle, from going as a kid to actually building in the Parade today.”

Connally Construction, Inc.

™

May 12-15 & 19-22 Thursday & Friday 5:30-8 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Ticket Prices: $12.00 each, age 12 and up.

Children under 12 FREE

Presented by

Tickets available at: amarilloparadeofhomes.com ParadeSmart App Pak-A-Sak locations United Supermarkets locations

No cash ticket purchases available at the Parade homes.

Visit all of the homes to be entered into the Grand Prize: $3,000 in products from Marble Depot and $3,000 in products from Casey Carpet One. With any ticket purchase, entered to win a $3,000 Security and Entertainment System from Sound By Design.

Cornerstone Fine Homes, LLC ™

N Soncy Rd

Connally Construction, Inc.

40

W I-40

2 3

SW 34th Ave Helium Rd

Hope Rd

Arnot Rd

Blessen Dr

Bushland Rd

Soncy Rd

Coulter St S

5

Elk Springs Rd 6 FM 2186 S Dowell Rd

12

S Western St

Hillside Rd

SW 45th Ave 4

W Hollywood Rd

7-11

W Sundown Ln VFW 27

W McCormick Rd FM 2219

13

14-15

16 Canyon

Rockwell Rd

1 E Willow Creek Dr E St Francis Ave 287

E Hastings Ave

This year’s builders:

S Georgia St

1. Fox Hollow: 1501 Fox Hollow Ave. N & B Homes, Inc. 2. Prairie South Estates: 17851 Lone Ranch Rd. Betenbough Homes 3. Looby Estates #1: Barndo #28 R & L Builders, LLC 4. The Colonies: 7904 Valcour Dr. Old World Construction 5. Heritage Hills: 9101 Heritage Hills Pkwy.

Blue Haven Homes, LLC 6. Skyline Ranches: 3901 White Tail Springs Rd. Jadon Homes 7. Pinnacle by Rockrose: 5601 Hollow Landing Ave. HOME by Lyons 8. Pinnacle by Rockrose: 5603 Hollow Landing Ave. Connally Construction, Inc. 9. Pinnacle by Rockrose: 5605 Hollow Landing Ave. Cornerstone Fine Homes, LLC 10. Pinnacle by Rockrose: 5609 Hollow Landing Ave. Wyben Homes 11. Pinnacle by Rockrose: 9414 Stonecrest Dr. Wyben Homes 12. Mesquite Ridge: 9875 Desert Willow Rd. Llano Real Estate Group 13. Strawberry Fields: 15125 Let It Be Dr. Three Ale Custom Homes 14. Wildflower Village at Four Corners: 9951 Aster Rd. Rudd Homes, LLC 15. Wildflower Village at Four Corners: 14227 Periwinkle Dr. Bella Vista Homes 16. Spring Canyon: 14 Kingston Dr., Canyon Smart Living Custom Homes

BUILDERS

Rick Looby Homes How long have you been building homes? I’ve been investing in Amarillo-area properties for more than 30 years. I started out buying houses that needed repairs and updates, and completely remodeled most of them before renting them. Then I built my first house 22 years ago. It was a small, three-bedroom, two-bath at about 1,200 square feet. Since then, I have built another 150-plus homes.

What types or sizes of homes do you specialize in? Most of my homes I have built have been in the Tradewinds and City View developments, which are typically smaller, starter-level homes. These were three- and four-bedroom, two-bath and two-car garage houses.

They ranged from 1,500 square feet to 1,875 square feet.

What neighborhoods/developments are your primary focus? In 2006, I purchased 300 acres and developed 75 of those into Sunset Acres, a rural-feeling neighborhood south of I-40 off of Hope Road.

To date, I have built 52 homes in Sunset Acres, from 1,875 square feet to 2,950 square feet. Some are up to four bedrooms and even four-car garages. This is designed as a lease-only community with a lot of great amenities, including lawn service, free fiber-optic internet, a community center with game room, theater room, ball fields, playground with a splash pad, and even a basement tornado shelter. It also features Looby Lake, which hosts weekly entertainment in the summer.

Then I began developing another community called Looby Acres in 2021 around I-40 and the new Loop. This neighborhood features “Barndo” homes in a gated community. These barndominium homes are designed for clients who need a lot of space—living space, a garage/shop, and a fenced, private storage area on the backside of the home. Barndo Drive has 28 lots, which sit on one acre each. My Barndos range from 2,800 square feet to 4,900 square feet of living space, along with 3,200 square feet for a gaming/shop/workspace and an additional 1,100 square feet of storage. Then there’s a three-car garage along with covered porches, patios and balconies.

All plans are available for sale or lease, and have two master bedrooms with master baths, built-in storm cellars, and wheelchair lifts to the second level. The development has curb-and-gutter streets and a gated entrance, well and septic. It’s just three minutes from the medical center and shopping.

What sets you apart from other home builders? A good, quality home is a lot like a good, stable, happy family: It starts with a good foundation and requires a lot of careful planning and teamwork to achieve its goals. I build all my houses or Barndos with extra-thick concrete for the slab. I use foam insulation throughout the house and garage, plus insulated garage doors to result in the most efficient house possible.

Why do you believe the Amarillo/Canyon area is a great place to live? We are truly blessed to live where we do. This community still offers a small, hometown feel, where the citizens care for each other and work together to create a better Amarillo for the future.

History has shown us that the Amarillo area keeps growing at a steady pace, providing jobs and quality living for everyone. This is a great place to live.

806.236.3090 | RICKLOOBYHOMES.COM

BUILDERS

Old World Construction How long have you been building homes? We started in Amarillo in 2002, with one house on speculation. This is our 20th year in business.

What types or sizes of homes do you specialize in?

We build all sizes of homes, from 2,850 square feet to more than 10,000. Our typical project is often between 4,000 square feet and 5,600 square feet.

What neighborhoods are your primary focus? Currently, we are focused in The Colonies, The Trails, Riverfalls and Estancia. We have been known to take jobs in other neighborhoods as well, but usually stay within a 20-mile radius of Amarillo.

What sets you apart from other home builders? We are one of the only residential builders to offer a true “design/ build” format in the Texas Panhandle. We take care of clients from lot selection, concept, plans design, interior design, and the complete building process. It’s more or less a one-stop shop. We utilize 3-D design software to create plans that you can feel as well as see. This process gives clients a better idea of what the final project will look like and live like.

How did you first get into the business? I graduated from Amarillo High School in 1996. I worked in the jobs program my junior and senior year, and spent most of that time working for a local builder cleaning up job sites. I took the love of what I was doing and followed through with a construction science degree from Texas A&M University.

I worked through the trades all the way through college, spent a year in Dallas as a superintendent, then returned home to start my company in 2002.

Why do you believe the Amarillo/Canyon area is a great place to live? We love the small-town mentality of the Amarillo area. It’s an awesome place to raise your kids and develop lifelong relationships not only in business, but personally as well. We feel very fortunate that Amarillo adopted us and our creativity and helped us grow into what we are today. If it wasn’t for that kind of support, we would have never made it.

ERIC WHITE 4804 LEXINGTON SQUARE 806.353-3307 OLD-WORLD-CONSTRUCTION.COM

BUILDERS

Three Ale Custom Homes How long have you been building homes? 5 years.

Three Ale’s name was created in love and honor of my three beautiful children, Abel, Luke and Edith—my three loves.

What types or sizes of homes do you specialize in?

We build one-of-a-kind custom-designed homes from 2,100 to 2,900 square feet to 3,000 to 5,000 square feet. I have a knack for specialty homes, such as twostory modern homes, with luxury rooftop living spaces that exceed 500-plus square feet.

What neighborhoods/developments are your primary focus? Our primary focus is bringing our one-of-a-kind designs to the entire Texas Panhandle.

We’re not tied to any specific area.

What sets you apart from other home builders?

I have an eye for style and design. I work side by side with my clients to design/create their custom floor plans and meet or exceed their desires. I like to step outside the range of “normal” design to achieve beautiful, bold and personalized homes.

How did you first get into the business? I designed my family’s home and took on the build personally.

I sought out the best craftsmen to hire, as well as putting in much of the labor ourselves. During the process, I fell in love with the industry, creative mastery in designing a home, and working with others in our community to build their own homes.

Why do you believe the Amarillo/Canyon area is a great place to live? It’s “Home Sweet Home” to me, where the people are friendly and as my kids would say, “the air smells like money.” I’ve met some of the hardest-working women and men here.

DANIELLE SKAGGS 8 0 6 . 3 41 . 2767

[ SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION ]

BRICKANDELM.COM

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How one woman’s inspiration became a lifeline to a besieged country

BY JON MARK BEILUE

T

hey arrive usually at staggered times, but also sometimes at once. Yes, they are customers to this bakery of hope, hidden inside the red brick home of Cody and Glenda Moore at the end of a block on Bonham Street in south Amarillo. But more than that, they are a lifeline to those they will never know or see, some 6,400 miles away in a war-torn country.

Donations from their heart and conscience for cakes, cupcakes, sweet rolls, cookies, donuts, breads, scones, pies and muffins—67 different varieties in all—eventually funnel their way to 38-year-old Dmitry Pashchenko in Ukraine. Known as “Dima” to his friends, he’s a husband to Anya who speaks four languages and is a beacon of light in the darkness cast by the Russian invasion.

On a Monday morning in March, Tiffany Moore (no relation) pulled up in a black SUV. She picked up her online order of bread and cookies with the Ukrainian flag decorated on them.

“I think it’s great, especially with everything that’s going on,” Tiffany says. “I had my nieces over spring break, and we thought, ‘Let’s do something good.’ She does such a good thing.”

Inside was Glenda Moore in a rare moment of solitude and quiet. This former assistant school principal is the creator and owner of Kind House Ukraine Bakery, which fills a need she felt when she first traveled to Ukraine in 2013.

“Going to Ukraine, I began to understand how we live in kind of an entertainment bubble in America,” she says. “It’s beautiful— we have all this freedom, but we take it for granted. It was

GLENDA MOORE (CENTER) WITH VOLUNTEERS JOANIE RUNDBLAD AND MISSY LONG

PHOTOS BY VENICE MINCEY

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2

TO UKRAINE, WITH LOVE

shocking for me how I took it for granted. I truly didn’t know how well we had it. I needed to give back to the world and not just be a consumer, but a contributor.”

Her contribution, aided by 65 volunteers, keeps growing and growing. In 2020, Moore quit her job just two weeks into the school year as assistant principal at the Woodlands Elementary School because of the demands of the bakery.

That year, Kind House sent $100,000 to Ukraine. In 2021, that doubled to $200,000.

Moore, with her heart for learning and children, was a tutor at Alice Landergin Elementary until the first Russian missiles began to strike in Ukraine on February 24. She had to quit, with the well wishes of Landergin principal Bria Galt.

Kind House was covered up with orders. This was one thing those in Amarillo and outlying areas could do to respond to Russian aggression. In early 2022, Kind House was filling about 10 orders daily. When Ukraine was invaded, that exploded to 60 to 80 orders daily for two weeks.

Now it’s about 30 orders daily, half of the highest spike, but still three times more than usual. In just March, $100,000 was sent to Ukraine, which in the past, would represent nearly a year of donations. That’s a lot of Black Forest cakes and orange sweet rolls, and it’s also a lot of difference-making money going straight to Ukraine from a city almost half a world away.

“We were inundated,” Moore says, “which is a beautiful problem to have.”

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2

To paraphrase a line from a country song, Glenda Moore was pro-Ukrainian before pro-Ukrainian was cool. Nine years ago, Virginia Stubbs, Moore’s sister-in-law, was forming a team from Southwest Church of Christ to go to Ukraine as part of the nonprofit Eastern European Mission (EEM).

Stubbs, who had been to Ukraine two years earlier, urged her to go. Moore’s oldest daughter, Faith, had been there in 2012.

“Mom, you have to go,” Faith said. “This is your thing.”

For two weeks, Moore worked with youth camps near Poltava in eastern Ukraine in what was a bit like a Vacation Bible School.

A good number of participating children were from nearby orphanages, where studies show about 80 percent will end up in prison, prostitution or dealing drugs by age 25.

Ukraine has only been a democracy since 1991. Nonprofits are few in a country populated by poverty. Mission work like the one Moore was in were exceptions. Perhaps more than the children, Moore developed a heart for the interpreters. They were 25 to 30 years old, who quit their full-time jobs to work the camps, including one Dmitry Pashchenko.

“They wanted their nation to get better,” she says. “They came repeatedly each summer to check on those kids and I kind of fell in love with that idea. Americans are like, ‘Oh, let’s go rescue people.’ It wasn’t like that. I just wanted to follow them in their own passion and help them with what they had already started.”

It’s easy to return from an overseas mission, and no matter the connections, eventually put these white-hot emotions on the

MOORE’S FRONT PORCH STAYS STOCKED WITH BAKED GOODS AVAILABLE FOR PICKUP SIX DAYS A WEEK.

DONATED ITEMS FILL GLENDA MOORE’S GARAGE.

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Putting a ‘Kind House’ in a bakery

M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 2 BRICKANDELM.COM

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Coal to heat, people to rescue

The last nine months have—in many ways—been a blur for Moore.

She has had her faith and stamina tested in ways she could not have imagined. She, Cody, Faith and youngest daughter Hope have held steadfast.

In September 2021, her sister Melody Linda Moore, 53, died of bone and breast cancer. In January, her mother, who gave her daughter the idea of a fundraising bakery, died of cancer. Two deaths 118 days apart, and Glenda was caretaker for both. Her mother had been diagnosed with cancer in 2019, the reason Glenda stopped her Ukraine trips.

While in her 60s, Hobson had gone back to college, earned her teacher’s certificate and master’s degree, and taught for five years

YOUNG RECIPIENTS OF KIND HOUSE DONATIONS.

until she became too sick to continue.

“She was the shiniest penny you’ve ever seen in your life,” Moore says. “She dressed up every day to the hilt with her red lipstick and came into the kitchen to wash dishes over and over.”

Tim McMath, Glenda’s brother, was in Amarillo from Wichita Falls during the last week of his mother’s life. He looked around at all the busyness, all the volunteers, all the sweets going out. And he couldn’t help but observe: “Do you know you’ve built an empire?” he said.

“There’s a quote from It’s a Wonderful Life where George Bailey says something about how can a man with all these friends be poor?”

Moore says. “That’s what I felt with what we do here. We have all these volunteers who have poured into what we do. They love it so much they even, with what happened with our family, they stepped in and took care of the customers.”

As more and more cakes and cookies went out and more and more donations came in, Kind House has long since moved its focus from buying items for those heading to their universities to more expensive and more impactful aid.

Money flows into an Amarillo National Bank account where Moore, Kyle and Dima have access. Every dime that is available for Dima is accounted for.

Several years ago, Dima began to use Kind House funds to hire men to buy coal to heat the tiny homes that populate eastern Ukraine.

The first winter as a nonprofit, enough coal was purchased to heat 19 homes at a cost of $450 per home. It was 33 homes the second year, and 118 homes the next.

Funds have also gone to purchase medicine for those in an area about the size of the Texas Panhandle in a poorer part of Ukraine and to take those who lack transportation to medical appointments. Just as impactful, Dima hired people to help him.

“It’s not like he’s going to the market and buying coal,” Moore says.

“He’s hiring men who go to the mine and get the coal and bring it to the little villages. It’s important to us and him to help build up the economy. So it’s much more than humanitarian aid. It’s giving people purpose and helping them to help themselves.”

Then it all changed in February. Dima and Anya, his wife, live in

PROVIDED PHOTOS

backburner. Maybe gear up and go the next year, but in the meantime, what can anyone do?

When Moore returned to Amarillo on the first of her 13 trips to Ukraine, she wanted to help those she encountered. She shared that with her mother, Glenda Sue Hobson, who told her daughter that she was going to learn to bake.

Bake? As in cakes, cookies, rolls, pies, that kind of baking? Moore was the child who wanted to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when her mom had prepared an elaborate Mexican food dish. Cooking was not her thing.

“I was terrible at baking,” she says.

Her mom, though, was not. Baking, it was decided, was going to be the avenue for funds back to Ukraine. Hobson began coming to her daughter’s house at 4 a.m. to teach her how to make Glenda’s grandmother’s cinnamon rolls. It was a work in progress.

“One day, she said that she wasn’t coming, that she would talk me through it on the phone if I had any questions,” Moore says. “So in true education style, I learned the gradual release of teaching on how to bake cinnamon rolls.”

Moore scoured the internet on how to make cakes. The first attempts were, in her words, “miserable disasters.” But from those humble beginnings, she began to improve.

The initial modest goal was to send $100 a month to help those orphans who were transitioning to college, just a few supplies or dorm decorations as they moved on. The money would go to someone they trusted, but not directly to university students.

Hobson suggested early on that no price be put on baked goods.

It should be a donation and it was up to the customer to decide the amount.

“We felt like there was some sort of responsibility you place on the donors’ shoulders when you say, ‘Donate whatever you want to give,’” Moore says. “That might be scary for a shop owner. For me, I was already stepping out in faith, sending money and hoping it was doing good. When you say ‘faith-based,’ I’m not talking about a church, but faith in one another that we want to do good in the world.”

By 2015, Moore had her baked goods available on Facebook. It was originally the Ukraine Bakery, but Pashcenko suggested the words “Kind House.” It took hold.

By 2018, Kind House Ukraine Bakery became an official nonprofit. A board was established with Sue Ann Mills as president, and Terry Kyle as both vice president and the accountant.

In five years they had come so far, and as the next few years would show, so far still to go.

“ ”

awakening I had when I first left Ukraine—realizing I take my life and freedom for granted.”

Kind House has little overhead. There is a salary for Glenda and a smaller one for Dima, but Moore says about 85 to 90 percent of all donations are funneled directly to humanitarian aid.

Moore was once in a discussion with a skeptical 89-year-old man about her operation. He had no filter, and grilled her about the money and how much actually went to Ukraine. Eventually, Moore delivered him a pie. Convinced of its cause and streamlined operation, he plunked down a $100 bill.

It was a rare delivery. Customers come to the Moore home/bakery to pick up their goods. Orders can be placed on the website, Facebook, and even a Kind House app.

Because of cottage food laws, they are not allowed to ship goods, so virtually all orders come from within a short driving distance. An exception: a long-haul trucker saw Kind House online, placed an order and timed it so that when he went through Amarillo, he could pull his semi-truck onto Bonham’s residential street to pick up his sweets and drive off.

The rest of 2022 looks busy, with 30 orders a day the new normal. There is no end game to Kind House Ukraine Bakery. Unlike their cooking ingredients, there is no expiration date.

In fact, the next major step will be to move into a storefront. Moore and her volunteers were baking long before the war, and they will continue long after. It’s what she does and a part of who she is.

“I know it’s said over and over again in the Bible to love one another,” she says.

“Our human role, for some reason, we get away from that, and become selfish and think we should just take care of ourselves.

“But this is still so much more than I love them or that I fell in love with them. It’s more than a calling. It’s the fact that you and I are flesh and blood and we are all humans and we all belong to each other.”

As Glenda Moore spoke those words, maybe unknowingly, perhaps instinctively, her hands were crossed right above her heart. That says it all.

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Kramatorsk, an eastern Ukraine city around the size of Amarillo.

Kramatorsk was one of the early targets of Russian missiles. Soon, they and their children moved further west to the city of Dnipro.

Now, Dima not only helps transport journalists to eastern Ukraine, he also risks his life ferrying women and children from dangerous areas into western Ukraine and out of immediate harm’s way. Kind House donations pay for gas, other costs and a modest salary for Dima.

On Bonham Street in Amarillo, sweets and donations fuel all of that. On any given morning, the Moore home is full of volunteers.

Glenda wakes up at 3 a.m. daily. By 5 a.m., six mornings a week, volunteers begin arriving. On Saturday morning especially, with as many as 20 scurrying about, the Moore home looks a bit like Santa’s workshop in mid-December.

Laura and Jimmy Fox have volunteered since October. She retired in July as a senior manager in project management after 30 years at Pantex, and uses her eye for detail to streamline spreadsheets.

“Someone who quits a professional job to make her nonprofit full-time, that catches my eye,” Laura says. “The way it’s set up, with 95 percent of the money going out, that’s a very high percentage and that spoke to me. And Glenda personally speaks to me.

We just have a lot of the same thoughts about things. She’s very much into loving others. We’re heart sisters.”

Some volunteers have specific duties and others are more versatile and help where needed. Anaya, 14, lives in the neighborhood.

She gets off the school bus daily, comes to the home bakery, throws her backpack inside, and sweeps and cleans the front porch, which is the Kind House welcome area.

Missy Long arrives at 5 a.m. to wash dishes.

Teri Kitts is in charge of inventory, to make sure all the donated products—eggs, milk, flour and much more—are in supply. Many take turns in the “driver’s seat,” which is kind of a traffic cop to make sure orders get to the front porch when they should. It’s a long and invaluable list of help.

“They have a heart for others,” Moore says. “They want to be someone who gives back. They have this understanding—maybe this

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It’s more than a calling. It’s the fact that you and I are flesh and blood and we are all humans and we all belong to each other.

e l e va t e y o u r p l a t e

WITH RUTHIE LANDELIUS

SPRINGTIME PANTRY AND KITCHEN RESET

E

very May and October, I like to take inventory of my spice cupboard and test the freshness of my dried goods.

The May version of this is what I call Springtime Kitchen Pantry Reset, baby! Let’s get real: I cannot be the only one who periodically wipes down all of my spice jars. Surely, I am not the only one who hates reaching for the ground ginger and finding I am completely out. This bi-yearly method keeps all your favorite ingredients fully stocked so that you always have what you need. And, of course, there will be a time or two when you will need to buy more in between those “reset” months.

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Where to Store Your Stash

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Some of you have adorable spice racks on your counter or mini, magnetic tins stuck to your fridge—which is totally cool. I keep my spices behind closed doors in a cupboard. They like to be stored in airtight containers in dark, cool places. You want to keep them away from light, moisture and too much heat. I have reached for the lemon pepper before, only to find it was all stuck to the bottom of the jar. You guessed it—either moisture or age got to it.

Out With the Old!

The first thing I do is take everything out of the spice cupboard and set it all on the counter. You will likely see a few duplicate spices or one or two that are empty.

Check each spice for an expiration date. If it’s as old as your jokes, throw it out! Once you’ve weeded out the old stuff, combine any duplicate jars into one. I like to use extra jars for other ingredients (depending on the size of the jar).

Add a dried bean or two into the jar for the spices you know you won’t use as often. The beans will keep moisture away for the next use.

In With the New!

Once you have wiped half a year’s gunk from your shelves, you can now focus on getting your spices back inside and organized. My spice cupboard consists of three shelves: The bottom shelf is for the spices I use on a regular basis. I’m 5 feet tall, and it just makes it easier to grab what I need. The second shelf is designated for specialty spices I don’t use as often and other mixes that contain dairy ingredients. I keep those separate from the others since I have a vegan in the house. (He’s pretty handsome, too, I must say.) The top shelf is where I store any bulk spices, salts and dried herbs. I buy some bulk spices because I go through them so fast!

Quick wrap-up: Keep your most-used spices within reach and store less-used spices out of reach.

Storing Dried Bulk Ingredients

I am a sucker for old glass canning jars and vintage containers.

My mother had a slew of them, and I grew up looking at these vessels every time I walked into our kitchen. They now store all my bulk dried beans, pastas and grains. In an accomplished effort to pay homage to my beautiful mom, I decided to remove the doors from one of my kitchen cabinets and display bulk ingredients in her jars. This way, I can always see when I am running low on something. And my mind’s eye sees the woman who inspired me to pick up a spatula.

• If you have any precious, sentimental containers to store your bulk ingredients in, use them! If you don’t have anything old, you can always find great storage solutions at The Container Store. I don’t want to promote consumerism too much by directing you to a place where you can buy all the things to store your stuff so you can buy more stuff, but I seriously love some of their stuff.

• Use the same shelving system as your spices, keeping the mostused items within reach, unless you were gifted with the height of Lurch. That’s totally fine. I won’t really call you Lurch to your face but I might say it under my breath because I’m jealous.

• You can use a nice-sized basket to store pasta that is still in its store-bought packaging if you don’t have enough space for additional containers. It’s a nice display and makes pasta easy to find, because when do we not need pasta?

• Keep a few of your favorite cookbooks on the bottom shelf to use when inspiration strikes you! I like to rotate cookbooks every month so they all receive the love they deserve.

• When you’re ready to stock up again, there are a ton of online companies that offer a great variety of bulk items. I love Azure Standard for bulk dried beans, and I dig the grains on Amazon Pantry.

Our spice game is just a small, lovely corner in our kitchen.

Once you reset yours, you will want to move on to organizing your refrigerator and utensil drawers, which will put you in the mood to cook more fabulous meals. You’ll thank me later!

R U T H I E L AN D E L I U S Ruthie owns Black Fig Food catering and is proprietor of the online cooking platform Elevated Plant Plate. Learn more at elevatedplantplate.com and blackfigfood.com.

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PROVIDED PHOTOS

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D

Green Living anny Melius wants salad-eaters to think beyond iceberg lettuce. A favorite in restaurants, this crunchy staple contains small amounts of Vitamin A and Vitamin K—and it’s better than eating, for instance, french fries— but there are much more nutritious options for a salad.

Those options also have more flavor.

“Most people here are used to salads that don’t really taste like anything,” says Melius, the owner of Nuke City Veg, a multilocational urban farm in Amarillo. “Along with the flavor comes the nutrients, so when you have something bland, without a lot of taste, it means there’s not much in it that’s good for you.”

Most of that crunchy iceberg lettuce is also grown in California, which means it must be harvested, cleaned, and transported a thousand miles before those leaves make it onto a local plate. As soon as a crop is picked, it starts to feed on its own nutrients. The longer a vegetable sits on a truck or on a grocery store shelf, the more vitamins and nutrients it loses. Fresher is always better. “It’s going to be more nutrient-dense from your own environment than any imported stuff,” he says.

That’s why, in a world of supply-chain issues and worries about commercial pesticides, a few local restaurants would rather serve locally grown greens. Melius has partnered with restaurants like OHMS Cafe & Bar, Brent’s Cafe and Blue Crane Bakery to provide greens grown in Amarillo. He also sells his produce directly to the public through local display coolers, including Salt Spices & Specialties in Wolflin Village, along with a summer presence

at local community markets.

But at the same time, Melius always advocates for local gardeners to experiment with their own crops—and leafy greens are particularly easy to grow in this area, especially during the mild temperatures of spring and fall. These plants love cool weather.

“I call it the shoulder season,” Melius says. “Spring and fall and even into winter, or the tail end of winter, the temperatures are just right for [leafy greens].”

They grow fast, too. A tomato plant takes all season to produce, and if something happens to that plant around August, an athome tomato harvest might be ruined. But dark leafy greens can sometimes be harvested within just a few weeks of sowing the seeds. Once harvested, they’ll continue growing new leaves.

(Eventually, summer heat causes them to bolt—sending up stalks of flowers—which means a reduction of flavor.)

“In the summer, I can get four or five harvests on stuff like my spring mix or lettuce mix,” he says. “Even if you have a failure, just clean out the dead stuff and spot-plant new seeds and you’ll have more in a month.”

kitch M

elius grows the following greens at his two farm locations and says all of them are great options for Amarillo vegetable gardens, especially when planted early in May.

S P RI N G M I X

Nuke City’s spring mix contains arugula, mizuna ( Japanese mustard greens), the spinach-like tatsoi and red Russian kale. All of those grow readily in the Panhandle climate. “It does really well but has a strong flavor,” he says. “It’s not necessarily for everybody, but it’s great if you like a full-flavored salad.”

“I’ve also started selling arugula by itself. It’s hearty, with a warm, peppery taste to it,” Melius says. The intensity of arugula depends on when it’s harvested. Baby arugula will be milder, while mature arugula has a spicier kick.

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A RUG U L A

LOOS E LEA F L E TT U CE

Iceberg lettuce forms a compact head, but loose leaf lettuce varieties grow, well, looser. “These do really well and have a more earthy flavor,” says Melius. “Some people consider it bitter, but I think that’s just the difference in quality. It has flavor. People are used to lettuce that tastes like water.”

S W I S S C HA RD

“This is a plant-it-and-forget-it crop. You can harvest on it all year long,” he says. “Chard has a buttery, spinachy flavor and is really versatile.” Its broad leaf is great raw on a sandwich or torn apart in a salad. “I also like to saute it down with olive oil or butter,” he says.

RA D I S HE S M USTA RD GR E E N S

These flavorful greens are also ideal for salads or sandwiches, but Melius warns that they do have intense flavor. “It’s a very strong flavor because it’s mustard,” he says. The seeds used to make mustard come from this plant, so expect a more pungent taste.

Some foodies love radish greens as well, but Melius says the root vegetable itself represents a great crop for hobby gardeners. “They are really easy and simple, and they tell you when they’re ready to be picked—the radish crowns out of the ground,” he explains. “And they grow really quick. If you have a failure, just replant it and you’ll have more in a month.”

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Danny Melius shared these family recipes with Brick & Elm:

Nuke-City Salad

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For our salads at home, we like to use our baby carrots, Easter egg radishes, sun gold cherry tomatoes—which taste like candy—and cucumbers, with a simple balsamic vinaigrette.

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1 (5-ounce) bag Nuke-City salad mix, if leaves are larger, slightly chopped 4 ounces Nuke-City Easter egg radishes, sliced 4 ounces Nuke-City baby carrots, sliced 4 ounces Nuke-City Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, whole or halved 1 cucumber, sliced Salad dressing of choice Makes 6 servings

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Apple, Bacon and Onion Our favorite way to prepare chard at home is a simple saute as a side dish.

3 slices bacon, diced 1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced 1 gala apple, diced 1 (5-ounce) bag Nuke-City rainbow chard ¼ teaspoon sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper Place a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to the pan and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in apple. Cut stems of chard underneath the leaf and slice; chop leaves. Stir stems and leaves into skillet along with bacon, salt and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of water; cover skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until chard is tender, about 8 more minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Urban Farming

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Amarillo residents have been planting backyard gardens since the city was founded. But Danny Melius has gone a step further.

He grows food commercially within the city limits—and he does it almost year-round.

A former software quality assurance analyst and developer, Melius turned to farming full-time in 2016 after his employer, Hastings, closed its doors. Today he manages two farm locations inside the Amarillo city limits.

One is a partnership with Square Mile Community Development along historic Route 66 in the San Jacinto neighborhood.

There, in what was once a parking lot, Melius manages around 7,000 square feet of gardens.

Nuke City Veg also has a plot of land in the Vineyards of Amarillo development on the north side of town, where Melius grows produce in 68 50-foot beds. Using natural practices and innovative garden tunnels and shades, he’s able to extend his growing season deep into the winter months.

Learn more about his work at nuke-cityveg.com and follow Melius’ daily gardening livestream at twitch.tv/lonegardener.

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HOME IMPROVEMENT A

marillo is growing. New businesses are opening. New residents are showing up. New developments are selling out, and existing homeowners are deciding it’s time to upgrade their environments. From innovative outdoor spaces to custom furniture—and from home automation to unique blinds and decor— these local businesses are making sure Amarillo’s homes are as comfortable as they are functional.

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

Rockwood Furniture Co. What is your business, expertise or area of interest? We are Jake and Stephanie Rempel and Jake’s brother, Henry Rempel, and we own Rockwood Furniture Co. Impeccable craftsmanship is the essence of value. The furnishings we curate for our customers are designed for today in a range of aesthetics and styles, yet crafted to last a lifetime using methods passed through generations by skilled makers.

How did you get your start? We grew up in small-town Texas and have been in business in Amarillo for nearly 15 years. We first opened in August 2007 at the entrance to Westgate Mall. We have since grown into a much larger showroom and retail location on I-27, between Amarillo and Canyon, and serve customers all across the tri-state area.

What is your specialty? Service, selection and a wide range of in-stock styles for every room of your home.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? In a world where quality and solid hardwood furniture is becoming increasingly rare, we are proud to offer American-made brands and handcrafted furniture by Amish craftsmen and other American artisans. We have ventured out into other lines throughout the years, but these lines still excel.

What new technology are you excited about for 2022? We are excited to offer new technology that helps us connect with our customers and understand their wants and needs. Our online “Find your Home’s Design Style” Quiz is a quick, fun and interactive series of “this-or-that” questions to help clients feel more confident and give clear design direction when choosing furniture and decor.

We’ve also launched a series of Augmented Reality furniture pieces you can scan from your phone’s camera and place virtually anywhere in your space. When placed, these items are lifesize-scaled, which allows you to design, rearrange and experience pieces in your room with your existing furniture.

We know, more often than not, when customers buy from a big box chain retailer they do not get the experience they were hoping for. They cannot visualize the pieces in their home, have to rely on small swatches of fabrics and finishes when attempting to customize an item, and are disappointed when the quality is poorer than expected.

We pride ourselves on having a full showroom for you to see, touch and experience the comfort yourself. In addition, we have implemented technology that allows us to build each piece of furniture by picking wood, stain and fabrics to see a real-life representation of fully customizable pieces and how they can complement each other in your home. From the first day we opened our showroom doors, we have been committed to giving our customers the best possible experience and service. By implementing the most cuttingedge technology, it allows us to stay connected with our customers and continue to serve them in the best way possible.

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your industry right now? While we have had the same long lead times and industry issues as most larger retailers, we have learned to have patience and look at creative solutions for our customers. We spend hours searching for companies with quality items that we can have delivered quickly. We have tried to keep our stock supply healthy, enabling customers the ability to take home items off the floor.

We are in constant contact with our suppliers, trying to get our customers’ orders in a timely manner, all while maintaining exceptional customer service.

What is one piece of advice you would give to homeowners? When you are choosing furniture for your home, invest in quality pieces as timeless staples. Then, when it’s time to change the look and feel of your space, it can be easily accomplished with artwork, accent pieces, rugs and pillows, always leaving your home feeling curated but current.

11570 I-27 | 806.358.8778 ROCKWOODFURNITURECO.COM

The Pergola Shop “P

ergolas have been around for years, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be improved,” says Brice Stater, owner of The Pergola Shop.

“We are constantly looking for new products that will enhance and improve your outdoor space.”

That includes outdoor kitchens, heaters or fireplaces for cooler weather, custom patio furniture, made inhouse, and a lot more on display at the company’s new downtown showroom.

Stater got his start at age 14 working for his father’s construction company in Iowa. After the family moved to Amarillo, he found work as a framer, then spent 17 years in law enforcement. He kept doing construction on the side, though, and in 2006, he made a career transition. He started Stater Construction, and began focusing on home-building and remodeling full time. But it wasn’t long before he realized “people love pergolas and we love building them.”

That’s when The Pergola Shop was born. In the spring of 2021, the company opened its showroom— and it features more than just pergolas. “We are able to display almost everything we offer so that you can see exactly what you are getting from the beginning,” he says.

Still, custom-built pergolas remain the company’s specialty. “We offer traditional pergolas that have an open, slatted roof, pavilions that have a pitched roof, and we even have a pergola with a louvered roof that opens and closes with the push of a button,” Stater explains. “Each one that we build is designed to meet the specific needs of our customers. We want you to have the ability to completely customize every aspect of your pergola, from motorized screens to fireplaces and fire tables, and so much more.”

The indoor showroom sets The Pergola Shop apart, but so does Stater’s use of the dovetail method when building pergolas. This method does away with bulky metal hardware that, from his perspective, takes away from the structure’s natural beauty. “The dovetail method is known to be the strongest method used to join two pieces of wood,” he says. “Because it has been used for centuries, we feel confident that what we are building will last for many years to come.”

701 SE 10TH AVE. 806.681.2157 | THEPERGOLASHOP.COM

HOME IMPROVEMENT

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

OWNERS PEDRO AND TANYA LIMAS (SEATED) WITH THE SOUND BY DESIGN TEAM

Sound By Design How did you get your start? During my fourth year of working at Circuit City, I found myself helping clients with installations on my time off and enjoyed that more than the retail environment. This was also when the 18-inch dish and new service offerings from DirecTV and Dish Network were growing in popularity. There was exciting growth in home electronics and I wanted to be a part of it.

I left Circuit City in 1998, and with the support of my wife Tanya, we founded Sound By Design. With the help of our great community have grown it to what it is today.

What is your specialty? “We deliver magic by making technology simple.” We help clients enjoy the content being delivered to their homes through internet, cable and satellite by making their home electronics easy to use.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? We listen to our client’s wants as well as their struggles and strive to deliver a valuable solution to their needs. We have a technically advanced staff that can quickly meet our clients’ needs. Our team stays ahead of the competition through research and training, to keep up with the ever-changing industry, and we provide services you wouldn’t expect from a typical sound company. Sound By Design offers lighting design and control, motorized shades, and full-service security.

What new technology, service or product are you excited about for 2022? We are excited about the AI features that will be available for homeowners. Artificial Intelligence will soon be an integral part of our lives. With the increase in demand, the need for ensuring that our clients’ privacy and personal information is protected has increased, as well.

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your industry right now? We are experiencing a supply chain issue that has become commonplace across a variety of industries. Our industry is competing for the same silicon chip needed by the automobile industry. It is frustrating and at the same time satisfying that our customers have been very understanding and thankful for any adjustments we can make.

What is one piece of advice you would give to homeowners? Invest in your home. Over the past couple of years, we have all realized the importance of our homelife experience. If you’re building a new home, prepare for a connected home with a top-notch wired infrastructure.

A wired environment is much more reliable and secure than a wireless environment.

5 21 5 S . C O U LT E R , S U I T E 3 0 0 806.352.5884 SOUNDBYDESIGN.COM

HOME IMPROVEMENT

La-Z-Boy Home Furnishings & Decor How did you get your start? Our family has been in the furniture business since 1974, when my dad and his brother-in-law opened opened a furniture store in Pampa.

My dad opened La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries in Amarillo in 1997, and I took over the day-to-day operations in early 2020 after spending 8 years working in the wholesale side of the furniture industry.

What is your specialty? We specialize in seating for the home. We offer everything from sofas to sectionals to chairs, and of course, recliners. We also carry occasional tables, accessories and even dining, bedroom and home office items.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? We’re unique in that we only carry LaZ-Boy products or La-Z-Boy-owned lines (excluding our accessory lines). We know every detail about our products, and we can customize a chair or sofa to fit each customer’s taste and style. We’re proud to be locally owned and operated for 25 years.

What new product are you excited about for 2022?

We are excited about the increased offerings of power headrest and power lumbar on more products. Although these features have been around for a few years, they have taken off in popularity in recent years. La-Z-Boy has continued to increase the use of this technology on not just recliners, but sofas and loveseats, too.

OWNER JOEY HAWKINS

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your industry right now? Increased and/or inconsistent lead times due to multiple supply chain disruptions have been a thorn in our side. Although we have no control over how quickly something will be produced and shipped to us, we do everything we can to keep our customers updated with the latest information. However, we have also increased our in-stock offerings, so we can get products to our customers faster.

What is one piece of advice you would give to homeowners? Think about where you spend the most time in your home and invest there. Oftentimes, consumers are looking for the lowest price point and will end up regretting their purchase. So much of our mornings and evenings are spent at home, and often in the living room. Make yourself as cozy and comfortable as you can, while creating a space you’re proud of.

3636 SONCY ROAD 806 . 352.4600 | L A-Z-BOY.COM

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Budget Blinds How did you get your start? We wanted to move from working in our previous careers to owning our own business.

During our research, we came upon the Budget Blinds franchise. What attracted us to Budget Blinds was the family atmosphere among the various franchisees, the service culture that existed at the franchise and individual owner level, and the wonderful support they offered.

What is your specialty? Customer service is our specialty at Budget Blinds. We consult with you to understand what you want to achieve in relation to function and design. We bring the showroom to you to make selections for your new window treatments, measure your windows to make sure you have a true custom fit, and offer a professional install.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? We offer the best of both worlds—local ownership and being part of Budget Blinds, which is the largest window treatment franchise in the country. With the size and buying power of our franchise, we are able to choose from a variety of vendors and products that best fit our market and the customer’s needs.

What trends are you excited about for 2022?

Motorization for hard-to-reach windows is a dream.

With automation, you can raise or lower your shades on a schedule or even if you’re away from home. We are also big believers in cordless, child-safe and pet-safe products. We encourage everyone to consider these options. We have solutions for most window treatment types.

What kinds of challenges are you facing in the industry right now? Our biggest challenge is shipping and availability. Our vendors are constantly working on improving ship times and making sure the supply chain is working correctly. Shipping issues are improving, but there are still challenges.

What is one piece of advice you would give homeowners?

Be creative. Window treatments are as much a part of home design as wall color, furniture, and even the décor. You can improve the feel and look of your home with the type of window treatment you choose. Allow us to help you see how window treatments can make your home more beautiful.

And remember that window treatments have a lifespan.

They grow old and need replacing just like an appliance.

3 3 5 0 O L S E N B LV D. , S U I T E 1 0 0 0 806.553.2696 | BUDGETBLINDS.COM

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HOME IMPROVEMENT

The Urban Giraffe How did you get your start? We got our start in retail with an outdoor decor store called Back Yard 2 Go, which featured metal yard art. We then made the move to the home decor side in 2013. We moved to our current location in 2016.

What is your specialty? I like to think that what makes our store special is the number of options we provide. We can help clients personalize their homes no matter their design style, from modern or contemporary to Western or Boho. We have it all! We also offer a variety of price points for every budget.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? We are a one-stopshop. We carry all the items you need to make your house a home: lighting, mirrors, candlesticks, furniture, accessories, pillows, wall art and more. Our stock is updated every week!

What new products are you excited about for 2022? We are focusing on more home and gift ideas. We want our customers to be able to find the perfect gift for any occasion.

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your industry right now? Like every other business in town, shipping delays and the cost of doing business have been very challenging.

There are no time frames for getting inventory and prices are increasing with every order. We are grateful for the patience and understanding of our loyal customers!

What is one piece of advice you would give to homeowners? Only purchase what you love. When you do, the decor will be cohesive throughout your home and reflect your unique personality.

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PDC Construction & Fabrication

HOME IMPROVEMENT

How did you get your start? I started building metal buildings as a side job while working at Pantex. Eventually, I was able to leave Pantex and pursue my business full time.

What is your specialty? We specialize in custom metal buildings, whether it’s metal pole barns, weld-up, bolt-up buildings, or barndominiums.

What sets you and your business apart from your competitors? We take pride in what we build and never leave a job site unless the customer is satisfied to the best of our ability. I also make it a point to call prospective customers back to give them a bid when asked. It is a common courtesy that each customer deserves.

What new technology, service, or product are you excited about for 2022? We would be excited by declining gas, materials, and home prices in 2022! We plan to continue delivering the best quality construction for the price no matter the challenge.

What kinds of challenges are you facing in your industry right now?

Like everyone else, material price increases make it difficult to bid jobs that will begin in the future. We also have to be innovative at times to be able to meet schedules due to material shortages.

What is one piece of advice you would give to homeowners? Your place would look better with one of our buildings on it!

C H A D C U LW E L L 806.654.3658

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CEDARS MEDITERRANEAN

I

always wanted a Mediterranean restaurant,” says Paul Khoury of the relatively new Cedars, located on Western just south of Interstate 40. Khoury, who came to the United States from Lebanon in 1980, is no stranger to the local restaurant scene. He owned La Bella Pizza on Olsen before retiring several years ago, and had traveled back and forth between restaurant ventures in Texas and Michigan—where he lived right after his arrival in the U.S.—for more than two decades.

But Khoury found he wasn’t ready to stay retired. “I can’t just be sitting home,” he says. “I have to go to work.”

With so few local options for Mediterranean food, Khoury imagined Amarillo would support the fresh flavors he grew up on. The response to Cedars has proved him right. “Most of our customers are repeat customers. People are familiar with Mediterranean food,” he says. His restaurant offers lunch and dinner menus, with favorites like gyros, falafel and kebabs proving popular with locals.

No meal at Cedars is complete without Khoury’s house-made hummus and fresh, homemade bread.

“Our foods are traditional and take lots of time to prepare. No other restaurant serves [these dishes],” Khoury says. “We take great pride in being the place where families get together to enjoy a meal.”

2110 S. Western St. 806.437.1133 cedarsmediterranean.com

AM AR I L L O

1887 SOCIAL HOUSE

The name refers to the year Amarillo was founded, but the atmosphere is way more modern than that. This dinner-only spot inside the downtown Embassy Suites specializes in small bites. There’s a full restaurant setting, but the spacious, trendy bar area gets the most traffic.

550 S. Buchanan St., 803.5504, hilton.com $$

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575 PIZZERIA

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Owned by an Amarillo native, the two 575 locations serve the best pizza in the city. Locals rave about the incomparably thin crust, the way the thin-sliced pepperoni crisps up in the oven, and the fresh ingredients. Their easy to-go ordering includes craft beer and wine by the bottle.

2803 Civic Circle/7710 Hillside Road, Suite 700322.5575, 575pizzeria.com $$

THE 806 COFFEE + LOUNGE

Art meets coffee—and a surprisingly delicious vegetarian and vegan menu—at this locally owned, atmospheric shop on Sixth. (The brunch is especially good.) Time it right and you’ll catch live music or an art show. If you’re ready to ditch the minimalist coffee scene, start here. 2812 SW Sixth Ave., 322.1806, the806.com $

THE AÇAÍ BAR

Don’t worry about how to say it. Just order one of these fruity, flavorful bowls or smoothies. They’re perfect for postworkout refueling or a light, nutritious lunch. The ingredients are mostly organic and the owners are local. Pro tip: It’s pronounced “ah-saw-ee.”

7306 SW 34th Ave., Suite 9, 367.9724, theacaibaramarillo.com $

ALDACO’S TACOS

Look, if your name rhymes with “taco,” then it’s pretty much just fate. Tucked away on Sixth street in one of those iconic, recognizable old Toot-n-Totum buildings, this is the spot for affordable, authentic tacos and tamales. 3623 SW Sixth Ave., 374.4945 $$

THE BAGEL PLACE

This beloved breakfast and lunch spot introduced bagels to the Panhandle years ago, and locals have been grateful ever since. Grab a fresh bagel to go and choose from a variety of cream cheese flavors. Or try the oversized homemade sweets. (Look, everything here is delicious.) 3301 Bell St., 353.5985, bagelplace.net $

BANGKOK RESTAURANT

In a city known for its Thai food, Bangkok is truly authentic—and a legit Amarillo Boulevard dive. Take it from patrons with experience: If they say it’s “spicy,” they mean it. Get ready, and make sure you’ve got plenty of water. 5901 Amarillo Blvd.

East, 383.9008 $

BANGKOK-TOKYO

The name should give you an idea of the Asian fusion available here. The dining area is very small—thanks, weird triangle roofline!—but you can get fantastic Thai food combined with even better sushi.

Takeout orders are quick, and it also now offers an expanded gluten-free menu. 2413 S. Western St., Suite A, 353.4777 $$

BAR 3

This out-of-the-way spot is located south of town at Preston West Golf Course, but it’s got a loyal patronage. We might even say it’s worth the, um, long drive. Hit it on Taco Tuesday, or grab traditional bar/grill food the rest of the week. Regular drink specials quench your thirst. 9101 S. Coulter St., 353.7003 $

BEEF ‘O’BRADY’S

Amarillo is not exactly a haven for Irish food or drinks. But this family-friendly chain offers the closest thing to it—at Beef ‘O’Brady’s, the pub food is “Irishinflected”—all wrapped up in a sports bar atmosphere. There’s a sizable party room, too. 7306 SW 34th Ave., 358.0997, beefobradys.com $$

BELMAR BAKERY

This family-owned bakery is known across the city for its cookies and cakes, but the restaurant side has a passionate clientele

This is not a comprehensive list of local restaurants. From issue to issue, we will try to include a wide variety of dining options based on the space available. If you notice an error, please email mm@brickandelm.com.

of its own. Grab an enormous breakfast burrito with Roasters coffee. For lunch, try the soup or a panini. Belmar also has great box lunches and party trays. 3325 Bell St., 355.0141, belmarbakery.com $

BENJAMIN’S DONUTS & BAKERY

Local folks are serious about donuts, and there is definitely a “Benjamin’s donuts or no donuts at all” camp. Benjamin’s is familyowned and -operated, and you won’t find a bad option on the menu—from donuts to the pastries, kolaches, breakfast sandwiches and burritos. 7003 Bell St., 353.1100/1800 Western St., 803.1133 $

BLUE CRANE BAKERY

This locally owned breakfast-and-lunch spot has a frequently changing menu, welcoming staff, and a reputation as one of the best keto-friendly bakeries in town.

The homemade poptarts are incredibly popular. Or, grab a cookie, pie or cake— all served with coffee from The 806.

3223 SW Sixth Ave., 322.3233 $

BLUE SKY

Burgers are big here, and locals almost always rate these the best in town, which is why Blue Sky’s two locations are always busy. We also love the homemade shakes, the fried anaheim chile sticks and the cheese fries. Families love the casual setting and outdoor dining. 4201 I-40 West, 355.8100/5060 S. Coulter St., 322.3888, blueskytexas.com $$

BUTTERLOVE BISCUITS

Yes, the entire restaurant concept is built around biscuits and isn’t that all you really need to know? Biscuits are the ultimate comfort food and these are heavenly, with savory and sweet options and brunch cocktails in a fun environment—owned by the sweethearts behind Ruffled Cup. 3440 S. Bell, Suite 130, 418.8966, butterlove.com $$

CADA VEZ COMIDA MEXICANA

This relatively new Town Square restaurant is already getting raves for its classic Tex-Mex fare. The savory birria tacos are wonderful, and so are the salsa selections— with 22 beers on tap and excellent

$ $$ $$$

Most entrees under $10 Most entrees $11 to $20 Most entrees over $21

f+d margaritas to wash it all down. Try the weekend brunch! 9200 Town Square Blvd., Suite 1000, 418.6976, cadavezamarillo.com $$

GREAT GIFT IDEAS FOR MOM

CARNICERIA Y TAQUERIA LA POPULAR

You can’t go wrong at an eatery tucked into the back of a family-owned supermarket.

Do your shopping, then hit the counter for a lunch of barbacoa tacos and tamales.

On the way back, grab traditional Mexican sweetbreads like conchas and marranitos.

1505 SE Third Ave., 374.6451 $

FINE LEATHER HANDBAGS

CHOP CHOP RICE CO.

This long-standing fast-casual Asian restaurant is Amarillo-owned, with two locations here and three in Lubbock. It’s a favorite of high school and college students, who appreciate its generous portions and reasonable prices. 3300 S. Coulter St., Suite 1, 457.0700/2818 Wolflin Ave., 731.4499, chopchoprice.com $

CITY CAFÉ AND ESPRESSO

“Wanna eat at the PD?” Don’t be surprised at the question. This basement location at the Amarillo Police Department offers a full breakfast—it’s very affordable—and lunch menu with an espresso bar. The daily specials are popular, along with sandwiches, wraps, flat bread, burgers and salads. Call-in and togo orders welcome. 200 SE Third Ave., Level B, 378.6104 $

2611 Wolflin Village (806) 331-2002 marcellas.com

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Located on 45th in the old Carl’s Jr. building, this fast casual franchise offers Cajun-style seafood like shrimp boils, fish tacos, catfish, etouffee, seafood and fries baskets. The Texas franchise has locations throughout the state. 5900 SW 45th Ave., 803.2925, thecatchhouston.com

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THE CATCH

2612 Wolflin Village | Amarillo, TX purposeandpassionboutique.com Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:30am – 5:30pm

COYOTE BLUFF CAFE

It’s located in a little shack. It’s been featured on national TV shows. It’s one of those places locals love to take visitors. This tiny, iconic burger joint has a big reputation for its green chile burgers, its ribeye steaks, and—if you can handle it—the mouth-blazing Burger from Hell. A true Amarillo dive. 2417 S. Grand St., 373.4640, coyotebluffcafe.com $

DELVIN’S RESTAURANT & CATERING

After opening in 2015, this North Heights restaurant quickly gained a diverse, dedicated clientele from across the city thanks to its generous portions and made-from-scratch

Also find us out west at From 6th Collective 18100 I-40 West

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flavors. (The buttermilk pie is worth a trip by itself.) 1300 N. Hughes St., 803.9111, delvinsrestaurant.com $

next door. 2908 SW Sixth Ave., 374.9237, goldenlightcafe.com $

DOÑA JUANITA RESTAURANT

Yes, it’s a biker bar, but don’t let the fact that you drive a Subaru keep you from this Texas-style comfort food. The fried bologna sandwiches are *chef’s kiss* and the gigantic Bloody Mary might as well be a meal. The outdoor dining on Sixth Street really gets our motors running. 3514 SW Sixth Ave., 803.9538 $

The Boulevard is home to some of Amarillo’s oldest and best little dives, and few are as authentic as this one. The traditional Mexican dishes include homemade corn tortillas and some of the best refried beans in the city. Doña Juanitas is family-owned and has been around forever. Try the coffee with cinnamon! 2208 Amarillo Blvd. East, 220.2610 $

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EL GIRO

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A small, under-the-radar favorite for authentic Mexican food—not Tex-Mex—in west Amarillo. El Giro is well-known for its inexpensive tacos, including a huge taco box order with a dozen-plus tacos. Very much a go-to order for office meetings and small events. Look for their food truck on the Boulevard. 1800 Bell St., 318.3859 $

FAVS

FAVs stands for “Fruits and Vegetables,” and that’s precisely the healthy focus of this small family-owned shop. Beyond the smoothies and fruit bowls, FAVs serves salads, sandwiches, wraps, soups and fresh pressed juice. A true hidden gem in the Plemons-Eakle neighborhood.

706 SW 16th Ave., 803.9171 $

THE HANDLE BAR AND GRILL

IT’S A PUNJABI AFFAIR

Indian food is hard to find in Amarillo, but this hut across from Sam Houston Park takes a friendly, youthful approach to Indian-style street food. Our go-to orders include the butter chicken, lamb curry, and marinated and fried tilapia—plus options for vegans and vegetarians. 4201 Bushland Blvd., 414.2114, itsapunjabiaffair.square. site $

JACOBO’S CAFE

This cute, diner-style storefront on Olsen serves down-home meals with a focus on Mexican food. The pancakes and breakfast burritos are super-popular, as are the spicy chilaquiles. Family-owned, fair prices and always worth a visit. 3701 Olsen Blvd., Suite L, 418.8850, jacoboscafe.com $

K-N ROOT BEER DRIVE-IN

It’s easy to miss this tiny shop located right behind Fiesta Foods on Southeast 10th.

Don’t miss it! Inside you’ll find beautiful ceviche, colorful fruit cups, gazpacho, shrimp cocktail, elote en vaso (corn in a cup), bubble tea and addictive Doritos chili pie. 1010 SE 10th Ave., 670.9054 $

This legendary, traditional drive-in opened in 1968. And while it recently lost its iconic covered parking in a windstorm, the wonderful burgers, shakes and floats are still around. And the root beer is served in a frosty cold mug! As the sign used to say, it’s “truly a bargain at today’s prices.” 3900 Olsen Blvd., 355.4391, knrootbeer.com $

GLORIA’S OYSTER BAR

LA PASADITA

FRUTILANDIA

One of the original Mexican seafood places in Amarillo, Gloria’s is known for its soups, oysters and traditional Mexican dishes like chile rellenos. In a city filled with quality Mexican food, Gloria’s stands out as unique. And the capirotada (Mexcian bread pudding) is incredible. 1300 S. Grand St., 373.2722 $

THE GOLDEN LIGHT CAFE

This doesn’t need an introduction from us, but are you a real Amarilloan if you’ve never dined at this icon? In business since 1946 at the same location, it’s the oldest-operating restaurant in Amarillo and maybe even along Route 66. Fantastic greasy burgers with outdoor dining and a music venue

You don’t really expect to find this little, walk-up restaurant in the middle of a residential area, but just get in line and go for it (the line moves quick). The menu is limited but the Chihuahua-style food is fresh, traditional, and fast. Takeout only. Try a breakfast burrito, menudo, barbacoa or chile rellenos. 2730 NE 16th Ave., 381.2309 $

LONE STAR BAR & GRILL

“No small steaks, no hot beer” is the motto of this Texas-style hideaway on the road out to Lake Tanglewood, and its steaks and burgers never disappoint. In fact, the steaks are quietly some of the best in the Panhandle. Plus: Pool tables! Avoid the big

chain steakhouses and try this one, in business for more than 30 years.

935 E. FM 1151, 622.9827, lonestarbarandgrilltx.com $$

MACARONI JOE’S

Always a popular date-night choice, Mac Joe’s is an Amarillo institution known for elegant ambiance and attentive service. The menu relies on Italian dishes but also offers fantastic steaks—with one of the best wine lists in all of the Texas Panhandle. 1619 S. Kentucky St., Suite D1500, 358.8990, macaronijoes.com $$-$$$

NAPOLI’S FINE ITALIAN RESTAURANT

This downtown favorite offers live music, a full bar and a spacious private patio with views of one of the 2021 Hoodoo murals.

Expect to become addicted to the housebaked bread knots, and to find something you love on the traditional Italian menu. The calzones are huge and worth sharing.

700 S. Taylor St., 220.2588, napolisofamarillo.com $$

OHMS CAFE & BAR

The Fuller family has operated this eatery for more than 25 years, and it consistently offers Amarillo’s best fine dining. We love the bar area and outdoor patio, as well as its buffet-style lunch and weekly chef specials from Chef Josh Fuller. Pro tip: The Bar Burger is the best burger in town. 619 S. Tyler St., 373.3233, ohmscafe.com $$-$$$

PESCARAZ ITALIAN RESTAURANT

This locally owned Italian place is very involved in the community, has a full bar, and serves up the most irresistible free bread twists in the city. You’ll eat so many, you won’t be able to finish your pasta, pizza or calzone. In the evenings at Pescaraz, you’ll almost always hear live music.

3415-K Bell St., 350.5430, pescaraz.com $$

PHO 84

In a city with few traditional Vietnamese options, Pho 84 is a local favorite. We love the pho, of course, but you also won’t go wrong with the spring rolls, dumplings, curry and other Asian fusion dishes. Plus: Vietnamese coffee. 5713 SW 34th Ave., 437.1626 $

PIZZERIA NOMAD

A relative newcomer with a food truck origin story, Pizzeria Nomad catches your eye with its colorful exterior mural, then brings you inside for inventive toppings and a lot of local acclaim. That brick-oven

crust, y’all. The young, husband-and-wife-led team are also known for convenient call-in and online ordering. 2648 SW 34th Ave., 477.2660, pizzanomad.co $$

RAIN PREMIER SUSHI BAR & LOUNGE

The sushi is good and the all-day Wednesday Happy Hour specials are even better. Popular with the downtown crowd, this spot is open for lunch and dinner, with a full bar and contemporary Asian cuisine. During Happy Hour, sushi rolls and appetizers are incredibly affordable. 817 S. Polk St., 331.1155, rainamarillo.com $$

SAIGON RESTAURANT

Lots of Thai food in Amarillo, but few authentic Vietnamese restaurants. For that category, Saigon is the best. It’s familyowned, with amazing pho and crispy bird nest noodles. We love the great service, vegan-friendly menu, and of course the Vietnamese coffee. Closed on Wednesdays. 2909 I-40 West, 373.3456, ordersaigonrestaurant.com $

SPICY MIKE’S BAR-B-Q HAVEN

The spice is nice at this very popular barbecue joint in west Amarillo, known for chopped brisket sandwiches, tender pork ribs and more.

We also love the daily specials—like Saturday’s smoked turkey sandwich—and homemade cobbler for dessert. 6723 S. Western St., 358.8550, spicymikes.mymobisite.us $

TOOM’S RESTAURANT

Experts know that a lot of “Thai” food actually has origins in Laos, and that fusion is on display at Toom’s, one of our favorite spots on the northeast side. The family owners are super friendly, the space is incredibly clean, and the authentic flavors pop. Get the sticky rice and beef jerky. 3416 NE 24th Ave., 381.2568 $

WESLEY’S BEAN POT & BBQ

River Road restaurants aren’t always on the radar of every local resident, but Wesley’s has been around forever and deserves its legendary reputation. Loyal customers return again and again for the genuine Texas-style barbecue, especially the baby-back ribs, brisket and—yep—the beans. 6406 River Road, 381.2893 $

YCSF CRAFT

It started as a “food truck without wheels” and now this street food experiment is one of the city’s favorite restaurants, and one of the only vegan/vegetarian places in town. Definitely try the animal fries and diablo shrimp tacos. The burgers, craft beer and wine list are all wonderful. 2916 Wolflin Ave., 353.9273, yellowcitystreetfood.com $

YOUNGBLOOD’S CAFE

An Amarillo classic, where you can grab a hearty breakfast starting every day at 6 a.m. or wait a few hours to try its illustrious chickenfried steaks. Our favorite thing at Youngblood’s? It’s gotta be the free banana pudding for dessert (while supplies last). 620 SW 16th Ave., 342.9411, youngbloodscafe.com $$

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This Louisiana-based chain has been around for more than a decade, but the Amarillo location is brand-new. The portions are big and the prices are low for shrimp or crawfish po’boys, catfish, crab, seafood platters, shrimp and more. Our city may not be known for seafood, but Sam’s is. 4317 Teckla Ave., 437.1349, samssouthernamarillo.com $$

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SAM’S SOUTHERN EATERY

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BISON, BATS AND BEAUTIFUL, BOUNTIFUL NATURE: WELCOME TO CAPROCK CANYONS STATE PARK

BY DUSTY GREEN

F

or decades now in the Texas Panhandle, the bright spotlight of the adventuring public’s love and attention has been narrowly focused on Palo Duro Canyon, and understandably so. It is the second-largest canyon in the United States and world-famous for its beauty, fascinating history and abundance of recreational activities. That makes Palo Duro Canyon State Park the crown jewel of Texas Panhandle attractions.

But if you dare to look just outside that blinding spotlight on Palo Duro Canyon and venture off into its periphery, you’ll find another, more hidden—yet equally spectacular—location here in the Panhandle that is slowly but surely earning a place in a spotlight all its own.

Farther south along the 200-mile long Caprock escarpment—and roughly an hour-and-a-half drive from Amarillo—lies another of the Lone Star State’s largest and most dramatic state parks, complete with the same grandeur and majesty and light and color that’s made Palo Duro so famous all these years.

Caprock Canyons State Park still blissfully remains hidden away from the world, far from the noise and crowds of big cities and major highways, resting peacefully among the striking thousand-foot

glowing red canyon walls that give it its name.

For the many similarities they do share, Palo Duro and Caprock are still very different parks offering very different experiences. Pay no mind to the folks who’ll tell you Caprock Canyons is “just a smaller version of Palo Duro” and not really worth the drive. Let them sit and stew in their cars while they wait a half-hour (or sometimes more) just to get through the main gate at Palo Duro. There’s no gate to wait behind at Caprock Canyons State Park. In fact, the only time you’ll spend in the car there is the time you spend waiting for bison to cross the road.

Caprock Canyons is home to the official Texas State Bison Herd, one of the most historic and culturally significant bison herds remaining in the world. Known as the last true example of

Starting in 2022, however, the Saints Roost Expedition Company offers exclusive tours to the tunnel—both in the cool of the morning and for the nightly bat emergence in the evening. These include van tours, mountain biking tours and safari-style utility terrain vehicle (UTV) tours.

Natural experiences aside, there’s plenty more to do, see, experience and taste around Caprock Canyons State Park. Saints Roost also provides exclusive, guided hikes and UTV safari tours across the beautiful and historic 6,000-acre Pole Canyon Ranch, a few miles south of the little town of Quitaque.

Speaking of Quitaque, stop by for coffee, tea and amazing sandwiches at the Coffee Mill on Main Street, or sit down for a hearty and delicious meal a few doors down at the charming Bison Café. And don’t miss BisonFest in late September, when Quitaque transforms into the capital of Texas Country music for a weekend.

Hotel Turkey in the nearby town of Turkey is fast becoming one of the area’s hottest spots for food, music and fun, with live music most weekends and a one-of-a-kind vibe that blends the history and culture of Bob Wills’ hometown with a modern attitude and style. Lots of folks rank it among the best little live music venues in Texas! We recommend the chicken fry or the chile relleno.

On your way back to the big city, stop for a sip at the adorable Night Owl Espresso and Tea Bar in Silverton—be sure and ask to meet Annie and Oakley—then take a stroll around the quaint Ghost Horse Gallery for fine art and unique gifts. Afterward, catch an Instagrammable Texas sunset over the dramatic canyon walls surrounding the waters of Lake Mackenzie. And start making plans for your next adventure in Caprock Canyons!

LEARN MORE: Caprock Canyons State Park & Trailway: tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caprock-canyons Saints Roost Expedition Company: saints-roost.com The Coffee Mill, Quitaque: facebook.com/QuitaqueCoffee Bison Café, Quitaque: facebook.com/bisoncafequitaque BisonFest Music Festival, Quitaque: bisonfest.com Hotel Turkey, Turkey: hotelturkeytexas.com Night Owl Espresso and Tea Bar, and the Ghost Horse Gallery, Silverton: ghosthorsegallery.com

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the great Southern Plains Bison, these animals are direct descendants of the bison herd established

by Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight on the legendary JA Ranch in the 1870s. These majestic bison now roam freely throughout the park’s 14,000 rugged acres—across its roads, along its trails and even through its campsites— leading many visitors to call Caprock Canyons the “Yellowstone” of Texas. They also cause “bison jams” on park roads whenever and wherever they darn well feel like it.

So, yes, it’s possible that you’ll encounter a bison or two or more as you explore the 90 miles of hiking trails that wind through Caprock Canyons, which connect fascinating and beautiful places like Fern Cave, Haynes Ridge, the Natural Bridge and the Honey Flat Prairie Dog Town. There are beaucoup hoodoos to view, too! Expertly guided hikes to these and other locations in the park are offered exclusively through our Saints Roost Expedition Company, while the state park’s friendly staff design and lead free, family-friendly interpretive hikes and programs.

But the bison aren’t the only animals that draw visitors to Caprock Canyons. A few miles south of the main park—hidden along the skirts of the escarpment—lies one of only two remaining railroad tunnels in the state of Texas. Built in the 1920s, decommissioned in 1989 and donated to Caprock Canyons in 1993, the 64-mile spur of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway once connected the Panhandle town of South Plains to the west with Estelline to the east. Much of the actual rail line was removed after the route was decommissioned, but just south of the town of Quitaque still stands the magnificent 582-foot long, 40-foot tall Clarity Tunnel, a gently curving masterpiece of early 20th century engineering and craftsmanship.

More incredibly, since the trains quit running back in the 1980s, a massive colony of Mexican Free-Tailed bats has taken residence high in the tunnel’s rafters. They are a true sight to behold as they exit the tunnel en masse every evening in the spring and summer months on their nightly search for food. The spectacle isn’t quite as dramatic as Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge bats—only half a million bats live in the Clarity Tunnel, compared to 1.5 million along Congress Avenue— but we tend to prefer this remote and beautiful Panhandle location.

The state park itself remains relatively unknown to the traveling public and is therefore rarely visited. It’s a 4.5-mile hike, bike or one-way ride from Monk’s Crossing, the nearest public access point.

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road trip

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T-ANCHOR RANCH OUTHOUSE

JOSEPH A. HILL CHAPEL, WTAMU CAMPUS

DOORS OF AMARILLO

W

hen you meet a new person, your attention focuses on their eyes.

When you see a home or building, you can’t help but be drawn to its door. Whether due to its bright colors, ornate features, or the potential to catch a glimpse of an interior, there’s something compelling about a door. That’s why, over the past few years, multiple social media accounts have popped up devoted to doors all over the world, and why hashtags like #dortrait and #doorsofinstagram have flourished.

Amarillo doesn’t have centuries-old homes like some parts of the world, but we do have our own delightful doors. For this issue of Brick & Elm, we asked a few of our favorite local photographers—Venice Mincey, Shannon Richardson, and Jeremy and Lauren Pawlowski of Neighbors Creative—to submit photos of their favorite local doors.

SANTA FE TRAIN DEPOT, CANYON

in focus

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CURTIS DRIVE

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CATTLEMAN’S CLUB, AMARILLO BLVD.

AMARILLO BLVD.

GRANT STREET

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back when WITH WES REEVES

I ain’t got no blood in my veins I just got them four lanes Of hard Amarillo highway

Presented by

We’d make a pilgrimage once every four to six weeks if we were lucky. We could buy the basics back home in Wellington, but Amarillo had Sears, Colberts and Furr’s Cafeteria. And somebody always needed to see the dermatologist.

I knew the route well. Down the little road to Quail and over to 287 at Hedley. Then Clarendon (Lelia Lake then Clarendon), Goodnight, Claude and Washburn. Just past the grain elevator at Washburn I’d make out Big 40 shimmering in the distance, the 18-wheelers streaming by like the sails of a wayward armada.

And soon enough, we’d enter a swirling convergence with Oldsmobiles “makin’ speed up ol’ 87”, F-150s trailing feedyard dust down Highway 60 and long-haul truckers coming in from everywhere. And the marvels of the highway system that got us there gave us a tremendous sense of oneness—Panhandle folk all, drawn to the Oz of the Plains and white chocolate stars at the Sears candy counter.

It all looked fairly easy on the map, but putting this network of roads together was quite an undertaking that spanned decades. My great grandfather A.W. Read of Memphis (I’ve mentioned him before) was part of an expedition that helped plan the Colorado-to-Gulf Highway through the southeastern Panhandle in the years before World War I. This was a time before the Feds got involved, and most highways were segments of routes charted and promoted by cooperating communities and civic leaders like my great grandfather.

This all changed in 1926 when the United States Numbered Highway System was put in place. The dusty trail A.W. Read helped blaze was branded U.S. Highway 370, which eventually became U.S. 287. And while that was big news down in Hall County, it was the designation of U.S Highway 66 in that same year that offered Americans a chance to see Amarillo (and Gallup, New Mexico).

Route 66 followed several courses over the years, but the Bobby Troup way to motor west on 66 is the alignment along Northeast Eighth Avenue (now Amarillo Boulevard East) to Fillmore, then south to Sixth Avenue and California bound via Sixth, Bushland Drive and West Ninth.

Prior to the 1950s, motorists from the north approached the city via River Road where a few remaining roadside amenities still hint at the highway that once was. And a trip from Canyon on U.S. 60 and 87 in those days meant a hard turn east on 36th Avenue, around a curve that still sports an old service station and tourist court, and up through town on Fillmore Street.

Now we have the E-Way (that’s the only proper way to refer to Interstate 27) that mostly follows the old Canyon road, but we’re going so fast we fail to notice. The Canyon E-Way, completed in 1956, was Amarillo’s mid-century modern moment and lives on as a living testament to the city’s phenomenal growth in the 1950s.

And that brings us back to Big 40, the quintessential Amarillo highway. It’s both the cause and cure of sprawl, and it’s pretty unavoidable if you want to get anywhere decently fast. Young drivers are drawn to its speed, and at that certain age when enough’s enough, we’re like, “oh hon, I don’t drive on I-40 anymore.”

And just like with old 66, you’ll for sure see Amarillo on Interstate 40 because about half the time you’re driving 6 miles per hour through road construction and you’ve got no choice but to look. But hey, it’s Amarillo. Just like in the old days, any road that leads to the capital city of the Texas Panhandle is the road to ride.

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hen I was a kid growing up in the southeastern Texas Panhandle, all roads led to Amarillo.

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“Amarillo Highway,” by Terry Allen

PHOTO BY VENICE MINCEY

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SHAWN ROOF MANAGER, AMARILLO SOD POODLES The best advice I ever heard is ... “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, than to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” — Les Brown My three most recommended books are ... The Davinci Code, by Dan Brown; Can’t Hurt Me, by David Goggins; and The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon.

To me, success means ... the ability to help others reach their fullest potential.

People who know me might be surprised that I ... don’t have a spleen.

My biggest pet peeve is ... chewing with your mouth open.

Everyone in Amarillo needs to experience ... watching the Sod Poodles play at Hodgetown.

If I could change any one local thing it would be ... during the summer eliminating all of the flies.

This city is amazing at ... It’s a very welcoming community and it has a huge sense of pride and family.

My favorite place in Amarillo is ... Hodgetown Ballpark, home of the Sod Poodles.

A local organization I love right now ... Snack Pak 4 Kids.

May 2022 - April 2023 Step into your favorite fairytale in Objects of Enchantment!

From light and whimsical to dark and brooding, PPHM will feature items

from our collection found in your favorite fairy tales! Come learn how they were used in real life. After checking out the exhibit, everyone is invited to our maker’s space where there will be crafting, play and shopping.

Visit panhandleplains.org for more information and to see our year of programs like summer story time, movies on the lawn and more.

A Therapy Center Inspired by You, for You Offering more services than any other center in Amarillo, to help you get back to the life you love!

Welcome to our new Therapy Center, where you will receive physical, occupational and speech therapy from highly skilled and qualified professionals.

The Therapy Center features: • Balance and vertigo treatment with vestibularcertified therapists and a Biodex Gait Trainer™ to help boost your recovery • Lymphedema management from lymphedemacertified therapists • Pelvic floor rehabilitation with pelvic floor-trained therapists • Hand clinic featuring a BTE™ Simulator II, which replicates hundreds of real-world jobs and daily living functions • Functional training kitchen to help you regain your independence • In partnership with Sister-Bear® Foundation, we bring you the area’s only Lokomat®

Learn more at nwths.com/therapy Open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Physician referral may be required.

2213 S. Georgia | Amarillo, 79109 nwths.com/therapy | 806-351-7045 Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Northwest Texas Healthcare System®. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. For language assistance, disability accommodations and the nondiscrimination notice, visit our website. 22615980-839388 4/22

Summer Shape-Up at the

NEW DAC

A Healthier You in 2022

Your Downtown Athletic Club is now powered by Cooper Aerobics.

Cooper is known worldwide as the authority on health and fitness. Being fit decreases a variety of chronic conditions such as depression, metabolic syndrome, dementia and some cancers.

Take the first step to a healthier, more productive you.

Join the Downtown Athletic Club today! daclub.com 806.324.5402

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