Brazos Monthly

Make M om Really H appy!

BRAZOSMONTHLY

Gulf Coast

BRAZOS WHERE TEXAS BEGAN q MAY 2018

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2014

RIDING IN A CLONE CAR

MONTHLY

FINDING HIS HOME IN MUSIC

Cole Degges

Brazospor t Regional Health System is now Here is where we have provided the Brazosport

Brazosport

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 59

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 3

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Editor’s note

W

WE HAVE BEEN PRETTY fortunate when it comes to our fashion shoots, avoiding major hiccups in the more than two years since we started asking local women to show off some great looks from local stores. The occasional weather concern has been the biggest problem we encountered — until this issue.

One of the potential models this time around couldn’t do it because she was busy going into labor.

Not to worry, as our two other planned participants, Christine Rosalez and Liliana Jeannott, stepped up like troopers, slipping into the clothing picked out by our missing model from the maternity boutique Bumpté. Rolling with the unexpected seems like a great attribute for an expectant mom, and Christine and Liliana were fantastic to work with.

It turns out, though, Bumpté owner Patience Smith-Davis is having to deal with the unexpected, as well. She recently learned she has to vacate her Brazos Mall storefront and is in the process of looking for new space. We hope she finds it soon as our area seems rather devoid of places for pregnant women to find something fashionable. Until she does, look for Bumpté’s offerings online. Details are on Page 44.

You’ll also find a focus on a couple of musical mainstays in our area, musician and songwriter Cole Degges and the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra, plus a visual look at a music festival from photographer Prentice C. James.

Our food focuses this month are about how to entice eaters with the eyes from Anna David Cooper and a new-age method for preparing and presenting food from Valerie Jansky, who teaches food science at Brazosport High School. You’ll find their offerings both appetizing and educational.

We also have a classic car, author introductions and camping comedy from our regulars. Enjoy this packed issue.

Michael Morris

Brazos Monthly editor

BRAZOS MONTHLY

Contents

42

Publisher Yvonne Mintz Editor Michael Morris Writers Anna David Cooper Nathan Hudson Valerie Jansky Holly Lopeman John Lowman Michael Morris Mary Newport Jessica Tompkins Photographers Anna David Cooper Barclay Fernandez Prentice C. James Kevin Jamie Michelle Raye Advertising director Cindy Cornette Advertising representatives Jessica Arriaga Yadi Cantu Bobbie Greer Karyn Kadera Kelly Wood

26 48

36

22

8 Wine list Store-bought Sangria provides a

22 Cover story Cole Degges returned to the Gulf

different taste then the homemade.

Coast after climbing the charts.

10 Food The way to a person’s stomach is

36 Classic Rides Only a true Shelby aficionado would

Circulation 979-265-2999

through all five senses.

know this sweet car is a clone.

18 Food Science Molecular gastronomy is a mouthful of

42 Fashion Mothers-to-be shouldn’t expect to give

VOL. 2, NO. 10 All material herein c. 2018, Southern Newspapers Inc., dba The Brazosport Facts, 720 S. Main St. Clute, TX 77531. No material herein may be reproduced in whole or in part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without written permission of the publisher.

delicious new foods.

up their style while they’re expecting.

Editorial 979-237-0148 Advertising 979-237-0130

Brazos Monthly is a publication of

720 South Main Street P.O. Box 549 Clute, Texas 77531 979-237-0100

ON THE COVER: Cole Degges made his mark in Nashville, and now prefers making music back home in Brazoria County. Photo by Barclay Fernandez

Win a Brazos Monthly Prize Package Find this gift box hidden in one of the ads inside this edition to enter Your Name

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Drop off this completed entry at 720 S. Main St. in Clute or mail to Brazos Monthly Gift Box, c/o The Facts, PO Box 549, Clute, TX 77531.

Must be original; no copies or electronic entries accepted. One winner selected from all correct entries. Entry deadline May 25, 2018.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 5

BOTTLES UP

Golden

dream

MAKING THE DRINK

INGREDIENTS Two parts Galliano Two parts triple sec Two parts orange juice One part fresh cream DIRECTIONS Shake with cracked ice. Strain into glass and serve.

6 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

WITH HOTTER WEATHER approaching, you might be looking for something to cool off with and relax after a long day. This orange creamsicleflavored drink is just the thing for beating the heat.

The drink originated at the Old King Bar in Miami, mixed by a bartender named Raimundo Alvarez sometime in the late 1960s. Subsequently dedicated to actress Joan Crawford, this fairly young cocktail has quite an impressive piece of history.

The drink certainly satisfies the sweet tooth; orange and cream mix together with the vanilla taste from the Galliano to perfectly recreate an orange Popsicle we all enjoyed as kids. story by

NATHAN HUDSON

Rocket Fuel

8th Wonder Brewing Co. Houston If a darker beer is more your speed, try this one. It pours exactly like a porter should with a dark brown color. Bitter, roasted coffee flavors are balanced out by a nice sweetness reminiscent of condensed milk. A presence of strong carbonation puts a neat twist on this flavored beer. It’s on the heavier side, so it would probably pair better with dessert or just served by itself for dessert.

Raspberry AF

Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Houston Pucker up for this sour treat.

As soon as the top is popped, a welcoming aroma of sugar and its namesake raspberry permeate through a nice thick head and deep red coloration. The first sip is quite a shock; a very strong sour-and-sweet mixture wash over the palate, also allowing the mellow taste of fresh raspberries to quench your thirst. The finish is dry and tart, inviting you to take another sip.

This beer is just in time for the warmer weather to arrive, and although it might not pair well with everything, it’s definitely a fantastic beer to enjoy in the heat of the midday sun.

beer reviews by NATHAN HUDSON

Tiki Wheat

GALVESTON ISLAND BREWING CO.

Galveston Island Brewing Co. Galveston Bring the tropics back home with this can of the beach in a bottle. The small head and a very cloudy orange color turn into a bread aroma that’s very pleasing. The first sips bring forth yeast and bread notes with an invigorating citrus wave. It finishes smoothly and it is very light, enabling this to be eaten with a roasted suckling pig at a beach barbecue.

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 7

WINE LIST

S

SANGRIA IS A WINE PUNCH that is made for summer. It is served cold and is low in alcohol, which makes it perfect for sipping in the middle of a hot day. Of course, my favorite way to make Sangria is to make it high in alcohol: a glass of red wine, mixed with sugar water or fruit syrup; a shot of brandy and a floater of Sprite.

These days, however, I’m all about minimal effort, so I decided to check out the bottled sangria wine section at Kroger. What I discovered is they have quite the selection.

Their Sangrias range from 6 to 13 percent alcohol and pricing ranges from $6 to $14. They have traditional sangria and flavored sangrias.

I urge you to check out Kroger’s extensive sangria section, muddle up some fruits and join me on my summer adventure of finding the perfect bottled sangria.

Located at the top of the shelf, the Eppa SupraFruta Red Sangria made its way into my hands. I chose this sangria wine simply because it was created in Healdsburg, a prime wine-making area of California that houses some of the state’s best wineries. The bottle says to pour over ice and garnish with a slice of fruit. Their website details that this organic wine is made from the Tempranillo grape and blended with real juice from pomegranates, blueberries, blood oranges and acai berries.

What I found was a sangria that tasted a lot like a fruit-filled, cold red wine that was lacking the residual sugar that I’m used to experiencing in homemade sangria. This isn’t a bad thing, because I think red wine drinkers will favor this sangria, but those who enjoy something sweeter will wish they had something different in their glass.

However, I found that when I muddled up a few strawberries in the bottom of the glass, it tasted fantastic!

Regular price is $13.99, but look for it on sale.

I chose the Swizzle Sangria Blackberry Twist because Kroger labeled it “One of Our Favorites” on the $14.88 price tag. Lucky for me, it also was on sale for about half that. It smells like a bowl of smashed blackberries and ripe cherries. Lovely on the nose. The flavor is heavy on the dark fruit, and I was very excited to see what was in store.

Flavor was outstanding, a nice balance of sweet and acid. So much potential. However, I couldn’t get past the aftertaste.

I hate to say it, but this sangria’s aftertaste reminds me of children’s cough syrup. Better luck next time. reviews by

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 9

FOOD

Feast

your eyes

10 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Mexican Street Corn Hot Dog with advanced plating. Recipe on Page 15

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 11

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Delicious food requires more than one sense

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WHEN YOU EAT, do you really taste your food?

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PARK Email: buzz@mosquitofestival.com taste buds well before we’ve had a chance to Call 979.265.8392 for Call 979.265.8392 (65-300 capacity) 979-265-8392 Clute Pool Opens for pricing. membership information. decide what we might June 9th B.R. Hester Complex be in the mood to eat.

B.R. Hester Complex Our brain’s ability to 100 Parkview Drive, Clute, TX. 77531Stratton Ridge process our sight cues is For moreClute info: 979-265-8392, Sportsplex Event Center email:cluteparks@gmail.com 10 times faster than its www.ci.clute.tx.us ability to process taste www.mosquitofestival.com and smell cues. Our eyes B.R. Hester Complex are constantly sending messages to our brain recognizing familiar sights, foods and dishes, which then are stored away and referenced story, recipes when we later eat. and photos by When we see a meal ANNA DAVID that looks similar to COOPER Grandma’s delicious childhood dinner, our eyes tell our brain we will likely enjoy this meal again. When we see a dish that is burnt, undercooked, rotten or unfamiliar, our eyes perceive this to be dangerous, and our brain already has the directive to avoid it.

Because our visual cues often override our senses of taste and smell, the old claim that we “eat with our eyes” holds a lot of truth.

In the 1970s, an experiment was conducted that used light to alter the color of normal steak and fries to appear blue. Although the food was not actually odd-colored, participants reported feeling sick after the meal because of the color change. “Fast Food

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Live Entertainment nightly, Arts & Crafts, Food Vendors, Sanctioned BBQ & Fajita Cook0ff, Carnival Rides, 5K Run, Horeshoe and Washer Pitching, Tourneys, FAMILY FUN and MORE!

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Mexican Street Corn Hot Dog After researching and writing this month’s article, I wanted to take a fairly simple dish and turn it into something that looked slightly elevated by focusing on the plating.

Hot dogs are one of the simplest meals to make, and Mexican street corn is just plain delicious. We don’t typically think to combine these two, so I took a shot at it and I have to say I was floored by the end result. Move over chili-and-cheese hot dogs. There’s a new compadre in town.

MEXICAN STREET CORN AND HOT DOGS 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup sour cream, Mexican crema or plain Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons chili powder Dash cayenne (optional) Dash ancho chili powder (optional) 1 garlic clove, minced All-purpose sea salt or kosher salt, to taste Ground pepper, to taste 1/2 lime zest and juice of 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 ears of corn, husked and corn kernels cut off 4 hot dogs 4 Hawaiian bread hot dog buns Spicy Avocado Mayo 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/2 avocado 2 teaspoons sriracha (or to your taste) 1/2 lime, juice of Pinch of sea or kosher salt

DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, cayenne and ancho chili powder (if using), garlic clove, salt, pepper, lime juice and cilantro. Set aside.

In a cast-iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the corn and cook, moving around occasionally, for about 5 to 8 minutes or until the kernels begin to char a bit and they soften just slightly.

Remove from heat and add the corn into the bowl with the previous mayonnaise mixture, stirring to

combine. Set aside and quickly wipe the cast-iron skillet down.

In a small bowl, make the Spicy Avocado Mayo by mixing together all of the ingredients until fully combined. Set aside.

Note: Heat the hot dogs with your preferred cooking method. When we’re not grilling outside, I typically heat a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat and char them by rotating them around. You can boil hot dogs as well.

Heat a dry cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat.

Butter the inside of the buns and toast by placing them inside-down on the skillet.

PLATING For standard plating, spread the Spicy Avocado Mayo on the inside of the bun, load the hot dog and pile the street corn mixture on top. Garnish with the extra cilantro.

For advanced plating, get creative! Smear the Spicy Avocado Mayo across the plate and cut the buns in smaller slices, laying them on top of the mayo.

Spread more avocado mayo on the toast, slice the hot dog diagonal like a steak and lay in on top of the toast. Delicately pile with the street corn and garnish with cilantro.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 13

8 tips for appealing plating THE CANVAS What you serve your food on can greatly change the (perception of) flavor. White plate ware is preferred for an elegant and refined flavor. Red plates can suggest sweetness and dark blacks and browns elicit an earthy overtone. A fun way to play around with this idea is to buy different or mismatched plating at your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. This will allow you to experiment with different colors without a great cost.

THE FOCAL POINT Like any great work of art, your plating should have a focal point.

Is it the protein? Is it the creamy sauce that’s drizzled across the top? Choose an ingredient that will be the star and set up your plate so that it shines.

THE RULE OF ODDS In photography and art, it’s considered the rule of thirds.

In plating, this rule expands to suggest an odd number of ingredients on the plate is visually preferred. An even number of items tends to look too uniform and unnatural.

THE COLOR Nutritionally, we’re encouraged to eat the rainbow. The more color our food possesses, naturally, the healthier it is thought to be.

Just as we should extend our diet to cover all the colors of the spectrum, we should strive to plate with multiple contrasting and complementary colors as well.

Adding color to our plates through garnishes of citrus zest or fresh herbs will make our dishes more aesthetically pleasing and entice our eyes. And, if we’ve learned anything, it’s that when our eyes are happy, our bellies are happy.

14 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

THE TEXTURE

GET CLEAN

Just like “opposites attract,” competing and complementary textures can turn a dish from good to great. Great chefs strive to balance every texture on their plates and, by doing so, create some of the most delicious food. It’s delicious not only because of the flavor but because these chefs are playing with your sense of touch. If you have something crunchy, try to add a smooth sauce. If you have a liquid ingredient, do you also have a tough piece of bread to soak it up?

Sticking with the house reference, don’t you always feel better when your house is clean, the dishes are done and laundry is put away? This should also be your approach when serving your food. Walking into a puttogether home makes you feel calm. Seeing a completed piece of artwork gives you a sense of awe. A dish that has been plated with care and wiped away of unintentional splatters also can create a sense of appreciation and refinement.

SIMPLY SIMPLE Most people don’t like clutter, whether it’s in their house, in their head or on their plate.

When you’re plating, feel free to keep it simple. When the kids have too many toys, they lose them in the mess. When a plate has too much on it, you lose what it is you’re serving.

You don’t have to plate large, and you don’t have to plate intricately. Sometimes the simplest swirl of pasta and drizzle of sauce can be the best.

GARNISH WITH A PURPOSE I still cringe at that odd piece of kale or parsley sprig served alongside a restaurant dish when its flavor or purpose didn’t contribute to the dish. If you’re going to garnish (and you usually should) make sure it has a purpose. Yes, garnishes help to add color, but they’re also there to add a punch of fresh flavor in every bite. If you don’t want your guests eating it with your dish, it shouldn’t go on your plate.

Nation” reversed this experiment and made blue- and green-dyed steak and fries appear naturally colored with the use of the same special lights. Participants in that study reported the meal tasted normal and “OK” — that is, until the lighting switched to reveal the unnatural hue of the food.

Needless to say, how our ingredients look to our eyes is important to how they taste, but how those final ingredients are physically plated is just as influential to the taste of the dish.

To help prove this, Oxford University ran a research study that presented 60 people Achatz with the same salad containing the same ingredients plated in three different ways — one arranged in the style of a famous painting, one as a common tossed salad and one in a “neat” preparation with all of the ingredients separated.

The results showed participants consistently rated the “tastiness” of the artfully presented salad higher than the others, even though it consisted of the exact same ingredients.

Grant Achatz, most known for his Michelin three-starred restaurant Alinea in Chicago, has pushed the boundaries of plating and eating with your eyes. Inspired by large-scale art in galleries, his canvas is not only a plate but also the table at which his customers sit. His presentation is not only limited to the ingredients at hand but to what he can make out of those ingredients through a molecular and modern approach.

His “tricks” include changing the opacity of otherwise opaque foods and forming ingredients to look like other non-related ingredients.

“It is a kind of a mind game,” Achatz says as he deconstructs a tomato and turns it into what looks like a strawberry in the Netflix series, “Chef’s Table.”

We can, in fact, say the act of tasting is also a bit of a mind game, and the art of plating is a tool we can use to get ahead of the game. Using easy techniques from chefs and theories from scientific research, we can make the food we serve taste better. At least, we can create the perception that it does.

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Chili Lime Salmon with Cilantro Cauliflower Rice I created this dish when I entered the HMS Host Channel Your Inner Chef cooking contest.

I was looking for a dish that was simple enough to complete in 30 minutes (the time allotted for cooking) but still looked impressive and had a punch of flavor that could knock your socks off.

This recipe may seem to have a few moving parts, but it is really simple, using a food processor to help you mix quickly and two pans to keep your stovetop uncluttered. Although the ingredients aren’t out of the ordinary (salmon, rice and a sauce), I plated them with an artful touch to showcase the bright colors.

Pictured: The presentation also includes grapefruit-marinated cucumbers and radishes, and whole grapefruit slices.

INGREDIENTS Garlic Avocado Aioli 1 large avocado, pitted 2 garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt 1 teaspoon lemon juice 2 teaspoons lime juice Sea salt and ground pepper to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 scallions, chopped 1 1/2 limes, zest and juice of 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped Chili Lime Salmon 1 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon salt Fresh ground pepper, to taste 2 limes, zest and juice of 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 to 4 salmon fillets, skin on

DIRECTIONS Garlic Avocado Aioli Process all ingredients in a food processor until fully combined and smooth.

Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium.

While the oil heats, quickly rinse and dry

16 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

the used food processor bowl, then add in the cauliflower, pulsing until it resembles rice.

Remove the cauliflower from the processor and place it into a tough paper towel or a clean kitchen napkin. Twist and squeeze the towel to remove any extra water out of the cauliflower. Set aside.

Once the oil is hot, sauté the shallots for one minute.

Add in the garlic and sauté for one more minute or until everything is just soft.

Turn up the heat to medium-high and add in the cauliflower, sautéing for about 5 to 7 minutes or until the cauliflower rice is slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Remove from heat and add in the lime juice, zest and cilantro.

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Chili Lime Salmon Heat a skillet with 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, mix together the chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt and pepper.

Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel then drizzle the lime juice over all fillets, turning to cover all sides and allowing the liquid to soak in.

Sprinkle the seasonings on all salmon fillets, over all sides including the skin, and pat to ensure the seasoning adheres.

Once the oil is hot, place the salmon skin-side down in the pan, pressing with the fillets with the back of your spatula to ensure the skin doesn’t curl up. Cook for 3 to 6 minutes or until the salmon skin has released itself from the pan and the fillet can easily slide around with your help.

Cook on the other side for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the salmon is done to your liking.

Remove and allow the salmon to rest for 1 to 2 minutes before serving.

Garnish with lime zest.

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Cherie Nowlin McBride

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 17

FOOD SCIENCE

Boba pearls are made by spherification

Boba

feat

Molecular gastronomy puts science into the food mix

18 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

F

FOOD SCIENCE IS A broad term used to describe the general study of the structure and nature of food, what causes deterioration and how to prevent it, ways to preserve and package food to prevent spoilage and the improvement of food in general for the consuming population.

Gastronomy is understanding the relationship between food, culture and region, as well as the art of preparing and serving the food in a way that is appealing to all of the senses, and the science of good eating.

Molecular gastronomy is concerned with the chemical and physical reactions that occur in different food processes and how to apply that knowledge to creating new and exciting foods.

Physical chemist Herve This story by (pronounced Theess) VALERIE and Nicholas Kurti, JANSKY a former professor of physics, were interested in studying the transformative chemical and physical properties of foods and cooking. Following their studies, in 1988 several research teams were established throughout the world under the newly created science of molecular gastronomy.

The discoveries in the 30 years since the creation of molecular gastronomy not only have been incorporated by chefs and in restaurants, but in classrooms as well, giving teachers another way to reach students. Think of it as a variation of an old saying, in this case that the way to a student’s brain is through his or her stomach.

All life forms need some type of food.

Most people enjoy learning about food and how to create it or make it better. By using molecular gastronomy, teachers can include chemistry, physics and biology in their lessons at the same time while making something edible. Being

Make Boba Tea from Scratch Boil 1/2 cup water.

Add 1 cup tapioca starch to a bowl, followed by the boiling water little by little in case it isn’t all needed. Kneading with your hands is the best way to incorporate the water and make a non-sticky dough.

Once you have a workable dough, the easiest way to make tapioca pearls is to roll the dough into long snakes, cut them into small pieces and roll them into tiny balls.

To cook your homemade boba, boil at least twice as much water as the volume of tapioca pearls you are going to cook.

Add your homemade boba to the boiling water. The boba should float to the top. When that happens, turn the heat down to medium.

You’ll notice the boba begin to cook and get its chewy texture almost immediately. At any point after a couple of minutes, you can use the boba and it will be better than the dehydrated storebought pearls. I later found, though, that if you keep simmering until they fall back to the bottom of the pan, and then remove them, they will be more transparent once removed and allowed to steep in honey for a few minutes.

Remove the boba from hot water with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a bowl with some honey.

The honey will help preserve it until you are ready to use, slightly sweeten it and keep it from sticking to each other.

Add some to your tea. I’ve found boba has the best texture when warm, so if you want cold bubble tea, it’s best to add the boba first to your glass while it is warm and pour the cold tea over top.

Source: thethingswellmake.com

Iced milk bubble tea

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 19

7 Molecular Gastronomy Terms and Techniques SO S-

E

Translated as “under vacuum,” this French term means the food (usually meat or vegetables) has been cooked in an airtight plastic bag submerged in a temperature-controlled water bath for a very long time. Food prepared this way is always cooked evenly, with both the inside and outside equally tender.

FLASH FROZEN

With this molecular gastronomy technique, food is frozen almost immediately, often by using liquid nitrogen. This allows the water inside fruits and vegetables to freeze without creating large crystals or damaging the cell membranes, thus preserving the texture of frozen foods (which would otherwise be mushy when defrosted).

Coffee caviar with pink milk foam and sugar pill

FAUX CAVIAR

Using a process known as spherification, liquid food like olive oil, tea and fruit juice can be turned into tiny little balls that look like caviar (see top image). The liquid is held in its shape by a thin gel membrane and enjoyed as a solid.

FOAMS

If you’ve ever had a meringue on top of a pie, you’ve eaten a foam.

Chefs now are turning fruits, vegetables and cheese into foams using food stabilizers and thickening agents.

EDIBLE PAPER

Made with potato starch and soybeans, these tasty sheets of paper often are printed with edible fruit inks from a laser printer.

DECONSTRUCTED

POWDERED FOOD

Chefs use maltodextrin, a starch-like substance, to turn a high-fat liquid like olive oil into a powder.

20 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

If you deconstruct a sand castle, you knock it down. This same idea applies to deconstructed dishes, which feature separate building blocks instead of having everything combined. Deconstructed dishes allow the diner to construct a customized experience in his or her mouth.

Source: Organic Authority

able to eat the final product often makes something more interesting and educational for students.

In case you didn’t know, I teach a food science class at Brazosport High School.

Personally, I have learned and continue to learn so much from this class that it quickly became my favorite to teach.

Students are able to take what they learn in our classes and apply it to their current lives.

There is no waiting until maybe they get a job where they need physics or calculus.

Everyone eats food.

Most people are somewhat naturally interested in what is happening to make their food the way that it is. Even if students don’t get a job in the food and beverage industry, they typically know all about leavening breads, pH levels, enzymes, vitamins and minerals and so much more before they leave my class.

This knowledge will continue to help them live their healthiest and most beneficial lives no matter what career they choose.

One of the most commonly seen forms of molecular gastronomy is spherification.

This is the process of forming small gelatinous spheres that still hold liquid inside of them.

First, you take fruit juice, for example, mix it with a small amount of powdered sodium alginate, then slowly drip it into a cold solution of calcium chloride. This will lead to a firm outer shell forming while the inside remains in its liquid form. If you have ever tried “bubble tea,” the small “popping boba” balls in the bottom are spherified.

COME HOME. Another common molecular gastronomy tool is flash freezing. This technique commonly uses liquid nitrogen or a blast chiller to quickly freeze a food. It also could just freeze the outer layer of a food, again, leaving the inside of the frozen object still liquid or not solid, similar to spherification.

When you flash freeze fruits and they are defrosted, they don’t have the mushy texture a traditionally frozen fruit would.

The ice crystals are not allowed to form within the foods because they are frozen so quickly.

Therefore, the quality of texture is not affected in the food.

There are chefs these days who are using flash freezing to make individual servings of ice cream with all sorts of new and interesting flavors. Would you be interested in having a chicken-flavored ice cream over a waffle perhaps? One additional tool that can be used to quickly freeze certain items is an antigriddle. It has the same concept as a traditional griddle — a flat, nonstick cooking surface.

However, an anti-griddle actually freezes the items that are placed on it. Think about the freezing marble block businesses such as Marble Slab and Cold Stone Creamery use to keep the ice cream frozen while they mix in your toppings. This chilling slab has the same concept as an anti-griddle.

Transglutaminase is a chemical that causes proteins to stick together. A product that has a high protein content can use transglutaminase as a binding agent after the product has been ground up, seasoned or otherwise altered. That is how molecular gastronomists are creating products such as

noodles made from meats and seafoods.

Two additional chemical additives that are used in molecular gastronomy are soy lecithin and xanthan gum. These are emulsifying agents used to create even solutions from ingredients that otherwise would not stay mixed together, such as oil and water.

Mayonnaise is an excellent example of an emulsion. Oil and vinegar, which are two of the ingredients, do not naturally stay mixed together. Without something binding them, they would separate. In comes the incredible edible egg. Contained within the egg yolk is lecithin, which causes the oil and vinegar to stay together in their mixture.

Some of the scary chemical names we see as additives on our food labels might have been extracted from a natural source. I find myself reading the ingredient list on so many more foods these days and looking them up, trying to memorize things I do and don’t want to ingest.

There is so very much about molecular gastronomy that I could go on for pages. I have not even touched on using foams, smokes, gelification or sous vide.

For now, though, I hope to leave you with curiosity about what will come next.

If you are interested in trying some molecular gastronomy in your home kitchen, there is a wide variety of educational books and equipment online designed for people with minimal molecular gastronomy experience. Feel free to give it a shot. If you do, email me pictures at valerie.jansky@brazosportisd. net. I would love to share them with my students.

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COVER STORY

Hometown Hitmaker Cole Degges made his mark in Nashville, but found his rhythm in Brazoria County

C

COLE DEGGES SPENT LONG years away writing songs in Nashville, but when he ventures out, you’d think he never left Lake Jackson.

The singer/songwriter can’t seem to go far without a handshake or a slap on the back. It might be because of his hometown roots, but some of the camaraderie is doubtless because Degges has made himself indispensable on the local party circuit in the five years he’s been home.

“Back in the day, I did a few weddings and little gigs, but I don’t remember there being stuff like nowadays,” he said. “Every weekend there’s crawfish boils and barbecue cookoffs. There’s more and more parties that keep musicians busy down here. (Lake Jackson) kind of always kept this small-town vibe, but it’s getting a little bigger. It’s been great to see everybody host benefits and give back to the community.”

Way back when, Degges had his first gig at Garfield’s in Brazos Mall, where he jokes story by MARY NEWPORT

22 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

they only let him in because of his fake ID. In those days he was working for his dad, a bricklayer who Degges says didn’t make job requirements too strenuous for his boy. But music was calling and melody made young Degges a surprising amount of money.

“I figured out playing guitar and a little honkey tonk at night, I made more money than working with my dad,” he said.

It gave him a chance to develop his style as well.

Degges’ musical background started at age 5, when his parents gave him a guitar but found he couldn’t wrap his little hands around it. Instead, he enrolled in classical piano lessons that lasted 15 years. Later, he would sing in the choir as well, and have another try at the guitar.

The piano wasn’t always his favorite — Degges said his mother resorted to every possible combination of orders, entreaties and bribes — but the love of music stuck. By age 8 he wrote his first song, and by his teenage

photos by BARCLAY FERNANDEZ

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 23

Cole Degges plays with his band, The Lonesome, outside Wurst Haus in downtown Lake Jackson.

24 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

HHHH Elect HHHH

HEAR THE HITS

Country hits written by Cole Degges and recorded by other artists include:

ROBIN RAPE FOR

Brazoria County “It Ain’t the Whiskey”

by Gary Allan Peaked at No. 36

“Live Those Songs”

by Kenny Chesney Peaked at No. 4

years he was a triple-threat singer, guitar player and piano player. Later, he would add the harmonica. His favored genres follow the same pattern.

“I’m a real country music fan, I love country music.

When I sing, that’s what I like to sing,” he said.

“Though I don’t always write country music. I write progressive and gospel, I write some poppy stuff, too. I would say it’s country music with a rock ’n’ roll edge to it.”

That country core and rock edge took him to Nashville in 1994. Degges described his time there as writing songs and building swimming pools — success didn’t come overnight. But with perseverance came a stint penning hits for country stars including Kenny Chesney and Tracy Byrd, and Degges eventually released his own album in 2007.

DIG COLE? For a while it was life on the Find out more road and new songs as fast about Cole Degges, view his as he could write them, but show schedule even as he realized his dreams, and sample things were changing. his music at “It was right when social coledegges.com. media and downloads were taking over. It was a very weird time,” he said. “The revenues don’t come in from the albums anymore like they used to. The blue-collar songwriter has disappeared in Nashville. … It went from old-school to new-school real quick, and we were standing there looking at each other like ‘what the heck just happened?’”

When doctors diagnosed his mom with cancer in 2013, Degges packed up his studio and headed back here. He’s still writing songs and playing shows, but he said he’s in no hurry to head back to Nashville.

Everything he needs he’s got right here.

“I made some of the best friends in my life in the last five years here,” he said. “There’s no place like it, and the support from Brazoria County has just been awesome.”

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HHHHHHH Christian Lifelong resident of Brazoria County ■ Public Servant for over 24 years ■ Retired Constable, Pct. 1 ■ Master Peace Officer

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 25

MUSIC

usic M makers

26 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

story by MARY NEWPORT photos by BARCLAY FERNANDEZ

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Brazosport Symphony, Crummels have been integral parts of each other’s lives

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 27

L

LINDA CRUMMEL WAS A firstyear teacher in Brazosport ISD in 1982, the year founder Jeralyn Friedli brought together the music lovers of Brazoria County to form a symphony of their own: the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra.

“Her daughter was in the Houston Youth Symphony … and I think it was Jeralyn’s dream to add that component to that community,” Linda said. “We had the Center for the Arts, but I think they wanted to include and incorporate another dimension for that.”

Friedli, who now lives in Colorado, was a well-known private music teacher in the area at the time. She practiced the Suzuki method, a style of music teaching that emphasizes lessons early in life, parental involvement, listening to learn and repetition. She found eager students among many young local string players, and her daughter became a talented violinist.

“She really wanted to start something in this area,” Linda said. “She was a phenomenal woman that turned out to be just a great part of our community.

Her vision has been long-lasting.”

Friedli was a center of activity, but she was far from alone in her vision. In 1981, Samuel Jones, director of Rice University’s newly formed Shepherd School of Music, contacted Friedli about a promising conducting student of his. Jim Hagberg wanted to become the conductor of a community orchestra after graduation, and Friedli had plans for an orchestra that would soon be in need of a conductor.

Before Hagberg’s graduation in May 1982, President Clayton Gilpin of the Brazosport Music

28 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Linda and Jerry Crummel of the Brazosport Symphony Orchestra enter the performance hall at The Clarion in Lake Jackson.

Percussionist Jerry Crummel has been playing music for 55 years.

Theater called Friedli about starting an orchestra with the theater’s sponsorship. Hagberg came to the meeting and pledged his services come May, but the symphony planners weren’t content to wait. Local musician Margaret Davis forged a group of students and community players into a string ensemble led by former high school orchestra director Bill Atkerson. This group would be the beginnings of Hagberg’s orchestra when he arrived. Linda was invited to join the newly formed orchestra after Hagberg arrived, but she didn’t

jump on board at first.

“I remember this very vividly, because I know when Jeralyn was getting the orchestra started, she went out and kind of talked to all the music teachers in the district. I remember her coming by my little apartment and asking if I would join,” Linda said. “At the time, I was new to the area and I had already jumped into playing with the Brazosport College Community Band. Being a new teacher and just overwhelmed by everything, I told her maybe later I will come in and join.”

Her husband, Jerry Crummel, had a similar experience. In those days the pair weren’t married, just two teachers at different Brazosport ISD schools who crossed paths occasionally. Jerry was already very familiar with the symphony, which borrowed music and equipment heavily in its first year of operation. Brazosport High School donated an old bass drum and bells when the school got a new set, and loaned out a great number of percussion instruments both then and later. On one such occasion, Jerry got loaned along with the drums.

“The very last concert in May, they needed more percussionists. Donna Wiehe, the music teacher in our district who also taught at Brazoswood High School, she said, ‘We need some extra percussionists, can you come and play this May concert?’ I said sure … I came in and kind of filled in,” Jerry said.

All he remembers of that first concert is “Stars and Stripes Forever,” but out in the audience, Linda was enchanted. She was there just to hear the new orchestra play, and the concert convinced her to join. She auditioned, and when the orchestra joined the Brazosport Music Theater for “Annie Get Your Gun,” Linda took part. The next year, she played in the orchestra full time. Since then, the symphony has grown every year, they said.

“In that very first year, they were using folding chairs and wire stands,” Jerry said. “It’s changed a lot since then.”

The two were married during the 1984-85 season, their romance noted in the Valentine’s Day program as a “charming event, the first love affair among the musicians.”

Their love for the symphony has remained strong, as has their love for each other.

“If you’re a musician, there’s something about it that never really goes away. If you truly love music, something pulls you back in all the time,” Linda said.

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Nation. We We encourage encourage and and and support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing support an affirmative advertising and marketing program in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of of race, race, color, color, religion, religion, sex, sex, handicap, handicap, familial familial status, status, or or national national origin. origin. ©2018 ©2018 K. K. Hovnanian® Hovnanian® Companies, Companies, because LLC. LLC.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 29

Alive

PHOTO ESSAY

Alvin comes

Live music festivals infuse communities with energy story and photos by

PRENTICE C. JAMES

30 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS faced various issues and hurdles in the past two decades.

Piracy and the rapid changes in how people consume music caused an estimated 40 percent revenue decline in the last 15 years, according to The Guardian. Amid its troubles, one promising area has been the rise of music festivals.

The broad-scale concerts serve as community events, bringing together diverse acts and activities around a central theme. Such an event was the Alvin Sunrise Rotary Club at Briscoe Park.

Over the course of two days, hundreds of attendees gorged themselves on music, barbecue and cold beverages of all types. As the smell of smoked meat filled the air, so did the sounds of bands from various music genres. Families, couples, friends, music, food, drinks and bands all co-mingling to create a communal event that can be highly personalized — and that’s the attraction, that’s the draw of a musical festival.

Sponsors have capitalized on this trend by putting their products in front of revelers, and the host communities benefit through increased hotel revenue, social media buzz and other benefits to their municipalities. Not to be left out are the bands that are able to have intimate contact with existing fans while introducing their music to potential new ones.

This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed, as more communities and organizations are starting to jump on the music festival bandwagon. These events are rewriting the rules as to how music and art can be experienced and enjoyed. Fans are able to explore new bands and genres while partaking in the comfort of their favorites.

Above: Maddie Savage, left, and Hannah Schraider, center, gather among throngs of other fans to enjoy the festivities at the Alvin Music Festival.

Far left: Fans of all ages enjoy the upclose experiences afforded by music festivals.

Middle left: A cache of guitars sit in an equipment area prior to the start of the Alvin Music Festival at Briscoe Park.

Left: RaeLynn, a Season 2 quarterfinalist of the popular reality television singing competition “The Voice,� signs autographs during the Alvin Music Festival.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 31

Top: Two-year-old Nicole Alvarado of Pearland crawls out of a bounce house inflatable during the Alvin Music Festival at Briscoe Park. The ability to provide both adult and child-oriented attractions at one event has added to the explosive popularity of music festivals.

Above: Fans line the guardrails to video and interact with singer RaeLynn during her set at the Alvin Music Festival.

32 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Greg and Camielle Hernandez enjoy each other’s company during the Promising Lies opening set at the Alvin Music Festival at Briscoe Park. Music festivals provide an environment conducive to all types of relationships.

Above: RaeLynn, the “spunky country selfie queen,� performs at the Alvin Music Festival. The Baytown native, who now lives in Nashville, relished the opportunity to perform in front of her Lone Star State fans.

Left: A fan videos RaeLynn’s performance.

BRAZOSPORT CENTER STAGES presents our Summer Musical

Don’t Miss This Family Classic!

July 13 - 22, 2018 in the Freeport LNG Theater of The Center for the Arts & Sciences

Tickets at www.brazosportcenter.org beginning June 4

&ROOHJH %OYG ‡ &OXWH 7;

Announcing Our 2018-2019 Season!

Music festivals offer national, regional and hometown businesses of all sizes sponsorship opportunities and the ability to connect with a broad and diverse consumer base.

Sept. 7-16, 2018

Vanya and Sonia and Masha

February 1 -10, 2019

and

Spike

by Joseph Kesselring Apr. 26 - May 5, 2019

by Christopher Durang Oct. 26-Nov. 4, 2018

July 12 - 21, 2019

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 33

B As day turns to night, lighting adjustments are needed.

Far right: Spazmatic band members Joey, left, and Bjorn shred during the group’s set.

Center right: Self-proclaimed “Spazmatic Fanatic” Robin McCardell, right, and her sister, Ginger McCardell, sing along to the group word for word.

Above: Zeek, lead singer of the Spazmatics, greets the crowd with the group’s unique style of entertainment during the Alvin Music Festival.

Right: Fans of all ages unite in their affection for their favorite bands at the Alvin Music Festival.

34 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 35

CLASSIC RIDES

The 1966 Hertz Shelby Mustang was built for those wanting to go fast, but also came with enough styling to make it appealing to those satisfied with going the speed limit. B the Mustang looks right at home on The Strand in Galveston.

Shelby on the shore

story and photos by JIM KREUZ

36 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Clone of ’66 classic doesn’t diminish dream

INTRODUCING THE ALL-NEW

ASK ANY BRAZORIA COUNTY classic car owner what their favorite road trip is and they’ll likely reply “Galveston!” And that’s where we’re headed, so buckle up and enjoy the ride.

The sun was shining and we had a cool breeze off the Gulf of Mexico. It was a perfect setting to listen to some nice music, but not in this instance. Any singing on this ride would have been drowned out by the rumble of our 1966 Hertz Shelby Mustang. Sorry ladies, but you can’t beat that tune.

My wife Kelle and I hopped into my dream high-performance auto and took off on Bluewater Highway — great name for a band — with unobstructed views of the ocean, dressed in shorts and T-shirts.

Snapper starter Before I go too far, let me set the record straight. This ’66 Shelby is actually a clone. It’s a Mustang dressed up to appear as a $150,000 sports car, yet it could fool all but a Shelby expert who would quickly raise a red flag in less time than a quarter-mile run in our ride.

This candy apple red with gold stripes Shelby wannabe has all the same items Carroll Shelby added to his famous fleet with the exception of a Shelby American VIN number. It looks like a Shelby, handles like a Shelby, but the purchase price didn’t hit the wallet like a Shelby.

We pulled over for lunch in Surfside Beach, 30 miles south of Galveston, and ate at The Red Snapper. Their seafood is exceptional, but their chicken fried steak is what most rave about. The wait staff is fun to interact with and made our dining experience memorable.

If you drop the Shelby below 2,000 RPMs, you can actually hear the surf

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 37

crashing nearby, but we didn’t get to experience that sound too often on this trip. The road has a few twists and turns, and once you leave Surfside heading north and come upon a slow-moving vehicle, it takes little effort to quickly kick in the four-barrels and glide past on to more open road. Almost immediately after accelerating, my wife’s urgent finger begins thrusting toward the “45” speedlimit sign but does little to spoil the fun.

One grin from the driver and she gives up.

Next stop: Woody’s Bar. We’re a bit early for the afternoon crowd, so a frontrow parking place is an easy snag. The beer is cold and the barmaids are, well, let’s just say they are the main attraction.

Did I forget to mention it’s an open-air bar, with no A/C, so the bartender gets a workout serving all those drinks?

Two minutes after leaving Woody’s, we are up on the Galveston Seawall, a 17-foothigh concrete edifice erected in 1902 to ensure a repeat of the 1900 Hurricane would not cause similar devastation.

Evidence of this storm that took almost 8,000 lives can be found throughout the tiny island.

Our ride Everything is here on this ’66 Hertz Shelby — small block (302 instead of 289) HiPo with aluminum intake, Holley four-barrel carburetor, solid lifter cam, Windsor heads, Tri-Y exhaust, Flowmaster mufflers, four-speed manual transmission, traction bars (just forward of rear wheels visible below the chassis), Koni shocks, Monte Carlo bar (just forward of the carburetor), aluminum Cobra valve covers, Cobra aluminum 7 1/2-quart oil pan, Shelby grill, hood scoop, functioning rear brake scoops (ducts route air from scoops mounted rear of the doors to the rear drum brakes for cooling), frontwheel disc brakes, dash-mounted tach, Shelby steering wheel, gas cap and racing seat belts, Magnum 500 wheels, and triangle cutout windows on each side. All standard on a ’66 Shelby Mustang.

One added feature is the A/C. And no rust. We’ve owned this beauty for

38 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Above: The Red Snapper Inn has something on the menu for everyone, and you are guaranteed to leave with a smile.

Right: Woody’s Bar is a must stop. Coldest beer on Galveston Island.

B The Sonnentheil House, built in 1887, is my favorite Victorian home in Galveston. Hopefully, one day it will be included in one of the annual Historical Society home tours.

almost eight years, purchased from one of the best Shelby restoration shops in the country, Billups Classic Cars in West Siloam Springs, Oklahoma. It’s my dream car.

Carroll Shelby built 1,001 Shelby Mustangs for the Hertz rental car company in 1966, and only 85 of these came equipped with a four-speed.

Hertz figured out early on that only the automatic transmission would hold up to the abuse renters were inflicting on them.

Most — 800 to be exact — were painted black, with 50 each painted blue, green, Wimbledon white and candy apple red.

All Hertz cars came with gold stripes. The designation below the front fenders, “GT350 H,” indicates this vehicle is a Hertz Shelby.

Sights to see As we pass the San Luis Resort hotel on the seawall, I glanced at the World War II concrete gun emplacement that still remains on the front of the hotel’s grounds.

Their Sunday brunch is to die for, but it’s not on today’s agenda. We turn west and head toward the touristy part of town, The Strand, where the main commerce was carried out back in 1900, and horse carriages and trolleys still operate today.

For us, the shortest distance between two points that contain hundreds of gorgeous Victorian-style homes is not a straight line — it’s a zigzag course. My wife and I have restored four old homes, but none that compare to these gems. All are at least two stories, with lots of gingerbread trim. And they appear to be as well maintained as our Shelby. If you love these types of homes — most are survivors of the 1900 Hurricane or built shortly thereafter — then Galveston is your cup of tea. The low rumble of the HiPo at 20 mph just adds to the experience. I don’t ever want to turn the key off.

After the 30-minute home tour, we arrive at The Strand, an area that encompasses approximately a five-block by three-block area. There are shops, restaurants and businesses on the ground floor, and residences in the floors above.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 39

If you can’t find a Ford pony to ride in, try one of the horse-drawn carriages. You’ll learn quite a bit from the driver about this historic island while seeing the sights.

Most of these buildings are from the pre1900 Hurricane era, red brick with lots of architectural details.

Here you can find just about anything — street performers, new and vintage clothing, new and dusty books and La King’s Confectionery (candy store), a must stop for us. Try their chocolate-covered peanuts and freshly squeezed lemonade or a chocolate shake. You can work off the calories waxing the Shelby.

There are plenty of folks along the elevated sidewalks in this part of town today, and most of the guys are giving us the thumbs-up as we drive by. Is it for my trophy car or my trophy passenger? How I would have loved to own this car in high school.

Better late than never, right?

It’s time to head on home. What a day.

I can’t wait to return to this breathtaking island. And it looks even better through a Shelby windshield.

Left: The Shelby clone power plant.

Right: The steering wheel and dash-mounted tach are the first indicators this isn’t a normal Mustang. The four-speed manual transmission is a requirement.

With the traction bars and 9-inch rear end, this car was made to go fast, and it does.

40 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

The H.M. Trueheart & Co. building, built in 1882, is shoe-horned between two larger buildings in the photo.

The Bishop’s Palace is a must-see while on the island, one of the most impressive architectural creations in Texas.

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FASHION

Bump

Style

Mothers-to-be showing they’re still fashionable

PATIENCE SMITH-DAVIS STARTED her business three years ago with the idea that just because a woman is pregnant doesn’t mean she can’t be fashionable.

After two years selling predominantly online, she opened a local storefront in Brazosport to give mothers-to-be a chance to buy trendy clothing close to home, without having to rely on chain retailers or drive 30 minutes or more to shop in national maternity stores.

Her brand, Bumpté, lives up to her promise. She engages seamstresses to turn her sketches into stylish clothes for pregnant women and supplements it with unique items from vendors. The business also carries clothes for babies, toddlers and young children, and By Smith-Davis, her handmade jewelry line she describes as her passion.

Our two models, Christine Rosalez and Liliana Jeannott, raved over the options they found, some of which they got to try for this month’s fashion shoot.

They found a nice mix of casual, work-suitable and dress-up options.

Rosalez, 26, of Sweeny and her husband will welcome a second child May 18, and her 4-year-old son is excited about the coming addition.

There is still a bit of time before the 24-yearold Jeannott of Lake Jackson welcomes her and her husband’s first child. Doctors say they will be delivering a boy around Aug. 17, but she’s not convinced it’s not a girl.

42 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Liliana Jeannott Sheer green top, $23 Maternity jeans, $37.98

Christine Rosalez Print short-sleve top, $23.99 High-rise maternity stretch pants, $29.99

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 43

Christine Rosalez Floor-length sleeveless dress, $29.99

44 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Liliana Jeannott Purple knee-length dress, $38.99

Fashion partners

Our thanks this month to those whose cooperation made our fashion shoot possible.

Photography Michelle Raye www.facebook.com/ MichelleRayePhotography/ 979-248-6671

Models: Christine Rosalez Liliana Jeannott

Hair stylist: Roxanne Trexler Hair Envy Studio 113-C Oyster Creek Drive Lake Jackson 979-299-6888

BumptĂŠ www.bumpte.com info@bumpte.com 818-860-BUMP (2867) Facebook.com/bumpte Instagram.com/bumpte.

Makeup stylist: Chelsea Reyes www.chelseareyes.net chelseareyes10@gmail.com 979-331-5333 Location: Kool Kidz ChIldcare Center 450 This Way, Suite C Lake Jackson 979-297-3111

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 45

Christine Rosalez Sleveless off-white top with brown trim, $24.98 Brown maternity stretch pants, $21.99

46 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Liliana Jeannott Floor-length teal dress (neck can be worn as shown or stretched to expose shoulders), $48.89

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 47

PARENTING

Signature

MOMENTS

Author encounters instill love of reading, memories

commentary by

JESSICA TOMPKINS

48 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

MY DAUGHTER AND I recently pulled out a book from my own childhood collection, “Sideways Stories from Wayside School.”

We began to read it nightly, chapter by chapter, until we got through it.

Reading this book was memorable for a couple reasons.

First, it was her first “chapter book,” and she was super excited to be reading a book that looked like it was for older kids.

Secondly, when I flipped through it, I saw author Louis Sachar’s signature on the front title page.

I remembered how special it was that day as an elementary school student when I got to meet an actual author and get my book signed. As an avid reader, it was pretty close to thrilling for me. Back then, reading all 20 Bluebonnet Books would get me a ticket into the author’s luncheon and be the highlight of my life at the time.

I can count about five books I had signed by an author in childhood, and I still have them to this day. And I keep them pretty secure; they are not on my daughter’s bookshelf. Nope.

These gems are tucked away so little grubby hands can’t touch them. It turns out I am a little particular about my books.

In college, I heard Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson would be visiting and signing books in town. Of course, I decided meeting her would be more educational than psychology class, so I skipped and got in line to meet her and have her sign my book (Sorry mom; I promise that was totally the only time I skipped class). Additionally, in the past few years, I attended a conference where I was able to meet Janet Fitch, the author of “White Oleander,” and have my book signed. All of these items I treasure, and all of the

Grace Tompkins opens her copy of “They Persisted” outside the Houston bookstore where the author, Chelsea Clinton, signed it.

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 49

Five-year-old Grace Tompkins shakes hands with author and former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, seated, as her mother Jessica Tompkins, center, watches during a book-signing in Houston for Clinton’s children’s book, “They Persisted.” experiences have added to my love of reading.

Each book now is more than just a tale, because now each one is also an experience.

I have decided it’s time, especially with kids of my own, to pick it up again and allow my daughters to share in some of these experiences and begin collecting gems of their own on their bookshelves.

When my oldest turned 5, I purchased her a copy of Chelsea Clinton’s “She Persisted” and wrote a cool girl-power-type message on the inside cover. The book highlights 13 historical female figures who have done something to change the course of American history. We read about Harriet Tubman, Sally Ride and Helen Keller. My daughter loves the book and enjoys being read to so she can hear about the

50 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

women inside the pages.

Of course, when I heard Chelsea Clinton was going to be signing books in Houston, I decided we had to go. And my daughter was pumped. She’d never met an author, and for a solid month ahead of time, she talked about it incessantly. As a 5-year-old, she knew she was meeting an author, but I hope as she grows up, she also realizes she met a former first daughter and what a cool experience that is, as well.

When I was in high school, the band had to the opportunity to play for then-Gov. George W. Bush after his plane landed at the Brazoria County airport. At the time, I didn’t really understand why this event would be so memorable, but our band director told us,

“Guys, this is really cool. You get to play for the governor, and who knows, he may end up being the president of the United States very soon.”

Although I wasn’t able to secure a signature at this event, many of my friends did, and I was able to shake his hand. I am very thankful for the band director who was able to identify a teachable moment and patiently explained to a crew of goofy freshman the importance of what we would be participating in.

When our big day rolled around for the booksigning, I picked my daughter up from school a little early, came home and grabbed her “Girls Run the World” T-shirt, tossed a bow in her hair, and headed off with a close family friend to Houston. After some pizza, we headed over to the bookstore.

The line at the store was long, but there were so many little girls, and that is the part I loved.

Some wore their Sunday best, and some were wearing T-shirts celebrating girls, like we did.

We waited for quite a while, but it wasn’t boring because we made new friends with those in line around us. In fact, our family friend ended up doing an impromptu book reading with some young students from a private school in Houston, right there on the sidewalk outside the store. I did have to give my daughter a brief mom speech, about how now isn’t the time to be shy, and if she didn’t talk to Chelsea, she would miss out on the opportunity.

Once we made our way into the store, my daughter’s excitement increased. As she stepped up to take her turn to shake Chelsea’s hand and have her book signed, Chelsea caught her eye and smiled huge. It is a moment I will treasure forever as her mom. The look on my little girl’s face was the best part for me — she was flat-out happy. She didn’t say much, just gave her name and nodded often as Chelsea spoke to her and applauded her “Girls Run the World” shirt.

When we left, my daughter looked up at me and thanked me for bringing her along, and we decided together that we would try to do these events more often.

As for me, I still got that giddy feeling as I met this children’s book author, and I realized that young or old, books still were exciting and so were opportunities to meet who writes them. Any opportunity I can get for my daughters to meet people who can expand their world is one worth taking.

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 51

THE RED CARPET

Coming Home: Lake Jackson’s 75th March 24, 2018 • The Clarion at Brazosport College

Vicki Murray, Malory Doyle, Tere Sandlin, Shirley Ann Miller, Vivian Jones, Sandra Oliver, Stacy Lewis-Haagensen, Debra Perry

Eleanor Sysma, Sherri Russell, David Sysma

David and Jaimee Howarth

52 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Will Brooks

Sherri and Dan Higdon

Jay and Cathy Richardson, Melinda and Jon Cox

Bunnie and David Novosad

Lee Kuck, Bill Biggs

Bob and Barb Lundahl

James and Doris Grigar

Photos by Kevin Jaime

Terri Cardwell and Charlie Chipper

Mitch and Donna Mardis

Judson and Wanda Gresham

Cornell White

Shanna and Rhett McEwen, Sandra Oliver

Matthew and Kathleen Baker

Natalie and Matthew Broaddus

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 53

Angleton Rotary Fundraiser March 1, 2018 • Brazoria County Fairgrounds

Bill and Janie Dane Robin Braun, Lori Gonzalez, Jerri McNeill, Vickie Harmon, Pat Montgomery

John and Sally Wood

Photos by Kevin Jaime

Trish, Kendal, Adi and Jeff Thompson

AB and Willa Christensen

Military Moms and Wives of Brazoria County representatives Carol Staten, Vikki McConnell, Mary Moreno, Carolyn Brooks, Mary Shannon, Belinda Dailey, Karen McFatter

Don’t see your photo?

Kyle, Tamara and Russel Armstrong

Cole, Trixie and Cade McCall

Go to thefacts.mycapture.com

David Spence, Ryan May

54 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

Keith, Brooklyn and GiGi Wallace

Connie and Mark Garner

Loretta Washington, Lonita Lewis

Junior Achievement Celebrity Waiter March 3, 2018 • Lake Jackson Civic Center

Tim and Dee Woodard

Dorothy Andrews, Kelly Wilkinson

Joyce and Juan Chapa

Shane and Jessie Jennings

Matt Fast, Haley Smith, Sonia Draper, Kelli Smith

Michaele and Wally Gregory

Stephanie and Rob Duran

Jacki and Lenny Retzloff

Bentley, Anne and Roger Allstott

Photos by Kevin Jaime

Elizabeth and George Braun

MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 55

FINAL THOUGHT

Well-meaning family vacations often result in unhappy campers

Getting in tents

56 BRAZOSMONTHLY | MAY 2018

S

SOME FOLKS CONSIDER camping a viable form of family entertainment, but it isn’t for everyone.

Camping is never like the brochure. A picture shows a perfectly made-up woman admiring a smiling man who just finished erecting the porch of a tent that looks more like a beach house than a leaning heap of canvas. Standing by are little Janie and Joey, eating ice cream cones and preparing to take a leisurely stroll down a manicured path in the brightly lit woods.

What really happens is mom’s hair falls flat the first time the tent collapses on her, just before an unexpected storm washes off her makeup. That’s right after Dad makes Joey cry with language the commentary by preacher would not JOHN LOWMAN approve of to describe what a tent stake looks like. Then Janie starts screaming about a bug biting her leg until her tongue gets so big she can’t talk.

The woods are dark and deep because it’s night. Buying an extra $300 worth of gear took way longer than expected, so the 10 a.m. start became 2 p.m. The perfect primitive camping spot, found from a perfectly good home with a stocked refrigerator, cable TV and beds, is 30 miles further than indicated on Google maps.

The weather forecast was not even close. Calm breezes and 78 is now 42 degrees with canvas-ripping wind gusts.

Dad forgot the oil for the Coleman stove, so they take a chance with raw hot dogs.

The processed pork product prompts a frantic tramp onto the tundra since there’s no bathroom or running water.

The question of whether the only nearby leaves are poison ivy is answered Monday.

At work. In a meeting.

Laying on an acorn that grows to the size of an elephant in five torturous hours of “sleep” is surpassed only by trying to

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MAY 2018 | BRAZOSMONTHLY 57

doze in a cold, leaky tent that smells like smoked armpits. Not that anyone could sleep after the two cans of beanie-weenies, planned to last a weekend, are gone in the first 30 minutes. And the loose lid on the single gallon of water anyone remembered to pack left wet drawers and a quart of water for a family of four.

The only reason Mom is smiling when the sun comes up is Janie is still alive, and she’s decided to take care of Dad’s foul mouth with the tent stake after luring him into the woods later.

Dad manages to get one of four fishing poles untangled, so he and Joey set off to catch dinner.

Janie risks a respiratory infection by staying in the moldy tent to nosh on some Skittles stashed in her jacket.

Four hours later, Dad brings back two perch and arrogantly chirps “I caught ’em, you clean ’em.” Using fish-scaling knowledge from high school homemaking, Mom leaves just enough bones to make an emergency room trip interesting while Dad digs a hole for a campfire. After three failed attempts to start the blaze, he siphons some gasoline from the minivan and fills the pit, losing both eyebrows in the process.

A dozen crickets commit suicide by jumping into the pot of

boiling grease, but the starving survivors enjoy the crunch added to blackened fish morsels.

The super-hot gasoline fire chars the bones enough to keep them from lodging in anyone’s throat, although they’re still sharp enough to pierce the gums a few times.

Looking more like raggedy hobos than a camping brochure, the family starts the journey home. Dad realizes he put too much fuel on the fire and there might not be enough to make the drive. The only store within 50 Insured and bonded for your protection Vicki Polak, Broker/Owner 979-235-0453

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miles is closed on Sunday, and there’s no cell service. So he talks loudly about the great fun they had, and how he can’t wait to go camping again.

But Dad doesn’t notice there’s something different about Mom. She’s snapped a little.

Her makeup is mussed and hair leaning, but she smiles anyway, gently caressing the tent stake right beside that extra box of Skittles still hidden in her purse.

Because it might be fun for some people, but camping is not for everyone.

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