Tex appeal july 2015

L i f e & S t y l e i n C e n t r a l Te x a s

July 2015

CONTROLLING THE In Charge of 6 Texas Lakes

Tips from the Texas A&M Forestry Service

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MAMMOTH

Exhibit

Learning the Cowboy Way

HORSIN’ AROUND

SAil AwAy with the local yAcHT club

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

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Features

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SET FOR SUMMER

O’Connor keeps lakes safe

Keeping our recreation areas clean, safe and ready for another season of summer outdoor fun is a team effort led by Anjna O’Connor, operations project manager for the Central Capital Region Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 2012. Responsible for six regional lakes including Canyon, Somerville, Granger, Georgetown, Belton and Stillhouse Hollow, O’Connor is the senior leader when it comes to making sure all of the lakes are meeting the Corps’ missions.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

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Outdoor adventure Explore local parks and lakes

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Stay firewise

Rangers educate public

With the population boom in Texas, and more people living in natural, picturesque settings, watching for wildfires and helping residents become firewise is just another day at the office for Mary Kay Hicks, a 21-year Texas Forest Service veteran and Kristen Newman, now in her second year with the TFS.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

Brad Ellis is the lead ranger for the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parks and Recreation. Ellis and his small team monitor, improve, and maintain the parks and wildlife areas around Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes, ensuring that they are safe and usable for the public.

Ellis, a native of Troy, attended Tarleton State University as a wildlife biology major that lead to an internship with the Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Whitney nine years ago. During those nine years he climbed up the chain of command, and in 2014 he moved back to Central Texas to become the lead ranger for Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes.

By MIKE BARTOSZEK

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Weekend wrangler Adventure awaits at ranch

It’s dawn at Horsin’ Around and the morning sun is beginning to rise. Its rays filter through the trees as horses walk toward their morning feed. Brenda Ramos, founder and co-owner, along with her business partner, Lee Mosley, co-owner and trainer, are getting the horses ready for their move from the ranch at BLORA to their new home at Liberty Acres Ranch in Troy, owned by Mosley.

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

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Departments

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TexTalk Neighbors Joey and Charlie Daniel offer sailing lessons

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TexTalk FLAVOURs Miller’s Smokehouse in Belton

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TexTalk BEAUTY Brenda Ramos opens her saddle bag

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TexTalk SCENE Asleep at the Wheel plays at Johnny’s Outback

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TexTalk CALENDAR Upcoming events in July

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TexTalk Well-Fed head

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Editor’s letter

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WELL-CONNECTED

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Contributors

ON the COVER

Anjna O’Connor helps keep area lakes safe. 34 Photograph by JULIE NABOURS

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PROFILES

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ADVERTISER’S INDEX

“Famous Trees of Texas”

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Tex HEALTH Common sense skin care

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Tex Pets Lessons learned camping with dogs

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Tex ADVENTURES Explore the Waco Mammoth Site

66 Tex THERAPY

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From the Editor Dear Readers, The torrential spring downpours wreaked havoc all around us and left many of our neighboring counties reeling with the aftermath of the storms. Some communities were devastated by floods and many lives were lost. Our hearts go out to those who were deeply affected by these rains.

Those same rains, however, also gave us the best wildflower season we’ve had in years and left us with a Hill Country that is once again covered in hues of green, flowing rivers and area lakes that are full or above capacity.

July is a busy month for families and tourists who enjoy our picturesque parks and lakes. With this issue we introduce you to some of the area happenings, as well as people who make it all happen.

If sailing is in your blood, meet Charlie and Joey Daniel. Charlie is the sailing programs director and his wife, Joey, is past commodore at Lake Belton Yacht Club, Page 11.

Take a peek at Belton Lake, Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Dana Peak Park and learn about the outdoor activities they offer from day use, camping, boating, fishing, hiking and picnicking, Page 27.

None of the activities would be available if not for the watchful eye of Anjna O’Connor, operations manager for the Central Capital Region of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She is responsible for six regional lakes, including Canyon, Somerville, Granger, Georgetown, Belton and Stillhouse. O’Connor is the lead person when it comes to making sure all of the lakes are meeting the Corps missions, Page 34.

While you are visiting our area lakes, parks and campgrounds, Smokey Bear wants you to prevent forest fires. Meet Mary Kay Hicks and Kristen Newman of the A&M Texas Forest Service. They make sure the woodlands, forests and residential green spaces are firewise, Page 39.

If you are looking for something just a little more rustic, then head to Horsin’ Around at its new location in Troy. Meet Brenda Ramos, the founder and co-owner of this authentic working ranch whose mission is to provide recreational riding for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. Be prepared to come away from the experience with more horse sense than you had going in, Page 42.

As you are playing outdoors, whether for a day or weekend, be sure to take care of your skin. Epiphany Dermatology has some tips on proper skin care for the Texas summer sun on Page 52.

Sixty-five thousand years ago Columbian mammoths roamed Central Texas. At Waco’s Mammoth Site, fossils of these giants are on display for visitors to view. These mammoths stood 12-14 feet high and weighed up to 10 tons, dwarfing their relative, the woolly mammoth, Page. 61.

We are fortunate to live in an area that is rich with nature and outdoor activities.

Wherever you choose to spend your summer weekend, have a seat and pour yourself a glass of iced tea or lemonade while enjoying this month’s Tex Appeal.

Catherine Hosman

Tex Appeal Editor edittexappealmagazine@gmail.com 254-501-7511

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

Tex Appeal Life & Style in Central Texas

Published by FRANK MAYBORN ENTERPRISES, INC. KILLEEN DAILY HERALD 1809 Florence Rd., Killeen, TX 76540

TEMPLE DAILY TELEGRAM 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501

Publisher SUE MAYBORN Editorial Director M. CLARE HAEFNER Editor CATHERINE HOSMAN Copy Editor LEE JAMES Graphic Designer/Photographer JULIE NABOURS Contributors FRED AFFLERBACH MIKE BARTOSZEK ROLANA FRANK JEROMIAH LIZAMA JESSICA PEARCE Advertising 254-774-5264 254-501-7496

Tex Appeal Magazine is published monthly by Frank Mayborn Enterprises, Inc. 10 S. Third St., Temple, TX 76501. The cover and content of Tex Appeal Magazine is fully protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced in any manner without prior permission.

Subscriptions: For the United States, $24 per year, 12 issues.

Mail check to P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

Questions about subscriptions, call 254-774-5264.

Postmaster: Send address changes to: Tex Appeal Magazine, P.O. Box 6114, Temple, TX 76503-6114.

How to contact us: Advertising: Call 254-774-5264 or 254-501-7496.

Editorial: Contact Catherine Hosman at 254-501-7511 or email edittexappealmagazine@ gmail.com.

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DID YOU KNOW?

You can read back issues of Tex Appeal Magazine at texappealmag.com.

Log on today to find the current issue and older editions of Tex Appeal.

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Contributors Jessica Pearce is a writer, independent songwriter and an award-winning published poet. Widely traveled, she has taught English language and literature overseas in Bangalore, India, and blogged about her cultural experiences. Although raised in Alaska, she is a native-born Texan who now lives in Killeen where she writes for Tex Appeal and the Killeen Daily Herald.

FreD AFFLERBACH is an award-winning writer and novelist, college graduate at age 50, and former long-haul trucker. His stories and columns have been published in daily newspapers across Texas. His novel, “Roll On,” debuted in 2012, and is an interstate odyssey about a man afflicted with an incurable wanderlust despite pressure from family and friends to settle down. Fred lives in Cedar Park with his wife, Diane, and enjoys perusing Central Texas backroads with a keen eye out for roadrunners, old trucks and lipstick sunsets.

MIKe BARTOSZEK

was born in Las Vegas, Nev., and traveled to various Army installations, including tours in Germany; his family finally settled in Killeen.

Growing up, Mike had a passion for concert production working on such shows as ZZ Top, Korn and Ted Nugent. He now pursues a career in video production and photography and has since worked for various entertainment companies such as Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines and KNCT. He enjoys a life of travel, adventure, outdoor photography, and is expecting his first child.

JEROMIAH LIZAMA is a freelance photographer specializing in conceptual fine arts portraiture and event photography. He is also a full-time student having studied at the Art Institute and now pursues a degree in filmmaking at Full Sail University. He is a “military brat” and former defense contractor of 12 years traveling all over Europe and Southeast Asia. He now lives in Killeen with his four kids and their dog, Cain.

JOIN the Tex Appeal TEAM

Tex Appeal Magazine is looking for photographers and freelance writers with at least one year of experience photographing and/or writing features for a newspaper or magazine. We are seeking candidates from the Central Texas area, including Killeen, Temple, Belton, Salado, Copperas Cove and Harker Heights. Candidates must be detail- and deadline-oriented and good storytellers, and must be familiar with AP style. Ability for writers to take photos is a plus, but not required. Interested candidates may send their resumes and three to five recent stories and/or photographs for consideration to Catherine Hosman at edittexappealmagazine@gmail.com or M. Clare Haefner at chaefner@kdhnews.com.

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neighbors 11

flavours 14

beauty 16

scene 18

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Charlie Daniel pulls ropes and adjusts the tension on his olympic class Laser sail boat while preparing to launch at Franks Marina on Belton Lake.

Learn to sail on local lakes

Story by Fred Afflerbach Photos by MIKE BARTOSZEK

F

or Joey and Charlie Daniel, tying the knot was more than just a metaphor for exchanging wedding vows. The couple met on Belton Lake, introduced by mutual sailing friends. Their first date was aboard a Spirit 23 sailboat.

“It was cold and crisp. The sun was shining. It was just a day to fall in love,” Joey said. Several years after that initial, romantic cruise, Joey and Charlie raised the main sail for the first time as husband and wife when they were married at Frank’s Lakeview Inn, a popular restau-

rant that sat high on a bluff overlooking a marina.

Twenty-five years of marriage and 33 years of unfurling sails together, Charlie and Joey are a mainstay on Lake Belton, promoting and teaching sailing. And a

generation has followed in their wake.

Today, Charlie is the sailing programs director and Joey is the past commodore at Lake Belton Yacht Club. Charlie teaches a basic sailing course on weekends, using his home studio to explain tacking and jibing and staying out of the danger zone so the boom won’t knock you overboard when the boat is coming about. He leans on four decades of sailing to make the sport fun and safe for students of all ages.

But it’s his time spent on Belton Lake with Joey that has shaped his approach to teaching women.

“A lot of times men overpower Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexTalk neighbors

Charlie Daniel adjusts the main sail on an Olympic class Laser sailboat while drifting toward sunset on Belton Lake.

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women and treat them poorly,” Charlie said. “I found out real early in the game Joey was as good as me ... and I better give her some room. I keep that in mind.”

With the Daniels at the helm of the Lake Belton Yacht Club, lessons for all ages are available, from Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, to Baylor University students, to folks in their 40s and 50s. Charlie has recently received approval for his sailing program with Temple ISD, called the Wildcat Sailing club. He’s only a step away from getting Belton Independent School District on board and Killeen ISD could soon follow suit. Working under the umbrella of the Lake Belton Yacht Club, the Daniels would help host sailing competitions on Lake Belton. Charlie would like to grow the sport in high schools across Texas.

“Once we get going in Central Texas, I think we’ll have at least 10 or 20 high schools participating in high school racing,” Daniel said. “It takes about 18 to 20 boats to sponsor a regatta, and that’s one of our goals to try and get that many. Right now we’ve got about eight Lasers.” (A Laser is a popular class of sailboat, about 13 feet long, weighing 130 pounds, easily operated by one person. Its durability and simplicity make the Laser popular among beginners.)

In their lives away from the lake, Charlie works for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Killeen, helping veterans secure health benefits. Joey is recently retired from Killeen ISD after 26 years as teacher, counselor and assistant principal. She was crewing and racing on an all-girls boat for several years when she met Charlie.

In an era when immediate gratification often supplants the anticipation and joy of rituals and routines, sailing is sometimes seen as boring, or painstakingly slow. After all, one can simply hop on a jet ski and skim across the lake in a matter of minutes. Joey Daniel has an answer to that thought.

“Motorboat people ask me: ‘Why do you want to be on a sailboat when you’re trying to get somewhere?’” Joey said, sitting in the Daniel’s 37-foot yacht, Alegra y Amika. “And I tell them, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey. I’ve grounded us a couple times. Hit the rocks on Morgan’s Point. I’ve grounded us up by the Girl Scouts Camp. Just living through that stuff, you keep coming back for more.”

Charlie Daniel stands to stretch his legs and adjust the main sail while sailing on an Olympic class Laser sail boat at Belton Lake.

Buoy ahead: Sailing is highly addictive Once sailing gets in your blood, Charlie preaches there is no transfusion. He’s been addicted since age 19, when he learned by crewing on a sailboat in Puget Sound, north of Seattle. Charlie began teaching because he needed help racing his keel boat, so he offered to show beginners the ropes if they would join his crew. He says the more people he teaches to sail, the more people he has to play with on Lake Belton. He also encourages students to crew on different boats with different captains to learn various strategies and skills. Born out of the Daniels’ passion for racing and sailing, a generation has grown up sailing on Belton Lake.

Jeff Jones was a Belton High School student in 1990 when he met Charlie at a boat show. Charlie recruited Jones and taught him the basics. Twenty-five years later, Jones, his wife, Carrie, and son, Owen, travel to sailboat races as far away as Biscayne Bay, Fla. The Jones family says the Lake Belton sailing community has enjoyed a steady tailwind with the Daniels at the helm.

“When it comes to sailing in this area, Charlie’s the guy. The club owes him a lot for keeping things going,” Jones said. “We call him a spark plug for sailing on Lake Belton. He gets people excited.

He gets them involved. He’s the guy in all the shows. Getting people out there, organizing things. He’s the guy that gets everybody fired up.”

Another one of Charlie’s students, Tanya McGowan, picked up sailing three

Charlie Daniel heads out for a sail with Justin Sorrells on Belton Lake.

years ago. She says the sport is about freedom, fun, being outdoors and on the water.

And the Daniels make sailing a family event.

McGowan, an anesthetist at Scott & White Memorial Hospital, calls Lake Belton a gem that you can often have to yourself. She laughs thinking back on her first lessons and initial sailboat race.

“Charlie is a great coach. I’ve taken all his classes,” McGowan said. “He actually gave me the courage to compete in my first regatta in Austin. Right after I took my board boat class, he and I took the old, like 1969, Green Lizard, they call it. The oldest Laser we had. Took it down to Austin, raced it and we rigged it, and I capsized a couple times. I got the award for most improved after five races because I quit capsizing all the time and had gone

the wrong way all the time and that stuff.”

McGowan knew what to do when her boat keeled over because capsize recovery is part of Charlie’s teaching. Before graduating from the small sailboat course, students have to be able to upright a boat that has been tipped over.

“It’s a physical activity. You’re going to get wet. You’re going to work out,” McGowan said. “They want you to be part of the family. It’s very much a family atmosphere with Charlie and Joey. We’ll sit around and have crackers and pretzels after.

They’re the sweetest, nicest people. And they want to encourage people to sail. They want people to sail so much, you can tell.

And you gotta learn to tie knots.”

Joey and Charlie Daniel know all about that.

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Miller’s Smokehouse at 208 N. Penelope in Belton, is run by Dusty Miller, Lisa “Mama” Miller and Dirk Miller.

Local eatery a Belton tradition Story by Catherine Hosman Photos by Julie Nabours

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illers Smokehouse in Belton has become the go-to place for a hearty plate of smoked brisket, turkey, pork and sausage, not to mention all the trimmings.

Family-owned and operated by the Miller family, the business opened in August 2008, but sold only sausage wraps and pulled pork sandwiches at first, said Dusty Miller, owner, co-founder and son.

As the years progressed, the business grew as did the size of the smokers out back.

Family members who work in the restaurant have designated roles. Dad Dirk is the chief cook; son Dusty mans the smokers and manages the business, and mom, Lisa, is the pastry chef churning out the 14

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If you go

208 N. Penelope St., Belton 254-939-5500 Hours of operation: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday Closed Sunday and Monday

homemade deserts.

A daughter, Samantha, worked in the restaurant as soon as she was “tall enough to clean the tops of tables.” Soon she will be a college student at Tarleton State University, in Stephenville.

Another son, Dylon, worked the family business through high school. Now a recent graduate of University of Mary Hardin Baylor, he runs the family’s deer-processing

shop next door. He is also responsible for oversight of the processed-meats production (jerky, sausages, snack sticks, etc.).

“Mom started working full-time about a year and a half ago,” said Dusty Miller.

“She is the glue that holds the family and the business together. My dad ran a masonry and fireplace company with his dad for over 20 years before he began processing deer and doing taxidermy.

Many of my fondest childhood memories include my dad and a barbecue pit, so it’s awesome to get to see him doing what he loves every day.”

Millers’ best-selling item is its brisket.

“It’s Texas, so we sell a good amount of brisket,” Dusty said. “We buy a quality product, and take much pride in cooking our briskets. We serve baby back pork ribs on Wednesday, and St. Louis Style

TexTalk flavours

“Tha Big ’Un”

Get ready to loosen your belt buckle because this sandwich is sure to stretch your waistline before you even get a chance to finish it. “Tha Big ‘Un” gives you everything you want on a bun.

Since the Millers can’t share any specific recipe with us, they did tell us what it takes to make this ginormous sandwich. It’s a great treat for game day if you’re getting together with friends and family and guaranteed to sooth any hunger pangs you may have. You can buy the sauce, original and spicy, and the rub to give your BBQ an authentic Millers BBQ taste. Or, just pick up the fixings at the restaurant and pile away.

On a large bun layer: 5 ounces chopped brisket 5 ounces of pulled pork 5 ounces of sausage (regular Polish)

“Many of my fondest childhood memories include my dad and a barbecue pit, so it’s awesome to get to see him doing what he loves every day.”

— Dusty Miller

pork ribs on Friday and Saturday. The ribs always go quickly, and they have always been a hit.”

One of the restaurant’s more popular sandwiches is “Tha Big ‘Un.” It’s so big, you’d better use both hands to pick it up, or a fork and knife.

Although we are highlighting that sandwich in our recipe portion of this review, we didn’t get the actual recipe.

“Many times great barbecue comes as

3 ounces coleslaw Pickles and onions to taste If you are a sauce person, be sure to add some of Miller’s secret sauce or your own favorite.

a result of much trial and error,” Dusty said, explaining why they don’t share recipes. ”Our cooking process and methods have evolved and changed dramatically over the past seven years, and it’s still exciting every time we learn a new trick that improves the quality of the food.”

In true, Texas style, what is barbecue without music? Every Friday night Millers offers an acoustic show with local musicians from 6 to 9 p.m. Come for the food, stay for the music and dessert.

Mom Lisa’s desserts are sure to please the sweet tooth, but not necessarily the waistline. Her best-selling items include Hurricane Cake, and German Chocolate Cake with cream cheese filling, coconut and pecans.

“Mom wakes up in the morning and cooks whatever comes to her mind,” Dusty said. “She’ll also bake whatever you want, to order, if you would like to order a whole dessert for a special occasion.

Dad normally takes an early shift on the smokers, and then you can find him in the restaurant during lunch.”

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Beauty in the Saddlebag

beauty TexTalk

By CATHERINE HOSMAN

How do you stay beautiful on the go?

Each month Tex Appeal peeks inside the bag of one busy woman to reveal her best beauty secrets and must-have essentials. When you work with, and ride horses every day, priorities change and taking care of your horse is as important as taking care of yourself.

Brenda Ramos Co-owner

Horsin’ Around

The ESSENTIALS she CARRIES

Oil of Olay with Sunblock: Being in the sun every day I need to protect my skin from looking like an old saddlebag.

Aveeno Hand Lotion: I work hard like a man on the ranch but I want my hands to look like a lady’s.

Kerchief: I wear a kerchief dipped in ice water around my neck for its coolness and protection from sunburn on the back of my neck.

Horse Essentials: Brushes, hoof

pick, fly spray, and Pink, to detangle hair and add oil and shine to their coat, mane and tail. Also, triple antibiotic ointment, a Gerber knife, scissors, vet wrap and a small rope.

Carmex: To protect my lips from the sun, and it also serves as a lip gloss.

Rose the One Dolce & Gabbana Perfume: It goes with my hat, jeans, spurs, shirt and chaps.

Clinique Cream Base: It stays on longer even when I sweat.

Photographs by JULIE NABOURS

Most valuable TOOLS in her SADDLEBAG

Do you have a helpful hint you can share with readers? For all the cowgirls out there: Never take off your spurs, it’s bad luck. And remember, we are all beautiful in our own way and that is beauty from within.

Is there something to help you stay prepared for anything? We carry a small bag of peanuts, granola bars or jerky in our saddlebags because we sometimes don’t get a lunch; and a can of soda and two waters, in case a guest starts to get dehydrated; Band-aids and Off bug spray.

Tell us about any other essential item that helps make your life easier.

My old boots that fit like a glove, my Martin-made padded seat saddle, the support of my husband and family, my business partner, Lee Mosley, and close friends.

Most valuable tools in her saddlebag: My Gerber knife, which has multiple tools that can be used for jobs on the trail from picking a rock out of a horse’s hoof to cutting a branch that’s in the way on the trail.

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TexTalk scene

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Asleep at the Wheel draws fans to Johnny’s 2

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1. Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel perform at Johnny’s Outback in Salado on June 6, 2015.

2. Doug Grady, Melissa Thompson and Zach Weber before the show.

3. Jason and Brenda Brown of Temple.

4. Brian and Addie Rogan of Harker Heights find a shady spot to listen.

5. Sherry Millington on the dance floor at Johnny’s Outback in Salado.

6. Cathy and Kevin Binney came from Port Isabelle for the concert.

7. Katie Shore, who plays fiddle for Asleep at the Wheel, poses with her parents, John and Suzanne Shore at Johnny’s Outback in Salado.

8. Melissa Tonn, of Jarrell, and Randy Lesikar, of Zabcikville, take a dance break.

9. Deborah and Billy Don Jones and Jared Bryan wait to meet Ray Benson.

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TexTalk calendar

Bell County Museum Now through Aug. 8 Imprinting the West: Manifest Destiny, Real and Imagined.

Throughout the 19th century as Americans pushed west toward the Pacific, they were fascinated by westward expansion in North America. Printed Imagery played an important role in the dissemination of knowledge and understanding about the West and its inhabitants. Forty-eight hand-colored engravings and lithographs by early western artists including George Catlin, explore these depictions and the influence the artists had on the perception of the Wild West.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

201 N. Main St., Belton For more information, call 254-9335243 or visit www.bellcountymuseum.org.

Harker Heights Parks & Recreation Pack the Pantry July 1 to 31 Help pack the empty shelves of the Harker Heights Food Center. Items needed include: baby food, baby formula, baby diapers, toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, paper plates, napkins, personal feminine items, canned food and boxed foods.

Drop off locations: City Hall, 305 Miller’s Crossing; Recreation Center, 307 Miller’s Crossing; Library/Activities Center, 400 Indian Trail.

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between 1955 and 1960, Link’s railroad images offer a unique glimpse into the small towns that relied on the railroads in the mid-20th century. This exhibit may be viewed with regular admission into the Temple Railroad and Heritage Museum.

315 W. Avenue B, Temple For more information, visit www. rrhm.org or call 254-298-5172.

The Norfolk and Western steam train crosses a trellis at the Hawksbill Swimming Hole in Luray, Va., 1956.

O. Winston Link photo.

Railroad & Heritage Museum Now through Aug. 26 O. Winston Link Photography Exhibit Trains that Passed in the Night Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thirty-six prints from famed photographer O. Winston Link (1914-2011) depict the final years of steam railroading on the Norfolk & Western Railway, the last major railroad in America to operate exclusively on steam power. Showing the trains as part of everyday life in communities through which they traveled, Link’s photos appeal to a broad audience. Taken

Schoepf’s BBQ Free Texas Music Series July 2: William Clark Green with Dalton Domino July 9: Zane Williams with Charlie Montague July 16: Roger Creager with Michael Carubelli July 23: Dirty River Boys with Wally West and Them Lostbound Souls July 30: Jason Eady and Adam Hood with Courtney Patton Doors open at 6 p.m.

702 E. Central Ave., Belton For more information, call 254-9391151 or go to www.schoepfsbbq.com.

Lone Star Music Series Johnny’s Outback July 3 Randy Rogers Advance tickets are $20 plus tax; $25 at the door.

301 Thomas Arnold Road, Salado For more information, visit www. johnnysoutback.com or johnnyssteaksandbbq.com.

calendar TexTalk

Scott & White Health Plan presents Hot Summer Sounds 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets to the park to enjoy an evening full of music and relaxation.

Admission is free.

July 3: Detroit Steel July 10: Jay White & the Blues Commanders July 17: Los A-T Boyz July 24: Newsboyz Party Band Miller Park, 1919 N. First St., Temple For more information, call Holly at 254-298-5440.

Harker Heights Farmers Market Military Appreciation Day July 4, 8 a.m. to noon We are showing our appreciation for all those that have served for our freedom.

Show your military ID to receive a 10 percent discount on your total purchase from each vendor.

Seton Medical Center Harker Heights, 850 W. Central Texas Expressway, Harker Heights H-E-B 4th of July All American Family Fun Fest July 4, 4 to 10:30 p.m.

Enjoy live music, a fireworks show, inflatables, a splash pad, mechanical bull, craft vendors, food vendors and more (some activities have a nominal fee).

Miller Park, 1919 N. First St., Temple For more information, call 254-2985440.

Johanna Reynnells and her daughter Emily enjoy Fort Hood’s Independence Day celebration in 2014.

Independence Day Celebration July 4, 5 to 10 p.m.

Fort Hood plans live music, food, games and more fun during its annual celebration at Hood Stadium. The public is welcome to attend the free festivities, which end with a 30-minute fireworks display choreographed to patriotic music.

Hood Stadium is behind the Community Events and Bingo Center on Clear Creek Road.

For more information or special accommodations due to disability, call 254286-5342 or visit www.hoodMWR.com.

Belton Fourth of July Parade July 4, 10 a.m.

Since the 1850s folks from all over Texas have come to celebrate the Fourth of July in Belton. The parade This long time Belton tradition starts at 10 a.m. on Main Street at 10th Avenue, travels south on Main Street to Central Avenue, turns east on Central, turns left on Birdwell and ends on Fourth Avenue. At 11 a.m., enjoy a festival along Nolan Creek in Yettie Polk Park with a performance by Holly Tucker at noon. Enjoy food and games Continued

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TexTalk calendar until 4 p.m. The PRCA rodeo caps off the evening at 7 at the Bell County Expo Center.

Yettie Polk Park, Central Avenue and Davis Street, downtown Belton.

Bell County Expo Center, 301 W. Loop 121, Belton.

For more information, visit rodeobelton.com or call the Belton Chamber of Commerce at 254-939-3551.

School House Rock Live Open Audition July 6, 9 a.m.

Children ages 7 to 14.

No preparation needed. If cast, there is a tuition fee of $65 for the week.

Rehearsal times are from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., but each cast member will receive their own schedule of rehearsals.

Temple Cultural Arts Center Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. Third St., Temple For more information, call 254-7739926 or visit www.cacarts.org.

Railroad and Heritage Museum Model Railroading 101 Workshop July 10, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

For children ages 5-12, $20 per child.

Join the Central Texas Area Model Railroaders to get the chance to run some of Centra-Mod’s layouts and complete a small modeling project to take home as you learn the ins and outs of this hobby.

Deborah Collins and her son, Aiden watch “The Lego Movie” at the Harker Heights Dive In last summer at the Carl Levin Park outdoor pool. The next family Dive In is at 7:30 p.m. July 11.

For kids 5-12; $20 per child 315 W. Avenue B., Temple For more information, call 254-2985172 or visit www.rrhm.org.

Central Texas Astronomical Society Star Viewing Party July 11, 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.

Bring your own telescopes for some personal help tips from CTAS members or just enjoy those set up by members.

This is a free event but registration is required. Dress appropriately and bring folding chairs and red flashlights. Red

The Central Texas Area Model Railroaders will teach children the basics of model trains in July.

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flashlights can be made by putting red plastic over the lens of an ordinary flashlight. Please arrive on time. It is hard to find your way around in the dark and that is disruptive to others viewing after dark. In the event of weather that will not permit viewing, a cancellation notice will be posted online by 6 p.m.

For more information, visit www. centexastronomy.org.

Overlook Park at Stillhouse Hollow Lake, 3740 Farm-to-Market 1670, Belton

Harker Heights Parks & Recreation Fun Day in the Park July 11, 10 a.m. to noon Harker Heights Community Park 1501 E. Farm-to-Market 2410 (past the high school) Join us as we flashback to the ’80s at this free Fun Day in the Park to celebrate National Park & Recreation Month.

There will be a variety of family friendly activities including games, inflatables, snow cones, ’80s costume contest, and local business vendors. Top off the day at our Family Dive In and watch a movie at Carl Levin Pool at 7:30 p.m.

Harker Heights Family Dive Ins July 11 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Come join the Parks & Recreation Department and Stewart C. Meyer Public Library for a movie night at the Carl Levin Outdoor Pool. Enjoy a fun-filled

evening of eating snacks and swimming while watching a movie on a big screen.

Family Dive Ins are open to the whole family. All participants will be required to pay gate admission rates (pool passes are not allowed as it is an event). To offer a quality program, movies are only open to the first 150 people.

Carl Levin Park Pool, 400 Miller’s Crossing Visit www.ci.harker-heights.tx.us/ parks or call 254-953-5466 for movie titles.

Nolanville First United Methodist Church Christmas in July July 11, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be handmade arts and crafts; homemade jellies and jams, and baked good for purchase. Enjoy a fish fry between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for $10 a plate. There will be door prizes every hour and a raffle for three grand prizes.

For more information, call Jim Butler at 254-699-0654 or 254-368-2670.

300 W. Avenue, Nolanville Temple Parks Foundation Movies in the Park July 18 “Frozen” Grab your blankets, lawn chairs, family and friends for a family-friendly movie in the park. Pre-movie activities begin at 6:30 p.m. and movies begin at sundown.

West Temple Park, 121 Montpark Road, Temple Admission is free. For more information, call 254-298-5440.

Salado Legends at Tablerock July 18 and 25 Written by playwright/lyricist and nationally honored Jackie Mills and directed by Donnie Williams. This play was ensconced in the Library of Congress for depicting life in the 1850s. Reservations are required for the optional dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $10 adult or child.

The show begins at 8:15 p.m. Tickets are $20 adult, $5 for child under 12 years.

Tickets can be purchased online at www. tablerock.org or at Fletchers Books & Antiques, First State Bank and Compass Bank in Salado, or on show night at gate.

Concessions building opens at 7:30 p.m.

Royal Street, Salado; for more information or to purchase group tickets call 254-947-9205.

Photography Workshop July 18, 2 to 5 p.m.

Learn 10 Easy Steps to Great Photography with Angie McCue to coincide with the museum’s exhibit of O. Winston Link’s photos. Learn photography tools for beginners and intermediates while focusing on our railroad cars. Participants must provide their own camera. For ages 14 and up; $20 per child.

315 W. Avenue B, Temple For more information, call 254-2985172 or visit www.rrhm.org Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. Third St., Temple For more information, call 254-7739926 or visit www.cacARTS.org.

calendar TexTalk

9th Annual Endurance Outfitters Hot 2 Trot 5K July 18, 7:30 a.m.

Get in shape this summer and train for the Hot 2 Trot 5K. Join us for a scenic 3.1 mile run around Lions Park. Awards are given to the overall male and female finishers per age group. The event will be chip timed and includes free professional race photos. Pre-registration is $20 and closes July 13. Race day registration is $25.

Register at racetemple.com or at any of recreation centers. For more information, call Tracy Kluacek at 254-298-5582.

Cultural Arts Center Rock the Summer July 20-24, 8:30 a.m. to noon Campers get hands-on instruction for acoustic, electric and bass guitars, and drum/percussion techniques. Texas Tour Gear will provide rentals, or young rockers can bring their own gear and get ready to jam out! Camp includes T-shirt, daily snack, folio and your ticket to rock. $100 per camper. Souvenir DVDs can be purchased for an extra $20. Sponsored by Texas Tour Gear and instructed by musicians Bruce Copeland and David Scafe.

Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. Third St., Temple For more information, call 254-7739926 or visit www.cacARTS.org.

Email upcoming Central Texas events to edittexappealmagazine@gmail.com.

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TexTalk well-fed head

Tree tales from across Texas

By Catherine Hosman

H

ave you ever wondered about those majestic oak trees you see dotting the Texas landscape? In their book, “Famous Trees of Texas,” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Texas A&M Forest Service, authors Gretchen Riley and Peter D. Smith take you on a journey across land and time as they give voice to some Texas’ oldest and most famous trees.

Exquisite photographs are accompanied by historical narration that describes a particular tree. For example, the first tree highlighted in the book is the Goose Island Oak, also known as The Big Tree.

Located in Goose Island State Park near Rockport, the tree is estimated to be 1,100 years old.

Austin’s Treaty Oak located on Baylor Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets, has sheltered Native Americans and Stephen F. Austin under its expansive canopy, giving shade from the Texas sun.

According to legend, it was under this tree that Austin signed the first boundary line agreement with the local natives in the early 1800s. Nearly 500 years old, in 1989 “the tree was poisoned by a disturbed man taking out his misery on the tree.”

Through the efforts of tree experts and an outpouring of public support, the tree survived. In 1997, it produced its first acorns and its offspring have been collected and planted around the state.

If curiosity gets the best of you when you see a tree whose giant limbs have been bent down on the ground as if pointing in a direction, that’s exactly what it did. Indian Marker Trees can be seen around the state, if you know what to look for. These trees were often bent as saplings or young trees to point into the direction of water, campsite, or food. One of these trees is located in Burnet, Texas on Highway 29 adjacent to the city park along Hamilton Creek.

This book has been in the works since 2001 when Smith first joined the agency. “I fell in love with the old book (the original Famous Trees of Texas pub24

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lished in 1970) and when I went to College Station, I talked up the idea of doing another book,” said Smith, a 26-year veteran of the Texas Forest Service and former Urban Forestry Program Manager. He now works for the Arbor Day Foundation also as the Urban Forestry Program Manager. “At the time they couldn’t afford to do a book as they were building a website instead (famoustresoftexas.com).”

When Riley came to the agency Smith said it was the best opportunity to pursue this book. She said she fell in love with the stories but agreed the old book was dated.

“We knew we had to do something and this was an opportunity,” Riley said.

Between the two of them and a small army of photographers, all of the live trees

were visited and photographed. “Gretchen led the entire process for what it meant to add a famous tree,” Smith said. “We took it very seriously that these were the trees that needed to tell a story about Texas and the people of Texas.”

Both authors hope that readers come away with a better appreciation of how prominently “trees figure in our lives.”

“They were there before us and will be there after us,” Riley said.

“I hope they connect in some way with these trees and the trees around us,” Smith said. “There is an invisible forest, an urban forest and these trees mean a lot to us. If we are not taking care of these trees that are important for people who live here today, they won’t be around for future generations.”

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Outdoor adventure

Lakes full in time to explore parks this summer Story and photos by Mike Bartoszek

B

rad Ellis is the lead ranger for the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Parks and Recreation.

Ellis and his small team monitor, improve, and maintain the parks and wildlife areas around Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes, ensuring that they are safe and usable for the public.

Ellis, a native of Troy, attended Tarleton State University as a wildlife biology major that lead to an internship with the Army Corps of Engineers at Lake Whitney nine years ago. During those nine years he climbed up the chain of command, and in 2014 he moved back to Central Texas to become the lead ranger for Belton and Stillhouse Hollow lakes.

Leading his team of five in the development and improvement of the Corps land, Ranger Ellis oversees the day to day operations of the parks, volunteers and his staff of rangers. “We really wear a lot of different hats when working for the Corps,” Ellis said. “We all have our specializations and we all have a background in natural resources management.

Everyone dabbles in everything, we’re just too short staffed to try and manage two lakes with five rangers.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages 22 recreational areas between the two lakes with Dana Peak Park being the largest on Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Cedar Ridge the largest on Belton Lake, which means they rely heavily on volunteers to help manage and maintain.

“We never turn away volunteers, they’re our life blood for keeping things working and in shape,” Ellis said. “There are several ways and levels that people can donate time.”

For instance, Ellis said if a group wanted to volunteer to help blaze a trail, or clean up the swimming areas, they could contact his office directly. “We also accept volunteers looking to spend a fair amount of time at the park say, six or seven months. They are traded a water/ sewer/power campsite for volunteering

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lead Ranger Brad Ellis patrols the Dana Peak Park campgrounds on a rainy June day.

“We have free boat ramps all around the lakes, along with the day-use ones inside of the parks.”

— Brad Ellis about 20 hours a week helping keep the park clean, maintaining trails, answering phones and other simple tasks. Volunteers really are our life blood.”

Dana Peak Park is the largest of the Stillhouse Hollow Lake parks, and also offers some of the most diverse recreation in the area. Ellis said one of the first spots to hit is the trail systems right before entering the park gate.

“The trail is a multiuse trail,” Ellis points to the sharp right turn towards the park gate. “It’s mostly used by day hikers and mountain bikers with a few equestrians enjoying an easy horseback ride.” Ellis and his team work with some of the local outdoors groups to blaze and maintain trails, but naming, marking and produc-

ing an updated map is something that he said they are working on “to make it easier for folks to get around.”

The trail head is right outside of the Dana Peak Park gate and is free to use without having to pay the park a day use fee and boasts a 10-mile trail connecting Dana Peak Park to Stillhouse Hollow Lake Park, cutting across two of the hills that lay between the two parks, making it a slightly challenging day hike or bike ride. “Because the trail is outside of the park it’s hard to know exactly how many people use it, but we see over a million visitors each year go through the gates of the parks.” Despite the spring rains, there were still a few people parked outside of the trail getting ready to hike, bike or maybe train for something special that requires sloshing about in the rain and the muck.

Keeping yourself safe Safety is always important when visiting the local parks and lakes and summer brings its own challenges, with staying hydrated at the top. “Summer time we see a lot of families coming out on the trail Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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Herds of deer can be seen grazing and running throughout Dana Peak Park near Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

and we try as often as we can to educate people on staying hydrated. One 12-ounce bottle (of water) is usually not enough for a few hours hiking, especially if you’re exerting yourself. Make sure to stay hydrated — that’s the number one safety tip on the trail.

“Secondly, this is Texas and we have a wide variety of things that can bite, sting, or give you rashes — things like scorpions, centipedes, wasps, snakes and plants like poison ivy and poison oak. So when you’re out there on the trail make sure you know what the potential dangers are, make sure you know how to tell the difference between a rattlesnake and a grass snake, not all snakes are bad. If you’re mountain biking make sure you wear your protective gear, helmets and gloves.” Ellis said loose ground and washouts due to rain are among the potential dangers for mountain bikers who often take spills or slide across loose gravel.

Passing through the gates of Dana Peak Park one of the many park volunteers greets the visitors. She smiles, waves and points to the herd of deer approach28

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A family enjoys a day on Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

ing. “There’s a state law here at Dana Peak that prohibits deer hunting, which is why we have so many deer wandering around,” Ellis said, adding that it was

Courtesy photo

not unusual to see deer walk right up to people.

“During the summer water recreation Continued

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OUTDOOR DANGERS

Coral snake

Dana Peak Park has many hiking trails.

Brown tarantula

Centipede

Bull Nettle

Black widow 30

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Courtesy photos

is our main concern. We have free boat ramps all around the lakes, along with the day-use ones inside of the parks. Rivers Bend, on the far side of the lake is a good free ramp that can be accessed until sunset with a half dozen or so other free ramps spread across the parks at Belton and Stillhouse.”

Staying safe on the water State laws haven’t changed much for boating. Boaters must stay within 50 feet of each other, a structure or shoreline when underway; they must all have a 360 degree light, and there must be a safety flotation device for each person on the boat.

“We want to make sure when you’re out on a watercraft that everyone has the right sized life jacket and make sure they’re accessible on the boat. They can’t be locked in a storage compartment somewhere, they have to be out and they have to be accessible. All kids 13 and under have to have one properly fit and worn at all times while on a watercraft, even if you’re just sitting anchored to the shoreline.

As part of the day use side of the park, Dana Peak has multiple group pavilions, a boat ramp, hiking and a swimming beach open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

“Keeping the swim area clean is important to us, and while we do allow consumption of alcohol in the park, we ask that you please don’t take glass containers, especially to the swim area. No one wants to get their foot cut open while trying to swim. Otherwise, consumption of alcohol

A heron flies over Stillhouse Hollow Lake.

is permitted. Just don’t become belligerent or we will have to call the sheriff,” Ellis said.

He also noted that the Army Corps of Engineers is not a policing agency and has partnered with the county to have routine police patrols through the parks to help ensure that patrons are as safe as they can be while visiting. “Safety is one of our main concerns during Rec season, we do as much as we can to make sure visitors know and understand how to be safe.”

Camping is another big draw to the Corps parks, and while Dana Peak isn’t the premier park for camping, it does host Continued

OUTDOOR DANGERS

Western diamondback snake

Scorpion

Poison ivy Bridget Carlson hikes in Dana Peak Park on Aug. 5 with Tammy Hiatt and Teresa Lewellen.

File photo

harvester ants

Volunteers help maintain the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers parks, occupying such positions as gate attendants.

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People enjoy boating on Belton Lake throughout the year, but summer is an especially busy time to enjoy the water.

seven primitive tent-only camping sites and 17 water/sewer/power sites all right along the shoreline, or within a very short walk. Cedar Ridge Park is the largest park in the Corps network on Belton Lake boasting 40 reservation-only water/sewer/ power sites, and eight screened in shelters, and a large two-lane concrete boat ramp open during day use hours. While Dana Peak Park may be one of the largest and most diverse of the parks in the area Ranger Ellis spoke about other facilities within the local Corps network that are worth the time to visit.

Chalk Ridge Falls is on the downstream side of the spill way and has a wide and easy path that makes for a great day hike for families, Ellis said. “We routinely have ranger-led school and Boy Scout tours going through there so we keep the path wide and easy for families and children.

Aside from the falls there are some other attractions; we have a short suspensionstyle bridge, along with nature viewing and informational areas along the trail. Pets, however, are not allowed at this facility, but over all it’s just a good trail to hike on.”

Launching your boat For those looking to launch boats there are a number of free ramps on Belton 32

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and Stillhouse Hollow lakes. Riversbend on Stillhouse Hollow Lake and Belton Park on Belton Lake are good choices for quick and easy access to the water. With recent rain raising lake levels, however, several parks and boat ramps were closed in June for safety, so call or check online to see what’s open before you head out.

Ellis emphasizes that because water levels are up boaters need to be more aware of their surroundings.

“With all the rain we’ve had water levels are rising, which is a good thing, but it also brings a lot of debris. Log jams in coves and things that are submerged now weren’t a week ago. So try and take it nice slow and easy while boating.”

Both Stillhouse and Belton lakes offer free day use only parks that operate on first come first serve for picnic table areas, boat ramps, fishing areas and hiking, along with dozens of reservation-only campsites in paid access parks all around the lake. You need only to decide which shade tree you’d like to relax under.

For more information on the Army Corps of Engineers parks, visit http:// www.swf-wc.usace.army.mil/belton/Recreation/Parks/Corpsparks.asp For campsites anywhere in the Corps network visit www.recreation.gov.

Photo by Rolana Frank

FREE BOAT RAMPS Belton Lake (24-hour access) • Sparta Valley • Belton Park • Arrowhead Point • Roger’s Park • Leona Park • Owl Creek Park • Iron Bridge Park Stillhouse Hollow Lake • Riversbend Park • Cedar Gap Park

Call 254-939-8150 check ramp status as some are closed amid flooding.

First Come Picnic Areas Stillhouse Hollow Lake • Riversbend Belton Lake • Owl Creek Park • Miller Springs Park • McGregor Park • Iron Bridge Park • Sparta Valley Park • Belton Lakeview Park Volunteer information Local Army Corps office: 254-939-2461 volunteer.gov volunteerclearinghouse.com

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Set for summer

Anjna O’Connor helps keep lakes safe

By Catherine Hosman Photos by Julie Nabours

K

eeping our recreation areas clean, safe and ready for another season of summer outdoor fun is a team effort led

by Anjna O’Connor, operations project manager for the Central Capital Region Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers since 2012.

Responsible for six regional lakes including Canyon, Somerville, Granger, Georgetown, Belton and Stillhouse Hollow, O’Connor is the senior leader when it comes to making sure all of the lakes are meeting the Corps’ missions. “Our missions include flood and risk management, environmental stewardship, recreation and water supply,” O’Connor said.

Although she is the lead person in her region and is ultimately accountable for all regional operations, she said each area has its own manager and staff who run their respective lakes. She has a deputy operations manager and specialized staff who assist her in all areas of recreational safety on the lakes.

In total, she has 53 staff members who range from administration to Ph.D.s.

Although she runs the overall operations of the program that includes prioritizing the projects and budgets for all six lakes and making sure the mission areas are met, the local lake managers handle the day-to-day responsibilities of their lake.

O’Connor said there are 70 projects at any time on the board, from making sure gate attendants are in place to making sure the public areas are clean and mowed. She insures that there is adequate funding for managers to complete their projects in a timely manner, while asking the question, “What are the life, safety, property impacts if we don’t get the problem fixed?” she said.

The long road to Belton O’Connor was one of three siblings 34

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Anjna O’Connor is the operations project manager for the Central Capital Region Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. She helps make sure six area lakes meet the Corps’ missions.

“I loved biology in high school, all aspects of it, animal or human. ... Something starts from the smallest piece and grows into something big and beautiful.”

— Anjna O’Connor

born to Balubhai (Bob) Patel and Hasumati (Mary) Patel in Zambia, Africa. Her father was a businessman who owned a dry goods store, but he wanted a better life for his wife and children.

In the 1970s, and with political unrest beginning to stir in their part of the world, her father moved the family to England to retire and build a new life for them. But boredom set in and by 1978,

GET INVOLVED

Help the Corps take care of your backyard by volunteering at one of your area lakes.

For more information visit: http://www. usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/Recreation/VolunteerClearinghouse.aspx

Bob Patel moved his family one more time to the United States to give his children a better future. They settled in Texas where he owned hotels in Shamrock and later in Kermit, where O’Connor went to high school.

“My dad was a risk-taker, an adventurer. He loved change and survived whatever was thrown in front of him,” she said of her father, who is now deceased. “He did a solo-world tour when he was 36, then toted his wife and kids across three continents for a better life.”

Except for working in her family hotel business from the age of 12, O’Connor had a typical American upbringing. She Continued

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enjoyed art, reading the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries, played outside and found ways to entertain herself. “Typical kid things,” she said, adding that because her parents were always working, there were no family vacations.

It wouldn’t be until high school when she realized she had a natural knack for biology and started to think about pursuing it as a career. “I loved biology in high school, all aspects of it, animal or human,” she said. “It helped explain how some things work starting from cell to organism. Something starts from the smallest piece and grows into something big and beautiful.”

Although her preference was marine biology, she said that didn’t stop her from thinking in the direction of premed based on encouragement from her professors. But her heart remained in the marine sciences, plant biology and the ecosystem.

“It’s fascinating how it all pulls together,” she said. “There are so many parts in our ecosystem.”

In college, she had made up her mind that she would work with marine animals. But destiny had another route for her.

O’Connor earned a degree in biology with a marine emphasis from Tarleton State University in Stephenville. She is also certified as a Project Management Professional and has a Level III Facilities Engineering Certification.

In 1990, she began her career as a park ranger at Whitney Lake, a 60-mile commute from her home in Stephenville. She taught water safety programs at school, environmental education, patrolled parks and government land around the lake, as well as federal property, and she was responsible for protecting the public lands and the people who used it.

“Being a park ranger was one of the best jobs,” she said. “It was hands-on and allowed me to work with the public, the environment and with kids day-today.”

Coming from a family with strong work ethics, it was no surprise that O’Connor devoted herself to her career.

When her son, Zach, arrived in 1991 she had to find a way to balance her personal life with her rotating shifts as a park ranger. Since her baby sitter’s house was near her duty station, she brought Zach

Local resident Bob Babcock asks Anjna O’Connor about the placement of buoys in Belton Lake.

along for the daily commute and she would drop him off until the end of her shift.

When he got older, he would sometimes go with her to some of the Corps events where he got firsthand exposure at what his mom did at work. In 2006, O’Connor became a single mom with a challenging new position in the Dallas/ Fort Worth office 100 miles one way.

“I was living in Waco and drove a 200 mile-round trip commute daily to Dallas,” O’Connor said, adding that Zach’s dad watched him during those years. “I left my house at 6 a.m. and got home at 6 p.m. My son was at the top of his class and I didn’t want to move him, so I drove back and forth.”

Now 24, Zach O’Connor is a welladjusted college graduate who adapted to his mother’s rigorous work schedule.

“Finding a work-life balance is important for family and self, it’s hard but equally important in any relationship at any age,” said his mother, who recently became engaged to Henry Levine.

To the top O’Connor said she worked her way up the ladder “by moving when needed, making personal sacrifices and taking on new challenges.”

“The opportunities are there if you are willing to do what it takes,” she said It was those work ethics that led her to become the first female operations project manager for this six-lake Capital Texas Region, and the first person to be brought into this position from outside the divi-

sion in 30 years.

“At first, the staff was cautious because there was a new manager coming in and they weren’t sure because my leadership style was different to what they are used to,” said this no-nonsense leader. “I like working together as a team, to know what we are working on, and having a more grassroots approach.”

O’Connor, 47, implemented more meetings and brought her lake managers and staff together. She wanted each group to learn what the other group does.

“Now at this level I have more opportunity to provide direction and influence the changes, and I do like that,” O’Connor said. In the three years she has been in this position, she said communication, teamwork and the overall staff morale have improved. “We are changing the old structure for what we need for today and beyond the 21st century,” she said O’Connor has been in public service through the Corps for 25 years and said she is a steward of the taxpayer’s dollar.

“Where it’s spent, how it’s spent while serving the public and providing recreational opportunities, environmental stewardship and flood control for our areas,” she said.

As a steward, O’Connor said it’s a privilege to be in that role. “We have a gift that has been given to us by nature and we have the opportunity to protect that gift for future generations. Enjoy, but respect what we have and use it safely. It’s here for our use and our future generations, but it is only as good as how we treat it today.”

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Mary Kay Hicks and Kristen Newman of the Texas A&M Forest Service.

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Stay firewise outdoors Story by Catherine Hosman Photos by Julie Nabours

W

ith the population boom in Texas, and more people living in natural, picturesque settings, watching for wildfires and helping residents become firewise is just another day at the office for Mary Kay Hicks, a 21-year Texas Forest Service veteran and Kristen Newman, now in her second year with the TFS. “We work with communities, residences and local fire departments to inform and educate on wildfires and what they can do to prevent them,� said Hicks, Wildland Urban Interface Specialist II. “People can do small things from the top of the house down to protect their homes.�

Hicks and Newman cover a 19-county region in North Texas, but “go statewide when needed.� More than half their work day is spent visiting local fire departments in different parts of the counties, assessing fire danger. When assessing fire dangers, in a natural forest or residential woodland area, Hicks said they look for fuels such as old, dead and dry grasses (Pampas grass underneath eaves can grow high), landscape, chopped firewood, straw mats outside wood front doors, dead tree limbs, and gutters cluttered with dry leaves and other debris.

Other things to watch for on your property include dead juniper and dead oak, she said.

And don’t let the recent rains give you a false sense of security. Hicks said the firefighter’s attitude of heavy rains after extreme drought is that it produces more fuel waiting to burn when it gets hot again. “2010 was the wettest spring up to now,� Hicks said. “In 2011, the drought hit and there was more vegetation that burns hotter and higher.�

When speaking to the public, both women tout “Ready, Set, Go,� which is complimentary and collaborative with other wildland fire public education programs like Firewise, Fire Adapted Communities, and Living with Fire. “In Texas, where there are numerous volunteer fire departments that work

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Smokey Bear was a real bear

Smokey Bear Historical Park was completed in 1979. It was established to honor Capitan, New Mexicoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite son Smokey, the little bear cub that was found with burned paws after a 17,000 acre forest fire in 1950 on the Capitan Mountains near the town of Capitan. Smokey lived in the National Zoo in Washington D.C. for 26 years. When he passed away he was returned to the Village of Capitan to be buried at what is now the Smokey Bear Historical Park.

Source: http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SFD/SmokeyBear/SmokeyBearPark.html

alongside of incorporated fire departments, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ready, Set, Go,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; is to put together a plan for residents to safely evacuate their area.â&#x20AC;?

Forest fires are not the only concern, however. Hicks and Newman also teach residents how to create a defensible area Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

39

and how to be prepared for other natural disasters such as flooding and tornadoes.

One with nature Both Newman and Hicks grew up with a love of trees and the outdoors.

Hicksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grandfather, H.W. Markle, owned timberland in east Texas. As a kid, Hicks, her siblings and cousins would often spend time out on the ranch with him.

When Markle pulled out a cooler full of ice cold soft drinks, a treat Hicks said she rarely got at home, her siblings and cousins would grab their cold bottles and run off to quench their thirsts. Hicks said while everyone was indulging in the coolness of a soft drink on a hot, Texas summer day, she stuck close to her grandfather working, always observing, always asking why. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He said he wanted to see how far I would go (with him),â&#x20AC;? she said, implying that the full cooler was a test for the youngsters.

Another clue that she was destined for a life outdoor was her hobby of collecting small wildlife in a shoe box. Whenever she asked her mom for a shoebox, it signaled her mother that her daughter was up to something. Sometimes she brought home the occasional frog, turtle and hurt birds, not allowed in the house. One time she rescued a pair of baby flying squirrels after they fell out of their nest. She kept them in the box on the screened porch of her familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home. One time when her mom was sitting on the porch, one of the squirrels found its way out of the box, jumped down and climbed up her momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back and under her hair. The squirrels had to go.

Another time, she spent the night with a baby rabbit that was injured and comforted it as she nursed it back to health. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I went to forest school,â&#x20AC;?

Hicks said, referring to her grandfather Markle. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had a lot of curiosity. I always wanted to know why.â&#x20AC;? Hicks, who holds a degree in Forestry from Stephen F. Austin State University, began her career in forestry in the late 1970s, a time of change for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roles in America. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was hard,â&#x20AC;? she recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was the only woman in training and it was difficult for a woman to move up the ladder.â&#x20AC;?

She started in the Florida Division of Forestry and managed 3,000 acres of the Cary State Forest, in Jacksonville, Fla., the second woman ever hired.

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Newman was also born to the outdoors. Her family owns two ranches: a 116-year-old heritage ranch in Millersview, Texas and a 55-year-old cow-calf operation in Hamilton, Texas where she has worked a couple weekends a month since 2007.

At the ranch she helps with general range improvements, cattle operation, fence and general maintenance and general management for haying and grazing.

Newmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attributes her love for being outdoors to her grandfather, John Newman. She was influenced by the way he worked the ranch and his willingness to teach her what she needed to know too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He taught me what I needed from grasses to animal behavior to animal hus-

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bandry,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I went out with him every chance I got.â&#x20AC;?

Newman said itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the cycle of everything that captivates her: working the fields, planting the seed and watching the crops grow; harvesting the crops and watching a cow birth its first calf.

Her interest in the A&M Texas Forest Service began when she was a little girl in elementary school when Smokey Bear visited her school with his message, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Only you can prevent forest fires.â&#x20AC;?

Her maternal grandfather was a firefighter in the Texas panhandle and the first in the family give classes about fire safety. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was a volunteer firefighter and that line of thinking was carried out by all our family. My paternal grandfather

Mary Kay Hicks and Kristen Newman of the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Did you know?

There are 62.4 million acres of forests and woodlands in Texas. Of that, 12.1 million acres are in East Texas, with 11.9 million acres reserved for timberland. Source: http://texasalmanac.com/

was very fire conscience as his ranch was a long way out of town so response time to any fire made it essential that the ranch be firewise,” said Newman, adding that “it’s genetic” for her to be working with fire prevention.

Newman graduated with a Bachelor of Science in natural resource management and a Master of Science in animal science from Angelo State University. She

was hired by the TFS as a wildland urban interface specialist in McGregor, which is close to her family ranch.

This year Texas A&M celebrates one hundred years of the Texas Forest Service founded in 1915. It was created to protect land and homes from forest fires and other natural disasters and to educate the public on fire safety.

So whether you are planning a day trip or weekend escape to one of our local parks and lakes or just staying home with the family, stay alert when firing up that grill, campfire or fire pit.

“Build your fires away from shrubs and low limbs,” Hicks said. “If you are building a ground campfire, build a barrier around it to keep it contained. Don’t light it and then go fishing.”

With any recreational fire Hicks and Newman said even if the fire looks as if it has gone out, pour in water and stir.

If you feel any heat on the back of your hand, it’s still smoldering. Never leave a fire unattended.

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Weekend ADVENTURE AWAITS AT HORSIN’ AROUND

wrangler

Story by Catherine Hosman Photos by Julie Nabours

I

t’s dawn at Horsin’ Around and the morning sun is beginning to rise. Its rays filter through the trees as horses walk toward their morning feed.

Brenda Ramos, founder and co-owner, along with her business partner, Lee Mosley, co-owner and trainer, are getting the horses ready for their move from the ranch at BLORA to their new home at Liberty Acres Ranch in Troy, owned by Mosley.

Despite the torrential spring downpours in May that left depths of mud, Ramos moved everything, lock, stock and barrel, which included an old west town, numerous petting zoo animals, including miniature horses, and 22 riding horses, not to mention all the tack and sacks of feed.

Horsin’ Around is a bona fide, no frills working horse ranch. It offers the cowboy and cowgirl experiences to people of all ages and abilities from hourly and half-day trail rides to the Weekend Wrangler, for the total “close encounter” of the cowboy kind.

“Guests will be learning and working with the cowboys and cowgirls, caring for ranch animals, training horses with the cowboys and riding trails,” she explained.

“By the end of the three-day camp, riders who came without experience will leave with a lot of knowledge and great memories.”

Most of the horses at Horsin’ Around are rescued and were adopted from people who could no longer care for them, for one reason or another. Some horses are purchased. However the horse was obtained, Mosley’s ability to train the most unmanageable horse created a stable of gentle giants even a first-time rider could enjoy. Add Ramos’ talent for teaching 42

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

people how to ride a horse and Horsin’ Around is a family-friendly adventure for city folks craving to learn the cowboy way.

Mosley has owned a horse since he was 9 years old. Before he partnered with Ramos, he said his circle of riders was small, mostly family.

“Brenda helped me expand my small circle to a larger circle,” Mosley said. “I taught my children and the children in my family to ride and Brenda taught me how to work with soldiers, Army spouses and families, civilians and people with disabilities.”

Initially, it was his job to train incoming horses to be manageable. Ramos said Mosley is an amazing trainer and can “take the wildest horse and tame it.” But he also learned how to train people to ride.

“Everyone has one thing they do that can help (others), for me, it’s horses,” he said.

In addition, Horsin’ Around also offers programs for The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, day camps for kids, one and two hour trail rides and family packages. A half day gets you a trail ride that culminates in an authentic cowboy steak dinner cooked over an open pit.

At the end of the day, wranglers are escorted back to the ranch for a camp fire steak dinner with “all the fixings.”

Born in the saddle Ramos comes from a diverse background. She is descendant of Mexican and Spanish parents and an extended family of the Mescalero Apache on her mother’s side. In the early 20th century, her great-great grandfather Rafael Lopez, who stood only 5 feet tall, had a reputation as a wrangler which preceded him.

When the Mescalero Apache learned of his prowess with horses, they requested Continued

Lee Mosley and Brenda Ramos are co-owners of Horsinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Around.

ABOVE: Chloe Hernandez gets ready to mount Nakiah at the ranch.

AT RIGHT: It’s important to check each horse’s hooves for damage before and after trail rides.

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his presence to help break horses on the Mescalero reservation in Ruidoso, N.M. Rafael Lopez became so enamored with the culture that he stayed and lived in the Indian way, married and raised a family.

“I think this is where my love of horses came from,” Ramos said.

As generations descended, she was raised in blended cultures and her home is a reflection of her cowgirl and Indian life. On one side of her living room are her saddle, reins, boots and other utilitarian horse accessories, as well as cowboy art. On the opposite side dominating the corner is a Native American dance shawl, beaded moccasins, a fan, and other articles of her Indian life displayed on a Pueblo ladder. Images of cowboys and Indians dot her walls and in the hallway where her family photos hang, are images of her children in full Native American regalia. Her daughter Stephanie is captured as if in flight during a fancy shawl dance.

Ramos maintained a relationship with her Apache side of the family throughout her younger years and remembers her Apache Tio Johnny Maze with affection. “He taught me the Indian culture,” she said, with a hint of emotion in her eyes.

She grew up with a love of horses and everything western and Native American.

Born at Fort Hood to Lucilla Narcissa Baros and Army dad Alcario Baros, Ramos lived and traveled all over the world when her father’s station was reassigned, including Germany. Wherever they lived, Ramos said she would find a stable and offer to brush the horses, “in the hopes I would get a ride,” she said.

During her father’s military career when her dad was in-between stations, or home on leave, there was only one place young Brenda wanted to go.

“I wanted to go to Tularosa to visit my mother’s family and go to my Uncle Modesto Ramos’ ranch,” she said. “I loved the smell of horses, the chickens, and the outdoors.”

She’s the first to admit, however, that her Uncle Modesto was not a sweet, nice man.

“He was gruff,” she said, with a smile of memory. “No one wanted to go see him.” Despite his gruffness, Ramos said her uncle didn’t realize he was teaching her about horses.

Ramos has been riding since she Continued

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ABOVE: Lee Mosley, Chloe Hernandez, Cody Nix, Mariah Weddington and Brenda Ramos walk their horses back to the stables after a ride.

Brenda Ramos’ niece, Molly Kilwein, with Smokette after a trail ride.

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was 8 years old. She said whenever her family visited her Uncle’s ranch she and her cousin would take off on horseback through the valleys and mountains of Tularosa, N.M., sometimes before her uncle realized they were gone.

“He would yell at us all the time,” she said, the mischievous 8-year-old twinkling in her eyes. “All I wanted to do was be around horses.”

Ramos dreamed of owning a horse after her father retired from the Army. But fate intervened and her dad, a Vietnam veteran, died from cancer when he was just 45. She was 16 at the time. Two years later her mother died at the age of 46, also from cancer. Any dreams of owning a horse were put on hold as she took on the task of raising her three younger siblings.

When she was 20, she reunited with her teenage sweetheart, German Ramos (pronounced Hairmun) who asked for her hand in marriage. Before saying yes, Ramos had two requests of her young husband to be. “I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and raise my own family (which included her siblings) and not have to work, and I wanted a horse before I was 30,” she said.

German honored her wishes and after they married he took on the commitment of raising her younger siblings along with their own growing family. She also got her first horse when she was 27.

“He paid for my first horse with a big water jug of pennies,” she recalled, tears glistening in her eyes. “It was my dream come true; one of the biggest highlights of my life.” Five years later, she had to sell

ABOVE: The wranglers horses are ready for a morning ride. BELOW: A hat rests on a fence post at the ranch.

Yankee to help offset her parents medical expenses and to raise her large extended family.

New place to call home Horsin’ Around reopened in its new

home this month and Ramos said she is committed to continuing the work she started in 2007 when she opened her business.

“The roots of the programs were for wounded warriors, soldiers and their

families, and soldiers with PTSD,” she said, citing the Wounded Warrior Project Equines for Heroes.

“Horses are consistent,” said Staci Carico, whose husband is deployed in Saudi Arabia. A frequent visitor to the ranch with her daughter, Taylor, she said, “Horses don’t judge you. Horses don’t judge them (soldiers with PTSD).”

Carico said horses accept the soldiers for who they are and this, in turn, helps teach the soldiers how to be accepted again.

“They learn how to relate to other people through horses,” Carico said.

Ramos hopes to get Horsin’ Around certified as therapeutic riding center for soldiers and other guests with special needs by next year. However, because horseback riding is its own form of therapy, what they provide now is a form of recreational riding that is therapeutic, not only for the military, but for anyone who loves being near and on horses.

“It’s the connection between rider and horse,” she said. “We may rescue the horses, but the horses really rescue us.”

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Big Hills Auto Detailing

401 W. Veterans Memorial Blvd., Harker Heights 808-778-7053 | bighillsdetailing.com | bighill_2000@yahoo.com Since February 2010, owner Anthony Hill and the staff at Big Hills Auto Detailing have been providing detail services such as engine cleaning, headlight restoration, tire cleaning, spot cleaning, ozone treatments, pet hair removal, hot water pressure washing, fleet vehicle washing and more for customers across Central Texas.

With a shop in Harker Heights, Big Hills also will come to clients, with services by appointment only for residential and commercial clients. “We understand that one price doesn’t fit all,” Hill said. “We tailor our services to the needs of each client.”

Big Hills offers Menzerna, Wolfgang, Meguiars and other high-quality products and also has products available for purchase for those who prefer DIY projects.

Call now for an appointment. “We look forward to serving you.”

Big Hills Auto Detailing 48

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Special advertising section

(Left to right - back row) Cliff Brown, Mary Hensley Brown, Ronnie Trower, Jeremy Hollingsworth, Jay Bakker, David Pilkey, Josh Brown, Wes Walker, Scott Meads (Left to right - front row) Josh Bingham, Maggie Drake, Johnny Edwards, Ken Drake (Not pictured) Jennifer Stark and Johnny Mabe

Texas Boat World

303 W. Central Texas Expressway, Harker Heights 254-699-9151 | texasboatworld.com Since taking ownership of Texas Boat World in 2006, Cliff and Mary Brown have been trying to make a difference in the way recreational boaters are treated.

“At Texas Boat World, customers are our No. 1 priority. We want to make your lake experience as fun and safe as possible.”

The business, which has existed in some form since the 1950s, sells bass boats, pontoon boats, runabout boats, used boats and offers service to all types of marine equipment.

According to Cliff, “For the past nine plus years, we have worked hard to make sure that all our customers are treated well, especially the military customers. As a retired military member, I want to make sure that service members are confident and trust the small businesses in and around the post.

I want all of our customers to feel confident when purchasing from Texas Boat World that they are getting the best possible deal on some of the best quality boats in the market. We will not be undersold when comparing apples to apples. “

“We try to treat every customer, no matter what they purchase, as if they are our No. 1 priority.”

The staff encourages people to get out on the lakes for fun recreational time together. After canceling a customer appreciation day due to high water levels at Belton Lake during May flooding, the Browns said now that parks are reopen, it is a great time to buy or use a boat and have fun on the lakes.

“Our service department, headed by Josh Bingham, has won the Mercury Customer Service Award twice,” making Texas Boat World one of two service centers in Texas with the accomplishment.

Besides winning customer service, the Browns also promote community service. “We help sponsor the Fishing for Freedom Tournament for active-duty and retired military members, which is in its 10th year.” The experience is free for participants, and the winning team can earn a Triton boat with a Mercury motor.

Texas Boat World is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Stop by and find out how “we treat you like family!”

The staff makes the business successful. “The people who work here are knowledgeable and we treat our customers like family.”

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Special advertising section

Sunbelt RV Center

Interstate 35, Exit 292, Belton 254-939-1792 | sunbeltrv.com Owners Al and Ollie Oltmer have been offering travel trailers, parts and service since 1986. Sunbelt RV opened as a spinoff from the KOA Campground the family owned in Belton after seeing a need for a good RV center in Central Texas.

“Our mission is to serve RVers with quality products and great service.

We have all the parts needed for safe and fun camping.”

Part of the key to staying in business nearly 30 years is quality customer Al Oltmer, Owner service. “We treat our customers like we would like to be treated.”

Exemplifying small-town values, Sunbelt RV employees show care and concern for customers’ needs. “We offer dependable service with a personal touch.”

Parts manager Pat Purvis and RV technicians Sebastion Gardner and Brandon Ferguson help make Sunbelt RV Center a success. “We sell fun – lots of people have started a lifestyle with us.”

Come check out “dependable service with a personal touch” at Sunbelt RV Center. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Tri-City Remote Video Astronomy of the Multi-Educational and Cross-Cultural Art Association (MECATX) 907 Moss Circle, Killeen 254-526-9464 | mecatx.ning.com | dfkott@aol.com

Tri-City Remove Video Astronomy Group of the Multi-Educational and Cross Cultural Art Association presents “Summer Bluegrass/Old-time Jam Session and Star Gazing Party June 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Pavilion at Dana Peak Park, Stillhouse Lake in Belton. Arrive at 5:30 p.m. for a presentation on how to set up a 4-inch or less telescope.

“We start with a bluegrass/old-time jam session from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. then we move to a campsite for star-gazing until 10 p.m.,” said Daniel F. Kott. “This event is free. RVs and campers are welcome to join us.”

Meca Fiddlers

MECATX is a family-friendly, multi-generational organization geared towards children and adults. Founded 30 years ago, it offers free music lessons to anyone who wants to learn how to play an instrument and participate in their groups’ mission.

Kott said the RVA group stands apart from others as it utilizes telescopes, video, cameras and DSLR cameras equipped with WIFI to send celestial images to Smart phones, tablets, computers, smart televisions and the Internet, allowing anyone with a device to view what the telescope operator is viewing.

“Except for July, these events are repeated monthly until October, following the monthly Mayborn Science Theaters Warren Sky Tour presentations the last Saturday of the month.

Monthly events will cover the eight sections of the moon as defined by Giambattista Riccioli, who named the craters and mares of the moon in 1651 AD. For star viewing bring a flashlight and mosquito repellant. For the jam session, bring an acoustic musical instrument and your voice.

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TexHealth

Common sense skin care

Story Jessica Pearce Photos by Jeromiah Lizama

ning in their late teens on into their twenties and thirties, though skin damage shows up more often in patients over the age of 40.

The age when damage is first visible “depends on your exposure to the sun,” said Jones. “Tanning beds are the worst — they produce the worst melanomas, especially among habitual users.”

T

he Texas sun is hot. From springtime through fall temperatures can reach into the 100s, prompting many to cool off at the beach, in the pool, or even under a sprinkler in their own backyard. While most Texas residents have found several ways to beat the heat, many often forget to protect the largest organ of their body — their skin — from the damaging effects of the sun.

The staff at Epiphany Dermatology in Killeen, including dermatologist Dr. Cary Dunn, physician assistants Larinda Ogawa and Andrea Jones and office manager Gheorghe Pusta shared their cumulative wisdom on how to care for your skin while still enjoying the summer sun.

“Most of Texas is not near the beach or the water, so people tend to forget about sunblock and develop a false sense of security as a result,” said Pusta. “A lot of patients don’t have the awareness of skin cancer like they do in places like Hawaii.”

“Just because there’s not water around doesn’t mean a person can’t get sun damage,” added Jones.

From their own experience, the staff cited several reasons why residents often forget to protect their skin in the sun.

“It’s cumbersome to use sunscreen; it’s sticky,” said Jones. “I didn’t care about sunscreen till I got a bad burn in my teens. Some patients just don’t care.”

Ogawa added that many don’t think about their skin because “it doesn’t affect them till later in life.”

The Facts The staff explained that most skin cancer is easily prevented and curable if it is caught in time. The key, they said, is to take measures to protect the skin and to get regular full-body skin exams at a dermatologist’s office to check for undetected skin changes.

“It’s not always easy to tell (there’s something wrong) unless you’ve got magnification and a trained eye,” said Pusta.

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The important thing to look for when determining a good sunblock is to make sure it contains the words “broad spectrum,” which indicates that it will block both UVA and UVB rays.

“I see patients of all ages with diseases that are often curable,” said Dunn, who has performed more than 34,000 skin cancer surgeries throughout his 20-year career.

“There are over two million diagnosed skin cancer cases per year in the U.S.,” he added. “We’re able to fill a national need to provide dermatology care for underserved areas.”

The staff said they have seen patients with sun damage and skin cancer begin-

Preventive Skin care The staff agreed on ways Texas residents can balance getting a little sun and Vitamin D for their physical and mental well-being while avoiding too much sun exposure. The No. 1 preventive measure is to wear sunblock during the day with an SPF of at least 30 or higher, they said.

Reapply every four hours or more often if you have been perspiring heavily or have spent time in the water.

They also agreed that the most popular sunblocks use chemical blockers, especially favored by those who plan on swimming or participating in physical activity because they do not rub off the same way other sun blocks can. However, Jones cautioned that the chemicals in these sunblocks may enter the bloodstream, causing “allergies or hormone disruption.” In contrast, mineral sunblocks, while often heavier, use barriers such as titanium dioxide or zinc oxide to prevent ultraviolet rays from penetrating the skin.

The important thing to look for when determining a good sunblock is to make sure it contains the words “broad spectrum,” which indicates that it will block both UVA and UVB rays that enter the skin at different depths. For residents with sensitive skin, Ogawa recommended looking for “preservative-free” sunblock formulations.

Jones also recommended staying away from sunblocks with “anti-aging” properties, which often use retinols in their formulations. She explained that sunlight actually deactivates retinols, rendering them useless and causing consumers to pay for ingredients that do not work.

For everyday use, all staff members Continued

Physicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistant Andrea Jones examines a patient for any abnormal moles or patches of skin.

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TexHealth recommended using a moisturizer with sunscreen that is non-comedogenic (will not clog pores).

“A lot of people don’t wear sunscreen if they’re just taking their dog for a walk,” said Jones, explaining that it is still important to add a moisturizer with sunscreen to a daily skin care routine.

“We often see more skin cancers on the left side of the face from driving,” Jones added, explaining that skin damage can occur over time from driving with the skin unprotected.

To combat the sticky residue many sunblocks leave behind, Jones said washing the skin with a gentle cleanser morning and night is often effective.

“Makeup removers can also be used,” she added. “They have an oil base and moisturize the skin without being too harsh.”

Emergency Skin care Aside from prevention, Jones and Ogawa offered tips for emergency and moderate skin concerns. If a person has contracted a severe burn from sun exposure, some emergency skin care is obvious.

“Get out of the sun!” urged Jones, adding that those with sunburns who simply put on a T-shirt and head toward the shade are still susceptible to further sun damage.

She advised using Vaseline to create a protective barrier to help heal the skin, and avoiding hot showers. In addition, Ogawa suggested using menthol and aloe vera gel to soothe the skin, staying away from harsh cleansers.

When it comes to moderate skin care emergencies such as finding an abnormal mole or patch of skin, Ogawa said residents “should push the envelope for getting seen” at a dermatologist’s office. In addition, they should check for “warning signs” that they may have a more serious skin condition.

“If it feels like there’s a ‘splinter’ under your skin, or you have a zit that doesn’t go away in two months, or a wound that doesn’t heal and bleeds easily, or heals and comes back, then you need to visit a dermatologist,” Ogawa said.

“It doesn’t take five months for a cut to heal.”

By taking good preventive measures 54

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

Dr. Cary Dunn and Andrea Jones examine a patient for any abnormal moles or patches of skin.

Reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Dermatology. All rights reserved.

The ABCDE’s of Skin Cancer Prevention possible

Knowing the ABCDE of skin cancer prevention for detecting changes in moles or other skin patches can go a long way towards catching skin concerns before they become a larger health concern.

Assymetry: If a skin patch is uneven or irregular, it may be a concern.

Borders: A mole’s borders should be smooth, not jagged.

Color: The color should be even and symmetrical throughout a mole or skin blemish.

Diameter: Any skin mole or patch should be “no larger than the tip of a pencil eraser.”

Evolving: Any change in the shape or appearance of a skin area should be cause for concern.

to protect their skin and giving it the attention they do the rest of their body, there is no reason Texas residents cannot enjoy the benefits of the summer

sun in moderation.

“Enjoy the sun — just care for your skin while you’re out there,” Ogawa concluded.

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JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

TexPets

What my dogs taught me about camping, hiking

By Catherine Hosman

W

hen I had my dogs they went everywhere with me. Camping and hiking seemed to be their favorite activity. Once I brought my dadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s black lab on a camping excursion to Mississippi Palisades State Park on the river between Illinois and Iowa. My friend and I rented a row boat and Sooty came along for the ride. I had no idea that labs were water dogs with webbed feet.

As soon as we were away from the bank, Sooty dove into the water and swam ahead of us. Then she would do a U-turn and head back to the boat, wanting to get back in. Between me and my friend, we helped this 120-pound lap dog back into the boat only for her to jump back in after a few minutes rest. That was how our leisurely row boat ride went that day.

When I moved from Illinois to Texas and started camping around the East Texas area, my dog, Sweetie a.k.a. Lord Justin of Sweetwater, a registered sheltie, went with me every time. During those years, it was usually once a month or every other month and only for the weekend. I had my own tent, cot, and whatever other creature comforts I needed to make my weekend comfortable, including my faithful companion.

It amazes me how intelligent animals are. Sweetie knew when it was time to go camping, or even just for a ride, a word I found I had to spell in front of him when talking to friends about an upcoming trip.

One year, toward the end of his life, I did a short backpacking camping trip at Lost Maples State Park. I was reluctant to bring my buddy because of his failing health, but leaving him behind was not an option.

Upon our arrival to the park, I was

Ayla loved our walks in that forest, which ended at a large retention pond that we walked around before heading back to the car to go home. told it is was going to be a one-mile trek to the campsite, hauling our equipment in our backpacks. It was Thanksgiving weekend and very warm.

Sweetie began the trek with no visible signs of tiring, but then he slowed down.

I had my friend pick him up and put him over my shoulders, where he stayed comfortably for the rest of the walk. I remember him sleeping soundly that night, almost too soundly. He got the same lift on the way out of the park. I had a feeling something was really wrong and I remember feeling so guilty for taking him on that trip. A couple days later when we got home, he rebounded, and stayed with me another year.

Just before Sweetie passed, I rescued an 8-week-old sheltie mix from a shelter. She was on death row, having been exposed to distemper from another dog.

It was love at first site for me and Ayla, named after the heroine in the Clan of the Cave Bear books.

After three weeks in quarantine and a clean bill of health, I got to take Ayla home with me. It was a 17-years-long love affair and my new best bud went everywhere with me. But her favorite thing Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexPets was hiking.

When Ayla was 2, I moved back to Illinois for a few years and lived across the road from the remnants of what was once a great forest preserve. It was a perfect size trail that meandered through groves of elm, oak and maple trees.

In the fall, my favorite time of year, the trail was covered in crimson and gold leaves that were shed by the trees. Some were so crisp that they crunched under our feet with every step.

Ayla loved our walks in that forest, which ended at a large retention pond that we walked around before heading back to the car to go home. She was winded, a little warm, but bright-eyed with bushy tail wagging in the breeze.

I learned a lot by being a pet parent and one of the first things was making sure my dogs were taken care of before any kind of excursion.

Tips for camping with pets 1. Make sure pets are current with all their vaccinations, not just for the protection of other animals they may come in contact with, but for their protection.

2. Make sure your dogs are protected against heartworm, fleas and ticks. I never cared for the collars and found the veterinarian issued monthly ointment worked the best.

3. Bring a doggie first aid kit with you. Actually, you just need to add a few things to your own kit, like a triple-antibiotic ointment or maybe some hot spot ointment.

4. Make sure you have plenty of water for your pet. Don’t let it drink out of rivers, lakes and streams. There are a lot of parasites swimming around in those waters that may cause a gastrointestinal problem with your dog.

5. Keep your pet near you at all times and on a leash, no longer than six feet in length. A well trained dog knows to stay near his master, but even the best trained dog will wander off if something catches his eye or another dog approaches, whether to play or fight.

6. Keep your pet a safe distance from campfires, cactus, poison ivy and other potential dangers that lurk in the forest.

7. Routinely run your hands through your pets’ fur and over his paws pads to check for burrs, chiggers and ticks. If you 58

NOVEMBER 2014 | TEX APPEAL

find burrs, especially in between his paw pads, gently remove them. Occasionally, on long hair dogs, like my Sweetie and Ayla, burrs can sometimes bunch up and clipping away the matted fur entangled in burrs is the only way to remove them.

8. If you find a tick, remove it immediately before it burrows under your dog’s skin. Some people use their fingers, others use tweezers, just flick that tick off your dog as soon as you find one.

9. No one should approach your dog without your permission. Especially children. No matter how sweet and loving

your dog might be, it’s always best to be in control of it when someone approaches, and the parent of the child should be present as well.

10. Never leave your pet in a locked car with the windows rolled up for even a moment. It doesn’t take long for a car’s interior to become a furnace under the hot, Texas sun.

11. When traveling with your pet, make sure it is secured in a crate or with a seat belt. Don’t let your pets ride in the back of trucks unless they are in a secured crate.

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Photo by M. Clare Haefner

TexAdventures

Massive artifacts

Waco Mammoth Site offers look at extinct mammal Story and photos by Fred Afflerbach

I

t takes a mammoth flood to drown a mammoth. That’s what happened about 68,000 years ago near presentday Waco. The Bosque and Brazos Rivers roared out of Central and West Texas and trapped a nursery herd of Columbian mammoths near a riverbank. Mired in mud and silt, the ice age animals were likely buried alive. More floods followed during the ensuing millennia, and more mammoths were buried at the same locale.

Today, you can visit the spot where these 14-foot, 20,000-pound animals lived and died, and view the remains of six mammoths, a camel, and a set of unidentified bones at the Waco Mammoth Site.

The site is a joint operation among the city of Waco, Baylor University and the Waco Mammoth Foundation.

Unlike the paleontologists and volunteers who unearthed these skeletons (working under tarps for shade from the brutal Texas sun) visitors peer down from a catwalk inside a modern, air-conditioned building called the dig shelter.

Leaning over a guardrail, a 12-foot tusk lying in a bed of hard-packed, brown soil takes you back to the Pleistocene Epoch.

Tour guides point out a male that fell face down, likely the result of a mudslide.

“This is what we call the sudden death position. It looks like he’s doing a belly flop. He’s lying on his front. His back legs are splayed up behind him. So we’re thinking he got knocked down. He was buried really quick and really deep,” said tour guide Joy Poqhisio, shining a laser pointer down on the fossil bed. “We know an animal as big as this would have attracted a lot of predators and scavengers. Also, we found all of his bones here.

So we know he must have been buried too deep for anything to get to him. So we’re thinking this is a result of a mudslide or

Complete in 2009, the air-conditioned dig shelter is the size of a large gymnasium. Rachel and Clantzy Ballard of Elm Mott visited last May and said they would like to see the complex expanded to include Columbian Mammoth bones that are now in storage at Baylor University.

flash flood.”

The first mammoth bone was discovered sticking out of an embankment in 1978 by two men hunting arrowheads near the Bosque River. Because the size was much larger than any animals living there in the 20th century, the men consulted paleontologists at Baylor Universi-

ty. The dig was on. Since then, researchers have uncovered the remains of more than 20 Columbian mammoths at the same location. But the excavation was closed to the public until 2009, when the Waco Mammoth Site opened. Reagan King, program director at the site, said this location Continued TEXAPPEALMAG.COM

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TexAdventures is unique because 17 or 18 mammoths died there simultaneously, the only place where a herd of Columbian mammoths has been found in the fossil record.

“On a daily basis, you’re going to see real fossils from the real animals that lived here in the exact location where they died,” said King. “This is called an in situ fossil bed. In total, we have found 23 Columbian Mammoths and the last six were left exactly as we found them, partially uncovered. A climate-controlled building was put on top of them at a later date.”

Along with the mammoths, the remains of a camel, a species originally from North America, has been uncovered. According to many paleontologists, camels apparently maintained a symbiotic relationship with the Columbian mammoth. The camels’ keen eyesight helped mammoth herds guard for predators and the mammoths’ sheer size provided cover for the camels.

Rachel and Clantzy Ballard from nearby Elm Mott visited the site in May. They were impressed because several mammoth skeletons were mostly intact.

“I thought it was fantastic,” Rachel Ballard said. “I never expected to find something like this here in Texas. You would think another country, or someplace else. This is from our area. I didn’t think there were big giant armadillos, the camels, that’s pretty cool. It makes you feel a little proud, something you uncovered by coming here. I’m ready to tell everybody to come here.”

National Monument designation could be announced soon Already this year, visitors from 50 states and 13 foreign countries have peered into the fossil bed at the dig shelter. More than 20,000 people visited the site in 2014. But probably none were more important than Jon Jarvis, the National Park Service director. After touring the site and attending a town hall meeting in April, Jarvis suggested the Waco Mammoth Site should be a National Monument. This would put the extinct mammals’ relics lying near the banks of the Bosque River in the same class as the Grand Canyon and the Petrified Forest.

But for this to happen, President Obama would have to use the sometimes-controversial Antiquities Act, which allows the 62

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

Tour guide Joy Poqhisio points out the significance of this replica of a mammoth femur (thigh bone) juxtaposed to a human one. In 1978, Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin discovered part of a bone like the one on the right and knew they had found something extraordinary.

The first mammoth bone was discovered sticking out of an embankment in 1978 by two men hunting arrowheads near the Bosque River. president authority to create a national monument from public land.

Folks in Waco are excited about the National Monument designation because this move would give the site instant credibility. Program coordinator King expects

the announcement to come soon. She said this is not a land grab or political statement. The Waco site was built with National Monument standards in mind and would remain locally operated and funded through the city of Waco. The

With the life-size mural of a Columbian Mammoth looking over their shoulders, Mark Miragliotta of Florida and Claire Landry of Louisiana look down on the fossil bed with tour guide John Proctor. The Waco Mammoth site features a modern visitors center with literature, gifts, snacks and restrooms.

Did you know?

Columbian mammoth facts Who’s the biggest mammoth on the block?

The Columbian mammoth stood 2 to 4 feet taller and weighed about 8,000 pounds more than their northern cousin, the wooly mammoth. Columbian mammoths tusks grew up to 16 feet long and weighed 200 pounds each. They ate between 300 and 700 pounds of grass and large fruit per day. One tooth could weigh as much as a 4-pound shoebox. Columbian mammoths ranged from Canada to Central Mexico, and went extinct about 13,000 years ago due to climate change.

National Park Service would not take over — rather it would enter as an associate.

“By partnering with the National Park Service, we get credibility, worldwide recognition, and importantly, we get access to professional paleontologists. They will help us research the site, perhaps continue excavating, and learn more about how these animals lived and died

here so long ago,” King said. “To get this designation would be the culmination of a long dream.”

King says it’s likely there are more bones yet to be discovered. “We’re not done looking. We have 107 acres in the Waco Mammoth Site managed by the city of Waco, and we’ve excavated a little less than two of those acres.”

If you go: 6220 Steinbeck Bend Road, about five miles west of Interstate 35.

Phone 254-750-7946.

Website: wacomammoth.com Depending on visitors’ age, the 45-minute tour costs between $5 and $7. An electric cart is available for people with mobility issues. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

Closed Sunday and Monday.

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ADVERTISERS INDEX Adorn Refined Living & Decor...................................................... 17 American Hearing........................................................................... 51 Bell County Museum......................................................................... 7 Best Wishes......................................................................................33 Big Hills Mobile Detail....................................................................48 Blind & Shutter Gallery..................................................................59 Centex Pool Service......................................................................... 57 Central Texas Orthodontics............................................................ 33 Climate Control..............................................................................25 Crotty Funeral Home...................................................................... 21 Curtis Cook Designs.......................................................................45 Doctors Express................................................................................. 7 DocuMaxx........................................................................................23 Dr Davis............................................................................................. 9 Eagle Home Mortgage.....................................................................25 Ellis Air Systems...............................................................................20 English Maids..................................................................................33 Estacia’s............................................................................................29 Extraco Banks-Temple/Local........................................................... 68 Giebel, Dr. Shelley/Healthy Success............................................... 45 Giebel, Dr. Shelley/Healthy Success............................................... 51 Hallmark Service Company............................................................. 17 Hidden Falls Nursery......................................................................... 7 Killeen Overhead Doors..................................................................29 Lastovica...........................................................................................45 Lochridge Priest Inc........................................................................... 5 Lucky Bebe....................................................................................... 51 MECATX.........................................................................................50 Metabolic Research Center of Waco, Inc........................................ 59 Metroplex Hospital............................................................................ 3 Montessori Schools of Central Texas.............................................. 67 Painting with a Twist.......................................................................55 Rabroker Fence Company............................................................... 57 Scotts Lawn Care.............................................................................55 Sewing Basket, The.......................................................................... 41 Shoppes on Main in Salado.............................................................59 Sunbelt RV Center..........................................................................50 Texas Boat World.............................................................................49 Texas Farm Bureau..........................................................................55 The Gin at Nolan Creek..................................................................25 The Grout Doctor...........................................................................29 Union State Bank............................................................................ 17 Wayne Benson M.D. P.A. Clinic....................................................... 2 Weber’s Sporting Goods.................................................................. 15 The Advertisers Index is published for reader convenience. Every effort is made to list information correctly. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions.

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TexTherapy

Trees by Joyce Kilmer (1886â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1918)

I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree.

A tree whose hungry mouth is prest Against the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sweet flowing breast; A tree that looks at God all day, And lifts her leafy arms to pray; 66

JULY 2015 | TEX APPEAL

A tree that may in Summer wear A nest of robins in her hair; Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree.

Source: Poetry (August 1913).

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