The Bellaire Buzz - May 2023

Going the Extra Mile

Next-Level Lego Art

Major the Therapy Dog

Grace Yochum:

Reaching Goals

Honoring Mom’s Legacy

Cookbooks for Mom

Back Porch: Stop and Smell the Flowers

Buzz Baby: Celebrating Mother’s Day

Chef’s Corner: Austin Restaurants

by Cathy Gordon

EDITOR’S NOTE

Like many, I have trouble falling asleep and, usually, the same kinds of thoughts keep me awake: Did I return that phone call? Answer that email? Accidentally wear the same shirt twice last week? Often, I ponder what topics we should cover in future issues. What’s relevant for back-to-school? Or next year’s holiday season? Fortunately, inspiration can be found everywhere, and we are thankful to our readers for continuing to write in and suggest story ideas. Sometimes, it is a personal journey, or a neighbor letting us know about another neighbor deemed Buzzworthy. Regardless, we are here to share your stories and truly love the honor. This month, meet a dad who loves creating art out of Lego bricks; an inspiring mom who has marked a personal run streak milestone – and has continued running; a resilient children’s author who has rebuilt after her home flooded three times and shares her uplifting children’s books; and a beloved therapy dog named Major. We love to hear your stories, so keep them coming. In the meantime, I might request a visit from Major to help me sleep. joni@thebuzzmagazines.com

BELLAIRE • WEST UNIVERSITY • MEMORIAL • TANGLEWOOD/RIVER OAKS

Published

Editor-in-Chief Joni Hoffman

Publisher Michael Hoffman

Editor Jordan Magaziner Steinfeld

Editorial Assistant Caroline Siegfried

Design Manager John Duboise

Staff Writers Tracy L. Barnett

Sharon Albert Brier

Cindy Burnett

Andria Frankfort Dilling

Angie Frederickson

Todd Freed

Cindy Gabriel

Cathy Gordon

Michelle Groogan

Dai Huynh

Cheryl Laird

Annie Blaylock McQueen

Jennifer Oakley

Pooja Salhotra

Cheryl Ursin

Contributing Writer Ben Portnoy

Account Managers Andrea Blitzer

Leslie Little

On our cover: Children’s book author Ellen Leventhal has published several children’s picture books. Here, she holds her latest, DEBBIE’S SONG. Cover photo by Nikky LaWell, lawellphoto.com

The Buzz Magazines has made all reasonable attempts to verify the accuracy of all information contained within. Advertising claims are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Copyright © 2023 Hoffman Marketing & Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any portion of this magazine by any means without written permission is strictly prohibited. Printed

Your letters, thoughts, opinions

Connections and reconnections

I love how your article [A Hop, Skip, and a Jump: To grandparents’ house we go by Cathy Gordon, April 2023] brought some dormant relationships back to life. I had numerous colleagues and friends reach out that I hadn't spoken to in years, some even decades. Our story really highlighted the strength of this community and the family ties that so many of us have and share. It gave me a sense of pride and reinforced the need to bring wholesome stories to light.

Craig Glidden

Stellar story

Thank you for writing Zachary’s story [Stellar Speller: Six-year-old spellingbee champ by Cheryl Ursin, April 2023], Cheryl. No one could have done it better than you did. We hope it will help inspire the kids across the country to pursue and accomplish the things they are passionate about. Like Zachary always tells us, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it.”

Michael Teoh

From the chef

Even though my culinary journey didn't start until 2016, it seemed like yesterday I was reading about other well-established restaurants and chefs in online articles, newspapers, and magazines. Fast forward to today, unsure how my journey led me here, I’m featured in The Buzz Magazines [Chef’s Corner: Sherman Yeung by Dai Huynh, April 2023].

Reflecting back on how quickly these past years have gone by, I don’t ever want to be ungrateful for every step I took and for those who supported me along the way. Being featured in The Buzz, especially during this time where so many restaurants are being opened and thriving, is an extremely humbling experience. Houston truly is an amazing city with very rich culture and genuine hospitality and to be able to hopefully contribute even an ounce to that is an everyday goal and honor for me.

Sherman Yeung

Featuring friendship – and trivia night

I really enjoyed reading your piece entitled Not So Trivial [by Caroline Siegfried, March 2023]. You are so right on the importance of meeting up frequently with friends! I definitely agree with the studies you mentioned that indicate the benefits in personal wellness when we make frequent social connections, e.g., hanging out with friends.

So awesome you and your friends were able to make trivia night a fun, weekly priority! Hoping y’all are able to find a new place to do trivia soon! Thanks for providing the helpful trivia place list – keeping that handy!

Jennifer Cannon

Rumor Has It

Thank you for including the great write-up of our recent “Texas

Girls in Tuscany” trip in your Rumor Has It section [Jan. 2023]! We greatly appreciate Sharon Brier’s well-written piece of our memorable Italian adventure!

Leila Perrin

Editor’s note: Thanks for sharing, Leila! Our Rumor Has It column written by Sharon Brier appears in our Tanglewood/River Oaks Buzz and Memorial Buzz editions in print. All items that are featured in Rumor Has It can be found at thebuzzmagazines.com/columns/rumor-has-it, along with additional photos.

Another ‘Rumors’ fan

Sharon Brier wrote an article describing an important event of lifethe celebration of a 40th anniversary of marriage between two people truly still blessed by indelible love [Rumor Has It, Jan. 2023]. This email is written to thank Sharon for caring to write such an endearing note and for the editors to be kind enough to print that note within the pages of the Memorial Buzz.

Terri and Greg Smith

Send letters to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address for verification purposes. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and space. Views expressed in letters do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Buzz Magazines, and The Buzz takes no responsibility for the content and opinions expressed in them.

•

If this sounds like you or someone you know, please contact us at info@thebuzzmagazines.com or 713.668.4157, ext 102.

by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Living her Mother’s Legacy

Honoring Mamma’s memory through nature

Becky Luman has experienced the awe and wonder of nature her entire life. The youngest of six, the family would pack the pop-up camper, pile into the station wagon, and hit the road to escape the stifling Texas heat every summer until she was in her teens.

Her mother, Ilona, was the inspiration for these journeys, turning summers into a coast-tocoast create-your-own-adventure. Together they soaked up the wildlife and history of dozens of national parks, climbing mountains, hiking grasslands, exploring volcanoes and canyons, and splashing in rivers and lakes they found along the way.

“I never really knew how uncommon Mamma was,” said Becky. “She was well before her time…she went to college in the late 1940s and was a chemist in the 1950s when most women didn’t get a higher education or professional position. She and her girlfriends went camping on their own, just the girls and their tent in the great outdoors.”

Her father never hesitated to let the kids know that if it had not been for their mother, those fabulous escapades would never have happened.

Sadly, Ilona was diagnosed with cancer when Becky was in eighth grade, and passed away just as Becky graduated from high school. This year, Becky celebrates her mother’s life with special poignancy as she is the same age her mother was, 56, when she passed away. And Zane, her youngest child, is now 17, the age Becky was when she lost her mother.

Ilona’s guidance and memory have lived on, with Becky, in her own way, carrying on her mother’s legacy. Like her mother, she dedicated herself to a career in the sciences, becoming a civil engineer and environmental consultant through Healthy Tweaks LLC. She also instilled her own passion for nature, not only in her children Ariana and Zane but in many others as well.

So naturally, when it came to travel, she and husband John have sought out a plethora of nature-based expeditions. When Ariana, now 19 and studying at San Diego State University, was in the third grade, Becky’s dad, Thomas Petersen, gave her a paper Becky had written in school when she was in the fourth grade titled

“What

And what she was most proud of was that she had been to 42 states, Canada and Mexico, and had never been on an airplane.

A light went on for Becky. She and John had taken their kids across the world, but they hadn’t done what her parents had – taken them on a road trip, or immersed them in the grandeur of US wilderness and history.

So the Luman family began their own summer travels. John, a trial attorney, worked long hours, but Becky didn’t let it stop her. She turned a Nature Conservancy board meeting in Aspen into a nearly month-long road trip with Ariana and Zane, visiting state and national parks and historic sites along the way – and they were hooked. For the next five years, she followed in her mother’s footsteps, designing “Luman Family Summer Tours” with her kids –with John joining whenever possible.

“We love the big parks from the Rocky Mountains to the Smoky Mountains to Yosemite. And we love the small sites, like Carl Sandburg’s Home and Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site,” said Becky. “All are part of our history and learning.”

That’s what led them to the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park for Thanksgiving two years ago (featured in A Virgin Island Thanksgiving, Travel Buzz, Nov. 2022). Ariana and Zane have now been to 45 states and over 90 National Park System sites.

And though Becky could never share these trips with her mother, Ilona has always accompanied them in spirit. “Absolutely, I take Mamma with me,” said Becky. “I am very much steeped in my mom’s strength, confidence, and intelligence. I pray daily for more of her patience and gentleness,” she says.

Her mother swam every chance she could, so Becky grew up loving the water. And her mother’s intrepidness has found a home in her daughter as well.

“When our daughter’s adventurous spirit led her to want to go far away for college, I couldn’t do anything but cheer,” Becky said.

In Ariana’s last year of high school, her last year at home, Becky thought a lot about her mom. Ariana was busy with friends, so Becky gave her space and organized her time around when Ariana was home. This year, it’s the same with Zane.

“It took a long time to heal from Mamma’s passing. I often cried, ‘God, why did you take my mom?’ I’ve now come to be so grateful for the time I had with such a kind and loving mother, and I’ve come to realize that her early passing was her story; His Story: ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’ (Matthew 25:23) And it’s my story to impart her faith and wisdom to our children and let them grow their own stories.”

Editor’s note: For more on the Luman family’s adventures, see A Virgin Island Thanksgiving, Nov. 2022, at thebuzzmagazines.com. See this story online for a link to “Becky Finds Her Park: Celebrating our National Parks 100 Yrs” at healthytweaks.com.

I’m Most Proud Of.”

NATURE GIRLS Becky Luman and Mamma, pictured in late 1968 after swimming at Inks Lake State Park. Becky’s mother, Ilona, made sure her family was regularly immersed in nature.

by Ben Portnoy, contributing writer

A Serpentine Demise

Reflections on life and a biting headline

Snake handler dies after being bitten in shoulder at fest.” This headline, as seen in the Houston Chronicle on May 3, 2022, jumped out at me. The article read:

A South Texas snake handler died Saturday after he was bitten by a snake during the annual Freer Rattlesnake Roundup that day, officials said.

Freer police said Eugene De Leon Sr. was handling rattlesnakes in front of a crowd when he was bitten in the shoulder around 1 p.m. Corpus Christi’s KIII-TV reported.

De Leon was flown to a Corpus Christi hospital but died that night. Freer, an area where there is a large rattlesnake population, is about 110 miles south of San Antonio.

In a Facebook post, De Leon’s family said he was passionate about snake handling at the Freer festival and “died doing what he loved.”

I pause to consider the above news item, and two questions come to mind. The first is whether it matters if you die doing something you love, and the second is what do you love to do so much that dying while doing it makes your death a bit less of a downer.

Recently,a friend fell over dead in his backyard while building a playhouse for his grandchildren. He was an accomplished carpenter in his free time and, over the years, he had made beautiful cherrywood furniture, artistic cutting boards and salad bowls as well as greenhouses, tree houses, and wooden decks. Clearly, he enjoyed his woodworking hobby, but when he breathed his last breath while hammering shingles on the playhouse roof, was that pleasure sufficient to offset the event of his demise? I don’t know, and he is not around to interview, so I will never know whether dying in this way made it a little more acceptable. At least his death was sudden. Still, he is dead.

I had a medical colleague years ago who smoked cigarettes every chance he had. He even smoked in his office while interviewing and examining his patients. He was warned that his smoking habit, in addition to his elevated cholesterol level and lack of exercise, posed a real danger of heart disease.

Once at lunch, another doctor tore into him

about this smoking habit, and my smoking colleague told the preaching friend that he knew the risks. He said, however, that he loved the feel of lighting a cigarette, of putting the Lucky in his mouth, and of inhaling the warm flavorful smoke so much that he would never stop smoking. And then one day he dropped dead in his office with a lit cigarette in his hand. As he fell, the cigarette tumbled from his grip and burned a hole in his trousers. Did dying this way lessen the horrible facts of his end and of the hole in his pants?

Back to the introductory questions: Does it matter if you die doing what you enjoy most? And if you do expire doing that activity, is your death somehow made better? I think the first question is not so easy to answer. Did the snake-loving Texan referenced above succumb more quietly as a victim to the activity he dearly loved? Or did he think, in the end, what an idiot he was to have let that rattlesnake bite him? In that case, his end was probably bitter as well as bitten.

The second question is equally difficult to answer. I try to think what I love so much that dying while doing it would make my end a happier occasion or an easier one.

I like swimming, and I usually swim in a pool unattended by a lifeguard. I imagine myself having some fatal episode and sinking to the bottom of the pool. But that is not an attractive option. I am basically a shy person, and I hate to make a spectacle of myself. I like taking photographs and editing them on the computer, but when I consider this, I do not think the

joy is sufficient to make dying while photographing much of a mitigating factor. Lately, I have taken up birdwatching, and I think of myself out on a trail looking for some warbler and falling over dead. Then a turkey vulture could pick away at my body and leave nothing but bones. Ugh, that is pretty ugly.

There are so many things I love – getting together with friends and family, participating in book clubs, tending to our garden, riding bicycles, travelling, watching movies. None of these seem to me very soothing for a death. I guess what I love to do most is sleep. In that case, dying would be kind of nice as I would not be aware of my passing.

The truth is that I cannot make up my mind about what I love so much that it could be said that he “died doing what he loved.” So I have made up my mind, at last: I shall not die at all, and that settles that.

SEARCHING FOR ANSWERS Ben Portnoy looks for enlightenment in the morning paper.

lawellphoto.com

by Todd Freed, staff writer

Grace Yochum: Reaching Goals

From Memorial fields to the professional soccer pitch

As the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) draft unfolded in January, former Memorial Mustangs soccer star Grace Yochum had high hopes of being selected to play professional soccer. But little did Yochum ever imagine she would be the 14th overall selection in the draft. The attacking midfielder was picked by the Chicago Red Stars FC.

“I was in shock,” said Yochum, who gathered with family and a small group of friends to watch the draft at her home in Stillwater, Ok. “My mom and dad (John and Mary Kent Yochum) came up from Houston to be with me for the draft and we were just speechless. There was just

so much emotion. My college coach and I had some discussions about where I might land in the draft, but I never imagined I would be selected so high. I really had no idea where I’d be picked.”

Over 250 players representing the nation’s top collegiate soccer programs had registered to become eligible for the NWSL draft, but Yochum was just one of 48 players selected. She also became only the third player in Oklahoma State Cowgirls history to be drafted since the NWSL held its inaugural draft in 2013, the other two being AD Franch in 2013 and Charme’ Morgan last year.

Yochum began playing soccer at age four at the YMCA leagues, followed shortly by the

Spring Branch Memorial Soccer Association. By the time she was a third grader, Yochum had joined the Albion Hurricanes Futbol Club, where she competed for the club’s top level teams through her high school years.

“I look back at my days with Albion and my parents driving me across Texas practically every weekend for tournaments, or even flying with me on weekends to places like Phoenix, Seattle, and Florida for soccer showcases. They were such troopers through it all. They’ve been with me through the whole ride from when I first started playing soccer as a young kid. I’d have to say this was all made possible by the

GOAL ORIENTED As the 14th overall pick in the NWSL draft, it’s been an impressive path to the pros for Houstonian Grace Yochum.

Oklahoma State Athletics

support of my family, and also my amazing coaches and teammates from club, to high school and then Oklahoma State.

“Honestly, this has also all kind of caught me by surprise,” added Yochum. “I had never really dreamed about playing pro soccer. My whole goal was to excel in college and be the best that I can be. Then, at some point it just hit me. Why not? I told myself that if I have the talent and desire then why not me.”

In a highly decorated career for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls, the 5’11” midfielder was the fourth player in the program’s history to earn status as a three-time All-Big 12 selection. She also owns a school record of 41 goals scored in 91 games. In addition, Yochum was named to the 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team. “Being named an All-American was a goal of mine for a very long time. It’s an honor I hold close to my heart,” said Yochum. Off the soccer field, Yochum graduated with a degree in elementary education and a minor in coaching science.

Flashback to five years ago when Yochum received one of her first major honors on the soccer pitch as an All-State player for the Memorial Mustangs, where she amassed 45 career goals and a school record 49 assists. As a senior in 2018, Yochum helped the Mustangs to the UIL 6A State Championship.

“A lot of people kind of move on from high school and put it in the rear-view mirror, but for me personally those teammates are still my forever friends. Winning and playing with your best friends was such a sweet time of my life. We keep up with each other just about every week. It’s just a part of my life that’s in my DNA of who I am,” added Yochum.

“Grace was one of the most athletic players to ever come through Memorial High School,” said Mustangs girls soccer coach Lindley Amarantos. “She’s a super intelligent player who uses both feet and has great vision on the field. You just can’t coach that kind of talent. She was also an outstanding four-year varsity basketball player – just a naturally gifted athlete.

“It’s remarkable when you look back at our 2018 state championship team, which had nine girls go on to play major collegiate soccer, and now Grace becomes the first to play professionally. I’ve had so many people from the Memorial and soccer community tell me how proud that are to have an alumnus that’ll soon be playing pro soccer. We were there from the start and knew there was just something special about Grace.

“The thing that’s also great about Grace is she’s someone that others can count on. She’s the ultimate competitor and also a really great friend to others. Not to mention, Grace is always clowning around and making people laugh. She’s really a total goofball who has a way of making people feel comfortable and at ease instantly,” added Amarantos.

In Chicago, Yochum will play for Red Stars head coach Chris Petrucelli, who ironically enough recruited her out of high school while

coaching back then at SMU. “I’m excited to play for Coach Petrucelli; it’s kind of a full-circle moment,” said Yochum.

Speaking of coming full circle, Yochum is looking forward to returning to Houston on July 7

when the Red Stars come to town to face the Houston Dash. “It will be bittersweet. A lot of people I know wanted me to be drafted by Houston, but to come home and play pro soccer in front of my friends and family will still be amazing.”

THROUGH THE YEARS While at Oklahoma State (bottom photo), Yochum was a three time All-Big 12 selection. At age 10 (top photo), she was playing soccer for the Albion Soccer Club, and in high school (middle photo), helped lead the Memorial Mustangs to a state soccer championship.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Chiori Aizu

NEIGHBORS

by Cathy Gordon, staff writer

Pearls of Positivity

An author’s gift to children

Ninth-grade algebra, an hour of misery. The teacher was the variable, favoring some students over others. For those who excelled, sunshine and roses. She returned their work with a lilt in her voice, as light as spring. If you grappled a bit, she torqued her tone, cold as winter.

Breaking down the problem in the simplest terms: Teacher = Bully.

“I would just freeze because she was so mean,” says children’s picture book author, Ellen Leventhal, of her not-so-nice instructor. “Teachers are supposed to be encouraging and uplifting, not tear you down,” adds the former fifth-grade teacher at The Shlenker School, a nurturer, through and through.

No, math wasn’t Ellen’s strong suit. But writing was.

At an early age, she recognized the power of words, how they frolicked in rhyme. So, she penned a poem about Bully Teacher to the delight of friends who giggled in solidarity. Until one day, on a school field trip, it fell from her purse and –oops – into the hands of the school principal.

“He actually kind of laughed and gave it back to me and said not to do it again,” she recalls. While the poem’s audience may have been short-lived, Ellen’s experience has garnered mention over the years.

“Each year, I’d tell my students about this teacher I had who was just horrible and made me feel stupid. I shared it to let them know that you don’t let someone define you,” Ellen says. “I want children to believe in themselves and their idea of how they want to contribute to this world.”

Most recently, Ellen brings these lessons to light in her latest book, DEBBIE’S SONG, a picture book biography about the late Debbie Friedman (1951-2011) who broke barriers, becoming one of the most influential and respected singer-songwriters of Jewish music in the world.

The self-taught guitarist changed the way people related to Judaism and made prayer accessible to millions through her music. Friedman, who went on to perform at Carnegie Hall, is a model for young people to pursue their dreams.

“We sang her songs all the time at Shlenker,” says Ellen who taught there 18 years, then another 12 years part-time.

“The book (illustrated by Natalia Grebtsova) is about a persistent woman who had this dream and against all obstacles she made it. She changed the face of Jewish music and made it more contemporary and more inclusive. Her music took off, against all odds.”

More than anything, Ellen loves visiting schools, engaging students with her books. Teaching them about Friedman’s talent, the musician’s “superpower,” gets young audiences thinking about their own strong suits.

“We aren’t trying to market it just for the Jewish community, because it’s really for everyone,” the author continues. “I think her story will resonate with a lot of people.”

Ellen cares for her books like babies, laboring over words that dance off the page. Books that bring the warm fuzzies, that inspire and ignite the imagination. Books that tenderly tackle lifechanging events.

Growing up in Trenton, NJ, she recalls an attorney father who enjoyed writing stories and poems later in life. Her mother was a marvel of a different kind as the country’s first female

health inspector. “When I was a teenager and started dating, she knew all about the hygiene at restaurants and would tell my date where he could and couldn’t take me.

“When she came to visit us here and heard Marvin Zindler – Slime in the ice machine! – she was in love,” Ellen says, of the late KTRK-TV consumer reporter.

Little wonder that Ellen’s path followed that of creativity and fortitude.

“Ellen is an excellent writer, always with an uplifting message,” says her friend Ellen Rothberg, who years ago taught with her at The Shlenker School. The two Ellens enjoyed brainstorming dialogues together for various school presentations. They concocted all sorts of stories for school-age children. Wouldn’t it be fun to get published?

While on a road trip to College Station to visit her college-age daughter, Rothberg saw a cow in a bluebonnet-covered field. “I said to my husband, ‘I wonder if the cows eat those bluebonnets?’”

That got both Ellens thinking. There was a whole pasture of predicaments a cow could incur if she ate all the bluebonnets. Oh, the tale they could weave, a story of

DEBBIE’S LEGACY Children’s book author Ellen Leventhal holds her latest book, DEBBIE’S SONG about Debbie Friedman who became one of the most influential and respected Jewish singer-songwriters in the world, changing the way people related to Judaism.

actions and consequences, a funfest for young fertile minds. They got on it, imaginations running wild.

They entered the book in a national children’s picture book contest in 2005. The published winner would be awarded a publicist to help with marketing and author events.

The publisher phoned them. Their book was one of 10 finalists. An online vote would determine the winner.

But first, they needed to rewrite it. We love it, now change it.

“There were red editing marks everywhere,” both authors recall.

Turns out, the world of children’s literature isn’t the easiest nut to crack. The craft is riddled in rules and parameters. Formulas to follow. Authors must mine their creative caverns for a tale they can weave together in a brevity of words, tying it up at the end in a neat little bow.

So, the two enrolled in a continuing education class at Rice University to learn the craft.

“And then when you have it done, you start revising and revising. I must admit, I’m quite the revising machine,” says Ellen, who confesses difficulty landing a stopping point. You can kill the heart of a book by not knowing when to stop, she cautions, like overwatering a houseplant.

“When you’re still revising, it’s not out there yet, in a publisher or agent’s inbox. Once you let it go, you have no more control. It’s a bit nerve-racking!”

Revisions paid off for the pair’s Don’t Eat the Bluebonnets, which ultimately won. The fun romp follows the sassy cow, Sue Ellen, who gives in to temptation, eating all the tasty blue flowers in her field. Now she must solve the problem of how to get the bluebonnets back in her favorite pasture.

Ellen’s fifth-grade class helped revise it. “I’d put a sentence up and say, ‘What’s a better, stronger verb we can use here?’ When we won, we had an ice cream party.” Book sales aided a literacy program. “That made the students feel great. It’s all about that ripple effect, how good things carry on.”

“I really feel like I’m watching a celebrity come into her own,” says Rothberg, who cowrote a few other books with Ellen, now out of publication. Don’t Eat the Bluebonnets is now enjoying an updated 10th anniversary edition, illustrated by Joel Cook.

Ellen keeps to a daily writing routine and belongs to critique groups, cherishing input from others. “In a sense, writing a book is a collaborative effort,” she says. Her favorite thing is interacting with students as they relate to her book’s characters.

A woolly character took residence in her head for some time, leading to the book Lola Can’t Leap, illustrated by Noelle Shawa, about a sheep who comes from a long line of leapers, but can’t make it over the fence. She finally realizes after many attempts that she can embrace her unique gift for singing.

Sometimes, picture books are a salve for children whose worlds feel off-kilter from loss and trauma. In a love letter to Houston and its children came A Flood of Kindness, illustrated by Blythe Russo, the story of Charlotte, a young girl who is forced to evacuate to a shelter with family when floodwaters rise. She grapples with anger and sadness, but then realizes she has the power to help others, healing in the process.

Ellen drew from experience, having gone through three floods with husband Steve: the Memorial Day flood in 2015, again in April 2016, and 2017’s Hurricane Harvey that dumped more than 50 inches of rain over parts of Houston.

They have a new house now in the same location, raised six feet due to Harvey’s intense lashing. Four feet of latte-colored water left their walls like sponges. Their washing machine broke free from its moorings like a runaway barge, barreling its way through the utility room and kitchen, to its final resting place in the den.

“We put our wedding album where we thought it would be safe and dry in a wall unit, but it wasn’t high enough,” recalls Steve. “When we opened that drawer, it was floating.”

Despite the mess and headache, many were worse off, the couple realized. “Like Mister Rogers always said, ‘Find the helpers,’” Ellen says of the late children’s television host.

Shlenker teacher Sherry Dubin, who worked with Ellen back in the day, says there’s no better person to address such sensitive subjects. “She’s so accomplished in her writing and her ability to guide students, whatever their age. She always has such a great underlying message in her books.”

Dubin’s older grandchildren, 7-year-old twins, remember Hurricane Harvey and moving out of their home. “A Flood of Kindness speaks to them, to all of us who went through all those emotions and trauma. That book touches the

heart strings of so many.”

Ellen, mother to two sons, Daniel and Seth, loves that her friends’ grandchildren enjoy her books. She has grandchildren as well, Adam, Emma, Lucas, and Ellie. “It’s pretty special reading your book to your grandchild,” she says.

Ellen is definitely a force, says husband Steve, who can practically see his wife’s brain synapses sparking as she mulls over story ideas. She’s working on a book about an unconventional rooster now. No book contract yet, but she hopes it’ll have publishers crowing.

“As I said when she got her first book published, I am now the trophy husband who I always deserved to be,” Steve jokes. “She’s always thinking and coming up with stories, and she’s finally getting the recognition she deserves for all that hard work.”

By the way, Steve, retired from Shell Oil, is a big math guy. He has a PhD in mathematics. Unlike Ellen’s ninth-grade algebra teacher, he’s her biggest cheerleader. And exponentially nicer.

“Yep,” quips Ellen. “He’s very good at math. I’ll stick to my writing.”

Editor’s note: See ellenleventhal.com to order Ellen’s books, request an author’s visit,

and more.

HIGH AND DRY After Hurricane Harvey left four feet of water in their home, Ellen and Steve Leventhal built a new house at the same location, raised six feet from ground level. The couple endured three floods, including Harvey, leading to the author’s book A Flood of Kindness about the power of kindness and helping others during hard times.

NEIGHBORS

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Pop Art

Jason Buchman inspires, brick by brick

When Jason Buchman moved into West University Place in 2011 with his two young children, his new home, taken down to the studs, was a blank slate. Truth be told, Jason felt a bit blank as well, he remembers. Newly divorced and in need of a fresh start, Jason found inspiration in an unexpected way: Lego building bricks. What started as a way to bridge some quality recreational time with son Aiden and daughter Sydney, Lego helped turn their home and lives into an exponentially larger world of vibrant, colorful joy.

Although he remembers playing with Lego bricks as a youngster, the now 52-year-old Jason says he was never a fanatic. But as a single dad with a then 7-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter, playing with Lego became a connector for them as a family.

“I was comfortable with Lego,” says Jason, noting that the simple act of fashioning the plastic bricks to make objects was restorative. “Lego allows people to create in ways that benefit them. It was therapeutic and relatable and accessible for my kids. It translated into comfort at a time when everyone in my house needed it.” Jason had some Lego kits of Star Wars and Batman that the three of them would tinker with and build together. “I played with Legos as a kid but only with instructions,” says Jason, referring to the Lego kits that have instructional manuals. “When I got into the house, manuals fell by the wayside. I got to do what I wanted to do.” And what he wanted to do, he realized, was to create objects that were dedicated to his family and his new life.

The Lego creations he made became a tangible expression of his love for his children. It started with The Wall. Jason, who is a lawyer, was looking at a stretch of empty wall in Aiden’s bedroom and had an epiphany: he would Lego the entire space. “This was the first project I did when I moved in,” he recalls. “And the joke is always, why did I put Legos all over my son’s walls? Because I could.” Armed with approximately 15,000 single Lego bricks and zero knowledge of how to actually complete the project, there were some trial and errors.

“That first wall took a year to make as I did

not know what to do,” he laughs. “I worked in an unventilated closed room and the smell was so bad from the glue, I am sure I killed a few brain cells.” Because he was new to this art medium, he also painstakingly glued each individual brick to the wall, which was timeconsuming. Additionally, he was limited by available brick colors. The learning curve, he says, was steep.

Mechanics aside, Jason loved the way the wall looked: floor to ceiling, side to side, he Lego-ed bright stripes inspired by the Houston Astros throwback jerseys –the family are huge Astros fans and count Jose Altuve as their favorite player. Both Aiden and Sydney would help their dad with building the wall. For his part, Aiden, now 19 and a freshman at Bucknell College, says that friends always thought he had the coolest bedroom.

“Legos are something we have been able to bond over for almost 20 years,” says Aiden. “I have built Legos with him my whole life. I always had a designated bucket with pieces so I could build. On the wall, I built things that came off of the sides, like stairs and platforms and it allowed me to build on a different plane.”

Sydney says that The Wall was a “demonstration of love for Aiden and the bond they shared over the little bricks. I think Paw found so much

joy in it and wanted to share this with all of us, which we would not trade for the world.”

Not long after starting The Wall, Jason and the kids began building tables constructed of Lego pieces. It was another opportunity for the trio to do something together. At first, Jason thought it would be a bespoke business and he did sell a few tables, but ultimately, he pivoted and donated them to charities. It was a fulfilling exercise and so, brick by brick, his life took on a new pattern: pain was eased, happiness was felt.

About a year after moving in, friends began telling Jason about a mutual friend he needed to ask out on a date. And so he did.

“Our first date was during the time he was

BRICK BY BRICK Lego fan Jason Buchman constructed a colorful wall for son Max’s bedroom out of Lego bricks. This is the second Lego wall he has created; the first was for son Aiden and was inspired by the colors of the Houston Astros’ throwback jerseys. Here, Laura and Jason Buchman pose with son Max in front of the Lego wall.

making tables and he invited me over for dinner,” recalls Laura Buchman, of their initial meeting in 2012. “After dinner we just sat by the fire, and I helped him make a Lego table. It was one he was donating to a school auction, and I thought it was super. Instantly I saw that it brought him peace and I could tell it was something he loved.” Laura enjoyed helping build the green and black checkerboard patterned table. The success of that first dinner date extended and the pair dated for the next three years. In the meantime, says Jason, “I just started Legoing things around the house – a nightstand, a picture frame. I made vases, I made flowers.”

Lego art began to fill the shelves and decorate the walls. Giant Legos spelled out Aiden and

Sydney’s names, a life-sized pair of Adidas sneakers looked ready to run, a map of the world was constructed of miniature bricks. And not all are stationary: a massive roller coaster actually loops miniature figures in carts, a typewriter has moveable keys, a piano plays.

So it was no surprise, then, when Jason decided it was time to propose to Laura, he created a special box to hold her diamond ring. “The box took me so long to figure out,” says Jason of the multi-dimensional black and white Lego box with a bow on top. “I wanted to do something that was creative and unique in the sense that I wanted to make something for her.”

For Laura, the box is as prized as the ring. “I married into Lego,” laughs the outgoing and

blonde Laura, who is a public relations consultant. “Anytime there has been a milestone or something to celebrate, he has woven Legos in somehow, some way, and it has been a part of our life together.” Their wedding was no exception. For the rehearsal dinner, Jason made a Lego-themed welcome video that mimicked the look of The Lego Movie. He also created a giant wall sign that displays their names together. Even their wedding cake was served with custom Lego-brick chocolate “L’s” and “J’s” on the side. Jason made the letters himself.

“I got two kinds of food grade silicone that I melted and poured over actual Lego pieces and it solidified and made a mold,” says Jason, who gave the molds to a choco- (continued on page 22)

A WORLD OF COLOR Jason Buchman has made a plethora of vibrant Lego creations. Top: Jason sits next to the bespoke Lego table for son Max; bottom left: wall art with a colorful and positive message; bottom right: an intricate world map made of Lego.

(continued from page 21)

latier who made the orange-and spice-flavored chocolates. As a wedding gift, Laura gave Jason two pairs of cufflinks: one pair with an “S” and an “A” for the kids, another pair of miniature bride and groom Lego figures, the bride, complete with a veil.

Since the 2015 wedding, the love for Lego has grown – as has their family. Their son Max was born in 2017 and his announcement card was created to look as if it were made of Legos.

Call him a Super Fan now. Jason says that as the years have gone by, he has gotten even more enamored of all the endless possibilities of Lego art. He spends time between freeform Lego creations and kits targeted to grownups – known in the Lego industry as AFOLs, Adult Fans Of Lego. “I like the fact that building slows me down and gives me the opportunity to listen to my thoughts or none at all,” says Jason. “I enjoy the quietness and stillness of it all. Legos fit together and are very mathematical, whether it is a set or a freeform, there is a beginning and an end.”

When the pandemic hit and the family was at home all the time, Lego presented another creative outlet. Inspired by a phrase Laura frequently uses, Jason built a sign that reads YOU ARE GOOD on a wall of their garage. The letters are in white and are set against candy-colored vertical stripes. “When I was building it in the garage, I kept the door open and people just walking by would come in and wanted to help. I mean, everyone wanted to help: everyone loves Legos. Anyone young or old, big or small can love to build cars and towers and ships.”

Which is why it is no shock that 5-year-old Max has followed in his father’s footsteps. “The greatest joy I have is to see Max and Jason together and to see them share building together,” says Laura.

And so more than a decade after moving into the house, Jason took down The Wall in its original form. After leaving for college last fall, Aiden and Max switched rooms. Max, Jason decided, would get his own Lego Wall –although this time, he used a streamlined

process that took three and a half months, and he used better glue. Like his siblings, Max helped Jason work on the wall. Max helped choose the color scheme and he was able to place bricks on the boards that Jason then affixed to the wall – an easier process than gluing directly to the room walls.

Max’s wall has vertical rectangles that stretch from side to side in a kaleidoscope of colors. Every inch of that wall is new, except one small corner still retains the Astros stripes in a nod to Aiden and the original Lego Wall and a house that is shared and loved.

“Paw thinks that we think his Lego craze is weird but we all just watch him build and create all of this stuff in awe,” says Sydney, a junior at Kenyon College. “He is so creative and has ideas for things that we would never think of, which is why his passion is so wonderful. I think this new wall just sums all of that up. Paw has been through a lot in his life, and he deserves the world. At the end of the day the Legos are still toys, but the stuff he creates with them goes far beyond that.”

BUILDING A FAMILY Top left: When Jason decided to propose to Laura, he created a special Lego box to hold her diamond ring. Bottom left: A miniature Lego bride and groom at Laura and Jason’s wedding. Top right: Aiden, left, and Sydney, right with Lego tables they built circa 2013. Bottom right: The Buchman family all smiles over spring break 2023: Laura, Aiden, Sydney, Max, and Jason.

David Jones

by Jennifer Oakley, staff writer

Going the Extra Mile

Melanie Margolis marks a personal run streak

Melanie Margolis runs. She has run in the bitter cold through an Icelandic night with a headlamp affixed to her brow. She has skirted sea lions on a sunny beach in the Galapagos Islands. She has sweated it out looping the Memorial Park trails during oppressive Houston summer days. And she has run in place on indoor treadmills. In all kinds of conditions, without fail, the athletic and engaging brunette has not missed her daily run over the past three years. Yes, you read that right: Since Memorial Day 2020, Melanie has gone the extra mile. Every. Single. Day.

To put it in perspective, she has run more than 2,186 miles – that’s the equivalent of running from Houston to Bogota, Colombia. Melanie says that for serious distance runners, that is not a big number, but the satisfaction of being on a run streak is gratifying beyond measure.

And although the energetic 58-year-old has counted running as a personal pastime for most of her life (she has raced in 20 marathons and is in her 13th year as the assistant girls’ cross-country coach at St. John’s School) it was a challenge via Runner’s World magazine that got Melanie on this particular hot streak. “I noticed on the Runner’s World magazine social media they were touting a run streak from Memorial Day to July 4 in 2020,” recalls Melanie. “It was the time of peak Covid shutdown. We were in New Mexico, and everything was closed. It was shut down even more than Houston.” She says that getting out of the house for a cause made her feel less cooped up. “I was inspired by the challenge,” she says. “It was 41 days, and I was like, I can do this.”

The rules were simple: runners were required to run a minimum of one mile a day for those 41 consecutive days. According to the magazine, a run streak is a term the running community uses to describe running “at least one mile within each calendar day.” After careful consideration, Melanie says that “it seemed manageable and doable.” So she laced up her running shoes and started making her way across the roads of Santa Fe and has never looked back.

To keep track, Melanie printed out a run streak log that Runner’s World had provided with their challenge. She went old school and hand

wrote the date, placed a check mark next to day one and repeated every day.

Melanie plotted her runs, which ended up being a similar route daily and consisted of a combination of dirt roads and paved surfaces. “I mostly ran the same route at that time, but the distance varied,” she says, noting that she often

went beyond the mile requirement. “I always started with a walk and some stretching to warm up because I was trying to take extra care to avoid injury. I found early on that running such a short distance every day helped me run faster than I had been running, which was nice.”

Melanie decided to share her run streak

BORN TO RUN Melanie Margolis has run at least one mile a day, every day, since Memorial Day 2020. Maintaining this kind of run streak takes commitment and perseverance.

endeavor with friends on her Facebook page on May 25, 2020. “I started on Memorial Day like I was supposed to, and I wrote about it,” she recalls. “I wrote that I was so excited to get out of the house every day and do my thing.” The response to her announcement fell pretty flat. “I had three Likes and no comments,” she laughs. “I had almost no response to that post; I thought at least a runner friend would comment!” Undeterred by the lack of cyber support, Melanie did her thing. As the days turned to weeks, Melanie marked the Fourth of July and her 41st run and then pondered what to do next. “I got to the Fourth and thought to myself: why stop? I am still here with nothing to do as everything was shut down. So, I decided to keep running. I literally ran through the pandemic,” she says.

Turns out that keeping a run streak alive takes some significant planning. To play by the rules, she has to run no matter the weather or the location and she always prefers to run outside, where she has seen wildlife as varied as snakes, coyotes, deer, and rabbits. She notes that she always runs with her cell phone and listens to book podcasts (including Buzz writer Cindy Burnett’s “Thoughts from a Page” book podcast) as she goes. She is the first to admit she will try to run anywhere before the last resort of a treadmill. Additionally, she now keeps a spreadsheet on her computer that tracks mileage and location. If she knows she is traveling, for example, she will wake up extra early to get the run in before a long drive or plane ride.

When Melanie and husband Larry traveled

to Iceland with friends, she had to figure out where to run after a long day of sightseeing. As the rest of her group went to dinner, Melanie bundled up and went back outside. “I asked at the front desk of the hotel to make sure no polar bears would run me down,” she says. “It was snowing and blowing sideways, and I used marks on my GPS watch to measure the distance in the rural country.”

On a boat? No problem. Melanie says she figured out how to run while cruising the Pacific Ocean. “I ran a lot of laps around the deck of the ship,” she quips. “It was a small boat, and it took me 13 laps to make it. Other people on deck watched me and then they started walking laps around the boat!”

It hasn’t just been

(continued on page 26)

GOING THE DISTANCE Melanie’s original goal, inspired by a challenge in Runner’s World magazine, was to run every day for 41 days straight, from Memorial Day to July 4, 2020. She achieved that goal and has continued the run streak, through all kinds of conditions and locations. On left: Melanie Margolis marking her 1,000th run in February 2023; top right: Melanie, all smiles through rainy, muddy weather in Santa Fe; bottom right: Melanie with daughter Zoe, who also enjoys running. Zoe was inspired by her mom and had her own run streak going for an impressive 800 days.

(continued from page 25)

strangers that she has inspired. Friends and family members started cheering Melanie on – and occasionally run with her. Bowie, the family’s Australian Shepherd, occasionally runs alongside her. Daughter Zoe, who is 26 and a graduate student at NYU, says her mom is her inspiration. “I started running because I saw her run the Houston Marathon,” says Zoe. "She coached me in cross country when I was at SJS and now, as an adult, I see her as a running buddy, which is neat.” Indeed, the pair have run together on this streak in Minnesota, Connecticut, New Mexico, and New York. For her part, Zoe says she copied her mom. “I started my own streak about six months after her,” says Zoe. “I made it to 800 days, but I had to stop; I had to change my routine as I started training for a half marathon and I needed rest in between days of running. I think it is a really special bond that we get to share this sport together.”

St. John’s School Girls Head Cross Country Coach Rachel Fabre says that Melanie is a role model for their team. “Seriously, she is remarkable

and is 100 percent inspirational,” says Rachel. “She shows the girls that you can make a commitment to yourself and not give yourself an easy out. The underlying message is: ‘no excuses.’”

Rachel often joins Melanie on her runs. “This is the kind of friend Rachel is,” says Melanie. “We were in Seattle with the cross-country team, and we had spent the day hiking Mount Rainier. We get back to Seattle at dinner time and I still had to do my run and Rachel said she would run with me.”

Melanie says she appreciates that kind of support. Yet she was surprised when, on the day of her 1,000th run, she posted a Facebook post about her streak and got quite a response. “The 1,000th day was February 18th, 2023, and I put it on Facebook,” she smiles. “This time I got 91 Likes as opposed to 3 and 45 comments as opposed to zero!”

Her run streak resonated with people. Wade Barrett, her co-assistant girls cross-country coach (and whose wife, Haley, is also a coach), explains. “Physically none of us have done any-

thing like this. It’s demanding and every single day Melanie is accessing the energy to get out the door. Her drive and mental energy are amazing! There are very few of us who go out on a daily basis and see what we are made of – it takes a lot of bravery and dedication and commitment to do this. Melanie is a role model because that is a hard thing for most of us to do and there are so many opportunities to wake up in the morning and say ‘nah – I am not gonna do that today.’”

Melanie says that not running that mile is not an option. “I have no exit strategy and there is no way off this train – it’s a runaway train at this point,” she smiles. “I mean, I feel good about it. I guess I am mentally tough because I can commit to something and make it happen. It’s not a big thing for me to run a mile, but to make it happen every day for 1,000 and more days takes a commitment.

“There are a million excuses out there – and excuses are easy to make – to not do it, but I still do it. I think when you get to the heart of the matter, it is not about the mileage. It isn’t even about running. It’s about truly committing

to something.”

A GOOD RUN St. John’s School Girls Head Cross Country Coach Rachel Fabre says that Melanie’s dedication to her run streak has inspired the members of the cross-country team. On a trip to Seattle with the cross-country team, after a long day of hiking Mount Rainier, Melanie still had to complete her run. Rachel joined her. Pictured, top right, on Mount Rainier (from left): coaches Wade Barrett, Haley Barrett, Rachel Fabre, and Melanie; bottom right: views from a run in Brenham; left photo: stretching before a run in the neighborhood.

COOKING

by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer

Cookbooks for Mother’s Day

From tacos to dosas

May is for Mother’s Day, and that means many of us will be on the hunt for something beautiful or maybe useful that our mothers will enjoy. How about a locally produced cookbook? Recent months have brought several new books from Texas cooks, all very different but all worthy of gifting to mom. Here are some of our favorites.

Taco-tastic: Over 60 recipes to make Taco Tuesdays last all week long by Victoria Elizondo

When a 12-year-old Victoria Elizondo immigrated from Mexico to the United States with her mom Graciela Gonzalez some 20 years ago, she would never have predicted being named a James Beard emerging chef semifinalist. But that she is, thanks to her East End restaurant Cochinita & Co. and her new cookbook Taco-tastic.

“I think tacos are a love language,” Victoria says. “They’re universal, everybody knows what a taco is, even in the UK and Europe, and everybody craves them. They’re something you want to eat when you celebrate, when you’re having a bad day, and when you want to show someone you care.”

Taco-tastic features 60 taco recipes, all developed by Victoria, who declines to identify a favorite. “It’s like asking who’s your favorite child,” she says.

She wrote the book over the course of a year, all while running a restaurant and a packaged products line (you can find her Tostaditas, Jalapeño Salsa Taquera, and more at Cochinita & Co. and at farmer’s markets around town). “We had a small budget. A friend did all the [photography] shooting at a table in the restaurant, while I was running the restaurant,” Victoria says.

Recently the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston hosted a book signing for Taco-tastic. “I know it’s available in Alaska and the UK,” Victoria says. “Seeing people buying it all over the world is pretty special.”

Her advice to anyone with their own American Dream: “Always try to stay original,” she says. “One way or another, people can tell when you’re doing it from your heart.”

Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices by Anita Jaisinghani

Anita Jaisinghani published her cookbook Masala: Recipes from India, the Land of Spices last August, after deliberating about it for 10 years. “It’s been a long time coming,” says the acclaimed chef and owner of Pondicheri and James Beard Award semifinalist.

“There is so much noise out there in cookbooks. If I was going to write a book, it had to be something that others hadn’t done; I had to offer something that’s uniquely different.” What’s different about Masala is that, in it, Anita explores many facets of Indian cuisine: she teaches readers about the history upon which Indian cuisine is built; she explains Indian spices and guides readers in combining them to develop deeply flavorful dishes; and she offers a chapter on “Food as Medicine,” with fresh ideas on ways that delicious food can also be good for us. “What tastes good and what feels good are equally important,” she says.

Anita’s focus on how food affects the way we feel began when her husband was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. “Watching someone you love die changed the way I thought about food,” she says. “And thinking about the implications of food and lifestyle on our lives led me to Ayurveda [a form of natural medicine based on diet and balance]. I studied it in my real life, in real time, and I became a practitioner about it. I learned how I felt when I ate certain things, and that informed me how to live a better life. Now I feel a responsibility to serve my customers food that has value.”

Anita says her favorite section in Masala is the one on dosas (a thin pancake in South Indian cuisine). “I wish for everyone to explore this section. I make them every morning or every night, and I never tire of them,” Anita says. “This is much gentler on the stomach, and actually easier

to make, but I think dosas are the next sourdough.

“This stuff had all been fermenting in my mind for so long,” Anita says. “I tried to keep the writing as short as possible, but if you read it, it’s worth reading. This isn’t stuff you would find anywhere.”

Fiesta in the Kitchen: Our Family’s Favorite Authentic Mexican Recipes by Paola Lloyd and Sofia Lloyd

Paola Lloyd didn’t plan on writing a cookbook. Then, along came Covid and stay-at-home orders.

“Everybody was cleaning out every closet,” the San Antonio mother of two says, “and my mom found my grandmother’s handwritten recipe book and gave it to me.” Paola and her daughter Sofia started cooking, with Paola translating the recipes from Spanish and Sofia converting them from grams and liters to tablespoons and cups.

“Initially, we were just going to retype the recipes for the family. But then we had done so much cooking, the next phase was, ‘Okay, if we’re going to put this together for our family, let’s include all the family favorites.’ And then everyone started asking for a copy, and then it was, ‘If we’re going to go through the trouble…’ It only took a little encouragement that we needed to do this.” It helped that Sofia was a junior in high school. “Being able to say she had authored a cookbook on her college applications was motivation for Sofia.”

Fiesta in the Kitchen: Our Family’s Favorite Authentic Mexican Recipes was born.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Paola says of writing the cookbook with her daughter. “Sofia and I have always gotten along well – of course we

FROM PONDICHERI’S CHEF Masala is the new book from Pondicheri’s Anita Jaisinghani that explores Indian cuisine from spices to cultural history to “food as medicine.”

don’t agree on everything – but this was different. We were talking about the food and the pictures, relating in a different way.”

A home cook with no traditional training, Paola was unsure about putting the book out into the world. “It’s very different when you’re an Ina Garten or a Bobby Flay. I’m a nobody from San Antonio. The people I cook for like my recipes, but nobody else really knew if they were good or bad or in between.” Consensus is they’re good: Paola is close to ordering a second printing of books.

It’s hard for Paola to pick a favorite recipe from the book. “They’re all recipes from my childhood. They’re my memories,” she says. If pressed, she’ll say the Shrimp Ceviche (“It’s unusual.”) and the Orange Polvorones (“I just love the way they taste.”).

“I wanted to make a cookbook that will live in people’s kitchens and will be used. It still shocks me when I walk into a store and see the book and think, ‘Oh wow, we did that!’”

Dinner is Done by Marcia Smart

Dinner is Done is the cooking instructor and

food writer Marcia Smart’s encouragement to all home cooks that anyone can put dinner on the table any night of the week.

The recipe planner and voice behind smartinthekitchen.com says she has always wanted to write a cookbook. “It’s been in my head forever,” Marcia says. “We started talking about this before Covid, and I had my whole Google Doc of what we were going to photograph, recipes we were going to make. Then it all came to a halt. But that was a good thing, because after Covid everyone was burned out on cooking, so I focused on the super simple recipes.”

The result is a cookbook Marcia calls “a teaching book,” full of tips (there’s one with every recipe) and ways to get creative and improvise. There’s also a photo for each recipe. Marcia lights up when she talks about receiving readers’ photos of what they are making in their own kitchens, and she saves them all in a dedicated album in her phone. “I wanted people to say, ‘I can do that!’ Now I’ve had people say that to me, and it makes me so excited. I didn’t want to do a coffee table book.

I wanted it to be used.”

Marcia worked with local publishing consultant Roni Atnipp on the book, and Roni has no shortage of praise for it or for Marcia. “Marcia is the real deal. Her recipes are healthy, delicious, and easy to make,” Roni says. “My husband says I can make Aunt Sally’s Fried Rice or Peanut Noodles from the book every week and he’d be happy.”

Marcia is quick to point out that while the book is simple enough for beginners, experienced cooks will also find something new. Dinner is Done recently won the 2023 Best Cookbook and Best Interior Design award from Independent Press Awards.

Ready to wrap up a book or two – or four? You can find them here:

Taco-tastic – Cochinita & Co., 5420 Lawndale St. #500, or amazon.com

Masala – Pondicheri, 2800 Kirby Dr., Suite B132, or amazon.com

Dinner is Done – amazon.com or smartinthekitchenschool.com/dinner-is-done Fiesta in the Kitchen – fiestainthekitchen.com

WHAT’S COOKING? These Texas chefs have cooked up books that would make great gifts for Mother’s Day. Pictured, top left: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, hosted a book signing for chef Victoria Elizondo and her new cookbook Taco-tastic; bottom left: Paola Lloyd and her daughter Sofia Lloyd penned Fiesta in the Kitchen, a book built upon Paola's grandmother's recipes, during quarantine; right: Marcia Smart, the chef and instructor behind smartinthekitchen.com, is thrilled with her first cookbook Dinner is Done

Cassandra Flores Shannon Bright

Harlow and May Studios

by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

The Golden Boy

Meet Major the Therapy Dog

Major the Golden Retriever takes his job as a certified therapy dog seriously. He is a member of the Craft family –parents Emily and George and siblings Caroline, 13, and George, 10. He has a classic blockshaped forehead, a honey-colored coat, and soft brown eyes.

He is a certified therapy dog with Faithful Paws Pet Therapy. He serves the community of Houston, and he serves well. He goes each week, with his main handler and grandfather (Emily’s father), Stewart Kepper, on a standing visit to places such as Methodist Hospital West Campus to visit patients and their families and bring comfort during difficult times. He has climbed in bed with hospice patients and their families, posed for selfies, and has a wardrobe of costume accessories themed for nearly every holiday.

Faithful Paws has been providing animal therapy to facilities around Houston including hospitals for 25 years. Studies show a lot of supporting data that petting an animal reduces blood pressure and heart rate, and the visit gives the patient something to look forward to. The family felt called to get Major certified after a personal encounter with pet therapy.

Emily’s family grew up with Goldens, but Major is their first certified therapy dog. It all started after a scary personal experience in their own family, where pet therapy brought much comfort. In 2016, Emily’s niece, Haley Devlin, was in the Children’s Memorial Hermann hospital for two weeks the summer after she finished fifth grade. She was in a serious boating accident and endured many surgeries on her leg.

Her family realized the only comfort she found while in the hospital was the weekly pet therapy visits from Faithful Paws Pet Therapy. She eventually went home to heal, but the memories of the pet therapy stuck with their family.

The following year, the Craft family picked up Major as an 8-week-old puppy. They noticed right away he was special. He had a calm demeanor and the ability to quickly connect with people. “As he grew and matured, my mother, Candace Kepper, identified that Major’s low-key and docile temperament would be perfect for a pet therapy dog,” said Emily.

So, they took her suggestion and enrolled him in classes with Faithful Paws, the same therapy group that visited her niece in the hospital. Major received his Canine Good Citizenship certification at Bellaire United Methodist Church after just two classes. Each class was about an hour.

To become certified, Major had to undergo temperament testing situations and demonstrate that he knew basic commands. “The handler and the dog meet weekly to work on these items,” said Emily. “Dogs cannot be spooked easily by noise, other animals, abrupt movements, and show no food aggression,” she said.

There isn’t a set number of classes to take before a dog is considered certified; instead, the Faithful Paws trainer determines when the animal is ready. Pet therapy is not only for dogs.

Major completed his certification alongside a micro mini pig and a bunny. He even served as the test dog to make sure the potential therapy bunny would not be spooked by him.

On Thursdays, Emily’s dad Stewart (who uses his time as a retiree from Shell to be his main handler, with Emily assisting) takes Major to their weekly Faithful Paws meetup at Methodist Hospital West. He visits hospitals, retirement homes, and schools. “The best aspect of handling Major is being part of the joy he brings to the people he visits,” said Stewart. They were so touched by how meaningful the pet therapy visits were for their family that giving the gift of pet therapy to the community brings them joy in return.

Stewart recalled a time a nurse asked Major to visit a patient in a specific room. “That morning, the patient had just decided to begin hos-

MEET MAJOR’S FAMILY The Craft family – parents George and Emily, and their children, Caroline, 13, and George, 10 – includes a 6-year-old Golden Retriever named Major. He is a certified therapy dog with Faithful Paws Pet Therapy and pays visits to patients and their families all over Houston.

Kate Robinson Photography

pice care, and the nurse thought a visit would be helpful. The patient was very thankful to have Major visit her, and we spent a long time petting him. It was a very moving time to bring some comfort to a person during a very difficult day,” said Stewart.

Major just completed his 100th therapy visit. His therapy visits range from 2-4 times per week. Faithful Paws has teams of animals that have weekly or monthly standing visits with different organizations. They also have what they call “one-time visits” where businesses, schools, or libraries request a team of dogs to come for a special occasion.

For instance, Marathon Oil reached out to Faithful Paws requesting a team of dogs to come to their health fair. “I had the pleasure of tagging along to some visits this December to Strake Jesuit and Episcopal High School,” said Emily. The schools requested a team of dogs to come

to visit their students the week leading up to final exams as a stress reliever. The Kinkaid School had them come in January during their Interim Term for a class titled “Animal Heroes."

Emily says that while pet therapy benefits humans, it very much benefits Major, too. “Goldens are smart dogs, and he loves the brain work done during therapy visits. He gets super excited when he sees his therapy bag come out of the locker.” she said.

Major patiently awaits Stewart to come to their house and pick him up. “Patients request him by name and many of the hospital staff joke about taking him home with them,” said Emily.

Major has developed a special bond with one resident at Buckner Parkway Place, a senior living facility he visits. “This man greatly looks forward to Major’s visit every other week,” said Emily. Major’s official AKC name is Xcelerate

Two Star General; a two-star general in the US army is a Major General, hence the name Major. Another Parkway resident, who’s a former Texas Ranger, recently gifted Major a Texas Ranger pin, which he now proudly wears on his Faithful Paws pet therapy vest.

The love for Major runs very deep for everyone who meets him. “These four-legged friends enter our lives for such a short period of time, but they touch our hearts forever,” said Emily. Major gives not only his family members unconditional love but each person he encounters.

At the end of the therapy visits, he gets to swim in the pool at his grandparents’ house. After some swimming and rest, it is time to suit up and head out to the next patient in need.

Editor’s note: For more information on how to get involved with Faithful Paws, see faithfulpawshouston.org.

ALL IN A DAY’S WORK Major enrolled in classes to achieve his pet therapy certification after his family noticed his calm demeanor as a puppy. Emily’s father, Stewart Kepper, is one of his main handlers. Pictured (clockwise, from top): Major relaxes at home with Caroline; he visits hospitals and senior living facilities adorned with accessories and costumes to bring sunshine to everyone he visits; Stewart and Candace Kepper accompanying Major on a visit; Major enjoys outdoors and swimming in the Kepper’s pool after a day of therapy visits.

. by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

Buzz Baby

Celebrating moms

Buzz Baby is a column about life with little ones. Writer Annie McQueen is a mother of four children under the age of 8.

Amulti-generational Mother’s Day celebration is a gift – celebrating being a mother, with your own mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, aunt, any mom figure in your life, sweetens the special day.

Mom-of-five Lindsay Eagleton reflects on the women in her family that they celebrate each year on Mother’s Day. Lindsay married her childhood friend-turned-sweetheart, Chris Eagleton. They were both raised in St. Louis, MO, and met the summer before fifth grade. They moved to many places for Chris’s medical school and doctorate residency including Grenada in the West Indies, New York, and Boston.

The couple moved to Houston in 2017 where Chris is now a Cardiothoracic Anesthesiologist. The couple’s five children are Eloise, 10, Peter, 7, Beatrice, 4, and newborn twins Alice and Bridger, 5 months.

Lindsay has a tight-knit, large family, and she says Mother’s Day to her means taking time to show appreciation and love for all the generations of moms, even from afar. They celebrate her mother Jane Haffner, her mother-in-law, Annette Mandel (who both live in St. Louis), and her three sisters.

She says it is also a time to reflect on what she is thankful for from her childhood – and what her mother instilled in her that she carries to this day. “My mother set an example of unconditional love,” says Lindsay. “I am so lucky to say that no matter what, my mom will always be there for me, and now that I am married and have in-laws, I know Chris’ mom will be there too.”

Lindsay and Chris recently welcomed their 5month-old twins; she says learning they had twins on the way was a fun and shocking surprise. Her goal as a mother of five is to communicate the same sentiment to their children that her mother gave to her. “I always say to my children, ‘No matter what, Mommy always loves you and will be here for you,’” says Lindsay.

They have an annual tradition to honor their

moms – even though physical distance often separates them on the actual day, they do not let it stop them from recognizing the importance of the day. “We go around and write down on a piece of paper what we are thankful for,” says Lindsay. She purchases Mother’s Day cards and has the kids sign them with special notes and mails the cards so they arrive in time for Mother’s Day. They also plan a special Facetime session with all the children, so they can see them from afar. They look forward to the many visits Lindsay’s mom and mother-in-law take to Houston as well.

Lindsay says her own Mother’s Day celebration is all about relaxing. Her day starts each year with Chris and their children at home – a treat since he is often on call. “We celebrate by Chris and the kids letting me sleep in,” says Lindsay.

Lindsay enjoys a slower morning, as they make breakfast. “The day isn’t super fancy, but it is special to all be together and not running in a million directions,” she says.

Lindsay reflected on her first Mother’s Day when she was able to celebrate becoming a mother. They were living in Brooklyn, NY at the time. “It was a special Mother’s Day because it was the first time I was recognized as being a part of this special club of motherhood and I remember the good wishes and feeling so special and grateful,” says Lindsay.

She is looking forward to this month when she will get to celebrate Mother’s Day, her first as a mom of five. “I think this year will be a special one too since I am now a mother of five and also a twin mom,” says Lindsay. “Never did I imagine that I would have twins or have the great privilege to be a mother of five, but I absolutely love it.” All mothers – whether they have five children, one, or are a special maternal figure in someone’s life – deserve to be celebrated more than one day a year. “We can acknowledge the little things [mothers] do daily as they happen at the moment,” says Lindsay. “Mother’s Day is an opportunity to slow down, reflect, and feel grateful for all the mothers in the past, current mothers, and future mothers that decide to take on this most special of roles,” says Lindsay. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. May you be celebrated always.

CELEBRATING MOMS Mom-of-five Lindsay Eagleton and her husband Chris have five children, ranging in age from 5 months to age 10. They celebrate all the moms in their extended families every year on Mother’s Day.

Kelli Durham Photography

by Cindy Burnett, staff writer

Buzz Reads

Five picks for May

Buzz Reads is a column about books by reviewer Cindy Burnett. Each month, Cindy recommends five recently or soon-to-be released titles.

The Chateau by Jaclyn Goldis (thriller) –This atmospheric thriller is set during a girls trip to a beautiful French chateau in Provence owned by Séraphine Demargelasse. Twenty years earlier the four women studied abroad together and visited Séraphine on the weekends, developing close friendships with each other. But they haven’t seen her since and are surprised when she invites them back for wine tours and fancy dinners. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that each woman has her own secret reason for returning, and when Séraphine is found murdered, the finger-pointing begins as the friends start suspecting each other. The Chateau kept me on the edge of my seat with all of the lies, revelations, and superb plot twists. I love when a thriller keeps me guessing right up until the end.

The Daydreams by Laura Hankin (fiction) –The Daydreams follows four teen stars whose popular show was derailed by a spectacular collapse on live TV and their reunion special 13 years later that will either redeem them or finished them off for good. Told in a dual timeline format set in 2004 when the Daydreams band is created and in 2018 when they reunite, the story follows the four members who are learning to deal with success and the media in 2005 and have moved on with various levels of success in 2018. As the four friends reunite, they struggle to move forward instead holding grudges, keeping secrets, and desiring to understand exactly what happened 13 years ago. When their reunion begins to go sideways, the group learns there is more going on behind-the-scenes than they realized. I devoured this book in less than a day and am completely in love with the stellar cover.

Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen (historical fiction) – Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl provides a compelling, behind-the-scenes look at Estée Lauder, the iconic woman who revolutionized the cosmetics industry. Told from the perspective of a fictional friend, Gloria Downing, Rosen depicts Lauder’s early days peddling face cream from a New York City hair salon and

dreaming of becoming a household name like Revlon and Elizabeth Arden. Lauder’s unrelenting ambition sometimes impacted her personal life in negative ways, but success was always her main goal, and she pursued it doggedly. Today’s cosmetics departments reflect the high level of success she reached, and readers will enjoy learning more about this influential woman who left her mark on this industry.

On Fire Island by Jane L. Rosen (contemporary fiction) – On Fire Island is a funny and touching tale that celebrates love, life, and the places that shape us. Julia, a successful book editor, dies at 37 and is granted the ability to watch one last summer at her beloved Fire Island overseeing her cherished husband, Benjamin, her best friend, and the rest of the individuals she has spent summers with on the island and how they cope with her death. This hopeful and occasionally heartbreaking tale is creative and fresh, and the vibrant cast and engaging location combine to make it a genuinely enjoyable story about the impact we make on the world around us. I highly recommend throwing this one in your beach or pool bag this summer.

There Will Be Fire: Margaret Thatcher, the IRA, and Two Minutes That Changed History by Rory Carroll (narrative nonfiction) – In the midst of The Troubles, the IRA launched a daring plan to assassinate Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet members on the last day of the 1984 Conservative Party Conference at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, England. While the attempt failed, the near-miss ordeal shaped how Thatcher viewed and addressed The Troubles going for-

ward. Carroll focuses the first half of the book on a quick history of The Troubles and its origins as well as the events leading up to the bombing. The second half depicts how the police quickly mounted an exhaustive search to find and capture the bomber. This narrative nonfiction book reads like a thriller filled with intrigue and political history as well as true crime, structured around a tense countdown to the bombing. I truly could not put this one down once I started it; so much of what Carroll depicts weaves into current events such as Brexit as well as raising the question of what would have happened if the IRA succeeded.

Editor’s note: Southside Place resident Cindy Burnett also writes our weekly Page Turners column at thebuzzmagazines.com. She hosts the award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast, is co-creator of the Houston literary event series Conversations from the Page, runs the Instagram account @thoughtsfromapage, and regularly speaks to groups about books.

WHAT TO READ This month's picks include an atmospheric thriller, historical fiction about a cosmetics icon, nonfiction about an attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher, and two contemporary stories – one about a reunion of a teen TV band and one about the importance of community and place.

Cindy Burnett

. by Tracy L. Barnett, staff writer

Travel Buzz

Crested Butte: Making Dreams Come True

For as long as he could remember, Joe Williams wanted a cabin in the woods. In the 1980s, when his and wife Becky’s three kids were still at home, they would go to Colorado and explore different towns, and Joe would dream of building that cabin.

Finally in 2000, the kids – Adam, Kelly, and Rachel – were grown and gone off to lives of their own, and he got serious about looking for property. After searching in Telluride, Steamboat, and a handful of other places, he thought of Crested Butte, where they’d visited back in the ’80s.

“It’s got a very different vibe – like no place in Colorado that we’ve been to,” said Joe. With no national chains or box stores, a vibrant local economy has evolved, set like a jewel at nearly 9,000 feet in the Elk Mountains. There’s no McDonald’s, and no Starbucks – just a variety of wonderful local coffee shops, restaurants, and other local establishments.

“It’s just the simplicity of it,” said Becky. “It wasn't Vail, it wasn't Aspen, and it wasn't Telluride, which are wonderful towns, but they're bustling. Crested Butte is just a real town with very real people. It was a funky mining town; now it’s a funky ski town – and in the summers it’s even more vibrant.”

It was the dead of winter when Joe finally found the place where he would make his dream come true – for himself, and the whole family. It had been a long search, and he was about to give up. But the realtors convinced him to go out and check one more site – “at least you’ll get a snowmobile ride,” they told him. So he went.

“I stepped out of the snowmobile into snow up to my waist. And I took one look around –we were in the middle of a grove of aspen trees – and I said, ‘This is it.”

The land looked out over the whole town of Crested Butte with the eponymous mountain behind it. And that scene would come to serve as the backdrop of their son’s wedding, their friend’s bar mitzvah, and so many other special moments in the Houston family’s parallel Crested Butte life.

It would be 2005 when they finally finished the house – July 30, the very same day of Adam and Sarah’s wedding, and the painters were still putting

the final touches on the railings. “We were literally scurrying around putting on the doorknobs the weekend we got married,” recalls Sarah with a laugh.

Their wedding became the first of a long line of treasured Crested Butte memories that they would share with their three daughters over the years, along with the rest of Adam’s family: the quirky and fabulous Fourth of July parade, the art and music festivals, hiking and biking and fishing, whitewater rafting, snowshoeing and skiing.

Sarah will never forget the first time she drove into Crested Butte, 18 years ago.

“It’s not a town you pass through to get to other places – it’s kind of at the end of a road, nestled in the mountains,” she says. “You’re driving down this highway with old barns and then suddenly you’re in the perfect quintessential small mountain town. It’s so quaint and charming, it’s like literally out of a movie, with buildings of different colors and people walking everywhere, and the most gorgeous, greenest grass you’ve ever seen.”

Meadows filled with brilliant wildflowers have earned the town the title of “Wildflower Capital of Colorado.” High season for wildflowers is midJune through late July, according to Travel +

Leisure magazine, but you can “chase the spring” by following the snowmelt up into the mountains to find the displays until late August. You can also enjoy more than 200 workshops, hikes, garden tours and other wildflower-related activities at the annual Crested Butte Wildflower Festival, this year from July 7-16.

The winters, by contrast, see three to four feet of snow, and so Crested Butte is of course famous as a ski town – but it’s definitely a four-season happy place. Sarah and Adam have romantic memories of getting snowed in there in their younger years; they love the massive wildflower displays in the spring, and the spectacular fall colors. Horseback riding, a favorite activity, happens in all the seasons, through the wildflowers and through the snow.

But summer is really their sweet spot, and summer vacation in Crested Butte has been a big part of growing up for their three girls –Emily, now 16; Lois, 14; and Ruby, 11. It’s also where they’ve had a chance to bond with their cousins: Kelly and Daniel’s children, Noam and Raphi and Eden; and Rachel and David’s daughters, Nella and Hazel.

Every summer, Sarah and Adam take the girls

WEDDING IN PARADISE Sarah and Adam Williams said their vows as the family was literally moving into Adam’s parents’ new Crested Butte home.

whitewater rafting, setting off on the Taylor River at nearby Almont, a high-adrenaline activity that is as much a favorite as paddleboarding on the peaceful Lake Irwin right outside of town – especially for Lois, the family’s “water baby,” in Sarah’s words. Ruby’s specialty is going on hikes and picking flowers and putting together bouquets; and Emily is a foodie, says her mom, for whom the perfect day includes going out to eat or packing a picnic for the weekly Wednesday concert in the park.

The open-hearted friendliness of Crested Butte’s residents became apparent right away, says Sarah;

she hired a local wedding planner, who brought in lots of locals to help – people who remain friends of the family to this day. Small town that it is, the videographer was also their window washer; a local bluegrass band provided the music, and Marchitelli’s Gourmet Noodles, now a longtime family favorite, catered the wedding.

Now they see old friends and make new ones at special events like the Fourth of July Parade where, among other highlights, scientists from the local Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory dress up in wacky skunk cabbage costumes and parade down Main Street. They also love the annual

three-day Crested Butte Arts Festival in August.

The absence of chain stores gives Crested Butte a special charm, said Sarah. “The town is very authentic, very true to itself,” said Sarah. “There’s a sort of sweet innocence about it.”

For dining, the girls love Secret Stash, voted best pizza every year since it opened. Other family favorites include Slogar Bar and Restaurant, famous for their fried chicken (be sure and make reservations, it fills up fast), and Camp 4 Coffee, repeatedly voted Best Cup of Joe by The Crested Butte News. They also love the classic Nepali, Indian, and Tibetan cuisine

SUMMER IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS Clockwise, from upper left: Emily and Sarah saddle up for a ride through the West Elk Wilderness, one of the many places great for exploring on horseback in any season; whitewater rafting on the Taylor River is a summer tradition; Ruby is an aficionada of Crested Butte's spectacular wildflower displays; the whole town - and sometimes the whole Williams family - turns out for the annual Fourth of July parade; paddleboarding on peaceful Lake Irwin is a favorite activity for Emily and Lois.

(continued from page 37)

of Sherpa Cafe.

“We see it as a little piece of paradise we’re so lucky to be a part of,” says Sarah. The familyfriendly town is home to a huge art scene with galleries and frequent art walks. Sometimes they’ll take the kids to Rainbow Park, their favorite of several city parks. “It’s got a fabulous playground,” said Sarah, and with Crested Butte Mountain in the background, “It’s the most gorgeous place to sit and watch the kids play.”

But the absolute best part of Crested Butte is just being in nature, says Sarah. Surrounded by the Gunnison National Forest on all sides, the whole area is a playground for outdoor adventure, with a huge network of hiking trails for hikers and bikers at all levels.

“It’s really about just being together outside as a family – doing the hikes, going shopping in town, going to the concert in the park on

Wednesdays, coming back to the house and sitting by the fire pit – we’re really outside like 95 percent of the time, and that’s truly the blessing, is that you get to spend all your time outside.”

Sometimes, as Joe likes to tell it, nature comes inside, as well. He and Becky will never forget the morning when they were awakened by the sound of their dog barking furiously. Joe headed down the stairs and from the landing, something caught his eye. “We had a fairly significant sized bear in our great room,” he recalled. “I didn't know how the bear got in, but whether it was foolish or smart, I ran to the front door and opened it, and then ran back up the stairs. And that gave the bear a direct sight line on the front door. And after a couple of minutes, it dropped down on all fours and just walked out.”

“I don't think it was foolish; I thought it was very brave,” said Becky with a laugh. “But, you know, it was all very friendly. The bear thought he was in a

cave with food. And once he realized it wasn't, he wanted out as much as we wanted him out.”

That was their closest encounter with the local wildlife, but far from the only one. They’ve often been able to observe a family of moose that lives nearby, as well as elk, deer, and a wide variety of smaller mammals and birds. Joe credits the locals with working to keep development in the area under control. In particular, he mentioned the Crested Butte Land Trust, which works with local landowners to raise money for conservation credits as incentives to keep the land unspoiled – one of many organizations and individuals that have contributed to the unique flavor of the town and surrounding countryside.

“Crested Butte has tremendously enriched our life – the people, the community, and the land itself is humbling,” said Joe. “I just feel humbled to be in that space.”

EARTH, AIR, FIRE, WATER... AND SNOW Clockwise from upper left: The hike up to Long Lake is an annual tradition for Adam, Sarah, Emily, Lois, and Ruby; after the outdoor adventures, the family loves to gather around the fire pit on the back deck and relax; Three Lakes Trail is one of dozens of hiking trails that crisscross the Crested Butte region's spectacular landscapes; winter sports are a less frequent but treasured activity; Rachel, Lois, Joe, Emily, Sarah, and Ruby (from left) enjoy a night camping off the grid with Tenderfoot Outfitters.

by Dai Huynh, staff writer

Chef’s Corner

From Brisket to Biscuits: Austin restaurants for your bucket list

Once celebrated for its laid-back weirdness, Austin has transformed into a star-studded, well-heeled, turbocharged metropolis. These days, skyscrapers tower over the University of Texas and the Texas State Capitol, and dining options have expanded to serve its growing population. Today, it’s the 11th largest city in America and is the nation’s fastest-growing major metro area, having been ranked 17th in 2000, then surging more than 30 percent in the past decade.

“My father attended UT in the early ’60s, and I went there in the ’90s. Back then, there were no tall buildings. Everything was two stories –max. The city felt very relaxed,” says Memorialarea resident Lizzie Holmes, whose sophomore daughter, Helen, attends UT.

Lizzie drives up to Austin every month to visit her daughter, and like many Houstonians, I trek to the Bat City annually. However, these day trips hadn’t allowed me to explore the restaurant scene. I had my go-to spots – including Fonda San Miguel (2330 W. N. Loop Blvd.), Uchi (801 S. Lamar Blvd.), Vespaio Restaurant (610 S. Congress Ave.), Jeffrey’s (1204 W. Lynn St.), and Franklin Barbecue (900 E. 11th St.) – but the scene has exploded, with five James Beard Award-winning chefs and restaurants under its belt. It’s only one medal shy of Houston. I was missing out.

So, when my sister recently flew to Austin for a convention (there are lots these days, along with tour buses), I decided to spend two weekends exploring a few of the city’s restaurants.

Austin barely resembles the sleepy town I visited as a high schooler. In the late ’80s, I fell for its traditions – weekend brunches, indie coffee shops, eclectic mom-and-pop joints, and the majestic Fonda San Miguel, who introduced interior Mexican cuisine to many Texans. Nowadays, you might spot Elon Musk sipping a frozen margarita at this nearly half-century-old restaurant – reportedly his favorite Austin eatery. Although he might have another soon. Younger brother Kimbal Musk just announced plans to open the fourth location of his New American bistro, The Kitchen, in downtown Austin on

West Sixth Street.

Meanwhile, I’m slurping a ginger-hibiscus green yaupon iced tea at Dai Due (2406 Manor Rd.) with his employee, Jackie Hoang, a former Houstonian who moved to Austin a year and a half ago to work in Tesla’s legal department. She loves her job and the pretty city, with cypress-lined Lady Bird Lake dividing it between north and south. However, she hates the traffic, crazy home prices, and booked-up restaurants that are “crazier and busier than Houston,” Jackie says. “You have to plan ahead on where you want to eat out. A week in advance may not be enough. Some places are booked two weeks in advance.” A few city guides and restaurant insiders told me the same thing.

They also suggested reading the fine print when making reservations because some places tack on a penalty for last-minute cancelations, as much as $20 per person, such as Dai Due, where Jackie was chowing down on a dry-aged Wagyu double cheeseburger with French fries crisped in beef fat, and twice-baked potatoes with crawfish.

Jackie had been trying to get into Dai Due for a while – as had I after Bon Appetit magazine

named it one of the best new restaurants of 2015, along with the more obvious reason that we share the same first name. However, its moniker actually comes from the Italian adage, “Dai due regni di natura, piglia il cibo con misura,” which translates to “From the two kingdoms of nature, choose food with care.” Its menu changes daily, but it’s generally meat-anchored, including pork, Wagyu beef, Nilgai antelope, and wild boar. Chef Jesse Griffiths’ passion for wild game garnered him a James Beard Award last year for his book The Hog Book: A Chef’s Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Pigs

Jackie laments the lack of authentic Asian food in Austin, though Filipino-Vietnamese Fil N' Viet at Camp East (2903 E. 12th St.) is pretty good, while Wu Chow (500 W. 5th Street, No. 168) is currently the place for Chinese for the hip downtown crowd.

I recall when the Driskill Hotel was the center of downtown Austin’s universe – just a short sprint to 6th Street, with its colorful bars and music venues. However, that world has expanded exponentially to 2nd Street,

(continued on page 42)

CHEF DE LA VEGA James Beard Award-winning chef Iliana de la Vega stands at the bar of her lively El Naranjo at the bottom of an apartment complex in South Austin, where diners sip on top-self margaritas and dine on Oaxacan specialties.

Rainey Street, Red River, and the Warehouse District – hence the sea of electric scooters around town for lazy feet.

Dining options abound, and a friend suggested Geraldine’s in the Hotel Van Zandt (605 Davis St.), a luxury boutique accommodation that pays homage to Austin diplomat Isaac Van Zandt and his great-grandson, singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Geraldine’s occupies a swanky room on the fourth floor with excellent acoustics for live music to complement the imaginative shareable plates from chef Sergio Ledesma.

The Diner Bar (500 San Jacinto Blvd.) is a new downtown addition to the stylish Thompson Hotel. Like many upscale restaurants, it’s a palate dance of multiple global inspirations, but the dominant players are chef Mashama Bailey’s African-American and Southern influences. Last year, the New Yorker won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef for helming the renowned artisanal restaurant, The Grey, in Savannah – not to be confused with The Grey Market Austin (501 Brazos St.) next to the Diner Bar. Grey Market is a bodega with an unfussy breakfast-and-lunch counter. However, I wouldn’t hesitate to rise early for the hash and eggs or grits with greens, then grab a crispy apricot thumbprint cookie on the way out.

Old-timers cleave onto the city’s unofficial motto: Keep Austin Weird. So, is it still weird?

“It is. It’s still there. You just need to know where to find it,” says Natalie Pollan, director of retail and visitor services at the Austin Visitor Center. She pointed east.

East Austin is a hotbed – a historically Black neighborhood with a bevy of new development. It’s always had good restaurants, and more recently, charming boutiques. So, will it take up the hip, kitschy mantle now that Hermes, Lululemon, Nike, Frame, and Madewell have opened stores on the once-quirky South Congress?

If you’re wondering where the locals go, they appear to be here – removed from South Congress, 6th Street, and the downtown fray. Along East 11th Street lie brunch and breakfast spots Hillside Farmacy (1209 E. 11th St.), Paperboy (1203 E. 11th St.), and the 25-year-old institution Quickie Pickie (1208 E. 11th St.).

Austin knows tacos, ideal for a quick morning start or a late-night indulgence. Along Navasota and 12th Street is Cuantos Tacos for Mexico City beef tacos. Nearby, Ensenada ATX serves fish and shrimp tacos with cabbage, pico de gallo, and mayo sauce.

About a four-minute drive away, the crowds gather for Saturday brunch at Suerte (1800 E. 6th St.), which specializes in interior Mexican. Chef Fermín Núñez’s signature dish is confit brisket tacos – but I will return for the bold, lime-kissed Tostada Huaxmole with pepita puree, chunky avocado, and roasted, sweet golden beets.

The same goes for El Naranjo (2717 S. Lamar Blvd., Suite 1085), which started out as a food truck, then transformed into a brick-andmortar restaurant featuring Oaxacan specialties. Over time, chef-owner Iliana de la Vega has expanded the menu to include dishes from other regions of Mexico. We started with delicious margaritas and cocktails emboldened by fresh ingredients and fruits. Here, cocktails and food have equal billing. We then tried almost every appetizer, including the huitlacochestuffed empanadas, daily ceviche, and tuna tostadas. All were stellar, and I was stuffed when it was time to order the entree. Even so, I opted for the mole negro with duck breast.

In three decades, I haven’t had a better mole negro in my extensive travels throughout Mexico and the United States. Iliana’s version, which takes three days to make and boasts 30-plus ingredients, is a ballet. The flavors unfold subtly with nuances that make you want to return for more. The duck

was seared perfectly as well. However, Iliana isn’t one to sit on the sidelines, even though she won the James Beard Best Chef in Texas Award in 2022. Through an open window, diners can watch her work and note her intensity and focus.

We waited nearly half an hour with dozens of UT students the following day for the made-toorder biscuit sandwiches at the original Bird Bird Biscuits location (2701 Manor Road). The squat building – with pops of blue – has a dedicated alfresco walk-up window for pickup. You can order online or in person at the touchscreen kiosk. Outdoor seating is available, but no indoor dining areas. Most people pick up their brown bags to go. I ate my biscuit with gravy in the car, plus the Queen Beak biscuit sandwich with spicy breaded chicken, cayenneblack pepper honey, and bacon-chipotle mayonnaise. The dismal setting didn’t diminish the flaky, fluffy interiors and crisp exterior.

After my final trip to Austin, I phoned Lizzie. With her monthly visits, I wanted to know her favorite haunts. Her go-to place for biscuits? Olamaie (1610 San Antonio). “It’s a good one,” she says. “They’re famous for their biscuits and Southern comfort food. It’s just cozy and small … in a little house. The food is yummy and very filling.”

She just got back from Austin last week. It was her daughter’s birthday. “We went to Joann’s for brunch. They have yummy fish tacos. Their guacamole is also excellent.”

Joann’s Fine Food (1224 S. Congress Ave.), behind the Austin Motel? I must have passed it a dozen times over the years, but I never knew that it was a restaurant. I thought it was just for gourmet goods. It just goes to show that there’s still much to explore in Austin.

Editor’s note: Buzz dining columnist Dai Huynh is a James Beard food-journalism award winner and longtime Houston-based restaurant writer.

A TASTE OF AUSTIN Left: Franklin Barbecue’s by-the-pound brisket, ribs, and turkey; right: Bird Bird Biscuit’s Fire Bird biscuit sandwich with breaded and fried chicken breast topped with dill mayo, thick cuts of spicy sweet pickles, and cilantro. (continued from page 40)

Wyatt McSpadden

. by Todd Freed, staff writer

SportzBuzz

It was a season of major milestones for the Lamar Texans girls soccer team including its first win over rival Bellaire Cardinals since 2013 and later capped off by the Texans first playoff victory since the 2010 season.

“It was such a sense of relief when we finally beat Bellaire,” said Lamar head coach Guy Nell “To see the joy in our girls’ faces really put into perspective how much the victory meant to everyone. The seniors hadn’t defeated Bellaire in [their] four years and witnessing their reaction made the moment even more special. You train so hard all season, and this type of victory validates all the hard work and sacrifice.”

Along with capturing its first district championship since 2012, Lamar then defeated Cy Creek by a 2-1 overtime final for its first playoff victory in 13 years. “It was really huge to get that playoff win,” said Nell. “Lamar was a powerhouse in soccer back in the early 2000s, so getting back to that type of status is one of our goals. Our seniors have helped set the foundation for this program to build on moving forward.”

With a 17-5-3 record this season, the Texans were led offensively by high scoring junior Jojo Pastore and freshman Nahomy Portillo. Even while missing six of the Texans’ 24 games, Pastore scored a lofty 18 goals with five assists while Portillo accounted for 20 goals and 12 assists on the season.

On defense, Nell had high praise for senior center back Ali Germann as well as the entire Texans’ defensive unit. “We were the best defensive team in the district allowing only 18 goals in 24 games. Also, our two freshmen goal keepers, Abbi Agosta and Chloe Rosales, both had sensational seasons.”

In basketball, the St. Thomas Eagles advanced to the TAPPS 6A State Semifinals for the first time since 2011. “I was really proud of how our team came together over the course of the season and also thrilled that we could send our seniors out on such a high note,” said Eagles head coach Karnell James

With 26 victories against just three defeats, the Eagles posted the most wins in school history while also winning its first district championship

in seven years. In addition, the Eagles were undefeated at home, while defeating and sweeping perennial powerhouse Concordia Lutheran for the first time in seven seasons.

“The great thing about our team was that we were so balanced with several starters scoring 10-12 points per game,” said James. Those starters including 6’7” senior standout Jake Pike, who will play college basketball at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. “Jake has been on varsity all four years and when I took over the program his sophomore season, he talked about taking this program to a whole new level.”

Other major contributors included junior point guard J’mar Franklin, senior post player Michael Oaks, and junior guard Aron Valentine. “J’mar was the catalyst of our team and the top player in the district while Aron and Michael also had tremendous seasons,” said James.

With an epic double overtime 81-78 victory over rival Episcopal Knights, the Houston Christian Mustangs captured the SPC 4A Basketball Championship. “Everybody in the basketball community wants to come out and see us play Episcopal because they know something special is probably going to happen,” said Houston Christian head coach Ron Crandall “The championship game was simply frenetic and intense but at the same time we were focused. We

talked about having a level of grit all year long.”

The Mustangs were led by a sensational game from sophomore Montana Wheeler, who scored 24 points in the victory. “It was a dream come true,” said Wheeler, whose older brother Sahvir won two SPC Championships while at Houston Christian. “To follow in my brother’s footsteps and finally get a championship is just an awesome feeling. I credit all of this to my teammates –without them, nothing is possible.”

Mustangs junior Carter Seeliger had 15 points to go with 20 rebounds in the championship victory, while junior Christopher Adlan added 15 points with 15 rebounds and senior Chance Thalmann connected on series of huge three-point buckets late in regulation and in the overtime periods.

“We have players who can do everything on our team,” said Seeliger. “Guys who can shoot the ball and score at will along with guys who are a force down low. We all worked together with grit and determination to pull out the win. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email todd@thebuzzmagazines.com.

HEROIC GAME WINNER St. Thomas Eagles junior point guard J’mar Franklin (#1) was the center of attention moments after his buzzer-beating game winning basket to defeat rival Tomball Concordia Lutheran as St. Thomas won its first district championship in seven years. The Eagles would go on to post the most wins in school history.

. by Annie Blaylock McQueen, staff writer

SportzBuzz Jr.

Welcome to SportzBuzz Jr., a column spotlighting neighborhood athletes in elementary and middle school.

Bellaire buddies

A group of buddies and Bellaire Little League players including Spencer Cohen, Max Jones, Bryce Cochico, Levi Moore, Brooks Cannon, Colton Rich, Jadon Hill, Ethan Phillips, Reid Taibel, Evan Cohen, and Caleb Crosby gathered on the fields for the annual Bellaire Little League’s spring Opening Day. The boys play on various teams including White Sox, Rangers, Angels, Royals, and Twins. This year was a special celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the Bellaire Little League program. Attendees at the celebrations took a moment to honor the 2000 National Champion Bellaire Little League team as they were honored with commemorative rings.

Pershing swim

Pershing Middle School recently achieved accolades in the sport of swimming. The students took home three championship wins. Students on the swim team include (pictured, from left) Valentina Perez, Isabella Ong, and Sarah Santiago. The students practiced all season and were enthused to win the coveted title of Houston Independent School District’s District 1 Champions. The title was earned by various groups of students including seventh-grade girls, eighth-grade girls, and eighth-grade boys. Emily Mahan (not pictured), a seventh grader, broke two district records in the meet including seventh-grade girls’ 100-meter freestyle, with a time of 58.82 seconds and seventh-grade girls’ 50-meter breaststroke with a time of 36.27 seconds.

Lacrosse news

Pershing Middle School matched up against Pin Oak Middle School in lacrosse. Pin Oak’s campus hosted the ISD Lacrosse Series in late March. The series is a spring-season middle school lacrosse series of games showcasing public middle school lacrosse in Texas. Pin Oak Middle School, West Houston Wolves, Pershing Middle School, and Frank Black Middle School participated. Pin Oak’s coaches are Austin St. Denis, Colby Von Eiff, and Jake Beasley. The coaches, along with the Pin Oak and Pershing players, posed after the game. Some of the Pin Oak teammates included Wyatt Hoyle, Rush Armstrong, Jonathan Lorch, Luke Onufer, Jakob Flores, Mason Boynton, Jackson Markworth, Ryan Perdue, Hunter Hazen, Ben Namer, Bennett Woolsey, Beau Stafford, Nick Roberts, Wes Roberts, Jake Brasington, Evan Zager, and Case Lindsay. Some of the Pershing players and coaches included Coach Ethan McQuerry, Seth Lim, Owen Shunk, Drew Evans, Timothy Hsu, Coach Lachlan McQuerry, Logan Reece, Merrick Frye, Michael Grossman, Barrett Bedortha, Jasper Palermo, Jack Badgwell, Caleb Rivera, Rafael Lamadrid, Luis Lamadrid and Angus Lipski.

Editor’s note: Send your best high-resolution photos and behind-the-scenes stories about young local athletes, in both team and individual sports, to SportzBuzz, Jr. at info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Include all contact info, names, ages, grades and schools. Featured athletes must live in Buzz-circulation neighborhoods. Items will be published on a space-available basis.

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SAY CELLO TO NATURE Bellaire High School junior Amanda Huttenbach’s Eagle Scout project included installing signs with QR codes at Willow Waterhole; when scanned, these codes provide access to classical music. On the right is one of the two larger signs that Huttenbach installed for her Eagle Scout project.

by Jason Deng, age 16

Buzz Kidz

A new tune at Willow Waterhole

Amanda didn’t want to be the only one in her family who didn’t have one. Her dad and brother had already gotten their Eagle Scout Badges, and now it came time for her to get hers.

After starting out as a Boy Scout in sixth grade, junior Amanda Huttenbach finally achieved her Eagle Scout Badge after a monthlong project to bring classical music and nature together. Inspired by QR codes of musical playlists along the Buffalo Bayou, Huttenbach wanted to do the same at Willow Waterhole.

“I decided that for my project I was going to attach ten small signs to benches and two large signs, one of which was stuck on a board and the other was bolted to a pole that we cemented in the ground,” Huttenbach said. “You can scan the signs, and they’ll take you to a list of different playlists of classical music

played by the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.”

Though the orchestra only allowed certain pieces to be used for her project, Huttenbach made the most of what she was given, eventually selecting 10 of the pieces for her playlist. Huttenbach said she chose this project for the personal significance it had.

“I really like classical music and I feel like a lot of people don't like to listen to it,” Huttenbach said. “I didn't want to do something that everybody else does, and this is something more personal to me. With this, I can share my passion with others while giving them access to classical music.”

With over 40 volunteers and 141 cumulative service hours from her project, Huttenbach couldn’t be happier with the result. Thanks to the large turnout, Huttenbach was able to direct

volunteers to not only install the signs, but also plant native flowers and clean up the park.

“My most memorable moment was after we were done, looking around and seeing all the signs, and seeing people test them out on their phones,” Huttenbach said. “It was really worth the effort to see how much people enjoyed using the signs and listening to the music.”

Editor’s note: Jason Deng is a reporter for our online blog School Buzz, where this article was originally published.

Want to be a Buzz Kid? Email approximately 350 words, a high-resolution photo and caption to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

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When I was training to become an allergist from 1989 to 1991, about 15% of American adults had seasonal allergies. About 15 or 20 years after that, in some previous “advertorial” I wrote for The Buzz Magazines, that figure had gone up to about 20%. On April 3, 2023, The Washington Post wrote “More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults suffers from seasonal allergies.”

How did we get from 15% to 25% in just over 30 years? The best explanation lies in the Hygiene Hypothesis. This postulates that as our environments have become cleaner, the immune system, which just 220 years ago was working 24/7 to fight off infections, is now somewhat bored and is having “false alarms,” mistaking tree pollen for a germ that it needs to expel from the body. Municipal drinking water was developed in Scotland in the early 1800s. Prior to that, we were basically drinking the same water that we washed in and performed bodily functions in. Then a few years later, the word “hay fever” shows up in the English language. The term “allergy” was coined in 1906.

With so many folks now allergic, what can be done to relieve the misery? Interventions go into 3 categories: avoidance, medications, and immunotherapy (allergy shots). It’s straightforward to avoid a cat or dog if you have a severe allergy, but pollen can be trickier. Houston just went through another rough tree pollen season and, as this is published, grass pollen is ramping up. It will continue until early fall, just in time for ragweed to make pollen. One thing many allergic people learned during the pandemic is that wearing an N95 mask does a pretty good job of keeping pollen out of your nose. Over the course of a 24-hour day, pollen counts

are highest between 5 and 10 am, so if it’s a nice day and you want to enjoy it, but you’re allergic to pollen, wait till after 10 am to go outdoors. Allergy medications such as antihistamines have one job: compete with histamine at the histamine receptor. They can relieve itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing and drainage. They work better if you take them before you need them (so that they have a head start and can block the receptor before the histamine is released). Prevention nose sprays, such as Flonase and Nasacort, have a slower onset of action. They should be started several days before you anticipate exposure to the allergen. If you wait until you start sneezing before you start your Flonase, that’s about as smart as me waiting to take my blood pressure meds until I have a stroke. No one nose allergies like we do.™

Note: Information contained in this article should not be considered a substitute for consultation with a board-certified allergist to address individual medical needs.

David B. Engler, M.D., The Allergy Clinic, 7707 Fannin, Suite 100, Houston, Texas 77054, 713.797.0993, *1200 Binz, Suite 1400, Houston, Texas 77004, 713.522.9911, www.allergyclinic.com, *Operating as Houston Allergy and Asthma Clinic

Sir Wilson, age 1, Tibetan Terrier, Birch St.

I am HRH Sir Wilson, Prince of the Kingdom of Birch Street. If I may say so, I am the happiest little guy in the kingdom. I woof to garden with my pawesome dad, rolling around the mud and digging holes. My furvorite day is Friday, when my hooman siblings and grandparents come over. They pass me around like a stuffed animal. I woof taking car rides with my mommy to her pawoffice. There are all kinds of things there that I can destroy!

Don’t tell Mommy, but I am the best paper shredding machine, and I know where the printer is. My furvorite hiding place is underneath my pawrents’ bed; I hide my priced pawsessions there. You might have a furry good question for me: Sir Wilson, what don’t you love? The blow-dryer scares me, but I pawmissed my mommy I would work on that. If you see me around the neighborhood, please stop and give me a belly rub. And follow me on Instagram @hrh_sir_wilson for cuteness overload!

Got a cute critter? Email a picture of your pet with approximately 150 words to info@thebuzzmagazines.com or mail it to The Buzz Magazines, 5001 Bissonnet, Suite 100, Bellaire, Texas 77401.

Lost wills

What if you make a will and change your mind? The easiest way to revoke it is to destroy it. Thankfully, fraudulent destruction of a will by someone else doesn’t revoke it, but when you are dead and gone it’s hard to tell the difference. Texas has extra requirements to probate a will when the original is not available.

Suppose you make a will and don’t change your mind. Best case: you signed a typewritten will before two witnesses, and a notary took everyone’s acknowledgment and attached a self-proving affidavit. On death, you can’t testify, the witnesses don’t have to, and the original will is admitted to probate on the testimony of one person that wasn’t there and knows little more than that you died without revoking the will. Although the probate application is public, no one gets an advance copy or personal notice, the hearing is prompt and fast, and a legal notice in a local paper that no one reads is about the only warning anyone gets. Easy, peasy.

Same will, second best case: the original is lost, but someone finds a copy. More work, more and better informed witnesses, more notice, and more delay is mandatory, all of which means more expense.

A hard target search for the original will is required. Books and papers are ransacked, safe deposit boxes opened, attorneys quizzed, and county clerk records searched.

When the original will cannot be produced, everyone you disinherited is informed so they can contest the will. Crybabies don’t stand half a chance to complain when the original will is found; not so when it is lost. Some counties appoint an attorney ad litem to ensure everyone you disin-

herited is identified and informed, including the children you forgot to mention to your spouse.

Even if no one complains, admitting a lost will to probate is harder. Additional evidence, e.g., witnesses, are required to explain the contents of the lost will, why it can’t be found, and give testimony it wasn’t revoked. If the will was last seen with you, e.g., leaving the lawyer’s office, the presumption is you didn’t want it found because you revoked it. Overcoming that presumption requires even more evidence.

Losing an original will is an expensive mistake. Safeguard the original and tell your executors where to find it. A bank deposit box is a good investment. Add the executors to the box agreement, so they can access it without a court order, ensuring the original will is found when needed. Prefer a home safe? Locksmiths are expensive. Make sure the executors have or can find the combination.

We write wills and go to probate court. Foreign nationals and international families welcome.

Russell W. Hall, J.D., LL.M. (Tax), Board Certified – Estate Planning and Probate Law, Texas Board of Legal Specialization, 6750 West Loop South, Suite 920, Bellaire, Texas 77401, 713.662.3853, bellaireprobate.com/blog

. by Angie Frederickson, staff writer

Buzz About Town

Honoring Diane McLaughlan

she established the gifted-and-talented program. After retiring, Diane stayed active volunteering for Friends of Bellaire Library and serving on the educational committee and board of directors at Bellaire United Methodist Church.

There he is…Mr. Bellaire.

Family, friends, and neighbors of Diane McLaughlan gathered at the Bellaire Library Community Green Space to honor her memory and dedication to the community. Diane’s granddaughter Grace Schwarzbach, daughter Megan Schwarzbach, and husband Pat McLaughlan (pictured, from left) attended the ceremony where a tree and plaque, donated by PATRONS for Bellaire Parks in Mrs. McLaughlan’s honor, were unveiled. The beloved Bellaire resident and educator passed away in October 2022. She spent most of her 35year teaching career at Condit Elementary where

The Mr. Bellaire contest returned to Bellaire High School. Isaac “Zachary” Johnson was crowned the winner of the senior-class men’s beauty contest that benefits the Class of 2023 after-prom event. During the week leading up to the contest, students voted for “best eyes” and “best smile.” The night of the event, each contestant, along with his escort, competed in a variety of events including a costume contest, talent competition, and formal-wear competition. Contestants performed for a panel of “celebrity” judges including Bellaire mayor Andrew Friedberg. The 2023 Mr. Bellaire contestants included (top row, from left): Grant Flowers, Brandon Ford, Hussein Arabzada, Hilario Mata, and Juan Schultz; (middle row, from left): James Kong, Zain Hamdani, Mattias Rytting, Jack Reid, Hudson Ayers, Kian Lau, Zachary Johnson, Noah Cook, and Chance Cadena; (bottom row, from left): Anthony Nguyen, Rahim Chilewa, Michael Carron, and Owen Bell

Opa!

Katherine Kaitson and Mac Hall (pictured) tied the knot in a traditional Greek wedding ceremony at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Parents of the bride Chris and Angie Kaitson were married at the same church 42 years ago, and grandparents of the bride Elizabeth and the late Gus Kanakis were also married there, 65 years ago. Mac is the son of Greg and Tammie Hall of San Antonio. The couple met while they were neighbors and students at Texas A&M University. After the traditional church ceremony, more than 400 friends and family enjoyed a “Big Fat Greek” reception at The Ballroom at Bayou Place, with Greek food, dancing, and a coffee and dessert bar with homemade Greek pastries.

A legacy of education

(continued on page 54)

Westbury High School senior Alondra Garcia (pictured) and Sharpstown High School senior Sarahi Gomez were award-

Kati Hewitt Photography

ed the 2023 Doug Miller and Don Sanders Scholarship. The scholarship fund was founded in 2019 by Bellaire resident Colleen Sweeney and Kathy Butler to honor their husbands’ memories and provide disadvantaged students the opportunity to continue their education after high school. Scholarship recipients receive funds for a four-year college experience including tuition, living expenses, laptop, books, and study-abroad fees. Both winners are the first in their families to begin a post-secondary degree. Scholarship winner Alondra Garcia will attend Texas A&M University where she will study to become a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse. Sarahi Gomez will attend Texas Woman’s University and study to become a dental hygienist. To learn more about the Doug Miller and Don Sanders Scholarship, visit dmdsscholarship.org.

An odyssey for bright minds

The Odyssey of the Mind team from Condit Elementary School competed at the regional tournament and successfully advanced to the state competition. Team coach Sumita Gorla, Sebastian Sitton, Maryam Kharisova, Eddie Li, Aarya Oza, Naaya Sambasivan, and Samar Ankar (pictured, from left) spent several months preparing for the annual creative-thinking, problem-solving competition. The Condit team chose the problem “Where’s the structure?” which challenged the students to design and build a structure made of only balsa wood and glue that balances and holds as much weight as possible. They worked together building props and a painted

backdrop, and then wrote a script and composed a presentation for the competition. The judges were impressed, and the team advanced to the state-level competition in Dallas.

New eagles take flight

Thirteen members of Boy Scout Troop 211 earned the rank of Eagle Scout in a ceremony at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Only three percent of scouts achieve the honor, and having such a large number from one troop in a single year is extraordinary. Reverend Patrick Miller delivered the invocation and Emeritus

Scoutmaster Frank Neukomm introduced the new Eagle Scouts. Each Eagle spoke about his experience with scouting, and shared stories of friendships that have lasted for years. After the ceremony, Troop 211 joined friends and families, including girls’ Troop 1211, at a barbecue lunch to celebrate. The new Eagle Scouts are (top row, from left) Jude Johnson, David Anapolsky, Anand Mehta, Benjamin Rozic, Jacob Rozic, Zachary Cepulis, Sebastian Rozo, and Davis Barnett; (bottom row, from left) Zach Daube, Nathaniel Barnett, Julien Puerto, and Matthew Cepulis; not pictured: Henry Johnson

A historical-fiction debut

celebrated the publication of her fourth book at Brazos Bookstore. After publishing three nonfiction books, this is her first work of fiction. A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower is a historical novel based on the true story of an 18th-century Scottish noblewoman’s plot to free her husband from the Tower of London before his scheduled execution. Patricia read from her new book, and showed (continued on page 56)

Bellaire author Patricia Bernstein (pictured, right, with Bellaire council member Win Frazier, center, and Dr. Johnnie Frazier, left)

images of the people who inspired her novel about a woman’s courage while facing religious and political tyranny during the British Empire.

75th birthday celebration for two

Twins Steve and Mike Moore (pictured, center, with Craig Blagg, Stacie Moore, Denise Moore, and Amanda Moore) celebrated their combined 150th birthday at The Swinging Door in Richmond. The birthday boys are regulars at The Swinging Door, where they celebrate many friends’ birthdays and where Steve had his bachelor party in 1983. More than 150 friends and family members joined the festivities and enjoyed barbecue, ice cream, and birthday cakes. Steve and Mike were born on March 4, 1948 to Abe and Betty Moore. They graduated from Bellaire High School in 1966 and went on to the University of Houston. In 1978, they started an industrial-products business, appropriately named Twinco. The pair love being twins and spend every day together, often wearing matching shirts to the dismay of the rest of the family.

Party on Chestnut Street

The residents of the 5100 and 5200 blocks of

Chestnut Street in Bellaire gathered for a long overdue block party. Neighbors enjoyed catching up with each other, and the Bellaire Fire Department made an appearance to meet residents and show off their trucks for eager children. In addition to socializing, Chestnut Street families brought personal-hygiene items to donate to Wraparound Resources, a nonprofit started by Meyerland resident Kay Wasden, which serves HISD schools. Joined by firefighters and children, the festive neighbors are (top row, from left) Dan Lillig, Lisa Gilbreth, Marie-Claude Monier-Faugere, Lucie Loretz, Aude Faugere, Jay LeJeune, Traci Marable, Jennifer Bhardwaj, Greg Urbach, and Tabeen Urbach; (front row, from left) Erika Roberts, Meridith Flynn, and Megan Scharpf.

¡Viva Cristo Rey!

Paul and Carol Beck, Michael Dillard and Paula Lopez , and Aileen and Andy McCormick (pictured, from left) celebrated at

the Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School of Houston gala. More than 600 supporters gathered at the Hilton Americas for a silent auction, live auction, and dancing, and raised $2.5 million for the Catholic high school. ¡Viva Cristo Rey! was chaired by Aileen and Andy McCormick and honored Paula Lopez and Michael Dillard. Funds from the evening will provide scholarships for nearly 450 students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to help them attend Cristo Rey Jesuit and prepare for college. In addition to scholarship grants, students earn half of the cost of their education through the school’s corporate work-study program that places students in entry-level positions at corporations around Houston.

Be seen in Buzz About Town. Send your high-res photos and community news to info@thebuzzmagazines.com. Items are published on a space-available basis. Also share your upcoming-event listings on thebuzzmagazines.com.

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. by Andria Frankfort Dilling, staff writer

Back Porch Flowers flowers everywhere

April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring a lot of opinions.

Like the opinion of my dear friend, who I have mentioned here before, who grits her teeth every time her husband comes home with a Mother’s Day balloon on a stick, his version of flowers. (A funny aside: the mom we’re speaking of showed her husband What moms really want, in the May 2022 issue of The Buzz, hoping he’d recognize himself and take the hint. No such luck.)

Or that of another friend who reports to us that her husband does not bring flowers home but “supports my flower habit. I buy them for our house every other week, mostly at Kroger, but also at Village Greenery for orchids that I buy quarterly.”

Or another: “I often see men picking up flowers [at Central Market],” she says, “and I always think to myself, who is the lucky girl or mom or partner! I always think those guys with the flowers look so proud, but maybe they’re in the doghouse. Clawing their way out?”

Clinical social worker and psychotherapist Myrna Engler is lucky to have a daughter who gives her flowers annually on her own birthday, as a thank you for giving her life. “I do it mostly just to celebrate her,” says Amy Engler, a Baylor College of Medicine internal medicine resident. “She was the one who was pregnant with me for nine months.”

Amy says she started the tradition when she was in high school, not knowing her mother had the same tradition with her own mother, Amy’s grandmother. “I don’t even remember knowing that,” Amy says. “I think I just thought wouldn’t it be a nice thing to do. My birthday is a celebration of my life, but shouldn’t I be celebrating the person who gave it to me? Although I don't know if I was that deep in high school.

“Maybe someday when I have children my mom will nudge them,” Amy hopes.

I had never thought too much about flowers; I don’t have a quarterly plan, nor do I frequent florist shops. Like Amy, I follow my mother’s example and put little vases on my girls’ bedside tables when they come home. It’s just a little cheery something to make them feel loved, and happy to be home in their own beds. (Something rubbed off there – my girls never seem to be without flowers in their dorm rooms

and apartments.)

But I will say that I don’t think I’d be married today if my husband hadn’t swooped in with beautiful floral arrangements delivered to me every Friday. Hard as I tried, he was not going to be overlooked, and there was no overlooking those flowers.

I thought I had heard that my friend Tracy Pesikoff’s husband Josh did the same. “Oh my goodness, where is Candid Camera,” Tracy laughed when I asked about that. “When I put flowers on the grocery list, he laughs. When I call him and say, ‘Don’t forget the flowers,’ he laughs. But me, I only go to the grocery store to pick up flowers, and then maybe I’ll pick up some granola bars because I should.

“This is my most favorite topic,” Tracy says. “I could talk about flowers all day long!”

Tracy favors peonies when they’re in season, and roses – but not red roses! – otherwise. “I change out the colors each time, so I keep things fresh,” she says. “And if I don’t have fresh flowers in the house,

it either means we’re going on vacation or something’s very, very wrong. Like very wrong.

“I love arranging them myself,” she continues. “I’ll use interesting things to arrange them in. Pitchers or mugs or china, or sometimes a silver tea set will have flowers coming out of it. Mostly they’re right in my entry so that anyone who comes in the house gets to enjoy them, and we have a glass front door, so the Amazon man and the mail carrier see them. Just spreading smiles wherever we can.

“They’re an instant endorphin rush – the fragrance, the visual, the textures in the house. Flowers immediately make me smile, no matter what is going on in the world.”

Tracy points out that even though Josh doesn’t buy flowers, he does do all of the “real” grocery shopping and cooks all of their meals. “He is an amazing chef and fabulous person. This cook does not want to be in the kitchen, so we just don’t have the problem of too many cooks there.

“But it’s best that I pick the flowers out.”

STOP AND SMELL THE FLOWERS Are fresh flowers at the top or bottom of your list?